Cannibalism in California redsided?

[Tori]

One of my baby cali's is trying to eat the other babies, so I've had to separate them. Is this normal for them? I've never had any other kind of garter trying to eat his siblings unless there was food in the cage which there isn't. It has only been 2 days since they were fed so it isn't like they are starving, so what is up with this little guy? I got him loose from one baby just to have him chasing another one! Good thing I was in here with them when he started. I did a head count and none are missing, so I was in time. Now he has a cage to his/her self. But in my experience baby garters do much better in a group. It would be the largest of the group though, naturally. I still think it might have killed him to eat one though, he isn't THAT much larger. Any ideas?

[zooplan]

Maybe it think it is a milksnake?

I know cannibalism only in two cases:
During feeding when even snall snake are fighting for food and everything is smelle like food.
Males that are not seperated while the female is giving birth.
Give your clutch a bath after feeding, that may help.

[Snaky]

I can add a third one. I've had terrestris attacking the other cagemate while preparing the food ( defrosting ) in the kitchen ( which is connected to their room ). So there wasn't even food present in their cage, but indeed the smallest smell can trigger the feeding response.

[Tori]

All good points but I wasn't preparing food and it wasn't the day to feed them. I'm just afraid that I am going to have to worry about this sort of thing with the other babies now. Are they all likely to start trying to eat each other? Should I separate all of them, not just the one trying to munch on them?

[Bay_area]

Maybe it think it is a milksnake?


or from Donner Pass...LOL!

[brandon0133]

my snakes have taken pinkies out of the mouth of other snakes in my tank,,lol,,never seen them try to eat each other though,,and i got babies and big snakes together

[Lori P]

Brandon, they will... they'll grab at the pinky and get their mouths around the other snake. Eek!!

[jewel-dragons]

i loose 2 marcianus adults by cannibalism.... the females ate them.... but they get food enough here.... so it's very sad....

[adamanteus]

Maybe some of the babies had got smeared with the scent of food from a previous feeding? It is very unusual, you're wise to seperate them, at least for now.

[brandon0133]

can i put my new green snake in with my garter snakes? remember its a 175 gallon tank,,so enough room to seperate if they dont like each other,,lol

[Stefan-A]

Wouldn't recommend it. It's not a good idea to mix so vastly different species, because of different requirements and since it may stress the snakes. And then there's the direct health issue. Ideally, new snakes should always be quarantined.

[brandon0133]

yeah the green is alone in his little tank for now,,i wanted to make sure no mites were on him and stuff like that,,so i sprayed him and put all new bedding and all that,,,will leave him in there for around a month before i try putting him with the garters,,my garters seem to be really nice with any snake i have put in with them and they get used to them fast,,,

[Thamnophis]

Cannibalism is when a snake deliberately eats a specimen of its own species.
In garter snakes it is a mistake when one eats another.
Often has to do with smell and feeding fish or so.

This pic I got from someone whose snake ate the other after feeding.

http://www.kousebandslangen.nl/slang_eet_slang.jpg

[Tori]

It didn't look like a mistake to me. The largest Cali had a bite hold on another baby about mid-length down the body. After getting him loose, the biter took off after another baby and nailed him too. I got him off of it and immediately placed him in a separate cage. There was no food in the cage, they are never fed inside the cage. None of the babies had been fed in 2 days and I always put them back into their cage after feeding by releasing them in the water bowl to help wash off any smell on them. So there was nothing that would have set her off except movement. And if anything moving when she gets hungry is going to become food, she doesn't need to be with other babies. But I have to say, it didn't look like an accident.

[drache]

sounds like you've got a baby psycho on your hands

[Stefan-A]

How about naming him "Dexter"? ;)

[Tori]

LMAO....well Dexter will have to learn to keep her fangs to herself.

[brandon0133]

yeah maybe somewhere down the line that snake lost a few brain cells,,,lol

[wandering garter]

If its a female, they WILL try eating babyies. She may think it is her own. seperate them till they are bigger.