Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all. I caught this garter in the wild in north Florida with my wife and was curious if any of you could tell if it looks gravid? My wife caught it while I scared it out of the bush with a stick, and she has the wound to prove it. It is also a different looking color pattern than I am used to seeing. Is this common? I did'nt think they were so brown. Thanks, Enjoy.

well it's really hard to tell because she's flattened out in defensive posture. She doesn't look overtly gravid, but seeing as she's a wild female snake, and the time of year, she probably is gravid. I rarely, if ever, find healthy wild females that are not gravid in early summer! She looks a lot like a female eastern from FL scott sent me, just darker brown. She looks like what I would expect from florida pattern-wise, just not with the blueish hue that many of them have. She looks like she is related to an erythristic with the reddish hue hiding under that brown!

Ok Great thanks. What is the best food item to offer a WC Garter? Bradley

well, I like to call nightcrawlers garter snake comfort food. Just about any WC garter will take these as a first meal. But then again, I have had garters take f/t as a first meal on the same day as the capture. There's not as much an overall best food for them, as much as it is learning how shy the snake is and it's individual preferences. Some of them are shy and will take days of coaxing. Some of them you can pick up off the ground and they'll eat it on the spot! Females, especially gravid ones, tend to feed a little easier for me.

Oh really? I didnt think they would eat while they are gravid? Is that wrong? Thanks, Bradley

It depends on what stage they are, usually the first month and a half they are bottomless pits, and will eat large quantities more frequently and aggressively, then they slow down as they get plump, and usually the last couple weeks will completely go off feed, and the final days will become restless......but exceptions to those rules can and will happen of course.
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Ok Great info Jeff. Thanks. Bradley

I say YES, that snake is gravid ... Offer her food but give her time to settle in and feel comfortable.

I agree, Thanks, for the input MT. Bradley