Quote Originally Posted by DavidD View Post
I don't brumate any of my gaters I just put a male in with each female in the spring and leave them for a month

Hmm... might work if you go out in the spring and catch them, and throw them together but for captives, how would they know it's spring if there has been no winter? Mine never would breed unless they knew the season. Sure, it happens, but mine never did when I skipped the cool-down period. Same goes for my spiny lizards. Sure, they are active year-round in southern parts of their ranges, but without some kind of seasonal influence, no breeding happens. Occasionally a female garter, after shedding, will smell "attractive" to a male, and he'll try, usually unsuccessfully, to fertilize her.