Red versus Blue

[mikm]

Within my experience of keeping limited various garter sub-species I have found 'red' to be different then 'blue' in regards to color development/intensity. For instance when I kept Flames, 'red' only got better with age. A newborn Flame that is peach colored becomes at best, a darker peach, not red. In contrast a baby Florida Blue-Stripe (similis) with a slight bright blue stripe becomes a brilliant blue as long as it does indeed have a rich blue stripe regardless of how slight the stripe is. Which brings me to the lack of color the Puget babies have. I saw pics of Scott Felzers Puget babies last year and they were virtually 'colorless' relatively speaking. My babies at the moment, only have pale green with a few faint blue scales, appearing as 'specks' actually. That's quite a leap ... Wondering what others may have experienced ???

best wishes,
marian

[Cazador]

Sorry Marian... haven't had a litter from them yet, but I've read that only the fresh Alaskan air can help intensify blue coloration. Why don't you send up a batch, and I'll let you know if it works?

Actually, I've read that the color on these Pugets also intensifies with age. I think S. Felzer made that claim on one of his ads last year. I believe it was an ad on FaunaClassifieds.

Rick

[mikm]

hey Rick ... I mean blue and red colored garters in general. Like Red Spots seem to fade out whereas the Flames retain their red to the best of my knowledge. Just wondering why that is ??? ... ...

thanks,
marian

[snakeman]

Sometimes flames do fade with age.I guess it has to do with individual genetics.Congrats on your babies Marian.

[adamanteus]

Just an observation. Outside of Thamnophis, blue is a pretty rare colour to find in snakes.

[Cazador]

Originally Posted by mikm

hey Rick ... I mean blue and red colored garters in general. Like Red Spots seem to fade out whereas the Flames retain their red to the best of my knowledge. Just wondering why that is ??? ... ...

thanks,
marian

I have a hunch that it's partially a dietary issue and partially genetics/senescence. I've had a number of Oregon red spots that really fade out as old snakes but prior to roughly 7 years old, their color intensifies. I occasionally add carotenoid powder to their diet, and I believe it helps to improve their coloration. They would normally gain carotenoids in their diet by eating salamanders and a number of aquatic "bugs" (macroinvertebrates). You can find more info here (What). The head of older concinnus seems to fade the most, like in Roy's contest winning photo from March (http://www.thamnophis.com/) and in this snake of mine (below). She's even more faded now, but she's about 9-10 years old.
Rick

[Stefan-A]

Originally Posted by adamanteus

Just an observation. Outside of Thamnophis, blue is a pretty rare colour to find in snakes.

Isn't blue rare in animals in general?

[adamanteus]

Originally Posted by Stefan-A

Isn't blue rare in animals in general?

I guess so, apart from birds and fish.

[mikm]

thanks Rick ... the link you provided is what I was searching for as I recalled seeing the info & comparative fish pics before but could not find it ...

I appreciate your time ...
marian

[Snaky]

My concinnus all are very different, you can have a look at pics I posted earlier : Some pictures of my snakes :)
There is no difference whatsoever in the food and they have not been offered any supplements to intensify the colour, but they are all of different bloodlines. So I think a lot is already in their genes. I don't say supplements will help, but it's not needed to have a deep colour in my opinion.

The intensifiing of the red and fading away again when they are getting old is something that's indeed observed often.