Eastern News

[guidofatherof5]

Any chance they escaped? How long had it been since you saw them in the cage? To eat 3 would mean he/she would have been huge. I don't remember where I read it but I thought that sort of thing kills the eater also. Especially when they are about the same size. I will have to try to find the book info.

[olive oil]

That is crazy! I didn't think that would be possible.

[zooplan]

They may be able to wrinkle the eaten sibling to their stomach,
but than they look like an accordion.
I´ve seen it for swallowing one snake, but I can´t imaging it for three.

[Sid]

To answer a couple of your questions... These were from different litters, all born within two weeks of each other in the latter part of July. So, JV and not yearlings.

I don't believe any of the 3 had escaped as one female from a group of the same age did escape about the same time. Water bowls and heat lamps at floor level were put out and the female was recovered...no males.

The whole thing had to have happened over no more than two days at most.

[Jack Neary]

Sid,
I had my 4 month old Puget in a 10 gallon Viv with some other juvenile 4-5 month old Butler's and Eastern's, when one day I noticed my little Puget was gone. Like you, their water dish and over priced cave were placed low so I didn't think there was anyway for her to escape...
Could not see any huge bulges in my Butler's or Eastern's signifying that they ate my little Puget. I was certain that there was NO WAY my Puget could climb out of the 10 gallon Viv with the screen-top? All right... who ate the Puget? (No basement TV watching for you guys for 1 month, little b*stards)
About 3 weeks later, I heard a noise in my 3ft. tall trash can, next to my workbench. I look in the trash can and there's my little dehydrated Puget....!
I think if they get wet from their water bowl they can shimmee up the sides of the glass tank and, in my case, wedge themselves under the screen top and play a month long game of hide and seek with me..
Sorry to be long winded... But, I strongly believe your snake went AWOL and was not eaten by his pals...
Gotta believe you could could really identify if one of your snakes ate 3 juvy Garters.
Please let us know if you find them.
Regards,
Jack

[Gijs & Sabine]

I also think that an escape is more likely. We had cannibalistic problems with the young elegans vagrans, when one try to eat another then both will die, because they are the same size.
And I never heard of easterns being cannibalistic, not saying that it is not possible though.
One way or another, it's not nice...