What should I do?

[SpyrotheGartersnake]

My garter snake has been living without a light do u think i should give it a basking light? and his main diet is fish and sometimes one pinkie for a treat. do u think i should switch his diet?

[Snake lover 3-25]

what kind of fish???? not goldfish i hope.....

[GarterGirl]

drache and i use minnows or however you spell it

[anji1971]

If he has a heat pad, he shouldn't need the light as well. One or the other for a warm spot is fine.
Yes, the fish can be a worry if they are on the "Bad" list! What kind of fish?

[Snake lover 3-25]

but i think you should get a light/heat source... it helps them digest.....

[adamanteus]

Shanley is right, Goldfish are a no-no. There are many 'safe' fish you can use, trout and salmon being the easiest to obtain. The pinky supplement is good, you can use nightcrawlers too.

Does the snake get any natural, ambient light? Additional artificial lighting isn't really needed, as long as the temperature is right and the snake isn't in the dark.

[Snake lover 3-25]

Mine LOVE tilapia!!!!! :D

[SpyrotheGartersnake]

I use to feed him minnows but now i feed him pieces of trout and i give him a worm with vitamins on it once after every two weeks but i feed him trout twice a week and a pinkie once every month is that okay

[Snake lover 3-25]

i'd feed him pinkies more often... but i'm not sure i feed mine 4 pinks 2x a week, and a few pieces of tilapia and/or worms... they won't eat the food if it has vitamins on it... so i try to give them the most varied diet possible...:D

[SpyrotheGartersnake]

okay i'll try

[Zephyr]

Maybe even less than 2 pinks a week, depending on the size and sex of your snake. You may want to split feedings into twice a week, two big meals and even intervals, or three times a week with a big meal at the beginning and two smaller ones later in the week.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

they won't eat the food if it has vitamins on it... so i try to give them the most varied diet possible...:D

all you have to do is let the garter grab the food and -then- sprinkle the powder onto the back end of it

[Snake lover 3-25]

yeah... but they usually eat it too fast...:D

[Snake lover 3-25]

and if they smell it at alll they won't eat anymore... so i'd have to use it on the last piece of food and they always eat diff amounts....:D