I went out to play a game of hockey today, it was an away game so an hour and a half up the road. The trouble was I'd been told about an aquatic shop nearby, which had a good reptile room.

After checking out the boas, the pythons, bypassing the corns, checking out a breeding pair of Florida pine snakes (quite a pretty pair), I finally found a viv labelled "Northern Garter Snakes" (feel free to jump in now Greg. Apparently there's a supplier going around selling this previously unknown species) which after questioning the staff I determined were T. sirtalis.
I couldn't help myself, and justify it on the grounds that Vlad needs a viv mate. So I've picked out one that looks like it's a male. I was actually quite impressed, they had five and they have to be from the 2010 breeding season (it seems to be too much to ask for even good shops over here to have any information about the snakes they are selling). They at least told me that the garters were feeding on pinkies and worms.

So we have a new garter, I've named him Nobby (after Corporal Nobby Nobbs of the Ankh Morpork City Watch). When he's done his time in quarantine he can be company for Vlad. And I can look for a female radix as a viv mate for Lacrimosa.
I think he is a T. s. sirtalis, it's evening and the light isn't good enough for decent pics, but he looks like the pictures I've seen of Easterns.