Question for you guys

[Didymus20X6]

First, I've done my own relocation efforts in the past. 2 years ago, to help my landlady, I caught more than 20 Easterns in my yard and adjacent properties, and relocated the majority of them to a rural area near a stream, with lots of woods, and far away from people. I ended up keeping 3, releasing 2 of those in different places, and then catching a new one this year.

My thought: it depends on how big a population of snakes we're talking about. I don't think relocating 6 would be a major problem, especially if you move them to different locations far enough away from each other if you're worried about overpopulating the release area.

Some will argue that relocating them is not a good idea because it decreases their chance of survival. Poppycock! I read a study not long ago - and someone else posted a very similar study - that shows that relocated garters actually have a relatively strong chance of survival. Keep in mind, though, it is not better than the chances of survival of any other snake in the wild - they still have to contend with predators and competition for food - but it's not significantly worse.

Ultimately, I say, be responsible. A few garters released in an area with plenty of foliage and woods are not going to destroy the environment, but don't release them in a place that already is already overpopulated with them. You could always take them in and keep them yourself, if you're up to caring for them all. But if you leave them be, they will likely die.

[Sonya610]

I read a study not long ago - and someone else posted a very similar study - that shows that relocated garters actually have a relatively strong chance of survival. Keep in mind, though, it is not better than the chances of survival of any other snake in the wild - they still have to contend with predators and competition for food - but it's not significantly worse.

If you are thinking about a study that was posted here a couple of weeks ago they were relocating them from one den to ANOTHER den. In MS where the climate is usually mild it probably isn't a big deal, but in a colder climate (like Colorado) if the snakes were relocated and could not find a suitable den they probably wouldn't do well at all.