Hi from California

[Dracaena828]

Hi all~
I am new to the forum here, have been reading it for a few days and found lots of great info and pictures. I live in northern California and have kept various reptiles since the age of 8. I don't have any garters at the moment but a common garter was my very first pet and I had him (Oscar) and his buddy Zelda, a red-sided garter, for several years. Looking back with a little more knowledge now I realize that Zelda must have been a male too, but we didn't know that at the time.... They met an unfortunate end feeding one day latching onto each other in their water bowl and becoming stuck, unable to separate. They suffocated to death. Horribly traumatic to a twelve year old whose mother was at work..... Wish I had known then not to feed them together, but we had for years with no troubles and I didn't realize the risk. Anyway, they were absolutely charming snakes with tons of personality and they started me out in the whole reptile world.
I never got more garters as we didn't realize they could eat anything other than goldfish and toads, so they kind of smelled and my mom wouldn't let me get any more.
Browsing the ads on Kingsnake a few days ago, I ran across an ad for blue garters and saw some stunning pictures of Puget Sound garter snakes. Being that I live on my own now and don't really have to follow my mom's pet rules :) I couldn't pass one up--stunning animals. So I now have a gravid female on the way to arrive tomorrow. In the days since I have been doing lots of research as I was sure there would be tons more info available on these guys than I knew when I was little, and sure enough I have learned lots. Found this great place so I am pretty excited and feel much more knowledgeable now. I have read some slightly concerning posts about the guy I am getting the snake from, but I had already paid so I will just see how my snake is when she arrives.
Sorry for rambling on a bit. Great forum you all have here and I am glad to have found it.
Angela
Following is a list of my housemates. The two mis-named herps I have had since I was in grade school when I just arbitrarily assigned names and gender....
1.1 Kenyan sand boas, Joyce (the male....) and Isabella
1.0 Anery Kenyan, Kito
1.0 Western hognose, Ruddygore
0.0.1 juvie ball python, Luna
0.3 Russian tortoises, Boris (adult female), Natasha and Betty (babies)
and two little mischevious young fuzzies named Bonnie and Clyde who constantly keep me on my toes....

[adamanteus]

Hi Angela (again:rolleyes: ), and welcome to the forum. Congratulations in advance on the arrival of your new Garter. You'll find the guys here are both knowledgable and helpful, you couldn't have found a better spot to discuss your Garter Snake issues.:)

[Sid]

Hi Angela and welcome to the forum. A word of caution for you. When the new female arrives quarentine it and check it very closely for parasites. Good luck with the new addition.

Sid

[adamanteus]

By the way, Angela, I've kept Kenyan Sand Boas in the past...but I never saw them! Just patterns in the sand, and disappearing food! How do you keep them? Have you ever seen them?!:rolleyes: :D

[Cazador]

Congratulations on finding the forum, Angela! I hope you'll enjoy your time here and share your experiences with us. If there is ever anything we can do for you... just ask :). Cheers,

Rick

[Snaky]

Welcome to the forum, enjoy it here:)

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard! :)

[drache]

Welcome to the forum Angela
nice to meet you and your critters

[suzoo]

Hi Angela, from Missouri here.

[Dracaena828]

My snake arrived today! She is very pretty and active, has been exploring her temporary tank for about two hours now, no doubt trying to find the one little spot that she can squeeze out of.... I do remember my Oscar being an absolute master at escape... Poor thing won't find any weak spots in this tank, but she's welcome to try all she wants :) Pretty small and doesn't really look gravid to me, but what do I know. It would be fun to get babies, but it won't be the end of the world if she doesn't have any, I'm just tickled with her on her own. She's so active compared with my little (wonderful) bumps-on-a-log snakes that I have now. I stared at her for ages, and didn't see any signs of external bugs or any blisters or anything. I am assuming she will have internal parasites so my question is will it be safe to take her to the vet if she is pregnant? Or will this just cause way too much stress? I'd rather play it on the safe side until it's been a little while and I have a better idea of if she's carrying any kids in her.... I am lucky to have the UCD vet hospital right near by and I have taken all my pets there for years. Should I just collect a sample of feces and bring that in? She already kindly provided that, though this one is a bit strewn around the tank by now..... Would appreciate any thoughts, thanks.
Angela
P.S. James-Yes, sand boas are pretty much invisible pets. I see them exploring at night sometimes, but that's usually about it. The female I got a few months ago to go with my male Joyce is much more active than he is. When I put them in together I think I saw them more out-and-about in two days than I have the entire time I've had him all together. Hopefully I'll be getting some little ones from them in a couple months. Joyce has always been my favorite of all my snakes simply because he has a wonderful, mellow temperment and will just let you hold him all day if you want. He never bites, in fact when I was little he struck at me once, and I was so concerned that there was something wrong with him I insisted to my mom that we take him to the vet! He's a good eleven or twelve years old now, and that was the only time he's ever shown any sign of aggression.

[adamanteus]

That's great news Angela. Why not post some pictures of her? I wouldn't get too paranoid about the parasite issue. "Fore warned is fore armed" as they say. If you are concerned, taking a faecal sample to the vet should confirm or allay your fears, no need to take the snake at this point! Good luck and keep us posted!

[Cazador]

Hi Angela,

You're weighing the risks of "potentially" allowing internal parasites to reproduce and migrate... possibly into an embryo... against stressing the snake a little. If you plan to take her to the vet during her pregnancy, it's better to do it sooner rather than later. Ideally, they would be treated before brumation, but I know that wasn't really an option in this case. Just transport her in a pillow case or similar dark, soft bag that lets her feel enclosed, and keep the bag fairly warm.

Rick

[GarterGirl]

Welcome to the forum!
I was born in California but now we're living in New York.

[adamanteus]

A risky business indeed. But as I see it though, there is no indication of internal parasites yet, is that not so?. Just the fear of them? Surely better to check the faeces first while the snake gets the chance to settle down.

[Cazador]

I'm just thinking about saving you the ~$45 office charge for two different visits. Perhaps it's best to ask the vet whether you should bring the snake when you call to see about the fecal exam.

[Dracaena828]

Hi guys,
Thanks for the answers, pretty much both what I had thought. I called the vet hospital and left a message for the vets asking what they thought best. The receptionist said they might not even be willing to do a fecal exam without having seen the animal, so I'll see what they say. While I'd obviously prefer to not spend too much on vet bills, I do have a credit card with them from having some rabbits treated awhile back. So if the bills add up at least I can pay them off slower!
No pictures of her right now, my camera's batteries died but I will be replacing them as soon as possible. The more I look at her the more I think her second half may be a bit bulkier than normal, but it could just be that's what I'm hoping so my mind is playing tricks on me....

[Thamnophis]

Hello Angela, welcome here on this fine forum.

I like your nickname "Dracaena".
I was so lucky to take care of a pair Dracaena guianensis for a number of years. That are fantastic lizards.