Worms

[Kaabi]

If you don't want to buy food for your garter snake (although that's probably the best way), simply harvesting worms is a great way to get good for your snake. But to maintain a balanced diet, other foods need to be included, like fish and grubs. I don't know how to get grubs without buying them though, so that would be a problem...

[ssssnakeluvr]

grubs??? garter snakes don't eat insects.... fish, amphibians, worms, slugs, leeches, rodents, and occasionally odd stuff like roadkill is eaten by them. I have a pic of one eating a roadkill bird!!

[Brian]

I'm betting by grubs they mean slugs.

[Faunaofthenorth]

Thats not entirely false. I have kept eastern garters before that have taken grasshoppers readily, they were just small yearllings tho, and i have witnessed in the wild a young garter eating and orb weaver spider a year or two back, so it is possible but recently i havent had any success, so if u insist on grubs go for it but it will most likely be difficult.

[Thamnophis]

In the late seventies I kept about a dozen Gartersnakes (T. s. sirtalis, T. s. parietalis, T. radix, T. sauritus nitae) in a very large terrarium.
In this also lived a few lizards (Podarcis sicula) that were dumped at my place.
This all went well. The lizards were always basking on top of the snakes :)
When I gave the lizards grasshoppers or crickets or mealworms, there were often one or two garters that caught one of the insects and actually ate it.
But I do not consider it as "normal" food for Gartersnakes.
But I can imagine that they eat them in the wild so every now and then when there is nothing else to find.

[ssssnakeluvr]

when I was young and had just started keeping snakes, I had fed some flies to a garter....they came ouit the back end looking just like they did when they went in...looked like they couldn't digest the exoskeletons...kind of odd when they can digest bones and teeth...

[CrazyHedgehog]

I thought that garters required more than just worms ie as in something with bone matter like rodents or fish to help maintain their own ?

[ssssnakeluvr]

I've had a lot of garters eat worms...however it's not good to feed just worms as garters have quite a varied diet in the wild. I use worms a lot to scent pinkies. I have had good luck with that on ones that are finicky and won't take the fish scented ones. Getting garters on rodents is probably the best diet for them, most nutritious and don't have to feed as often as with other foods. Also, worms are mostly water, so they digest and pass thru quickly and leave big messes!!!

[CrazyHedgehog]

Yes,i usually feed on pinkies and mice, occassional fish just as a variation, I use worms to help get young to feed as the movement seems to 'kick start' their appetite..

[Thamnophis]

Rainworms have an calcium:phosporum of 1:1.
That is excellent for reptiles in general.
Furthermore they are very healthy (minerals etc), so I recommend always to give them at least once every fourteen days or so.
Make sure they come from clean ground. Or when you want to be absolutely sure, breed them yourself.

[CrazyHedgehog]

Rainworms have an calcium:phosporum of 1:1.
That is excellent for reptiles in

Sorry for my ignorance, but what exactly are 'Rainworms'?

[Thamnophis]

Sorry for my ignorance, but what exactly are 'Rainworms'?

A rainworm is the normal worm you will find in the ground of your garden.
See the picture below.
In Dutch they are called Regenworm (Regen = Rain)

http://www.west-vlaanderen.be/leefomgeving/website%20de%20bergen/figuren/Extra%20beelden/Ongewervelden%20in%20bodem%20en%20bladafval/regenworm.jpg

[ssssnakeluvr]

out west here we call those nightcrawlers....some of my snakes love them!

[CrazyHedgehog]

ahhhh Thet are just plain earth worms here, thanks for that, I have also seen mention of nightcrawlers on another site and did wonder...thanks for clearing that up...

[Thamnophis]

ahhhh Thet are just plain earth worms here, thanks for that, I have also seen mention of nightcrawlers on another site and did wonder...thanks for clearing that up...

You´re welcome. :D