Hello

[Dianemike1997]

Hi all! I am new to this forum and I just wanted to ask a few questions about my new pet Garter Snake.:) This is my first snake ever being I don't like to feed anything live animals.*(You will read more about this below.)* My fiance` caught him in our yard a few weeks ago. I have been feeding the snake (We named him "Snakie") earthworms. He eats a few worms every other day. So far I have had no problem with him not eating. Snakie seems to be a young Garter snake. His full length is about 8 inches. He has already shed once since I have owned him.

I was just wondering what I can feed him besides earthworms. I read that guppies are good,but goldfish aren't. *Being I love mice ( I have a few as pets),I will not be feeding him mice,or any other fuzzy little animal. That also goes for frogs and lizards. I understand in the wild he would eat these things,which I am perfectly fine with. At least in the wild the prey has a chance to escape...In a tank the little prey has no chance of survival.*

Anyway..It will be winter in a few months,and I won't be able to get earthworms like I do now. The fishing bait shops by me just sell salt water worms,which aren't good for my snake. I would like to stock up on a lot of earthworms..Does anyone know how to care for earthworms? I know they need soil..But what is the optimum temperature and humidity for them?

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard. :)

Your reluctance to feed it live animals, and mice (dead ones), is understandable. However, I do hope you change your mind. :) Life isn't fair and keeping the snake alive is a priority once you decide to keep it and mice might have to be sacrificed to ensure its wellbeing. Earthworms aren't good staple food and shouldn't be used over longer periods of time.

It is my understanding that earthworms (Lumbricus) are difficult to keep alive over long periods of time, especially compared to the species that are used in indoor composts (Eisenia). I've only kept them for 2-3 months at a time. What I do know from experience (I use them as bait as well as "snacks" for my own snakes), is that it's important to provide enough humidity and not expose them to direct sunlight. They use decaying plant material for food, which means that things such as decaying leaves need to be provided for them. In my humble opinion, it's not worth the trouble.

[drache]

worms need it cold and they need to be kept in dirt that's damp enough, not to stick to them
there's a lot of good info here:
European Nightcrawlers From New York Worms - Order Bait Size Nightcrawlers (http://www.nyworms.com/eurocrawlers.htm)

[KITKAT]

If you are adamant about not feeding dead (frozen/thawed) mice, then I would suggest you feed frozen/thawed fish. As others have stated, earthworms are not a good staple food, as they are very watery and are somewhat laxative in nature for the snake.

Frozen worms are a mess, frankly... and keeping a colony of live earthworms is normally done outdoors, which means you cannot access them in winter anyway, as the ground freezes and they hibernate below.

Fish should be those species that do not contain thiaminase, which is an enzyme that digests the vitamin thiamine, and is contained in some fish.

I used to feed a fish-only diet, and I found that bait store minnows and rosy reds from the pet store worked well. I also found that freezing them and thawing them was best for my snake, as this killed any parasites that fish might carry.

Finally, I found that on a fish diet, my snakes were never quite filled-out. They remained more slender than I thought was best. And that finally convinced me to add frozen and thawed pinkies to their diet. This has produced a better nutrition for them.

To thaw either pinkies OR fish, I take them from the freezer, and insert them into a jar of scalding water. They thaw in seconds (fish) or minutes (pinkies) and can be fed still slightly warm.

[adamanteus]

Hi and welcome to the forum. A lot of good advice there already...especially not to use worms as a long-term staple diet.

[Snaky]

Welcome to the forum from Belgium, enjoy it here :) .

This article might help you to know which fish you can and which fish you can't use as food:
http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Thiamin,
If the only fish you can give is fish that contains thiaminase, you should supplement with vitamine B1. But trout (without thiaminase) for example is an excellent fish to give. You'll find more info in the article, happy reading ;).

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon :)

[Lee]

You can use frozen mice as a food source.. They are already dead obviously so its not like it needs to escape, they are killed humanely and are frozen to feed snakes especially. IMO, if your not willing to feed something other than earthworms/guppies I would let him go...

[Dianemike1997]

Thank you all for your responses. =) After I posted I did a lot of research on eartworm care and diet. I have all the needed supplies,just need to get more worms. I will try feeding my snake minnows too. I also asked my vet and he said feeder guppies are also a good food source for my snake.

[Thamnophis]

Welcome on this forum.