Reptile & Amphibian Forums

9/24/10 Talk about a lucky find!!! I have been walking at lunch around a walking/biking trail lately to help get back in shape and the other day I found a ringneck smashed by a bike on the trail. The trail cuts through a rolling hill area with wild tall grass prairie, with small creeks in the valleys, perfect garter habitat. Today I was walking on the trail and I saw a snake on the trail and I figured it was probably a garter killed by a bike, but as I got closer it started to move so I ran up and caught it, thinking I would have a look at it and then let it go, but once I had it in my hands I realized how gorgeous it was and could not believe it, I was stunned. I had heard there was a wild population of red radix in the area, but in the 42 yrs that I have lived in the area I have never seen one by where I live, but apparently they live right by where I work. Additionally this snake is a female, not sure who I will breed her to this spring but it will either be the blue axanthic or the iowa albino, or possibly the wild caught nebraska albino. She has a really orange dorsal stripe and redish brown background color. What an amazing find!!!


-----
Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

That is one sweet-looking snake, Jeff. Not only because of the red, but the size of those black spots adds to the "look" as well.

Tim

Speaking of great finds, I finally found my first black Easterns last weekend. I posted some pics in the "Field Notes & Observations" section of this website.

Third Eye

Tim,finding melanistic easterns would definately be a nice find too, definately none of those in eastern Iowa though.
-----
Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

WOW!!! she is awesome! Nice find Jeff!!!!
-----
Don
www.donsgartersnakes.net

Thanks Don, hope her look is inheritable. She will probably be bred to either the new nebraska albino or blue axanthic, it would be pretty cool to get a litter of half reds and half blues wouldn't it?
-----
Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

that would be awesome! I bred a het albino to my red female, kept a pair that looked nice....they are doing good...the female is starting to develop some small red spots on her....hopefully will turn nice and red like her mother!
-----
Don
www.donsgartersnakes.net

She's stunning Jeff.. Nice find.
-----
Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
Thamnophis US
Dances With Reptiles

2.1.0 Thamnophis Infernalis- California Red Sided Garter Snakes
1.1.0 Flame X Erythristic Eastern Garter Snakes
2.0.0 Melanistic Thamnophis Sirtalis Sirtalis
1.0.0 Kansas Albino Red Sided Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis Golden / Albino cross
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis Anerythristic morph
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - axanthic morph
2.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Iowa Snow
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow/Nebraska Albino double Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter "MoJo"
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.1.0 Thamnophis similis "true blue" This gal bites!
1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern"Mutt"
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
0.0.0 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake (died)
0.0.1 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbon Snake
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Eastern Garter baby
1.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
1.0.0 Florida Black racer - fiesty yet way cool.
1.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snakes Pink eaters!
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" adult CB (pet store sale)
1.0.1. Pueblan Milk snakes "Oreo" adult & a '09 baby CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Getting Huge!
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal"
0.1.0 Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - "Peach" (A Monitor with fins)
1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cain" Rescued from a crack house
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment
1.5.0 Storeria dekayi - Brown Snakes Casper, Xena, Athena, Copper, Sharon & others
1.1.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo, Diamond b/w cockapoo

do you guys ever just catch and release or just take pics. even if they are common you shouldnt keep everything you catch thats just wrong.

pretty sure he just hung onto the snake because it's exceptionally nice...
-----
Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com

Nick, I have been catching and releasing garter snakes most of my 42 yrs in the state of Iowa, I have seen hundreds if not 1000 plus, I catch, photograph, and release dozens of garters in my own back yard alone every year, and I have only kept 4 in all the years, this being number 4 and only because it is hands down the most exceptional snake I have ever seen in the wild. 90% of my collection is CBB, and probably 80% of that is CBB in my own basement, trust me I am not a fan of raping the wild, and I appreciate your concern but trust me I am not "that guy", plus none of this hobby would exist if a few animals weren't occasionally taken out of the wild, and to be frank with you it is looking likely that many animals best hope for survival in the future will be in captivity the way things are going with human incroachment and damage. Please be careful and make sure you know what you are talking about and know a little bit about who you are pointing a finger at before you do so on a public forum, it can cause far reaching damage to someones reputation.
-----
Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com

Don't judge Jeff, This forum is full of people with wild caught snakes.

There is a difference, Jeff does not "gather and sell" like many advertisers right here do.

Want something to get upset about? Look into the Ball Python industry and research where places like petco get all those normal BP babies they sell for $25, or the thousands of baby iguanas they sell.
-----
Regards,
Wayne A. Harvey
Thamnophis US
Dances With Reptiles

2.1.0 Thamnophis Infernalis- California Red Sided Garter Snakes
1.1.0 Flame X Erythristic Eastern Garter Snakes
2.0.0 Melanistic Thamnophis Sirtalis Sirtalis
1.0.0 Kansas Albino Red Sided Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis Golden / Albino cross
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis Anerythristic morph
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - axanthic morph
2.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Iowa Snow
1.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Snow/Nebraska Albino double Het
0.1.0 Thamnophis RADIX - Christmas Albino
0.1.0 Thamnophis cyrtopsis Easter Black Neck Garter "MoJo"
0.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis Eastern Snow "Snowflake"
0.1.0 Thamnophis similis "true blue" This gal bites!
1.1.0. Thamnophis elegans vagrans Wandering Garter
2.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters
0.0.1 Thamnophis HybridAlbino Checkered Normal eastern"Mutt"
2.0.0 Thamnophis sirtalis - eastern Garters (xtreme orange phase)
0.0.0 Thamnophis butleriButler's Garter Snake (died)
0.0.1 Thamnophis proximus orariusCoastal Ribbon Snake
0.0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis - Eastern Garter baby
1.1.0 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis HET Anerythristic
1.0.0 Thamnophis pickeringi - Puget Sound Garter "Sky" (adult, Sky blue)
1.0.0 Florida Black racer - fiesty yet way cool.
1.0.1 Nerodia sipedon - Water Snakes Pink eaters!
0.0.1 Amelanistic Corn Snake "CY" adult CB (pet store sale)
1.0.1. Pueblan Milk snakes "Oreo" adult & a '09 baby CB
1.0.0. ASIAN GREEN SNAKE 3' WC Cyclophiops major"Limon"
0.0.1. Savannah Monitor "CHOMPER" Getting Huge!
0.1.0. Green Anole "Crystal"
0.1.0 Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus) - "Peach" (A Monitor with fins)
1.0.0 Ball Python - Python regius "Cain" Rescued from a crack house
0.1.9 Eastern MilkSnake WC "Carmella" adult super sweet temperment
1.5.0 Storeria dekayi - Brown Snakes Casper, Xena, Athena, Copper, Sharon & others
1.1.0. K9 "ACE" Black Cockapoo, Diamond b/w cockapoo

sorry for getting so mad. I know that its not really bad to collect if you dont do alot of it but still even though it was exceptionaly good looking I still think you shouldve let it go. but whatever as long as you dont collect all the time its alright. ive only kept snake out of the hundreds ive seen or caught. both of them were common like garters are in illonois. when i wrote that back then I was already really mad before I even saw the post.