Intense competition drives male vertebrates to adopt alternative reproductive strategies to outcompete other males. Thousands of male red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) emerge every spring in Manitoba, Canada, and engage in robust competition to mate with females. Sexual selection has facilitated the evolution of post-copulatory mechanisms in male garter snakes (e.g., sperm competition) as well as alternative reproductive strategies (e.g., female pheromone production, other forms of female mimicry). Female mimics in this species benefit from known thermoregulatory advantages; however, unidentified evolutionary advantages may result from the three-fold higher circulating androgens found in female mimics versus normal males. To test this, male garter snakes were implanted in July 2019 with either a SHAM or testosterone-containing silastic implant (n=15 per group). Snakes were bled monthly for implant validation then artificially hibernated in December. In May 2020, snakes were tested in the laboratory for courtship intensity using established scoring metrics in simulated mating aggregations. Sperm analyses were then conducted to investigate potential differences in sperm count and morphology between the treatments. Testosterone treatment is predicted to invigorate courtship behavior by its known actions in sexually dimorphic regions of the male vertebrate brain. Previous experiments on testosterone effects on testis function in reptiles vary, so our study will clarify whether testosterone enhances sperm characteristics. Our results may reveal previously unknown advantages in female mimics activated by higher concentrations of circulating androgens.