Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I live in Amarillo, TX. I'm installing a turtle pond (only a year behind schedule!) and would like to go ahead and try to attract garters to the body of water as well. The "pond" is 5' across and 2' deep, and will be sunk into the ground in an area that gets partial sun much of the day. I've got boards on the ground near where the pond is going in. I am trying to figure out what else I need to do to encourage garters (or ribbons) to use the pond. I plan to stock it with cheap fish (rosy reds and goldfish). Are there any good cover plants to plant along the pond? Anything like that I can/should do.
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

Once the toads and frogs find your pond in the spring and spawn, the tadpoles will really attract garters. We have 3 ponds and they all have attracted garters, frog, and toads, especially the big koi pond but even the little one in the front (2000-300 gallons only) I have seen garters at. Build the water and they will come, lol. Good luck
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

"Only" 3000 gallons? Mine's 1/10th that size, maybe just a bit more. Hope it's still enough! We already have toads (mostly just plain Bufo) on the property. I'd love to wind up with leopard frogs too but they're scarce locally.
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

There is a nature center here in Baton Rouge that has a small pond near their educational building. My kids and I look at it every evening I pick them up from "Swamp Camp" in the summertime. The pond has a rockwall on one side made from round river stones that the garters appear to love. Tons of nooks and crannies for them to climb into to dry out and hide in. We also spot them in the water hunting tadpoles. There is plenty of elodea and other aquatic vegetation in the pond for them to hunt and hide in. So, I would suggest putting plenty of cover in the area consisting of rock piles and terristrial plants, and also vegetation in the water to attract toads and frog to lay, and garters to hunt in!!

Heh it's going in right between an iris garden and some potato/rose bushes I've got planted.

For water plants I plan to use anachris, duckweed and lilies. I'm still looking at border plants--maybe dwarf cattails.
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa

sorry that was a typo the small pond in our front yard is 200-300 gallons, but our koi pond which gets the most toad and frog activity is 4000-5000 gallons and has a stream running into it. I really like the dwarf cattails and also last year got a couple varigated leafed cattails , they are dwarf too and dont spread as much. The varigated iris is another good edge plant. The toads have spawned around all of these plants. I took a clump of eggs inside into an aquarium, and now they hatched and have several hundred tiny tadpoles, will post some picts later this evening
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Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

you want alot of cover....boards and big rocks even...garters stay for the worms and snails/slugs also.....

.....I used to find alot of garters...never found one IN the water ......usually....IN the area....but not in the water...so cover will hold them in your yard....

I have stick piles in my yard....holds alot of stuff...too bad no snakes around here....(here yes ,the yard no)....piles....I mean 6 foot tall piles...birds love them.....

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......JY

A few things I'm surprised wasn't mentioned yet... One they will need a suitable place for hibernating. If there isn't already a place you can be fairly sure of. In texas where you say you live it don't have to be quite as involved as it would have to be in the far north. I know in the north you'd actually need to dig a hole semi deep and fill it with large rocks. Large enough to leave crevices and small caverns to get down into the earth where it stays warm. Use your own judgement or someone else may can give you better advice just how much protection they will need in the winter where you live. Second most important issue you may have is to be sure there aren't a lot of invasive predation. The two very worse are going to be fire ants for one. They kill a lot more baby reptiles and amphibians than a lot of people realize. And the worse you can have would be a cat outdoors. An outdoor cat can rent havoc on your immediate ecosystem. If you think about what they do all day long is hunt. They will not only kill the snakes themselves but they will kill the snakes food supply. A cat will kill anything that moves. I seen a special on animal plannet about the top ten killers. And the house cat ended up number 1. They kill purely for fun and entertainment. And they estimated a cat that lives it's entire life outdoors can kill up to 300,000 living creatures within it's lifetime. I promise you will not have gartersnakes in your yard if you have a cat. Good luck. I hope your pond works out well for you.

I'm planning a hibernation thing for my turtle--Dig a decent hole, pile leaves/grass clippings on it. I'm a bit far north for fire ants (thank God for humongous favors). We do have a cat though, despite the best efforts of the local cars and dogs.
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We wouldn't have 6 and a half billion people if you had to be beautiful to get laid.
6.6 African House snakes
3.2 reticulated pythons
.1 corn snake
4.2 Florida Kings
1.2 speckled kings
1.2 ball pythons
0.0.1 Argentine boa