do garter snakes eat fish pellets??

[garter snakes]

i have 6 garter snakes that 2 females just had babies.one had 14 babies the other had 21 babies. its getting expensive for pinkies and wondring if garter snakes will eat fish pellets??http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/images/icons/icon5.gif

[Stefan-A]

No. Just give them real fish.

[infernalis]

http://www.thamfriends.com/mat.jpg

If pinks are getting expensive, then you can supplement them with cut bits of Tilapia or trout / Salmon.

[Snakeknot]

They might also go for nightcrawlers. All my garters, even the wild caught ones, scarf them down like their sirloin steak!

Devon

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you on the forum.
Night crawlers are a great idea along with the fish. Make sure your fish source is one you can trust. I had a bad experience with fish that were a "Product of China"
Here's a link to the forum care sheet. It's a great source of other garter snake information:Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

[garter snakes]

thanks guys ill try it

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, garter snakes :)

[justme]

I feed all my smaller garters cut up f/t mouse pinkies.

Out of curiosity though, would it be okay (health wise) to feed cut up f/t rat pinkies occasionally? The reason I ask is because rat newborns are larger in size and would serve as a much larger meal portion. Is there a nutritional difference between the two?

Thanks

[guidofatherof5]

I feed all my smaller garters cut up f/t mouse pinkies.

Out of curiosity though, would it be okay (health wise) to feed cut up f/t rat pinkies occasionally? The reason I ask is because rat newborns are larger in size and would serve as a much larger meal portion. Is there a nutritional difference between the two?

Thanks

I don't see that as a problem as they are safe but your question makes me think about something interesting.
I have a large normal Bull Snake that downs f/t mice like they are going out of style but refuses to eat rats. They definitely have a different scent and this snake refuses to eat them.
I wonder if your snakes will like them?

[justme]

Well, guess there's only one way to find out! I'll try cut up newborn rats and see if they accept it.... I prefer rodents as the main diet and can sympathize with other hobbyists here who are looking for ways to lessen the feeding costs without compromising health and nutrition. I know that one hairless rat pup equals 2 to 3 times mice pinkies.

Thank you Steve. Will post what happens. ;-)

[ConcinusMan]

I don't see that as a problem as they are safe but your question makes me think about something interesting.
I have a large normal Bull Snake that downs f/t mice like they are going out of style but refuses to eat rats. They definitely have a different scent and this snake refuses to eat them.
I wonder if your snakes will like them?

Same here steve. My garters (even the one's that prefer mice) flat refuse rats of any age. I had a Pueblan milk snake that was the same way. Would starve before it ate a rat pup but would eat mice of any age.

I would definitely NOT feed fish pellets to a snake. Plain old whole fish or fish fillet pieces is all they need, and can be purchased cheaper than pellets in the long run. Best to go with food that is as unadulterated and unprocessed as you can get. I even go so far as to rarely, if ever, use supplements. With the right natural food, supplements are unnecessary.

And yes, there is a difference in nutritional content between rats and mice although it is not all that big of a difference.

http://www.house-of-reptiles.com/feedervertebrates.pdf