Two Questions Related to Pinkys

[dashnu]

One: Safe to re-freeze after 2/3 hours of no takers?
Two: What are your thoughts on feeding until the garter wants to stop?

For example my 08 lady blackneck ate SIX small pinkies one after another before she decided she didnt want anymore :) She is going to be huge! My 08 lady eastern took 5. Both these snakes two days later took 3 :p

Truthfully most of my snakes want to eat this way except for a few troubled eaters. I usually feed on a schedule but wanted to experiment.

[adamanteus]

I can't see a problem with feeding young snakes as much as they'll take... maybe a bit more cautious with adults. I never re-freeze, but that's just me.

[dashnu]

Thanks James. I suppose cost vs risk in re freezing is not worth it anyways.

[crzy_kevo]

i dont think there would be a problem in feeding that much except for the fatty content of the pinkies i would maybe give them some fish too brett
we dont want any liver problems now do we :D

[adamanteus]

The risk may well be minimal... I don't know. I always leave uneaten pinks overnight.... by which time they can't be re-frozen.

[drache]

I don't re-freeze, but if they're untouched, sometimes I'll refrigerate them if i plan to offer them within the next 24 hours

[guidofatherof5]

I can't see a problem with feeding young snakes as much as they'll take... maybe a bit more cautious with adults.

I feed my babies(8 mo. or under) every other day. If it's a troubled eater and they start eating. I will feed them everyday for a couple weeks. Helps get them caught up.

Adults, every 6 days. A lot depends on individuals. Some are very active and require more. Others will take a snooze after eating and not need to be fed as much.

I can only speak for my experience with T. radix

[dashnu]

Thanks for the feedback folks, I think with my young I am going to stick out an all you can eat buffet. After talking to Kevin a bit I may vary their diet.

Are we/some/most of us with the thought Garters adapted to eating worms fish and the like due to lack of rodents and other amphibians? Thus being such a common widespread snake? I guess what Im leading to is pinkys are probably not a good all around source for food or are they? I guess this could be argued either way since most snakes thrive off only rodents.

[adamanteus]

I guess what Im leading to is pinkys are probably not a good all around source for food or are they?

You bring up an old argument here Brett... it's a good point that we all should keep in mind.....
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/husbandry/511-rodent-diet.html?highlight=Rodent+Diet

[guidofatherof5]

Variety, seem to be something most of us agree on. I don't think any one food will give them everything they need. By giving them all the sources we have, we hope to balance their needs. Pinkies,worms,fish(safe) slugs and suppliments must be close to a balance. My T. radixes aren't shy about eating and never turn anything down. I think I over feed mine sometimes. With the dry season we have here in Iowa, I'm sure, in the wild they go long periods without food and rarely get full.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I guess what Im leading to is pinkys are probably not a good all around source for food or are they? I guess this could be argued either way since most snakes thrive off only rodents.

most snakes eat mainly rodents and birds in the wild. Those snakes thrive very well off only rodents. I do not believe that garters should be fed a diet purely of mice, it makes them too fat, but that's just me. I also do limit the intake of my snakes mainly because I've seen regurges occur from over eating.... some of mine just will not stop at full capacity. They eat mostly fish and worms and amphibs normally, and since learning that eastern hognose can often develop problems from a rodent diet, I see an all rodent diet as a potentially too-rich diet for thamnophis. It's convenient for most, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, unless it does unseen harm on the snakes. unfortunately I am one of those weirdos that has developed a high dislike for today's modern world and the "convenience" trend... individually packaged servings of applesauce... ready-to-eat lunches and yogurt in a tube... not for me! :rolleyes:

[drache]

I have no strong opinion either way
I try to offer variety, but I do have garters that are only interested in one type of food, and if that food is rodent, it doesn't bother me anywhere near as much as when it's live minnow
what I mean to say is that it doesn't occur to me to go through any trouble to get them to take fish or worms
the thing is that one ought to be more restrained when feeding rodents
my adult garters who are on a rodent diet don't even always get fed weekly - I don't worry much about them missing a meal or two - and it's no longer "all you can eat" either
fish is fatty too
there really isn't much in the way of "fat free" in the world of carnivores, nor would I think of it as desirable, being that fats provide fantastic compact fuel
but if a snake has to hunt her own food, there's probably some point where being stuffed like a sausage will get in the way of actually catching something