will garters eat frogs?

[brandon0133]

im wanting to brodin my snakes food source,,,wanted to try some green tree frogs which i can get for about 1.25$ a piece or some anoles for 1.25$ which are lizards,,,will my garters eat these? i have two full grown adult garters ,, dont know if they will eat stuff like this,,,would be fun for them to hunt down,,what do u guys think?

[KITKAT]

im wanting to brodin my snakes food source,,,wanted to try some green tree frogs which i can get for about 1.25$ a piece or some anoles for 1.25$ which are lizards,,,will my garters eat these? i have two full grown adult garters ,, dont know if they will eat stuff like this,,,would be fun for them to hunt down,,what do u guys think?

Most garters will eat appropriately sized frogs. But a better question to ask is SHOULD captive garters eat frogs?

Most garterphiles answer "no" because of the huge burden of parasitism in frogs and toads. In a captive garter, this food source can infect them with the parasites, leading to illness and death, since a captive environment tends to increase the parasite load due to the limited space in which the snake is eating and defecating.

However, if you simply MUST try this food source, I advise you to freeze the frogs for a period of no less than 14 days (30 is much better) at the lowest temperature that is available. THen thaw the frog meal in warm water, just as we do with frozen mice or fish, and feed at room temperature.

If your snake refuses frozen/thawed frogs, I would just forget about it...:rolleyes:

[brandon0133]

man,,,its a wonder snakes survive outside,,,,thanks for the info,,maybe i will steer away from that,,dont want my snakes getting sick,

[Stefan-A]

Many of them don't survive outside for various reasons (not just predators), but as KitKat pointed out, captivity does provide a nice environment for the parasites.

[Sid]

All advice already posted, is sound. I know from experience. :( Early into keeping Garters I was very willing to feed frogs and toads. As a result there was a high mortality rate.

[brandon0133]

ok no frogs for me,,,lol,,,what all can i feed them? just worms,pinkies,,fuzzies and minnows? theres got to be other things

[Stefan-A]

You mean that's not enough? :D OK, strips of meat (low fat), chicken, salmon and a few dozen other kinds of fish.

[Elliot]

You can feed them lots of different things, but it's better to stick to the more "regular" things I guess you could say.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i would say stick to frozen items pinkies, fish strips, and u can even freeze the worms and rosies, but if you use fish strips use a vitamin supplement and some calcium powder once in a while
i like feeding them frozen items because it eliminates things that can kill or get the snake sick

[RZL36]

Rosy red minnows work really well to you can get them onto pinkie mice. In a snake's case, food variety is rarely the spice of life. Besides they make up for it when it comes to mating. I try to keep things as simple as possible, b/c I hate wasting food. How big are the snakes?

[brandon0133]

one is almost 4 ft long,,the other is 3 ft and the other is about 1 1/2 ft eastern garter,,the big ones have red spots on them

[RZL36]

what have they eaten so far?

[brandon0133]

my garter diet is minnows,pinkies,,fuzzies

[adamanteus]

my garter diet is minnows,pinkies,,fuzzies

Sounds like a good diet to me, Brandon. Maybe best to leave the frogs out, although they would certainly take them if they were offered!:rolleyes:

[brandon0133]

well i just thought it would be interesting to see them eat a frog,,but it aint worth doing if there going to die eating one,,lol

[brandon0133]

heres some pics of my snakes playing in the water,,,
heres my python with my girlfriend,,she said she hates snakes,,,now she loves them
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5352.jpg
and heres the snakes swimming
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5353.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5355.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5356.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5358.jpg
and heres a picture of my tank
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5359.jpg

[brandon0133]

heres another picture of my tank,,i just got done removing every single thing,,spraying mite spray and giving the snakes a bath,,then i put all new things in it,,,so it looks alittle plain right now,,,it will come to life soon
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5361.jpg

[anji1971]

Brandon, I am beyond envious about that tank!!!!!:D:D
The garters look like they enjoyed swim-time -- those snakes are huge, though. Do you have a separate fridge just to accomodate their food supply???:p Looks like they eat lots!

[Lori P]

Brandon, your "new" tank looks really really nice!!! I know how much work it must have been to move the turtles and their tank out and empty it, clean it, etc... but you ended up with a lovely set up there. I wish I had a 75 for my snakes!!

Your baby ball python is very cute too. I have a soft spot for them as they were my first snake, they are just kind of... well... hate to say it, but, boring... lol. I never see mine except at feeding time. But that's ok, love them all the same. :-)

Where did the turtles move to?

[brandon0133]

i have many tanks,,,lol,,,,so the turtle has her own tank,,,the big turtle died,,,he was around 5 yrs old,,,i dont know what happened,,he just kinda went to sleep,,,,the ball python lives in about a 30 gallon terrirum,,however u spell it,,with head lights,,,climbing tree and water bowl and house i made for her to sleep in,,,yeah only time shes fun is when holding her or feeding her,,as for the food,,i spend atleast 25$ a week on food,,lol,,i now have 12 snakes,,,the corn snakes are in a small 10 gallon right now,,have 8 corn snakes,,,getting a ribbon soon,,,,

[brandon0133]

this is a picture of the tank before,,u will see how much i had to move out of it,,lol
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5201.jpg
heres a pic with the big turtle in the tank also..u can tell he was already feeling bad when i put him in the tank, he must have been sick when i got him
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_4806.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_4817.jpg

[brandon0133]

some more pics
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5195.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_5205.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_4662.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_4666.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_4669.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/brandon0133/100_4654-1.jpg

[brandon0133]

see how much i had to take out? the dirt and wood alone was like 10 to 15 10 gallon bags ,,,,,

[Lori P]

Heck of a job, no doubt!! I thought the tank-in-the-tank idea was pretty cool. But the new tank is probably better for the garters, and easier for you to upkeep!!

[brandon0133]

yeah its alot easier to clean the turtle tank when its not in the big tank,,lol