Rare find anywhere, but especially in a Pittston pet store: Wild-bred albino eastern garter snake

A guy walks into a store holding a coffee can and says, "I might have something really weird."

Sounds like the beginning of a zany joke, but no joke about it: The critter that Pittston resident Gary Thomas had in his coffee can prompted Bill Pambianco Jr., exotic reptile expert of The Pet Zone, to say, "What in the world is that?"

The flabbergasted Pittston pet store owner later recalled, "I couldn't believe my eyes. Five minutes before the store closed, this guy walked into my store holding a coffee can. I peeked inside and saw this ghostly looking snake. It was a true albino — no dark pigment whatsoever. In fact, the snake had pink eyes."

Thomas told Bill Jr. that right after a torrential downpour, he walked outside his home and saw a weird-looking snake slither across the wet sidewalk.

"It was all white. I knew it was different, so I captured it and placed it in an empty coffee can," said Thomas. He then drove to The Pet Zone, as he figured one of the Pambiancos would know what type of snake it was.

Bill Jr. immediately called his dad to take a look at the surprise find.

"Holy cow! It looks like a garter snake," said Bill Sr.

The tandem snake aficionados studied the milky serpent and began a diligent Internet search about captive-bred albino garter snakes, as there are a few western varieties.

"My first guess was that it might have been an exotic that escaped from its owner," said Bill Sr. They learned to check for head markings and to count the facial scales, which help identify western and checkered garter snakes.

"This snake definitely fits the description of an eastern garter snake. I need to call Rick," said Bill Sr.

I answered the phone, and Bill Sr. informed me that they had an albino eastern garter snake at the store. Before he could say, "We can hold onto it for a few days until you come down to the store to take a look at it," I interrupted to say I was on my way.

The 10-mile ride to The Pet Zone seemed like an eternity, but I eventually arrived and was greeted by a pair of confident smiles.

They removed the lid of the container in which the snake was kept so I could peek. Lo and behold, there it was, all curled up — an albino eastern garter snake nearly 20 inches long, with a slender body that had a bizarre pinkish-white cast, with a creamy stripe down its back. Reddish-pink blotches marked the sides of its body, and the eyes were a most unusual shade of pink.

The snake was very fidgety, which is typical behavior for a recently captured eastern garter.

Bill Jr. noted that when Gary had first brought the snake into the store, its body had been covered in mud.

"It probably emerged from its winter den due to the heavy rain," he said. We agreed with his observation.

The Pambiancos have seen and handled many albino snakes, all captive breed exotics such as pythons, corn snakes and boa constrictors. But for them to see a true wild albino snake was an amazing experience. I couldn't agree more, as I have observed hundreds of eastern garter snakes in the wild and nothing came close to this bizarre morph.

We wondered how lucky the snake was to have survived that long in the wild. It was adult-size and had to be several years old.

Being an albino animal in nature has many disadvantages.

An albino snake is quite conspicuous against a dark background. Albinos are easier to see and, therefore, easier for a predator to catch. Eastern garter snakes exhibit mottled dorsal patterns, which act as camouflage to help them blend in with their surroundings.

Snakes, as reptiles, are cold-blooded animals and need to thermal-regulate for normal body functions. Dark-pigmented reptiles absorb solar heat more efficiently than perhaps an all-white snake. Moreover, pink eyes are more sensitive to sunlight, so perhaps the albino snake must limit movement to nighttime or seek an underground environment.

Whatever the challenges are for albinistic animals, this extremely rare eastern garter snake defied all odds. Furthermore, if not for the help of a Good Samaritan named Gary Thomas, the snake might have become a victim of road mortality or killed by a dog, cat, human or another predator.

Last, if it wasn't for the thoughtfulness of the Pambianco family, I would not have been given the opportunity to see and learn about something extremely rare in nature — a true albino.

So, the next time someone holding a coffee can says, "I have something really weird," it might not be a corny joke, but something worth a look.

Contact Rick Koval at pocononaturalist@yahoo.com or write to him at PO Box 454, Dallas, PA 18612.