That Reptile Blog – Reptile, Amphibian and Exotic Pet Care and Information

Garter Snakes (Thamnophis ssp.) have long introduced aspiring herpetologists to snake-keeping and remain popular today.  A number of North America’s 30+ species are regularly available in the pet trade, and they remain the most commonly encountered free-living snakes in most areas.  Although often thought of as “beginner’s snakes”, I maintain that garters possess a unique combination of characteristics that render them fascinating additions to any private or public collection…they certainly have been a source of many of my most interesting observations.

Range

Garter Snakes of one or another species range from southern Canada to Central America, and reach their greatest diversity in the United States.

Those best suited to captivity are classified in the genus Thamnophis.  Along with ribbon and water snakes, this genus is placed within the subfamily Natricinae and the family Colubridae.

Diet

Frogs, tadpoles, earthworms, salamanders, fishes and insects comprise the diets of most species.  Several are immune to the virulent skin toxins of amphibians such as California newts, which have caused human fatalities when ingested, and toxin-protected American toads are the primary food of plains garter snakes (T. radix) and others.  Some, such as the giant garter snake (T. couchi gigs), take rodents on occasion.

Attractive Attributes

A preference for fishes and earthworms, and a willingness to accept nonliving food items (garters sometimes consume road-killed frogs) greatly simplifies garter snake husbandry, and suits them well to those who prefer not to keep rodent-eating snakes.

All bear live young and, when properly maintained, are likely to breed.  Although wild-caught snakes will bite and release musk when handled, they tame down readily…the most frequently kept species, the common garter snake (T. sirtalis), is especially docile.

Eliciting Natural Behavior

What I especially favor about garter snakes is that they can be kept in planted, naturalistic terrariums – a difficult prospect where most other snakes are concerned.

When kept so they reveal a great many of their natural behaviors – far more than is the case for large snakes maintained in bare enclosures.  A pair of garter snakes in a terrarium stocked with plants, branches, hideaways and a pool will provide you with insights into snake behavior that are not easy to come by otherwise.

A Wide Spectrum of Colors

While not subject to the intensive captive breeding efforts applied to other species, garter snakes are being kept by several breeders interested in developing unique color morphs.  Already, some spectacular results have been achieved, and more can be expected.

This is not to say that selective breeding is necessary where garter snake colors are involved.  All are interestingly marked, and a great many species sport bright colors.  In fact, a subspecies of the common garter, known as the San Francisco garter snake (T. sirtalis tetrataenia), is one of the most beautiful snakes to be found anywhere.  Unfortunately, it is highly endangered and may not be kept in the USA, but by all means try to see it in zoo collection if possible.

Individual variation among animals of the same species is the rule when it comes to garter snakes, so all sorts of interesting surprises await those who seek out these most fascinating reptiles.

Further Reading

Please see my article Keeping Snakes in Naturalistic Terrariums for some ideas concerning planted habitats for garter snakes.

Texas Garter Snake image referenced from wikipedia and originally posted by Dawson

Hello, Frank Indiviglio here. It’s hard for snake enthusiasts not to be taken in by the Eastern hognose snake, Heterodon platyrhinos. It puts on an incredible defensive display, it’s stout, viper-like body is variably patterned in many hues and its natural history is quite unique. However, a preferred diet of toads precludes it from becoming well-established in captivity. The Western hognose snake (H. nasicus), however, shares many of its eastern cousin’s outstanding qualities, yet has a wide appetite that is easily satisfied in captivity.

Physical Characteristics

Stoutly built with strongly keeled scales and an upturned snout; tan, brownish-yellow or grayish-yellow in color, with dark blotches; reaches 16-36 inches in length.

Range

Central and western North America, from southern Canada through Arizona and Illinois to northern Mexico (San Luis Potosi).

Habitat

Prairies, farms, sparsely wooded fields and semi-deserts, usually in areas of sandy soil suitable for burrowing. Western hog nose snakes spend much time below ground.

Reproduction

Mating occurs from March to May, with 9-25 eggs being laid in June –August. The young, 6-7 inches in length, hatch after an incubation period of 45-54 days.

Diet

In the wild, Western hog nose snakes take young ground nesting birds, mice, shrews, toads, lizards, snakes and reptile eggs. In one study, they were found to be a major predator on Pacific pond turtle nests.

Those I’ve kept have done very well on small mice and quail eggs.

Other Interesting Facts

This snake’s upturned snout (modified rostral scale) assists in digging for fossorial prey such as toads and the buried eggs of turtles and lizards. Specially modified teeth allow the hognose snake to puncture toads and defeat their defense mechanism of inflating themselves with air.

The western hognose puts on a less elaborate display when threatened than does its eastern relative. It will, however, spread the head in hood-like fashion and strike, and will sometimes play dead when this bluff fails. Animals feigning death roll onto their backs with the tongue lolling out, and will flip onto their backs if righted during the process!

Eastern Hog Nose Snake Conservation

I have been involved in a re-introduction program for the eastern hognose snake at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in NYC. In this area, it inhabits open beaches and sand dunes…please see the accompanying photo. I’ll write about this interesting program in the future.

Please see Part I of this article for information on the history of corn snakes (Elaphe/Pantherophis guttatus) in the pet trade and breeding preparations.

