Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey all,
I am considering what kind of reptile to get. I've kept a ribbon snake before and I enjoyed it. I found some pictures of a blue garter sold as Flordai Blue or something like that, but I didn't find any for sale right now. Are these fairly easy to find and are they a good choice?

Also what kind of terrariums do you guys use? Those things at pet smart are so overpriced I can't stand the thought of purchasing one. I previously used the cheapie screens they sell on a 20 gallon but the snake managed to get out somehow once or twice. I used to feed him frogs sometimes but now I'd feel kind of bad doing that, what do you guys do when garters won't feed on fish anymore (my ribbon quit eating fish from time to time).

There are exceptions to every rule, However "Florida Blue" garters are generally good eaters.

Mine readily accept pinkies for food, and rarely turn them down.

Just do yourself a favor and AVOID "stunning blue garters"
That kind frequently are infested with mites.
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Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
------------------------------------------------------------>>>>>>>>>>
1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cain" Rescued from a crack house
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (Eggs all hatched!)
1.3.13 Storeria dekayi - Brown Snakes Casper, Xena, Athena, Copper, Sharon & Kids
0.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter "MoJo"
0.2.0 Thamnophis ordinoides - Northwestern Gartersnake(Blue Phase)
1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.2.0 Thamnophis Sirtalis - Florida Blue stripe Garter
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern"Mutt"
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.4 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis - Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided (R.I.P. little guy)
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC Pink eater!
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Sub-adult CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Getting Huge!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris"
0.1.0 Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - "Peach" (A Monitor with fins)
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
??.??.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish / Giant roaches
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

There are two types of florida blue garter. One is actually an eastern garter, Thamnohpis sirtalis sirtalis, and is basically a blueish color morph of the eastern. The other is the true Florida Bluestriped Garter, Thamnophis sirtalis similis. Dekaybrown owns four "florida blue" eastern garters, which came from my female. Florida blue easterns can grow up to be really blue, or not blue at all, but either way they have a distinct look. Florida Bluestriped Garters have a distinct look also, and vary in what shade of blue they are and how intense. I keep both the easterns and the florida bluestripes, and while they are both profound eaters, the florida bluestripes (similis) are definitely the nastiest subspecies of garter I have ever encountered and I have heard that from pretty much everyone. They are very wiry and will flip out at the slightest movement, and are very prone to biting and suddenly spitting out their food and freaking out. Scott Felzer himself agreed with me on the phone that they are extremely flippy snakes. 9 times out of ten, when you see "florida blue garters" for sale on KS, is it a wholesaler that has some WC garter snakes from florida and does not know jack squat about them other than they are blue.( o0o00o0ohhhh. ) If you email them and ask which subspecies and they can't tell you, run far far away. The Bluestripes, or similis, are harder to come by and you are best going with CB specimens either way if it's possible. The "stunning blue garters" Dekay brown mentioned are referring to an ad often posted on KS by a man named Bob, and the snakes in question are labeled as Puget Sound Garters,(pickeringii) but are also sometime actually Blue Northwestern Garters (Ordinoes) and he actually has no idea. That's another guy to stay away from, he has sold a lot of really unhealthy snakes (they are WC) to a lot of people including myself a few years ago when I had no idea what i was doing. Puget sound garters and blue northwestern garters are both stunningly blue, but re from the opposite side of the country. I hope this helps you sort out a bit about blue garters!!! and I dont have time to re-read my post so I hope it all makes some bit of sense!

Made perfect sense to me Shannon.......
-----
Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
------------------------------------------------------------>>>>>>>>>>
1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cain" Rescued from a crack house
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment (Eggs all hatched!)
1.3.13 Storeria dekayi - Brown Snakes Casper, Xena, Athena, Copper, Sharon & Kids
0.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter "MoJo"
0.2.0 Thamnophis ordinoides - Northwestern Gartersnake(Blue Phase)
1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.2.0 Thamnophis Sirtalis - Florida Blue stripe Garter
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern"Mutt"
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Red Phase Eastern Garter red and white stripes
0.0.1 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake
0.0.4 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbons
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis - Eastern Garter babies 7/11/08
0.0.7 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic Scott Felzer stock.
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis California Red Sided (R.I.P. little guy)
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
0.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snake - "Aqua" adult WC Pink eater!
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" Sub-adult CB
1.0.0. Pueblan Milk snake "Oreo" adult CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Getting Huge!
1.1.3. Green Anole "Crystal" & "Chris"
0.1.0 Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - "Peach" (A Monitor with fins)
1.0.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo
0.2.0. Feline"Felix"(R.I.P. 4/27/08) "Kaja" & "Silver"
2.1.0. calico RATS
??.??.?? Mice - Feeder farm - Crickets / fish / Giant roaches
More herps than I could ever list out back on the land.

That's the best explanation I've ever heard explaining the differences between these two subspecies of snakes. It's hard to find good information on the difference between a "Florida blue" and a "true" blue.

Thanks!

Tim

Why are they "full of mites"compared to other Fl blues? Vic