Caught a wild garter!

I just caught a wild garter snake on a shrub in my yard. It's fairly small, probably 6 inches long....and wasn't too aggressive either. I've put him/her in a container that I had pre-setup for hatchling corns. I'd like to take some pictures of it once it calms down....and perhaps keep it for a bit?

Or is that really cruel? Garters are a common species around here (and everywhere :P)....and I have the proper enclosure, time, and feeders.

If I do keep this guy around for a bit- any advice??


(Ohh and I noticed half of it's mouth doesn't close with a tight seal...possible old injury?:confused:)

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Originally Posted by Calift

I just caught a wild garter snake on a shrub in my yard. It's fairly small, probably 6 inches long....and wasn't too aggressive either. I've put him/her in a container that I had pre-setup for hatchling corns. I'd like to take some pictures of it once it calms down....and perhaps keep it for a bit?

Or is that really cruel? Garters are a common species around here (and everywhere :P)....and I have the proper enclosure, time, and feeders.

If I do keep this guy around for a bit- any advice??


(Ohh and I noticed half of it's mouth doesn't close with a tight seal...possible old injury?:confused:)

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You should probably first identify it and then check your state's laws.

For example, to catch and keep any herp in PA you must have a fishing license. Furthermore, our state puts seasonal limits as well as daily catch and possession limits on species. Some reptiles and amphibians have NO open season and the daily catch and possession limit is ZERO-meaning that it is illegal in our state to catch and keep those species. I am not sure of the reason, but the Shorthead Garter Snake is on that list (go to http://www.fish.state.pa.us/fishpub/summary/repamp.html and scroll down after the first chart to see for yourself). You should also consult an endangered and threatened species list for your state as it is illegal to catch and keep any species on that list as well. Finally, some species in some states require a permit if you want to keep them.

Now will you get caught if it is an illegal herp?.....Probably not-but the herps on the endangered/threatened lists or the No open season list, in theory, are on there for a reason. For example, you should think about other people and their children if it is on an endangered list, if you keep it, it wont have the ability to reproduce in the wild and then those people may not experience finding that species when they are field herping.

Hope that helps.

Posting pics here may allow others to help you identify it.

actually, to catch and keep a herp in PA, you do not need a fishing liscense unless the animal is actually taken out of the waters of PA. I always thought you had to have one for all herps too, until this year, I re read the manual and it clearly says, this is directly off their website:

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A fishing license is required to catch or take reptiles and amphibians from the waters of the Commonwealth. A fishing license is not required for reptiles and amphibians on land.

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Thamnophis brachystoma, the shorthead garter snake is on the zero limit list because it is a species of special concern and is threatened.

I have also spoken with some game officials at shows and what not, and color morphs, such as white sided black rat snakes are not of any concern (obviously because they are not WC animals)

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Originally Posted by aSnakeLovinBabe

actually, to catch and keep a herp in PA, you do not need a fishing liscense unless the animal is actually taken out of the waters of PA. I always thought you had to have one for all herps too, until this year, I re read the manual and it clearly says, this is directly off their website:



Thamnophis brachystoma, the shorthead garter snake is on the zero limit list because it is a species of special concern and is threatened.

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Thanks for the clarification on the law-that makes sense! Thanks also for the species information.

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Originally Posted by Calift

I just caught a wild garter snake on a shrub in my yard. It's fairly small, probably 6 inches long....and wasn't too aggressive either. I've put him/her in a container that I had pre-setup for hatchling corns. I'd like to take some pictures of it once it calms down....and perhaps keep it for a bit?

Or is that really cruel? Garters are a common species around here (and everywhere :P)....and I have the proper enclosure, time, and feeders.

If I do keep this guy around for a bit- any advice??


(Ohh and I noticed half of it's mouth doesn't close with a tight seal...possible old injury?:confused:)

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to answer your questions, provided it's legal to keep it, which it most likely is but check just in case, no it isn't cruel. Garter snakes adjust to the captive life VERY quickly, usually in less than a week I can get one eating from my hands. I would definitely move it into a large cage though, they don't like being cooped up. A 10 gallon tank will comfortably house a male for his entire life, a female usually will get too large, but that really depends on the subspecies you have. They like lots of things to climb on, basking lights and of course hideys! Especially with WC's, the basking light can actually make the difference as to whether the snake eats or not for you! They really love light during the day (go figure, huh?!) Also provide a water bowl that is large enough for him to take a little swim as, thamnophis are semi aquatic. Make sure if you are feeding any fish that it's a thiaminase free species for the health of your snake, this means no goldfish, no catfish!!! Most species generally will take a worm as their first meal with ease, often on the same day as capture, once they are calmed down. They are very easy to convert to f/t pinkies, if the snake already won't take them straight away. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask!!! I can always help and I have more garters than most people know even exist!!! They are not just the little brown snake you see in your backyard... they are so much more!!

I used to catch reptiles and amphibs and keep 'em for an afternoon, and then let them go. It was a fun outdoor activity for a young kid, kept me away from the tv.

Thanks for the help!

I did double check my state laws and eastern garters are legal to keep....which isn't to say I won't release this guy soon. I'd like to try and see if I can get him/her to eat though- but the biologist in me thinks he/she would be happier outside. :oops:

Anyway, I did snap a few pics....I couldn't get any close-ups of the mouth problem- but I will try once I get the snake fully settled in. And I will be moving him/her into a much larger container.

