Help?

[Chickenman]

Hi. Last July I caught a garter snake in the wild and decided to keep it. I didn't know that the snake was pregnant. Last night, she gave birth. I still don't have a good count, as they like to hide, but I've got about 5 or 6 newborns. Now the problem is feeding them. I'm not sure what. I bought small crickets and mealworms, but so far they seem uninterested. They won't touch them. I really don't want them to starve to death, can anyone help me?

[GarterGuy]

Your better off giving them fish or earthworms, garters won't touch insects. You can either give them small feeder guppies in a shallow water dish or try cutting up some fish and worms for them and giving it to them in a shallow plate or such. This seems to work pretty well, and several people who've had babies has used this technique.

Roy

[Snaky]

I concur with Roy. Live fish in a shallow dish with water ( so they'll splash a bit ) or earthworm of the appropriate size ( no red one's ), those are the best to get them started. If they've eaten once, you can try scenting with what they ate on other food items like pinkies.

Watch them if they eat, it can become quite a fight for the same food. And they'll also eat faster when they're in a group. If they see another snake eating, they'll try it themselves....

You've probably done that, but seperate the young ones from the adults.

[Sid]

I agree with the other advice. Follow it and you should have no problems.
Welcome to the forum.

[Snaky]

Damn, before I wrote my resonse I thaught "dont forget the welcome"... I've got alzheimer or something ;)

Welcome to the forum, enjoy it here :)

[Lulu Bennett]

welcome to the forum chicken. im Lulu. you are in safe hands on this forum. it already sounds like you have been given some good advise so i wont repeat what the others have said but i hope this works for you. xxx

[drache]

welcome to the forum
may your babies thrive

[ssssnakeluvr]

as they said above, no insects as they cannot digest them....also, they will not eat until after their first shed, which happens the first day or so. then, worms or feeder guppies in a shallow water dish, preferably a clear one so the movement will attract them. may be a few days before the eat.

[adamanteus]

Hi John, and welcome to the forum.:) You've already been given all the advise you need to get your new babies started. Enjoy it here, and don't forget to post some photos!:D

[Chickenman]

Thanks a lot guys. Now I'm just having trouble finding worms in my backyard. It's weird, they used to be all over the place. How long do you think they can go without food?

[Elliot]

They'll probably be ok for at least a week, sometimes they won't start eating for long anyway.

[enigma200316]

welcome to the forum Chicken......:)

[Stefan-A]

Welcome aboard, John. :)

[KITKAT]

Thanks a lot guys. Now I'm just having trouble finding worms in my backyard. It's weird, they used to be all over the place. How long do you think they can go without food?

Welcome, Chickenman!

We had a very dry spring here in the great lakes region. Not sure where you live, but if you experienced the drought in early summer and then things got wetter (as it did here) you will find worms difficult to find, as they went dormant and have not re-emerged yet (at least here in Ohio).

You can find nightcrawlers available at your local bait store. Make sure they are nightcrawlers and NOT "Trout worms", "Dug worms", or "red wigglers"... these are all names under which a different species of worm are sold, and they can be toxic to your snakes.

Petsmart also carries nightcrawlers.

Nightcrawlers that are too large for baby snakes can be cut up. If you find it inhumane to cut up a living worm, you can place them in a baggie in the freezer for ten minutes, then cut them into small pieces upon retrieving them. Warm them for about 15 minutes after cutting them up, and then offer them to your babies on a flat plate.

It is best to remove momma snake, so she won't mistake a baby for a worm and accidentally ingest her offspring. You should also watch the babies eat, because believe it or not, once they get eating well, they can also hurt each other by getting too excited and grabbing each other.:eek:

Feeding worms to your garters will produce a wetter fecal deposit. My own preference is to feed "Thiaminase safe fish".

Feeding fish to baby garters can involve going to the pet store and buying 12 feeder guppies. Put the guppies and a bit of their water, in a small container such as a rubbermaid dish. The water should be a third of an inch deep. This causes the guppies to swim around alot, as the shallow water makes them more active.

As your baby snakes grow, you can graduate them to small rosey reds, also sold in many pet stores (Petsmart usually has them).

There is a thread in this forum that lists what fish are thiaminase safe... but I do not know its location... maybe another forum member has that link?

You can also click on the ARTICLES tab at the top of the forum, and select the article on thiaminase and fish, to see what the issue is, and which fish species are safe to feed.

Have fun with your baby garters! Don't panic if it take them a week to start eating.

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Chickenman :)

[Tori]

Welcome to the forum chickenman. And old trick my father taught me is to soak the ground with a hose or sprinkler for an hour or so right before dark and then go back out after dark with a flashlight and a small shovel. The smalller worms will be close to the surface of the ground. Good luck with your babies. What kind are they and we love photos..."hint hint".

Tori

[Odie]

An old trick my father taught me is to soak the ground with a hose or sprinkler for an hour or so right before dark and then go back out after dark with a flashlight and a small shovel. The smalller worms will be close to the surface of the ground. Good luck with your babies. What kind are they and we love photos..."hint hint". Tori

This really works but may need to a soak for 1hr for 3 days man, if the soil is real dry.