This is one of the most attractive subspecies of garter snakes. The black neck has a distribution throughout much of Texas and Arizona, but it is the eastern subspecies, ocellatus, that is by far the most attractive. It is mainly restricted to the hill country region of south Texas.
I acquired a pair of these animals in May 1998. They were wild-caught adults, and took over a year to fully establish and settle down. The species has a reputation for being very much a frog-eater, and initially I found I had to scent fish-based prey with a live frog to get the snakes to eat it. These animals bred successfully (23 babies) in 2000, but sadly the female died in hibernation the following year.
In June 2000 I acquired un unrelated trio of juveniles. These have bred in both 2002, 2003 and 2004, producing attractive healthy babies. These babies require rather more work than the majority of baby garters, as, like the adults, their preferred food is frogs. Around 50% of the babies take reasonably well to dead food, but the remaining babies often require 'kick-starting' with live food, such as a live guppy. Once they have taken their first feed, they will usually switch to live food. They are quite large babies at birth, and rarely show interest in food until around 2-3 weeks of age.
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This is one of the most beautiful and sought-after of all garter snakes, and indeed of snakes in general. It is highly endangered in the wild, and close to extinction. This is due to a combination of over-collecting for the pet trade, and habitat destruction.
In the 1980s the San Francisco garter snake was being successfully bred in a number of US zoos. Captive-bred specimens were released to European zoos specialising in endangered species, and during the next decade large numbers were bred in Jersey Zoo in the Channel Islands, Rotterdam Zoo in Holland, and Lodz Zoo in Poland. Under the terms that these zoos released the animals from US Fish and Wildlife, they were prevented from releasing them to the public, so most of the zoos stopped breeding them as they could not dispose of the offspring. There were even suggestions that surplus San Francisco garter snakes were being used to feed ophidophagic snakes, such as King Cobras!
Ultimately specimens did reach the European breeders, and the San Francisco garter snake is commercially available in Europe. Under international law it is not protected, as CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species) recognises species, but not subspecies, so the San Francisco garter is no different to any other Thamnophis sirtalis.
The main problem with the species now is of in-breeding. The entire European stock has been in-bred for many generations from a small number of imported animals. The manifestations of in-breeding have become more pronounced:- low fertility rates, small litters, reduced survival of adult animals, and a susceptibility to skin tumours, which these animals often develop at a young age.
I understand that animals from fresh genetic stock are now available in Europe, and that breeding is taking place (see under "ARTICLES" in Chlebowy's Garter Snake World).
My own animals are from different sources, and the newest pair are thought to be from the 'new' strain. They did not produce babies in 2005, but it is hoped that they will in 2006.
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This is one of the most beautiful garter snakes in existence, and is the less attractive relative of the San Francisco garter snake, with which it intergrades. It occurs on coastal California, and in fact is now no longer called T s infernalis (which name is reserved for the San Francisco subspecies), but is classified along with T s concinnus. I have reverted to the original names for the purpose of this site.
My present collection consists of two adult females, and one male. In 2002 one female bred with a male San Francisco garter, producing only 5 healthy babies, 4 of which were typical of infernalis, and one of tetrataenia. However, it is hoped that future breedings will not require intergrading. ( This is not really an 'unnatural' breeding, as such intergrades occur naturally in the wild, or at least did prior to mankind artificially separating these subspecies by destroying habitat linking populations, and may help prevent the in-breeding problems that are universal throughout San Francisco garters in Europe.)
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This is a small but beautifully-coloured subspecies, found along the Oregon and Californian coast. I have a pair of these purchased in late 1999 from a US breeder, and another pair, unrelated to the first, acquired in 2000. Both pairs are breeding, producing attractive babies, which are the most voracious feeding and fast growing baby garters I have come across.
The babies of these garters are somewhat differently coloured to the adults:- the adults lack a pale side stripe, and the belly and sides are black, broken only by the vertical red bars. The juveniles look a little more like infernalis, with a pale side stripe. This stripe disappears over the first few months of life.
The second set of pictures below illustrates the process of a baby garter snake being born. It is born in its membrane, from which it breaks free either during birth, or within a few minutes after.
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There appears to be some confusion amongst herpetologists as to what constitutes the "true" Florida blue garter snake - subspecies "similis" as opposed the blue coloured variant of "sirtalis". True similis are from a limited distribution on the north western Florida peninsula, and thus the majority of imported Florida garter snakes are not of this subspecies, but are merely a blue strain of Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis. After discussion and analysis of photographs with Thamnophis experts of more experience than me (personal communication, Jurgen Chlebowy, Peter Geissler, Philippe Blais MD,) I accept that my animals are of the nominate subspecies, T s sirtalis.
