Hi

[cascabel]

Happy Holidays,
I just joined the group and thought I'd introduce myself. After spending the last four years in Arizona studying rattlesnakes (hence "cascabel"), I recently moved to northern California to work with Thamnophis. In the southeast US, I grew up catching and keeping Thamnophis, because they were the most common snake where I lived. Since, however, I have not had much interest in them and if you had told me a year ago I would be doing a graduate project on Thamnophis - I would have laughed at you! In april I started working with Thamnophis gigas (Giant Gartersnakes), which are a threatened species, and they have really grown on me. Their behavior in the wild and captivity is very interesting and unlike anything else I've worked with. While preparing for and recovering from surgery (we are implanting radio transmitters) they are quite personable and adaptable to captivity, which was surprising to me. I have never seen a snake beg for food before! It is too bad their threatened status prevents them from being kept - they seem better suited to a pet than most snakes I've worked with or kept (even my 20yr+ captive Elaphe). Maybe someday our research (and others') will help change their status....
In the spring I will begin my graduate project with T. sirtalis tetrataenia (San Francisco Gartersnakes). My project will examine how the species responds to fire and compare its habitat and diet preferences with two sympatric gartersnakes: T. atratus (Santa Cruz) and T. elegans (Coast). I'm still working out the details of that project.
I'm not sure how much I'll participate in this forum, it seems largely geared for captive T., and I'm not interested in keeping any gartersnakes (am happy with my menagerie or Lampropeltis). But since I'm now becoming a gartersnake biologist, I thought I'd join! As my work develops with tetrataenia, I may inquire of those who keep the species overseas about reproduction and diet - so little is known about this species here (in captivity or the wild).

Best,
melissa

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard.

Seems to me that you have the best job of us all. Without a doubt you could have a lot to contribute (and sadly, not much to gain), since many of us who keep garters as pets, also feel a need to know as much as possible about the snakes. Knowledge about their needs and behavior is also the cornerstone in caring for them correctly.

[boeh]

Welcome cascabel

Your projects sounds nice, I would like to hear more from them. Keep us updated

Cyrill

[Boots]

Hi Cascabel,

Welcome to the forum. I have to agree with Boeh. So please stay in touch as your research sounds interesting, and on one of the sharpest looking snakes to boot.

Jason

[Sid]

Hi Melissa and welcome to the forum. Like everyone else, please keep us updated on your projects. I'm sure we will all find it of benifit.

Sid

[Elliot]

Welcome aboard!

[Cazador]

Hi Melissa,
Thanks for the intro. Be careful with these garters because they grow on a person in a hurry. You just might find yourself replacing your Elaphe with Thamnophis in time . It's good to have you along with us, and I think you'll find this forum an excellent resource while you're learning about Thamnophis... perhaps a lifelong endevor? I hope you'll find the two threads below particularily interesting and can contribute a decent textbook (or other) to the list. I look forward to reading your thesis, in time. Kind regards,
Rick

Best Snake Books

Strumpfbandnattern

[GarterGuy]

Howdy Melissa and welcome to the forum. I think that's great that you're actually working on Thamnophis, it seems very few people do. They are such a "common" snake in the US, but we know so little really about them. I'll be very interested to hear about your studies with T.s.tetrataenia and how it coexist with the other Thamnophis species that shares it's habitat. In captivity garters seem to very much be generalist when it comes to diet. I'm wondering how they don't compete with each other in the wild. Do they specialize in a certain prey item (as I think I've read before) or specific niche with in the environment? Yeh, I could go on for ever...I'm not just interested in garters as captive animals. I would also be intersted in hearing about your research techniques, since I'll be working with a friend of mine studying Queen snakes (Regina septemvittata) this upcoming spring and summer. Anyways, I think you'll find Thamnophis to be a really interesting group of animals to be working with, and the people here on the forum, to be a really interested in what your studies find.

----Roy

[Snaky]

Also a welcome from Belgium!

Like others already said, I think you can greatly contribute to the forum and we'll probably not that great of a resource for you . But you may always keep us updated on the results of your thesis.

[Thamnophis]

Hi Melissa, nice to hear that you do research about gartersnakespecies.
I am very curious where we can find the report about the T. gigas when you have finished it.