As for the light- should I provide it right now as well? I always thought you should keep them covered to avoid stress....but I know garters like to bask (which it was doing when I grabbed it :))

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/DSC_0301.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/DSC_0298.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/DSC_0303.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/DSC_0302.jpg

Okay...here's a slightly better picture...but it still doesn't fully show the mouth problem...:confused:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6162.jpg

it looks like you have a very healthy young GRAVID female eastern. I can't tell for sure because I can't see the whole snake in the photos but in the last photo you can see how chubby she is and usually at this time of year any female you find is gravid. I would recommend releasing her soon, or else you are going to have a lot more than one garter snake!!! :O

Oh asnake- I will post some more pictures now if you're still online.

You think she's that big? I just assumed I had caught a tiny baby....haha she's small compared to corns.

Okay...I took other ones before as well....they are uploading now.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6167.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6168.jpg

Could it be possible that she already delivered babies? I noticed yesterday a smaller garter in the same location....though it appeared to be at least a few weeks old.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6170.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6169.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6141.jpg

way i got my garters when i kept them off worms and fish was scenting the mice with a worm and that got them eating 100% all the time. i slowly used less worm scent on the mice till the point of no scent.

I once in a while gave them fresh fish fillets from the market when i was making fish. But if you can get them on mice from scenting stick with that and youll be well on your way.

Heres a video of a gravid female i had who only ate mice.

http://www.veoh.com/browse/videos/ca...5904353wx8mR3d

Well, it's still hard to tell in the pictures, but you definitely have a young adult by the look of your $5 bill. Ideally, you would feed your WC garter a varied diet, sticking more to what they would eat naturally and including mice as well. I use about 50% fish based foods, 20% worms and 30% rodents. I find that too many rodents makes for a fat, slow garter snake. Garter snakes do not regularly prey on rodents in the wild, but as a part of a varied diet they are great to use!!! I don't recommend feeding all of one food item no matter what it is, but especially rodents, they are very rich and fatty compared to what these snakes normally eat!

Ok...thanks for the information. I will definitely keep the varied diet in mind if I keep him/her long enough to feed. I've been thinking about an elaborate tank already, but I'll never be able to recreate a live bush in an aquarium...lol.


What would make the pictures better? No background junk and a flat bill? I have a digital scale too that I could try using too.


Aww well I'm already in love with this one...garters are such neat snakes!

Oh and I wanted to ask, you can tell the gender based on their morphology?

Garter snakes are very sexually dimorphic as adults. 99 % of the time I can accurately sex an adult garter snake before I have even picked it up. Females are bulky, they get much larger than males, they usually have a wider, bigger head, chunky body, Really big, exaggerated upper labial scales, are usually gravid when found in mid-summer, and have a petite tail that ends rather abruptly. Males are small and petite, They usually have little heads and a narrow look to their face, and even well fed males tend to stay slender even when compared to a non gravid female of the same length. Their tail is basically a dead giveaway, it is much longer and thicker at the base and continues to be thick for sometime before it tapers off. They don't require nearly as much food as a female and usually aren't quite as voracious as the ladies.

A good shot to tell us if she's gravid would be from above of just the snake with nothing hiding any part of her body. The bill is not necessary as I have a pretty good idea of her size based on her head shape :)

I just realized that you have a very clear view of the tail in the second to last picture. Definitely a girl :D

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Originally Posted by Calift

Could it be possible that she already delivered babies? I noticed yesterday a smaller garter in the same location....though it appeared to be at least a few weeks old.

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a neonatal garter is tiny... REALLY TINY!! Easterns tend to have large amounts of small babies, the ones born around here usually measure 4-5 inches in length when all the way stretched out!

If she has recently delivered babies (within a few days), she would look rather thin and may have folds in the skin of the back half of her body. That one definitely has not delivered any babies lately... she looks like a lil' chunker!

aSnake, you KNOW your stuff. Great information. :)

And, cute Garter Snake!

She's eating a couple worms right now! :D:D They were pretty small ones...but it's thundering out now so I'm sure they'll be more tomorrow.

How many should I offer? (or what size)


I have a nice set-up now too....much bigger, I will post pics very soon tonight of it.


(.....but I'm still not saying I'm keeping her:cool:)

Okay, here are the updated pictures. The first couple show the mouth problem I was talking about...it appears there is a slight gap in the left hand side of her mouth that never fully closes. I haven't looked at it in too much detail- so I'm not sure what is it. :confused:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6194.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6195.jpg

The current set-up:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/CIMG6191.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...G6203-Copy.jpg

I love your setup!!! really nifty!! I might have to do that with my baby tubs! Alligator clamps... why didn't I think of those!?!?! As mentioned on Thamnophis.com... that looks like it COULD be stomatitis. I would keep an eye on it. It could also be a deformity from a previous injury or even a congenital defect!!! But it looks more like it may be an infection :O

I saw the thread title and I expected to read about a wedding reception. :rofl:

Well good news...the mouth seems much better! The reason I was concerned before was because I noticed it first thing when I caught her...but it looks like its less prominent now. Her face is not fully symmetric, one side still seems a little off...perhaps there's an infection underneath?

Anyway, here's a new one of the little bugger:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/DSC_0083.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/DSC_0073.jpg

She's got that angry garter stare.....but I love it! :P


-Ohh and those clamps work great....nice, tight and really cheap at home depot.

better enclosure pic:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y77...g/DSC_0089.jpg