I live in St. James Parish, Louisiana and caught a snake from the garden six weeks ago. It gave live birth to seven babies yesterday. I am having a hard time deciding if it is a garter or ribbon snake. I have been feeding the mom pinkies. I am trying to feed the babies crickets, but can't tell if they are eating them. The adult is about 2 feet long. I can't figure out how to attach the picture, but it is a dark brown with three lateral stripes on the back that are a muted yellow or tan in color. The underbelly is greenish.
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Garter or ribbon snake?
scrappydmm
Jul 20, 2006 04:04 PM
Replies (6)
ssssnakeluver
Jul 20, 2006 04:18 PM
sounds like a ribbon...but a pic would help a lot. Does it have any checkering between the stripes?? Garters generally have a checker pattern between the stripe. baby ribbons and garters don't eat insects. you will need to get small worms or feeder guppies for them.
scrappydmm
Jul 20, 2006 04:28 PM
no checkers as far as I can tell. It has solid brown and solid tannish stripes. I am trying to get a picture uploaded but have had no success.
Greg Longhurst
Jul 20, 2006 05:05 PM
It may be a garter or ribbon..but then, it may not. Most Thamnophis are fish/amphib eaters & probably would not eat a mammal. E-mail me the picture & I'll tell you what it is.
~~Greg~~
shaky
Jul 20, 2006 06:11 PM
1. Live birth
2. Eating pinkies
I'd say garter. I've not heard of many ribbons eating mammals.
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...and I think to myself, "What a wonderful world."
FunkyRes
Jul 21, 2006 12:35 PM
Yes - Thamnophis will take mammals if they are large enough.
It is better to use pinkies or fuzzies, or pre-killed - because (not being constrictors) they way they kill adult mice is to bash them against the side of the cage, hardly humane.
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3.0 WC; 0.1 CB L. getula californiae
0.1 CB L. pyromelana pyromelana
0.1 WC; 10 eggs (7/11) Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata
justinian2120
Jul 28, 2006 08:29 PM
....for discerning a garter from a ribbon is that garters usually show some black/dark 'sutures'(lines on edges) between the labials(lip scales),notably the upper lip.ribbons usually have solid white labials....also ribbons have a bold,better defined white squarish blotch just in front of the eye.
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"with head raised regally,and gazing at me with lidless eyes,he seemed to question with flicks of his long forked tongue my right to trespass on his territory" Carl Kauffeld
