Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm really digging my checkered garter I wound up with unexpectedly; she's very pretty, and she's...not calm really but doesn't poop on me or anything. So I'm thinking of buying an albino male to pair her with next year (provided my breedings this year with house and king snakes pan out--they're going like gangbangers but we'll see if I get actual eggs), but before I do...how hard are the babies to start? Is it usually fairly easy to get them on guppies or worm sections? I know het albinos are not worth anymore than regular checkered but hey, the albino's pretty.

When I was a kid these fancy albino garters were unheard of They're prettier than I'd have thought they'd be.
-----
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

babies aren't hard to take care of, the main problem everyone has would normally be taking care of a lot of babies. if you end up with a relatively small clutch they shouldn't be too much trouble, they'd be best kept together for the first couple months, offered worms in a bowl, then eventually start mixing in pinky parts and they'll really start growing.

-----
Mike
KingPin Reptiles
www.kingpinreptiles.com

I usually start mine on guppies and try fresh killed guppies first, probably 80-90% will take dead, and if they don't take to that within the first week or so I will give them a live guppy, that take care of starting 99%. The reason I start with dead guppies is that way they are used to not eating live food from day one and it just makes it easier to make the transition to rodent parts and then to F/T rodents, but thats just how I do it for convienence, however many people feed live fish and nightcrawlers and/or a variety of cut fish, cut worms, and pinkies that is just fine too. Like Mike said the challenge isn't getting most started, especially a single litter of 8-15, as garters are generally great feeders from the gitgo compared to many other snake species. Its finding the time and patience to start a hundred or hundreds all born within a couple weeks, lol!!!
-----
Jeff Benfer
gartersnakemorph.com