Thamnophis (Garter Snake) Caresheets and availabilty
Thamnophis eques insperatus
On this website you can find information about the care in captivity of the different Species of Garter Snakes (Thamnophis ssp.) and Watersnakes (Nerodia ssp. and Natrix ssp.) I am currently breeding or that I have bred in the past.
Under Available you can check what offspring I currently have available.
Color morphs
For some species breeding programs for special color morphs have been set up.
- I breed Melanistic (mostly black) Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis. I also keep melanistic specimens of Thamnophis melanogaster canescens but I do not expect many offspring in the coming years.
- Of the second species (Thamnophis melanogaster canescens) I am also breedings specimens which are very red (“high red”).
- With Thamnophis elegans terrestris the focus is also on the “red morph”.
- With Thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii I have set up a breeding program for the “blue morph”.
- With Thamnophis ordinoides breeding programs have been set up with a “onestripe” morph beside the more regularly seen “3 stripe”morph, but this species is so highly variable that every individual snake has its unique pattern and coloration. I also keep some eryhtristic specimens and I try to breed with those.
- Thamnophis eques obscurus is usually bluish-grey in coloration, probably the entire population could be called axantic (missing yellow pigment) or hypoxantic (very low amounts of yellow pigment) but very recently albinos have been born.
These are the first albino’s ever reported of the Mexican Garter Snake.
- With Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis I am focussing on the original “flame” morph as they occur in the wild in southwestern Quebec, Canada. I also keep some axantic specimens from the same geographical area but I have not set up breeding programs for those.
Caresheets and terrarium
On this website you can find under Publications the different articles that have been published in the past years.
The article about Thamnophis atratus atratus could serve as my general guideline (care-sheet) for most species of american- and canadian gartersnakes.
For the different subspecies of Thamnophis eques and for Thamnophis melanogaster canescens my recent article about Thamnophis eques scotti is more relevant.
My very recent article about T.scaliger is applicable for T.scalaris and T.conanti.
In these articles you can find recommendations how to keep and breed these species in captivity.
“Certificate of origin”
Certificate of origin
Each snake is accompanied by a “certificate of origin” on which several facts are mentioned like: date of birth, correct name of the (sub) species, information about the family tree and the exact locationon “County” -level where they come from (when this information is available).
This provides relevant back ground information on number of generations in captivity, to what degree the snakes are related, the natural habitat, the climate and hibernation. This can be taken in consideration in the way one takes care of the snakes: decoration of the terrarium, yearly fluctuations in temperature, duration of (and temperatures during) hibernation.
Observations in the wild
On this website you can also find observations done by the author in the wild (mostly North-America).
Observing these fantastic snakes in their natural habitat adds an extra dimension to this hobby.
I have been able to observe many of the species I breed in the wild. Interesting facts on the biology of these fascinating snakes (partly based on own observations) can be found under Publications, Species and News.
Genetic diversity
Inbreeding is prevented as much as possible by selective breeding programs using unrelated snakes of the same (sub)species, if possible originating from the same area. My offspring is hence very suitable to set up breeding programs. Information about origin and heritage are always provided by means of the “certificate of origin”.
Outdoor terrarium
Keeping gartersnakes and watersnakes outdoors is a very interesting and natural way to keep (at least some species of) gartersnakes and watersnakes.
On this website you can find under News some observations done in my Outdoor terrarium.
