California Red-sided Garter Snake
Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis
The California red-sided garter snake is closely related to the San Francisco garter snake, but the red-sided garter lacks the continuous red stripe that characterises the San Francisco garter snake. Otherwise its habitat and diet are very similar.
This garter snake is very robust and easy to keep in captivity. It is a very attractive snake, and breeds readily. The young are usually quite voracious feeders, and care is needed to avoid inadvertent food fights. I find that many of them will switch readily to tinned cat food as a diet, and have used this for 3 or more successive generations. They can grow extremely rapidly, and on occasions I have observed mating activity in snakes in their first year.
The California red-sided garter snake is closely related to the San Francisco garter snake, but the red-sided garter lacks the continuous red stripe that characterises the San Francisco garter snake. Otherwise its habitat and diet are very similar.
This garter snake is very robust and easy to keep in captivity. It is a very attractive snake, and breeds readily. The young are usually quite voracious feeders, and care is needed to avoid inadvertent food fights. I find that many of them will switch readily to tinned cat food as a diet, and have used this for 3 or more successive generations. They can grow extremely rapidly, and on occasions I have observed mating activity in snakes in their first year.
