Found Wild Garter

[Finalflash50]

I found a wild garter in my friends driveway. We had just gotten done looking for them all over his backyard. I spotted one in between two bricks. We lost it the first time, but then we came back to the same brick five minutes later and he was back down there. I lifted the brick and caught it right away. He had some pretty good strikes at us. We put it down and I held it by it's tail and let it more around a little bit. We had thought it calmed down, but each time I went to hold it by it's body, it took a strike at us. We both got bit once, bleeding. He was pretty angry. He looked like an eastern, but I'll let you people here judge him. I have a video.

He was about 3 feet long, 2 inches circumference.

[chris-uk]

It's a garter, not a copperhead... Just pick it up rather than holding its tail.

Looks like a good sized girl. Where abouts are you? Looks like a sirtarlis of some description. I'm always jealous of the forum folk who can find wild garters in their gardens.

[guidofatherof5]

Holding a large female like that can injure their tail.
At this time of the year probably gravid. Would be best to let her be so she can have her babies out in the wild.

[kibakiba]

It looks big enough to be gravid. It was probably just defending itself from the big pink monkey that was hurting its tail.

[katach]

Very pretty eastern, most likely gravid. As stated before holding by the tail can cause injury. Next time if you just pick it up, they usually calm down pretty quick. Every garter I've ever picked up that struck to begin with stopped after a minute. You just have to be confident and calm.

[Dan72]

That is one big gal.

[Finalflash50]

I did feel bad about restraining it, it just looked really good, so I wanted to keep it still so I could get a good shot of it. I guess I could have done that while it was moving too. I only held it for the time I was filming, and let go immediately after I cut away. At first, my friend picked it up by the tip in the air so that it was hanging. I told him not to do that because I know it hurts it. I wasn't aware that the way I was keeping it down caused it pain. My apologies. I won't do that in the future.

[guidofatherof5]

I don't think you caused any pain. Just increased its stress level.
Don't worry about it.

[katach]

Yeah, don't worry. You just know for next time.

[Finalflash50]

Finding this snake was way too easy. We are probably going to go hunting in his backyard a lot this summer now that school is out. I'll see if I can get a video of each one I see. I will hold them by the body for the videos. I'm just going to take the bites. The only reason I was paranoid of being bitten was because I haven't been bitten in a snake for so long. It has to have been a good 5 years.