What Garter Do I Have?

[RedSided]

The shots from above don't coclusively sex it but I would sway closer towards male becasue there is not a noticable taper after its rear end (or cloaca).It may still have some growing to do, what size vivarium do you keep it in?

As for subspecies I have no idea.

[Nova89]

The shots from above don't coclusively sex it but I would sway closer towards male becasue there is not a noticable taper after its rear end (or cloaca).It may still have some growing to do, what size vivarium do you keep it in?

As for subspecies I have no idea.

As of right now it is in a 10 gallon. When it gets bigger I will upgrade it, but it doesn't look like it's getting bigger anyway. I feed it all the time. I give it frogs, tadpoles, pinkies, fuzzies, fish, chicken liver, and chicken gizzards. He gets a variety of foods and eats often, but never grows. It's been about the same size since I got him and I am kind of getting bored with a non-growing snake.

[RedSided]

This may not be scientifically correct ,but I have herd that some snakes will only grow as big as thier enclosure allows,they get stunted in other words, I have no idea if that is correct or not.

Also if you are feeding it frogs and other wild cought food there is a small possibility it may have contracted some parestites,eg worms. If it does have an infestation of worms then they could be taking all the nutrition he needs from the food to grow.

Another possibility is that he is just a runt>

Check his defecations to see if there are any worm like fragments.Remember even if you dont find any its not conclusive that he is clean.If you suspect strongly that he has parasites take him down to the vet.For now keep an eye on him , is he lively?, any wheezing?, lumps and bumps under the skin?.

Didn't mean to scare you but anything is possible realy, hes most likely just a small snake. How long did you say you've had him? Even small snakes take a long time to grow.

[Cazador]

This may not be scientifically correct ,but I have herd that some snakes will only grow as big as thier enclosure allows,they get stunted in other words, I have no idea if that is correct or not.

This is a well-known phenomenon for fish, but not for snakes.

[Nova89]

Also if you are feeding it frogs and other wild cought food there is a small possibility it may have contracted some parestites,eg worms. If it does have an infestation of worms then they could be taking all the nutrition he needs from the food to grow.

Another possibility is that he is just a runt>

Check his defecations to see if there are any worm like fragments.Remember even if you dont find any its not conclusive that he is clean.If you suspect strongly that he has parasites take him down to the vet.For now keep an eye on him , is he lively?, any wheezing?, lumps and bumps under the skin?.

Didn't mean to scare you but anything is possible realy, hes most likely just a small snake. How long did you say you've had him? Even small snakes take a long time to grow.

I don't think it is sick at all. It is very active and aggressive. It loves to hide and loves to eat. I have had it since July 1st, 2006 and it has shed 4 times since then. You would think it would look bigger after each shed but that is not the case at all. It did seem to get longer though...

[Nova89]

I was also thinking maybe it had a calcium defiency and that's why it didn't grow so a few weeks ago I bought a calcium powder supplement. It's main diet was pinkies, but you know pinkies don't have strong developed bones and a lot of calcium, so I also upgraded it to fuzzies since they have more developed bones.

[Cazador]

You would think it would look bigger after each shed but that is not the case at all. It did seem to get longer though...

Mass (weight) increases disproportionately with length, so if you're concerned about its growth, you could buy a scale and keep tabs on it that way. Specifically, mass cubed is proportional to length. I doubt you're going to get much more growth out of it though because it's probably a male. If you wanted to be sure, you could submit a clear, close-up of the vent area, like KitKat did, here:



This is a female, but its characteristics are exaggerated because it was probably within minutes of deficating.

Rick

P.S. I'm pretty happy with this scale (Pro Scale 300 Gram Pocket Scale).

[GarterGuy]

Well still not entirely sure of the species......I'm guessing though if you got it in a petstore it's an Eastern (T.s.sirtalis). As far as the sex, still not sure on that one. As far as the growth thing.....it's probably an adult snake and isn't really going to grow anymore. Snakes don't only shed to "grow", they also shed to replace damaged or worn scales as time goes on as well. Also the growth will be slight or barely noticeable for a full grown adult. My 5.5ft. PI King sheds usually about 5 times a year or more, but hasn't gotten any bigger in the last 5yrs. I've had her.
Roy