Feeding frenzies...

[Zephyr]

I've heard a little talk about this "phenomenon," and may have even witnessed it. What exactly are they in garter terms?

[jeanette]

now we are talking :) im interested in this, is it just VERY enthusiastic eating? or is it something else?
dont think ive witnessed it though

[andyoconnor83]

I found a large puget sound eating tadpoles in a somewhat frenzied state... ate so many that it could barely move, it didn't even stop eating until i actually bent over and picked it up. I held onto it for a summer and in one day, it ate 17 pacific tree frogs that I had in the tank with it. (I was 12 at the time and wouldn't feed so many frogs at once now, 13 years later)

[Stefan-A]

Assuming that everybody that has been using the term has been talking about the same thing, it's probably the way garters act when they get really excited. Very quick, jerky movements. Overall, they seem to become really hyperactive and easily distracted by movement outside the terrarium, to the point where they can be within an inch of the food item and competely miss it because they're focusing on something they just saw. Sometimes it seems that they compeltely lose all judgement regarding what is food and what isn't and end up biting the glass, the food dish, substrate, each other and anything else that smells either like food or their own saliva.

Or you could describe it as severe ADHD induced by the presence of food. Especially impressive if it happens to two or more garters at the same time.

[Zephyr]

I believe I've seen it a few times. The garters start jerking their heads around with their mouth half-open and bite on to anything they touch. Yesterday I believe one of my little checkereds was in the middle of a frenzy; he was trying to eat the feeding dish for about 15 minutes before he finally figured out there was no more food left.

[enigma200316]

I've seen this also, and is the reason they get feed seprately now....:D

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

all of my garters to do this!!! just open their mouths and swing their heads around until something ends up in their mouth!!! My female puget is the worst, I actually have to put her in an empty 10 gallon tank with a screen lid that has just a small door on it to contain her during feeding. she's NUTS.

[Zephyr]

Does striking count in this list of behavior? One of my female easterns, Lemon, constantly strikes at me until she hits something. *About 70% of the time my hand.*

[drache]

what's with garters who try to get past the rodent to hunt down the tongs?

[Snake lover 3-25]

that's what my turtle did when i had to feed her raw fish!!!!!!!!:confused:

[drache]

not many of mine do that, but I have a couple who are convinced that it's the tongs they want to eat and they keep trying to get past the food on the end of them
that's why my rubber tipped tongs are now rubber sleeved

[Tori]

My male Cali does worse. He goes around the food, past the tongs, and tries for my hand every time. I don't try to feed him that way anymore. I have to just leave the food laying there for him or he forgets the food and goes for me. Little pain in the....butt.

I have seen the "frenzy" though, the eastern babies do it every time you try to feed babies as a group. I spent way to much time rescuing little ones from the mouths of their brothers and sisters to ever want to feed them as a group again. I've even seen them latch onto themselves while this is going on. Little mouths open and heads swaying back and forth and biting anything that comes close to their mouths.