Florida garter snakes have a reputation for growing large and being aggressive. I am informed by a reliable witness that he has captured one animal just over 5 feet (157 cm) in the Everglades.
This is a highly attractive garter snake with impressive blue colouring. All of my stock derives from a mating between a normal female, and an albino male. Unfortunately I have yet to have breeding success with them, and suspect that the albino strain is not a viable one in the long term.
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The following pictures show the original albino animal from which the stain was derived. My current animals are heterozygous for this trait, but so far I have had no breeding success with them.
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These animals come from central Saskatchewan, Canada. They are a heavy bodied garter snake found in large numbers in some areas.
I have two large female radix, imported from Saskatchewan in late summer 1997. They all refused to feed that year, unless they were offered frogs, which they accepted avidly. They were hibernated for three months, and after being warmed up and sloughing three weeks later, commenced feeding very voraciously on home made garter snake food. After two months they fed more at the normal rate expected of garter snakes, and from September onwards refused all food. In the wild it is likely that these animals would spend up to 6 months of the year in hibernation.
In September 1999 I acquired a young male from the same area as the females. He is just about large enough to breed (approx 18 inches long).
In June 2001 these animals were moved into an outdoor reptile pit in my garden, in East Yorkshire in northern England. The climate here is not dissimilar to that in Saskatchewan, although our summers are not so hot. However, our winters are milder, and summers longer, and these snakes were active in the outdoor enclosure right up until the end of October. There is a deep frost-proof hibernation chamber in one corner of the enclosure, and so far these animals have survived the winters well.There has been no breeding of these animals outdoors, although one female currently (June 2005) appears as if it may be gravid.
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My main interest in this species is in the one-striped morph, from coastal California. I currently have one pair of these, and hope that they will breed in 2003.
I had a pair back in the 1980s, before I discovered the existence of the thiaminase problem of certain fish, and both snakes died of this deficiency, despite initially doing very well. My present animals are eating my home made food heartily, and I hope to breed these at some point in the future.
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This is a highly variable subspecies of garter snake with wide distribution. The two main forms seen are black and red morphs. Both can occur in the same area, and the amount of red present is highly variable. I have now had to stop keeping this species, due to lack of cage space.
These snakes are unusual amongst garters in that they have a reputation for cannibalism. It is recommended that they are kept singly.
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This is one of the most commonly seen garter snakes in captivity, and is common throughout much of Texas. It is rather less aquatic than many other garters, and eats a varied diet. It will frequently take mice in captivity.
My own stock consists of animals originally imported from south Texas. They readily breed, and indeed my two adult females were gravid when imported, and after having 20 babies each promptly mated with the male inadvertently left in the cage with them, to produce another 20 babies each just over three months after the first litter. The second litter were somewhat smaller snakes than the first, but still had over a 90% survival rate despite being collectively housed 20 to a tub, and fed exclusively on strips of home made food, with no intervention of food fights!
There is a reliable account of one female Chequered garter snake having four litters, totalling over 84 live offspring, in 13 months (personal communication, Mr Bob Riches).
Two of the September 1998 offspring themselves had ten babies each in August 1999, at less than 11 months old. They had bred with their brother with whom they were housed, and had been kept warm and fed throughout winter.
One of the wild females escaped in autumn 1998. She was found by my farmer neighbour in late March 1999, sunning herself on a spring day by his farm buildings. I live in north-east England, on the wind-swept North Sea coast, and that was the warmest day thus far this year - probably in the high 50s. She was none the worse for having survived a British winter, and went on to breed successfully that year, and every year since!
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This is the most common albino garter snake available. I acquired a pair in September 1997 in USA and they thrived well on a diet of home made food. Despite the male having spent ten weeks on the loose in 1998 (and being found under the attic floorboards!) he mated with the female in 1999. She retained the babies and eventually died full of unfertilised slugs. The male has since successfully mated with a normal female, and I hope to breed with the heterozygous babies from this mating.
In September 1999 I acquired a new baby female, along with a heterozygous male. The female has been one of the most prolific feeders I have known, and reached 24 inches within four months.
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This is an erythristic (high red) variant of the eastern garter snake, found in southern Quebec, Canada. Axanthic (lacking in yellow) specimens are also found. These are a spectacular morph of Thamnophis sirtalis, giving the west coast subspecies of tetrataenia, infernalis and concinnus some serious eastern competition in the beauty stakes!
I was first made aware of the existence of this strain of garters after reading an article in 'The Vivarium' by Philippe Blais, MD. I have since been fortunate enough to acquire one male and three females. These are doing very well, and have bred for the first time in 2003.
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This is a melanistic, or black, form of the eastern garter, common in certain areas of New York state, and in some southern Canadian provinces. Many animals have a spectacular flash of white under the chin.
