Baby albino checkered garter.

[Philminator]

Hey guys I haven't been on the forums for about a month or so been really busy, I just got a baby albino checkered garter snake yesterday I'm really excited!:) I had to bring back the eastern garters I had because they are by-lawed and I don't have my license to keep them:( I only had them for a few days so I took them back at the exact same spot I found them. My question is do all garters generally have the same diets and such? I've had wild caught babies eating worms like crazy but my lil guy won't eat. I know it might be due to stress but I'm wondering what I should do? should I get talapia pieces? pinky parts? or give him a week and try worms again. I guess I'm paranoid he might not ever want to eat. Secondly I am not sure exactly how to do the whole pinky part thing when they are young, do you start chopping the mouse up into pieces? sorry if my post seems messed up I'm just really tired and excited about my new baby that I can finally keep :)

[jitami]

If you can find out what he was eating before that would be my first step. Otherwise, try some guppies in water. Most will go for those. And yes, pinky parts are just that, cut up frozen/thawed pink mice. I find it easier to cut them while they're still partially frozen. Good luck with your little one!

[Philminator]

ok i'll try the pinky parts, it must be hard to get a baby garter wanting to eat a mouse that looks like it went though a blender no? :p

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

actually, the blood seems to drive my garters NUTS. Especially if the snake is a wandering, an eastern, or a plains!

[Philminator]

This will be day 3, I hope he eats, so far he wants nothing to do with worms!! :(

[Odie]

This will be day 3, I hope he eats, so far he wants nothing to do with worms!! :(
3 days is nothing sometimes a garter will not eat for month @ a time. Most take about 2 weeks before they will eat :D

[drache]

yeah - do not worry just yet
when I get new ones, I don't even try to offer food for the first few days - longer if they seem nervous
for them, getting settled is an absolute prerequisite to the digestive process
unlike humans, who can eat in a train station

[Philminator]

very true I guess I was just lucky with the wild caught babies I had eating almost right away. :)

[ConcinusMan]

I had the same experience with Lampropeltis getula califoniae (California Kingsnakes, wild collected in coastal San Diego County). I could get them to eat locally collected small snakes or especially spiny fence lizards immediately, AND accept handling like they've been used to it all of their lives. Same day, or any day after bringing them into captivity. They were so calm and tame compared to most captive bred kingsnakes I have dealt with, on top of eating right away.

Any time I have adopted or tempororarily housed that same species, but captive bred, baby or adult, they always refused their usual food for a couple of weeks or even a month or two, even if they were kept in their usual enclosure and always retained a nasty disposition, even striking at the glass! I was always baffled by that, but eventually they eat. I'm thinking it's perhaps the unfamilar ambient smells and perhaps wild snakes are used to unfamiliar smells. As for the disposition, I have no explanation.

I have never kept a captive bred baby garter so I cannot offer any experiences with that. I wouldn't worry too much. If your baby garter visibly loses weight and it's been a month or so, then I would be concerned. It might help if you knew the exact food the baby has eaten before, and even the exact source, and get his food from there if possible but it's best if you offer NO food at all for perhaps 2 weeks and wait 'till he seems settled and comfortable.

[gregmonsta]

I find splitting the pinky in half lengthwise is the way to go ;)

[Philminator]

well he just ate finally!!! pinky parts, I guess whoever bred him trained him to eat chopped up pieces of pinky :) now he still won't eat worms, is this a concern if he's on an all mice diet?

[Brewster320]

That question is be greatly debated between garter keepers. My opinion is if you give them fish or worms on a regular basis or every now and then they should be fine.

[guidofatherof5]

well he just ate finally!!! pinky parts, I guess whoever bred him trained him to eat chopped up pieces of pinky :) now he still won't eat worms, is this a concern if he's on an all mice diet?

Cut-up some worms and stir them into the pinky mix. He'll never know the difference. You can then reduce the amount of pinky(slowly) and he'll get used to the taste and smell of worms and he should take them as a normal food. Just a little taste conditioning.
Just don't tell him you're doing it.:D

[jitami]

Quite a few people feed mice exclusively. The biggest concern I have heard is that pinkies are more fatty than their natural diet of fish and worms. One of mine won't touch worms, but he will occasionally take live fish, so fish & mice it is.... mostly mice. While I agree a varied diet is probably optimal many live long healthy lives on mice alone.

[guidofatherof5]

well he just ate finally!!! pinky parts, I guess whoever bred him trained him to eat chopped up pieces of pinky

You've got it all wrong. We don't train them, they train us.:D
I hope my radixes find me to be a good pet:rolleyes: