HumboldtHerps.com
CREATURE FEATURE
SAY HELLO TO "LEFTY" !!!
This is a is a young Oregon Garter Snake (Thamnophis atratus
hydrophilus) I found along the South Fork of the Salmon River
near Matthew's creek in Siskiyou County. I was picking up
several young neonates of this subspecies in order to compare
patterns and color variations, when I came upon this very
unusual snake. He (or She) never saw me coming. Had I been
on the snake's left side, it might have escaped! Had I actually
been a predatory shore bird, it might have been lunch! This
young garter was born with only one eye! At first I thought this
might have been an injury; but for so young a snake, such an
injury might have proven fatal and would have recent scarring.
Closer inspection revealed a complete deformity: a missing
right eye with neighboring scales stretched to fill in its vacancy.
Post-ocular scales are missing entirely. What looks like the
anterior remnant of an eye scale can be seen above the 4th
upper labial. Supra-oculars, pre-oculars and loreal are
diminished in size. Parietal and temporal scales are stretched
forward. If this is not freaky enough, "Lefty" appears to have
what looks like a "third eye" between both parietal scales.
Seriously however, I do not know what it is.
My wife and I decided to take Lefty home to see how a one-eyed
garter might hunt; we also felt this mutation would not benefit
the local gene pool. Lefty is housed in a 30 gallon tank filled
with washed and baked native sand and river rock. We added a
hydrophilus) I found along the South Fork of the Salmon River
near Matthew's creek in Siskiyou County. I was picking up
several young neonates of this subspecies in order to compare
patterns and color variations, when I came upon this very
unusual snake. He (or She) never saw me coming. Had I been
on the snake's left side, it might have escaped! Had I actually
been a predatory shore bird, it might have been lunch! This
young garter was born with only one eye! At first I thought this
might have been an injury; but for so young a snake, such an
injury might have proven fatal and would have recent scarring.
Closer inspection revealed a complete deformity: a missing
right eye with neighboring scales stretched to fill in its vacancy.
Post-ocular scales are missing entirely. What looks like the
anterior remnant of an eye scale can be seen above the 4th
upper labial. Supra-oculars, pre-oculars and loreal are
diminished in size. Parietal and temporal scales are stretched
forward. If this is not freaky enough, "Lefty" appears to have
what looks like a "third eye" between both parietal scales.
Seriously however, I do not know what it is.
My wife and I decided to take Lefty home to see how a one-eyed
garter might hunt; we also felt this mutation would not benefit
the local gene pool. Lefty is housed in a 30 gallon tank filled
with washed and baked native sand and river rock. We added a
large dish filled with small rock pebbles and
spring water. We change the water every day. We
started off by feeding the snake small guppies,
but once we started offering small goldfish, Lefty
only ate the guppies as a last resort. Interestingly,
Lefty has very little difficulty in catching prey.
Suffice it to say, Lefty is a pig! This snake has
shed twice since Labor Day 2007 and continues
to grow. This snake has a high metabolism. It
will gobble down 2 goldfish, bask throughout the
spring water. We change the water every day. We
started off by feeding the snake small guppies,
but once we started offering small goldfish, Lefty
only ate the guppies as a last resort. Interestingly,
Lefty has very little difficulty in catching prey.
Suffice it to say, Lefty is a pig! This snake has
shed twice since Labor Day 2007 and continues
to grow. This snake has a high metabolism. It
will gobble down 2 goldfish, bask throughout the
This is a is a young Oregon Garter Snake (Thamnophis atratus
hydrophilus) I found along the South Fork of the Salmon River
near Matthew's creek in Siskiyou County. I was picking up
several young neonates of this subspecies in order to compare
patterns and color variations, when I came upon this very
unusual snake. He (or She) never saw me coming. Had I been
on the snake's left side, it might have escaped! Had I actually
been a predatory shore bird, it might have been lunch! This
young garter was born with only one eye! At first I thought this
might have been an injury; but for so young a snake, such an
injury might have proven fatal and would have recent scarring.
Closer inspection revealed a complete deformity: a missing
right eye with neighboring scales stretched to fill in its vacancy.
Post-ocular scales are missing entirely. What looks like the
anterior remnant of an eye scale can be seen above the 4th
upper labial. Supra-oculars, pre-oculars and loreal are
diminished in size. Parietal and temporal scales are stretched
forward. If this is not freaky enough, "Lefty" appears to have
what looks like a "third eye" between both parietal scales.
Seriously however, I do not know what it is.
My wife and I decided to take Lefty home to see how a one-eyed
garter might hunt; we also felt this mutation would not benefit
the local gene pool. Lefty is housed in a 30 gallon tank filled
with washed and baked native sand and river rock. We added a
hydrophilus) I found along the South Fork of the Salmon River
near Matthew's creek in Siskiyou County. I was picking up
several young neonates of this subspecies in order to compare
patterns and color variations, when I came upon this very
unusual snake. He (or She) never saw me coming. Had I been
on the snake's left side, it might have escaped! Had I actually
been a predatory shore bird, it might have been lunch! This
young garter was born with only one eye! At first I thought this
might have been an injury; but for so young a snake, such an
injury might have proven fatal and would have recent scarring.
Closer inspection revealed a complete deformity: a missing
right eye with neighboring scales stretched to fill in its vacancy.
Post-ocular scales are missing entirely. What looks like the
anterior remnant of an eye scale can be seen above the 4th
upper labial. Supra-oculars, pre-oculars and loreal are
diminished in size. Parietal and temporal scales are stretched
forward. If this is not freaky enough, "Lefty" appears to have
what looks like a "third eye" between both parietal scales.
Seriously however, I do not know what it is.
My wife and I decided to take Lefty home to see how a one-eyed
garter might hunt; we also felt this mutation would not benefit
the local gene pool. Lefty is housed in a 30 gallon tank filled
with washed and baked native sand and river rock. We added a
day on the rocks kept warm by the heat lamp, and the following afternoon - a poopie! Lefty will eat 2 goldfish
every 2 or 3 days. .
So, for the time being, Lefty is doing fine! We eventually hope to enlarge his habitat complete with a circulating
waterfall. Oregon Garters are excellent swimmers and prefer fast-moving and rocky rivers.
UPDATE! May 2008. Lefty has been temporarily been switched to guppies instead of goldfish
(aka "junkfish").
The thiaminase (found in fatty fish / interferes with vitamin B absorption) problem with garter
snakes will hopefully be resolved using Alan Francis' (gartersnake.co.uk) trout "cake" recipe
(gutted pureed trout with gelatin and vitamin powder - Mmmmm! Delicious!). The trout will be
much more successful (assuming Lefty, having only eaten live prey, will eat it) than guppies.
Lefty currently will take down about 10 guppies at a time without displaying an obvious lump....
and Lefty's only about 18 inches long!
UPDATE March 31, 2009. Lefty is going to be 2 years old this summer. Having outgrown
guppies, our Salmon River save now feeds on trout filets (with skin) and (You may laugh)
appears to relish trout eyeballs! Yes, Lefty the One-eyed garter eats eyeballs! Lefty also will
feed on an occasional frog or tadpole. Lefty is still a somewhat skittish individual, and will musk
me if I attempt handling. Due due this skittishness, Lefty's length is currently at + 26 inches; little
snapper won't hold still!
Lefty's "good side"
October 10, 2008 November 30, 2008
The "other side"
December 31, 2008
every 2 or 3 days. .
So, for the time being, Lefty is doing fine! We eventually hope to enlarge his habitat complete with a circulating
waterfall. Oregon Garters are excellent swimmers and prefer fast-moving and rocky rivers.
UPDATE! May 2008. Lefty has been temporarily been switched to guppies instead of goldfish
(aka "junkfish").
The thiaminase (found in fatty fish / interferes with vitamin B absorption) problem with garter
snakes will hopefully be resolved using Alan Francis' (gartersnake.co.uk) trout "cake" recipe
(gutted pureed trout with gelatin and vitamin powder - Mmmmm! Delicious!). The trout will be
much more successful (assuming Lefty, having only eaten live prey, will eat it) than guppies.
Lefty currently will take down about 10 guppies at a time without displaying an obvious lump....
and Lefty's only about 18 inches long!
UPDATE March 31, 2009. Lefty is going to be 2 years old this summer. Having outgrown
guppies, our Salmon River save now feeds on trout filets (with skin) and (You may laugh)
appears to relish trout eyeballs! Yes, Lefty the One-eyed garter eats eyeballs! Lefty also will
feed on an occasional frog or tadpole. Lefty is still a somewhat skittish individual, and will musk
me if I attempt handling. Due due this skittishness, Lefty's length is currently at + 26 inches; little
snapper won't hold still!
Lefty's "good side"
October 10, 2008 November 30, 2008
The "other side"
December 31, 2008
