Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have these Maritime garters that are just a bit more than inquizative...They leave their cages and come right to me,make no intention of getting away in any other direction without being held.It is DAMN strange,especially from a scientific standpoint.I know there are not any natural warm blooded predators from the island they are found but its more than that.Anyway,for those of you that keep other colubrids and have experieces with garters for several years do you notice any similarities??These are WC snakes!! Jeff

This is interesting. I have had my garters (12 varieties) come towards me but it has always been out of a feeding response. They associate their cage opening and my presence with feeding time. They will start foraging around my hand for food and many will actually bite at any movement. I remember talking to a herpetologist many years ago that had done research on the Galapagos Islands with Land Iguanas. He said they have no concern about people and walk right up to them and never flee when approached. They even took to being "hand" fed. He attributed this to the lack of human contact for the species and the lack of any predators. While it is interesting that a wc adult would not feel intimidated around a potential predator, what you are describing sounds feasible if these same conditions exist.

Thanks for sharing,
Randy

Jeff,

Great topic Jeff, I know what you mean by friendly snakes. I go to ballgames and drink beers with my atratus (Bad joke I know!) My garters do show a variety of personalities. Some are inquisitive, others are agressive, some are down right mean and others are passive. Good examples of each of these are the:

Anerythristic red sided adult female - very passive and handleable-very sweet snake

Florida eastern - These guys tend to be high energy and will sometimes shoot out of their cages if I don't pay close attention

Het axanthic eastern - This is a 3 foot plus female and she is one of the nastiest garters I've ever owned. She'll put up a fight everytime I go to clean out her cage and/or feed her.

Melanistic adult female-very inquisitive and friendly, always watching me as I clean/feed.

Santa Cruzes- Very passive

Anyone else want to share what there's are like?

Scott

We have an adult female red sided garter who has always been very friendly and calm when handled. We got her from a pet store as an adult and have just found out she was probably from a breeder in New Hampshire. Ginger is our ambassador. She has been to multiple kids' classrooms (ages 4 - 8) and has been surrounded by many little hands without showing any signs of fear or aggression. She seems to really enjoy being handled, even by our kids and their friends. She is very curious and loves long hair! She hates going back into her tank!

We also have an Eastern Ribbon snake who we got as a baby (I think). He is named Speedy for a reason! At first it was a challenge just holding him, and then once you could hold him surviving his musking! I guess I was the one who could stand the smell the most and after a while he recognized me and is now calm when I pick him up. (Haven't even been musked in a few months!) The more I handle him the more others can.

Finally we have 2 babies from the red sided. The male seems to be very nervous when first held, then clams down and when calm musks me! The female seems a little calmer and I don't think has ever musked anyone!

Joanna

I just dont understand what makes these any different than any of the thousands of other snakes I have found/caught/bred.These dont musk or try hard to get away even when finding them afield.I have NEVER been bitten by one--which is VERY strange for a garter.I treat all my snakes like specimens so the LAST thing I am looking for is personality....but when opening their cage from the top they have just as good of a chance to attempt to stray AWAY from me as towards me,yet they not only go slowly towards me but look to crawl ON me.It isnt a feeding response or a heat response....this has me a bit baffled.I think I will try some simple experiments over the next few weeks and measure their response SCIENTIFICALLY(lol).Honestly,I would think this SOME kind of sign of intelligence if I were to guess--but as a scientist I know better than to do that! Jeff

I agree with your theory that it may be the lack of predators in their isolated environment. The frightening thing is that if a mammalian predator was introduced to their island it might decimate a unique gene pool. You said these are quite a ways south of their known range and on an Island. Are they found on the closest mainland as well? Have you made any comparisons to see if they might warrant research to designate them a new subspecies? An isolated population might provide excellent field opportunities for some up and coming herpetologist, taxonomist etc. Then again it might be best to keep them a relative secret LOL. They are fascinating and good looking though.

Randy

According to a range map these are simple eastern garters.They neither look nor act like the easterns found from the nearest mainland.To me they LOOK like Maritimes but they could easily be their own ssp..There was some research done on them in the 70s but maybe that should now be revisited.The nearest Maritimes are "officially"found 200 miles away.I will be taking some more pics and posting alot more pics as soon as my new camera comes in.I would like some expert opinions on these--they are some of the most interesting snakes I have encountered,Jeff

certain snakes have a personality, for example, calm, flighty, bites, inquisitive. These traits probably change in snakes as they grow, get handled, etc. Those of you with large populations can probably make better generalizations about snake behavior than those of us with small, limited collections. So, lets have it. How do they behave???

Mike B

Hey Folks !!!
I sure can relate to that flying out of there cage thing in regards to Similis especially the males ) The other garter
sub-species I have owned (in my limited experience) depended upon the animal ... I have the 1.1 Nebraska Snows ... the male tolerates handling the female flattens her head and does all she can short of striking me ... Radix females in general I have found to be pretty docile ... Flames ??? Fairly friendly with only the occasional feeding strike or a coiled defensive position ... on occasion ... Some I found would get freaked by the camera being too close and would strike at it ... LOL )

Not like Corns that's for sure ) I have only had one hybrid Corn/Rat that would tag me (food maniac) when I went to retrieve her to feed ... The rest "follow" me like puppies, LOL )

Again ... my LIMITED "experience" )
MT

All of my adult females are dog tame.Many people have handled them.One day my nephew comes over and every snake he handles bites him.Not out of a feeding responce either.

(prey) driven response (strike) then I would have to guess a ... fear (of) predator response ... If he were not outwardly threatening in handling (and I am sure not) and they all reacted the same there must have been something smell/taste wise about him that triggered the same "I am about to be eaten" defensive response ...

Not sure of course ... just my guess ...
MT

and picking up snakes at my Grandparents farm my brother always got bit. I never did. Always wondered why?

Mike B