A quick little message to members...

[tress29]

I was reluctant at first to actually join as I dont have any snakes of my own but I must say I was made to feel very welcome from the first day

Yet. You don't have any snakes yet! It's just a matter of time...

[GarterGuy17]

Well I must say when I first joined I didn't have a snake , I was planning on getting a snake from Reptiles-n-critters.com , a baby thamnophis marcianus ( checkered garter ) but wanted to learn more about garters and ended up falling in love with red sides ! Happy I didnt spend 40 extra dollars on shipping so this forum was very helpful even when I didn't have a snake. So Marnie I agree with you completely on that not once apart of this family always apart of it , unless you do something horrible to snakes because than and only than will the garter mafia hunt you down !

[EasternGirl]

Yeah...we teased John a lot about making him do initiation hazing rituals for the garter mafia when he first joined! He was so much fun to joke around with...we knew he'd fit right in here....

[acovert]

I have to say that this is a wonderful message. When I lost Cuddles this week I really thought that he would be lost forever and I wasn't sure what I would do about this site any more. I assumed I would be welcome to stay, but I was hesitant and considered leaving if Cuddles hadn't shown up. It's nice to know that I will be welcome here, snake or no snake.

[EasternGirl]

Well Ashley...I did have people like you, Nate, Erin...on my mind when I wrote the message. I especially want new members who come on here with a snake and may lose the snake for some reason to understand that they are still welcome. Things happen. People rescue a snake outside and come on the forum and then the snake doesn't make it, for example. I also want people who may be looking at the site and thinking about joining, who don't have a snake, to understand that they are welcome too. And then there are people like Erin...who have been members for a while...and her snakes passed unexpectedly...I want her to know that we still want her here on the forum.

[Didymus20X6]

Also, I refer people with garter snake related questions to this site all the time.

[snickersnake]

I've learned so much from all of you. I had garters when I was growing up but I didn't keep them. I'd save them from the lawnmower then let them go in the woods. In the 80's, my first garter was Zip, a gift from a friend. She was 4 years old and lived four more years, then got very sick and died while I was holding her. It just broke my heart.

A few years after that, I got Fang and she died after six months (similar death to Zip - obstruction), then I got String and she died within a few months, suffering from convulsions. I never knew why and thought it might be related to illnesses that my dogs and I had (from the well water? pesticides?). A few years after that, I developed severe Lyme symptoms and my symptoms were similar to what my dogs had, but it didn't explain the snakes. Then I came to this forum for information after I decided to save Lucy (my current garter) from the lawnmower and found that it was the fish that killed my snakes. Fang and String were eating rosies and Zip always had goldfish. I never knew that these fish were bad for garters. When I first got Zip, those were the feeding instructions. It breaks my heart but now I know.

Anyway, thank goodness for all of you because I might have lost Lucy in the same way. I came here when she refused to eat guppies...it was like she didn't know how! So I came out to this forum and found that I could feed her earthworms. I started a worm farm with worms from my garden (not red wigglers, just earthworms and night crawlers) because fall was coming and she needed food for winter. I dipped them in vitamins and she ate them right down. When she was big enough, I started feeding her pinkies and she has been doing great. Everyone here has been so helpful and I appreciate knowing that there is such a good place to go to get the right information about garters.

[guidofatherof5]

I've learned so much from all of you. I had garters when I was growing up but I didn't keep them. I'd save them from the lawnmower then let them go in the woods. In the 80's, my first garter was Zip, a gift from a friend. She was 4 years old and lived four more years, then got very sick and died while I was holding her. It just broke my heart.

A few years after that, I got Fang and she died after six months (similar death to Zip - obstruction), then I got String and she died within a few months, suffering from convulsions. I never knew why and thought it might be related to illnesses that my dogs and I had (from the well water? pesticides?). A few years after that, I developed severe Lyme symptoms and my symptoms were similar to what my dogs had, but it didn't explain the snakes. Then I came to this forum for information after I decided to save Lucy (my current garter) from the lawnmower and found that it was the fish that killed my snakes. Fang and String were eating rosies and Zip always had goldfish. I never knew that these fish were bad for garters. When I first got Zip, those were the feeding instructions. It breaks my heart but now I know.

Anyway, thank goodness for all of you because I might have lost Lucy in the same way. I came here when she refused to eat guppies...it was like she didn't know how! So I came out to this forum and found that I could feed her earthworms. I started a worm farm with worms from my garden (not red wigglers, just earthworms and night crawlers) because fall was coming and she needed food for winter. I dipped them in vitamins and she ate them right down. When she was big enough, I started feeding her pinkies and she has been doing great. Everyone here has been so helpful and I appreciate knowing that there is such a good place to go to get the right information about garters.

That is what this forum and all its members are all about. Thank you for your kind comments.

[EasternGirl]

Snickersnake...thank you for sharing that story. I am sorry that you had to go through the losses that you suffered, but you learned from them and you were trying to care for garters in the best way that you knew how...that is what matters. We have all made mistakes along the way and learned from them...that is part of being a snake owner. Thankfully we all have this forum and each other...your story is a perfect example of why we are here...and although you suffered losses along the way, it is a success story in the end. We are glad to have you here!