Reptile Forum, Reptile Classifieds - CaptiveBred

[Muttley_109]

Can anyone help me?

Our first snake is a garter snake, when we got him he was tiny and he has been eating strips of salmon, cod etc. We did get some frozen sprats from an aquarium which he liked. Recently though he has turned his nose up at bothe the salmon and the cod. I thought he might like some live food to hunt so i went to an aquarium where a friend of mine works and he gave me some small cold water fish (live). I have put them in his water bowl where they are happily swimming about bt he doesnt seem interested.

Tonight he has finally eaten one of the fish which had died and i put out on a plate for him but that was the first thing he has eaten for about 2 weeks.

I dont know how old he is but he is about 1- 1.5 ft long and his head is no wider than my little finger.

Can anyone give me any food ideas for garters?

Thanks

Ben

[GJ]

I started the hobby with a few garters(checkered,common,Florida blue) and they all ate the same things. Very easy to keep and not fussy at all.

Goldfish
White bait
Earthworms
Slugs
Mince
Trout
pinky's/fuzzes
Garter grub
Various pieces of lean meat occasionally.

I mainly fed whole prey items and supplemented the foods i had to cut up.

[arborealad]

Heres another thing to try. Buy yourself some pinkies and some fish that you know the snake has eaten. Rub the fish all over the pinky until theres a nice fishy smelling oil all over it. Dangle the pinky in front of the snake and theres a good chance it'll take it.
At each subsequent feeding rub less and less fish oil onto the pinky.
It will gradually learn to associate the smell of the rodent with feeding and end up taking them unscented.

Ive converted all my garters this way so it does work its just getting them to take that first pinky. Like i said make sure it stinks of fish and you should be OK.

Hope this helps

[Morbid]

Maybe it just want to hibernate..?
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Assumption is the Mother of all f***ups.