Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's my male Florida blue garter

I really like them.........chris

That's some fantastic colour!

Would you mind telling me where you got them from?

I got them from a guy in New York named Julio.....haven't heard anything from him for a long time either.... They will be up to breeding size by next year!

I am curious what the temperaments of your Florida Blues are like. I have a CB adult 1.1 pair. They are perhaps the most nervous and skittish of all my Garters. They act similar to a Patch-Nosed or Striped Racer. They do not like to be bothered at all and musk as well as occasionally bite. They splash their water so much their enclosure is constantly soaked, humid, and smelly. I have decided to separate them and try them on Aspen instead of paper or care fresh to make the maintenance easier and their cages drier. Gorgeous snakes but definitely less "user friendly" than various other garters I have. I presently have ten varieties of Thamnophis. Still worth the extra trouble and I am hoping for some breeding success with them. I am just curious if this behavior is indicative of the subspecies or if mine are atypical as they do not seem to want to calm down much with time.

My pair are also captive born...they are some of the most active garters I have!!!! So far, I haven't been bitten, but get musked occasionally. I have carefresh in their cages currently. I use cheap plastic Glad bowls for water dishes, the sandwich size, just big enough for the snakes to fit in. Having the smaller dish helps a little with the humidity.
I also have melanistic easterns...it seems that the eastern garters are a little more skittish than the plains, at least with my collection. The female melanistic has bitten me once, but she is getting better...that might change soon tho, I am pretty she mated with my male...
What other species of thamnophis do you have? I have mostly plains - t. radix, easterns - t. sirtalis sirtalis, red sideds - t. sirtalis parietalis, and wanderings - t. elegans vagrans.

I have also found the Plains Garters to be the best temperament. I would recommend them over others for someone who just wanted a friendly pet to get started with. I have a growing collection of Garters. I keep other species but garters are a favorite.

T a atratus, 1.1 Santa Cruz Garter, one stripe morph.

T cyrtopsis ocellatus, 1.1 Eastern Black-Necked

T elegans terrestris, 1.0.2 Coast Garters

T elegans vagrans, 1.1 Wandering Garter, Female is melanistic and the male is het

T radix, 1.2.1 Plains Garters, these include a red albino, a x-mas albino, and a het.

T sirtalis annectens, Texas Garters 0.0.4

T s concinnus, 1.1 Red Spotted Garters

T s parietalis, 1.1.1 Red Sided Garters

T s similes, 1.1 Blue stripe Garters

T sauritus, 0.0.1 Eastern Ribbon

I also have various other colubrids and Rubber Boas, a small assortment of lizards, a couple aquatic turtles and a variety of salamanders/newts which are my other main interest. If I ever get a descent camera I will start posting some pics of my hobby.

Randy

You have some good ones there!!

I have a variety of plains -

1.1 possible het albino
1.1 quad het
0.1 nebraska albino 0.1 nebraska snow
1.0 red phase x snow
1.0 normal male
1.1 christmas albinos

red sides

2.1 reds, one male is orange instead of red

wandering garters

2.1 one male is het albino, will be getting the female het albino this summer

eastern garters

1.1 melanistic x flame/erythristic
1.1 melanistic
1.0 flame x erythristic

western terrestrial

0.1 she has some red color

checkered garters

1.1 normal guys

I also have an Indian ornamental tarantula, 2 scorpions, 2 tiger salamanders, 2 leopard geckos, and a red eared slider. I am always looking to expand my collection also!!

My female Florida Blue is much more skittish than my other two garters (male melanistic and female melxflame). Completely different behavior characteristics.

Nic