Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We bought a female garter (not sure what kind) a few weeks ago from Petco and I suspect she's gravid. (Either that or she's an incredible pig!) She's gained quite a bit of weight since we brought her home and she was nice and well fed even then.

My question is this: How far up from the cloaca does a garter carry her babies? If she ever slows her eating down, I want to try gently feeling for "lumps." Right now, she's always got medium goldfish in her; 6-7 at a time, almost every day. (If we don't feed her that often, she gets really agitated.)

When I finally get my digital camera to work, I'll post a pic, but right now we're having problems with it. I'd also like to get opinions on what type she is; she's proven hard to i.d. so far. (She has very tiny eyes and is very pretty in shades of gray with tan stripes and a creamy gray belly that gradually looks like granite towards the back end of her.)

Thanks everyone!
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Sprig - Head Keeper of the Mellen Menagerie: 1 cat, 1 betta, 2 garter snakes, 3 baby red-eared sliders, 2 little gray tree frogs, feeder fish and crickets... & a partridge in a pear tree! (Just kidding about the bird! But I DO have a hubby, a 9 yr old boy and a 3 yr old girl in the mix!)

When I found a gravid female ribbon snake this past summer, it was obviously quite far into being gravid, though I was not sure. The snake had quite a large lump half-2/3 of the way down the body. I thought the snake had been run over as it was found crossing from a mall and the internal organs had been compacted into a lump. I woke up with 26 beautiful baby ribbons though. It is sort of the wrong time of year, but if the snake was from some southerly locale, I assume it would be possible. Just keep an eye on the snake and make sure they just aren't fish built up in the gut or some sort of impaction. Good luck. Andy
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Andy Maddox
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Thanks, Andy! I will watch her for signs either way. She was bought at a Michigan Petco, but I have no idea where she's from. She was in a tank w/another there (don't know what sex) and is now roomies with our male.

>>When I found a gravid female ribbon snake this past summer, it was obviously quite far into being gravid, though I was not sure. The snake had quite a large lump half-2/3 of the way down the body. I thought the snake had been run over as it was found crossing from a mall and the internal organs had been compacted into a lump. I woke up with 26 beautiful baby ribbons though. It is sort of the wrong time of year, but if the snake was from some southerly locale, I assume it would be possible. Just keep an eye on the snake and make sure they just aren't fish built up in the gut or some sort of impaction. Good luck. Andy
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Sprig - Head Keeper of the Mellen Menagerie: 1 cat, 1 betta, 2 garter snakes, 3 baby red-eared sliders, 2 little gray tree frogs, feeder fish and crickets... & a partridge in a pear tree! (Just kidding about the bird! But I DO have a hubby, a 9 yr old boy and a 3 yr old girl in the mix!)

Hiya,

I've been waiting for my female to show for months now. They had a successful mating in the second week of November (cloacal gaping and all) but I think she's been holding the sperm for now.

Just wanted to note that goldfish aren't recommended for garters because of the thiaminase they contain. Rosies are supposedly safe, according to local pet shops and just about every person I pester for an opinion. The best option is to find a local bait shop and get leeches and minnows though.

Cheers

>>Just wanted to note that goldfish aren't recommended for garters because of the thiaminase they contain. Rosies are supposedly safe, according to local pet shops and just about every person I pester for an opinion. The best option is to find a local bait shop and get leeches and minnows though.
>>
>>Cheers

The place (Savanna Exotics) I go to quit carrying rosies because they were dying off too quickly. They all said feeder gfish are fine. We also alternate w/nightcrawlers purchased there or @ Gander Mountain. I get rosies when I can but they're so small, it takes a dozen or more for one snake (especially if it's Charcoal, our female!) We've experimented w/thawed pinkies, but it's been 50/50 so far. One day they both ate 2 ea, the next time, none.

Thanks for the advice!

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Sprig - Head Keeper of the Mellen Menagerie: 1 cat, 1 betta, 2 garter snakes, 3 baby red-eared sliders, feeder fish and crickets... & a partridge in a pear tree! (Just kidding about the bird! But I DO have a hubby, a 9 yr old boy and a 3 yr old girl in the mix!)

Before trusting a pet store look to see how they're taking care of their animals. Do the chameleons have a drip tank or a water bowl? Are they keeping any of their lizards exclusively on sand? After seeing how the local pet shops leave their chameleons dehydrated (no dripping water), and lizards pooping out big lumps of sand, I've found that the best resource is either a book by a breeder or researcher of those animals, or asking a breeder themselves.

Goldfish contain an enzyme called Thiaminase, which breaks down Thiamin (Vitamin B1). If you're only feeding them occasionally that should be fine, but if that's all your snake is getting it's not getting the nutrition it needs, and may become seriously ill or die.

Reference links:

http://www.mcwetboy.com/articles/garter_diet.phtml

http://www.gartersnake.co.uk/mycollection.htm

http://www.anapsid.org/gartcare.html

I was incorrectly told that any feeder fish were safe as well.
Best of luck.

>>Just wanted to note that goldfish aren't recommended for garters because of the thiaminase they contain. Rosies are supposedly safe, according to local pet shops and just about every person I pester for an opinion. The best option is to find a local bait shop and get leeches and minnows though.
>>
>>Cheers

The place (Savanna Exotics) I go to quit carrying rosies because they were dying off too quickly. They all said feeder gfish are fine. We also alternate w/nightcrawlers purchased there or @ Gander Mountain. I get rosies when I can but they're so small, it takes a dozen or more for one snake (especially if it's Charcoal, our female!) We've experimented w/thawed pinkies, but it's been 50/50 so far. One day they both ate 2 ea, the next time, none.

Thanks for the advice!

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Sprig - Head Keeper of the Mellen Menagerie: 1 cat, 1 betta, 2 garter snakes, 3 baby red-eared sliders, 2 hermies and feeder fish ... & a partridge in a pear tree! (Just kidding about the bird! But I DO have a hubby, a 9 yr old boy and a 3 yr old girl in the mix!)