WC garters switched to mice And skin problem

[muggy2419]

So just yesterday I took in a rather friendly wild garter snake. I believe it is a male probably around 2-3 years old based on the size, and he is very calm and relaxed and so far seems to be in great health. He is a great feeder so far and will eat worms right out of my hand, so I was thinking of switching him over to frozen mice. Is there any specific things that I should do for a wild garter that are different than my CB garters? I thought it would be the same but I figured it would be best to check.
Also, any other tips for caring for a WC garter? Any signs I should look out for in case of sickness or anything? I do have one concern, some of his scales appear to have "rust" between them, there is a reddish orange colour between them on one side of his body. I've looked around and not found anything for it but I'm sure someone on here can help me out. Thanks

[d_virginiana]

He probably has parasites; most wild ones do. I'm sure someone who has treated for parasites before can tell you how to deal with that. Other than that, the only difference really is handling, which it seems he's already pretty okay with.

As for the weird color, try gently wiping it with a wet paper towel and see if it comes off. Could just be something he was crawling through outside.

[guidofatherof5]

You might be surprised to find your W/C will take frozen/thawed pinks without scenting. It's certainly worth trying. If he won't smear some worm slime on its head and offer it.

[slipknot711]

and id also like to add.... WE LIKE PICTURES :) hope to see some soon. maybe get a picture of the "rust"?

[muggy2419]

So I attempted to feed both scented, and Un scented fuzzies, and he hasn't gone for either. I noticed that when I scented it that there was still a fairly strong mouse smell, maybe that threw him off? Any one have a way to really get it smelling like worm? I might try rinsing the mouse with water after thawing to try to get it to smell less like mouse, and more like worm until he begins to eat mice reliably, also I haven't been able to get pictures up as I don't have a computer available right now and it doesn't work on my phone, but I will try to get some pictures up sooner rather than later.

[guidofatherof5]

Dice a worm up then mix in the pinky and get it coated with worm fluids.
Put it and the worm chunks in and watch it disappear.

[muggy2419]

Sounds like it would work very well! I'll try it thanks.

[Rushthezeppelin]

Might want to not use fuzzies. Garters don't seem to have the enzyme necessary to breakdown fur and you are rolling the dice everytime that your snake will become impacted. Stick with hairless pinks.

[guidofatherof5]

Might want to not use fuzzies. Garters don't seem to have the enzyme necessary to breakdown fur and you are rolling the dice everytime that your snake will become impacted. Stick with hairless pinks.

Agreed, no fur.