Color Strains

Young herpers may find it hard to believe that there was a time when only normally colored corn snakes were to be found in the pet trade. Today, a bewildering array of color phases and patterns are available, far more than exist for any reptile. I just reviewed a wholesaler’s price list and counted 48 color and pattern strains being offered!

Hybrids

Corn snakes have also been hybridized with closely and even distantly related species, including, respectively, black ratsnakes and gopher snakes. Indeed, the corn snake’s genetic propensity for producing numerous color morphs and hybrids is at the core of its popularity and its value in revealing to us the details of snake color inheritance and captive breeding.

Natural vs. Captive-Produced Corn Snake Colors

Oddly, the naturally colorful “Okeetee Phase” corn snakes are now less in evidence than other forms, and consequently are becoming highly prized. They really are gorgeous, and, in light of their history, hold a special interest for me. However, some of the captive-generated morphs are quite unique and its great fun to work on producing new strains. Some of the more descriptively named corn snake varieties include:

• Sun Kissed
• Sunglow
• Rootbeer Striped
• Reverse Okeetee
• Snow Striped
• Lavender Motley
• Hypo Striped
• Golddust
• Ghost Striped
• Ghost Blood Red
• Creamsickle
• Christmas
• Charcoal
• Caramel motely
• Butter Striped
• Black
• Albino Recessive Okeetee
• Albino Abberent

I’ve often thought someone should establish a collection comprised of representatives of every known corn snake color phase and hybrid…if you are on your way to that, please let me know!

Further Reading

The taxonomy of corn snakes and related species has been revised in recent years. To view its current status and learn more about corn snake hybrids, please see http://www.jcvi.org/reptiles/species.php?genus=Pantherophis&species=guttatus.

The books Snakes: the Keeper and the Kept and Snakes and Snake Hunting, written by Staten Island Zoo curator Carl Kauffeld, turned “Okeetee, South Carolina” into a household name for legions of snake enthusiasts worldwide (myself included). An incredibly productive snake collecting area, Okeetee was especially noted for its brilliantly colored corn snakes, Elaphe (Pantherophis) guttata, and abundant Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes (Crotalus adamanteus). A road sign from the area still graces the corn snake exhibit at the Bronx Zoo, where I worked for many years, and photographs taken from collecting trips to Okeetee in the 60’s and 70’s line the back rooms of the zoo’s 100 year old reptile house.

The Influence of Okeetee

These “Okeetee corns”, as they became known, were largely responsible for the explosion of interest in captive snake breeding in the late 60’s and 70’s, and ushered in a new age of husbandry innovations; today the corn snake remains the world’s most commonly bred snake species. Corn snakes have provided untold numbers of aspiring herpetologists with an introduction to snake keeping and snake breeding, and have played an important role in a number of research efforts.

Preparing Snakes for the Breeding Season

For those of you who plan to breed corn snakes, now (late summer) is the time to begin preparations. Your snakes should be fed heavily until autumn, at which time they can be chilled to 50-59 F (after a 2 week fast) for 6-8 weeks. Although corn snakes may reproduce at the tender age of 11 months, breeding should be withheld until they are at least 2 years of age…females that are bred too early often fail to attain full size, and tend to produce small clutches and weak offspring.

Mating occurs from March to June in most regions, with the eggs being laid 25-50 days thereafter. A second clutch may be produced in late summer/early fall. An average clutch consists of 16 eggs, but may range from 6-26. At 82 F, incubation time averages 62 days in length, and the young are 8-11 inches long upon hatching.

As we will see in Part II of this article, years of intense captive breeding efforts have produced a mind-boggling array of corn snake morphs, strains and hybrids. The reproductive cycle of all parallels that just described, but individual details, such as clutch size, etc., will vary among the various types of corn snakes.

Further Reading

The Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research has posted some informative notes and blog entries concerning the influence that Carl Kauffeld and Okeetee, SC have had on the snake-keeping community:
http://southwesternherp.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1215719054.

The care of corn snakes roughly parallels that of black rat snakes. Please see my article The Captive Care of Black Ratsnakes for more information.

Southeast Asia’s bizarre tentacled snake (Erpeton tentaculatum) is a long-time favorite of mine and I’ve kept and bred a great many in zoo collections over the years.  Despite watching them intently for so long, I’ve never quite been able to figure out how they manage to so effectively catch fast-moving fishes while striking out in a direction that seems designed to insure that they miss the intended target.

A Unique Escape Strategy

Recently published (Vanderbilt University, Tennessee: June, 2009) research has provided the answer.  Many fishes, it seems, utilize an escape maneuver known as the C-Start.  Upon sensing danger, the body contorts into a “C” shape, the tail is flicked and the fish, in a millisecond, darts away.

Exploiting the Defensive Maneuver

Tentacled snakes, anchored to submerged objects by their tails and resembling water-logged roots, lie in wait for passing fishes.  The snake always holds itself in a very distinctive “J” shaped position.  As a fish approaches, the snake “feints” with its body by sending a ripple of water towards the fish.  This incites the C-Start reaction and propels the fish directly toward the snake’s jaws.

Once initiated, the C-Start maneuver cannot be altered, so the hapless fish is doomed.  The snake’s “J” position allows it to strike not at the fish but rather where the fish will be once it flees.  What’s more, the strike nearly always catches the fish in the head region, assisting the snake in swallowing its slippery prey.

Further Reading

To learn more about the natural history and captive care of tentacled snakes, please see my article The Tentacled Snake, an Unusual Pet Serpent .