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Ironpriest88
09-07-2010, 08:23 AM
I have a pretty simple question, but it is one that I have yet to find an answer for. How do you get a stubborn eater to actually eat?

While I don't currently have a garter snake (yet!), I have a pair of dekayi's. My female eats everyday half to a full worm, and today she almost ate a full two worms. My usual rule is as much as they can eat in one sitting per day. (She is rather fat now a days)

But my male on the other hand, is rather picky. When I first got him, he would eat a slug or two a day and thats it, now when I try to feed him worms, he turns his head to it! I really want to get him to start eating worms, because slugs will start becoming rather hard to find for me. With the worms, I was planning on starting a small worm farm this weekend.

Should I rub the worm parts in the slugs? Or just stick them all in a small container and leave him in there for 10-20 minutes with both worm and slugs?

And sorry for not being about garters, I was going to post this over on thamfriends, but this site seems to get more visits. =/

infernalis
09-07-2010, 08:27 AM
Let the worms and slugs intermix in a container for a few minutes so the worms pick up slug smell (Scent)

I trained a whole litter of babies to take chopped up pinkies by using slug goo on the pinky parts. It worked awesome.

Ironpriest88
09-08-2010, 11:15 AM
Thanks for the tip. Tried it out today, but it seems he still won't go for it. I guess tomorrow I will try 1 or 2 small pieces of worms instead of the entire meal mixed in.

infernalis
09-08-2010, 01:20 PM
I did have one small male that demanded slugs.. It was a pain, but I caught 100's of slugs and put them in a huge box of compost in my basement.

It was a pain, but it kept him fed.

Mommy2many
09-08-2010, 04:09 PM
My Dekayi wouldn't take anything but slugs either and I had to find as many as I could last fall before winter set in and there were no more. I collected eggs and encouraged breeding. I rationed his slugs as best I could. I got upset earlier this year when his tankmates (a bunch of young garters) started eating his slugs instead of their worms! I was so afraid that the poor thing was being starved to death! Then I watched him slither over to the food dish and gobble up one of their biggest night crawler pieces! He was a convert! YEAH! I still gather slugs (they are his favorite) but at least I know he will eat something else now.:D

guidofatherof5
09-08-2010, 07:33 PM
Then I watched him slither over to the food dish and gobble up one of their biggest night crawler pieces! He was a convert! YEAH! I still gather slugs (they are his favorite) but at least I know he will eat something else now.:D

A garter snake stealing food from another snake. I've never heard of such a thing.:D

infernalis
09-08-2010, 08:07 PM
A garter snake stealing food from another snake. I've never heard of such a thing.:D

Far more bizarre is the Dekayi stealing a pinkie from a garter;)

guidofatherof5
09-08-2010, 08:17 PM
Far more bizarre is the Dekayi stealing a pinkie from a garter;)

That I've never seen.

infernalis
09-08-2010, 09:47 PM
That I've never seen.


Yes you have Steve, I took pictures. Remember, that was Xena who did that.

http://www.danceswithreptiles.com/DKeatsPinky/XenaPink3.jpg

guidofatherof5
09-09-2010, 05:22 AM
You are right. My memory isn't what it used to be.
You know what they say............... what were we talking about:D

kibakiba
09-09-2010, 02:08 PM
They say memory is the first thing to go when you're crazy and have a thousand radixes!

ConcinusMan
09-09-2010, 03:44 PM
And the second thing to go is your retirement fund. It goes the snake vet.:p

kibakiba
09-09-2010, 04:03 PM
Yep, but at least it (hopefully) makes the snakes happy and helps them to live longer happy lives in Steve's care. We all know that every radix in Iowa would want to live with Steve. Free pinkies and night crawlers all the time!

Mommy2many
09-11-2010, 05:24 PM
Yep, but at least it (hopefully) makes the snakes happy and helps them to live longer happy lives in Steve's care. We all know that every radix in Iowa would want to live with Steve. Free pinkies and night crawlers all the time!


I thought every Radix in Iowa did live with Steve.:D

kibakiba
09-11-2010, 06:31 PM
Sure does seem like they all do! Steve, how many radixes DO you have stashed away in your house?

guidofatherof5
09-11-2010, 07:07 PM
Sure does seem like they all do! Steve, how many radixes DO you have stashed away in your house?

I'm sorry, that's a company secret.
If I told you my radixes would have to kill you.:D

kibakiba
09-11-2010, 07:40 PM
Your radixes seem far too friendly to hurt a worm... Uhh.. Or not... But they couldn't kill me... Could they?! :D

guidofatherof5
09-11-2010, 08:01 PM
Your radixes seem far too friendly to hurt a worm... Uhh.. Or not... But they couldn't kill me... Could they?! :D

There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle-ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area we call the 'Radix Zone.'

Be afraid, be very afraid.:D

kibakiba
09-11-2010, 08:04 PM
Steve... You watch too much twilight zone. I used to watch that every day and I still couldn't recite the whole beginning of it. I'm shaking in my boots ;) Mama, Snakey, Runt, Snap, Ember and Tiny will be able to protect me though! Well.. Maybe not Tiny... He's way too little but he rest shall! :D

ConcinusMan
09-12-2010, 01:39 PM
Sure does seem like they all do! Steve, how many radixes DO you have stashed away in your house?

What a noob question.:p That's like asking "how many licks does it take to get to the center of a...."

Now you know. Steve never gives a numerical answer. He always says something like "a number of them" or "quite a few"... etc.

It's the best kept secret on the ranch. Personally, I think he "keeps it a secret" because he doesn't really know himself, and it's always changing.

Mommy2many
09-12-2010, 02:10 PM
What a noob question.:p That's like asking "how many licks does it take to get to the center of a...."




4390

I did it.
When I was like, 7.
Have an award and everything.
Yeah, I know, what a geek!:rolleyes:

ConcinusMan
09-12-2010, 02:25 PM
Try it again and see if you get that number. That is closer to the point I was trying to make.

Mommy2many
09-12-2010, 02:52 PM
I think Steve has more...;)

kibakiba
09-12-2010, 03:37 PM
Maybe he just has so many that he cant count that high :D I mean, he's always got more and more radixes on his door step... he could just possibly have all but.. 20of the radixes in all of Iowa ;) And my question wasn't a noob question. You're a noob, Richard! :D

guidofatherof5
09-12-2010, 03:45 PM
You're a noob, Richard! :D

You go girl.;)

ConcinusMan
09-12-2010, 04:00 PM
Here's the part where I usually point out that I didn't call you any names and try to make you feel guilty.:D

kibakiba
09-12-2010, 04:15 PM
By saying my question was a noob question, you did in fact call me a noob... Because I'm the one who asked. I'm not bothered though. I got my satisfaction from calling you a noob earlier. :D

ConcinusMan
09-12-2010, 04:38 PM
Not true. I didn't even infer that you are a noob. I was only pointing out that a lot of people who ask that question are people who are new to the forum, and new to Steve and his radixes. Therefor the question can be associated with "noobs" The question is what I was calling "noob".

My statement that it's a noob question doesn't even require you yourself to be involved at all. It isn't about you, it's about the question. In my sentence, "noob" is an adjective describing the question, not the person who asked it.;)

Wait... what was the question again?:p

oh yeah, something about feeding. It's probably noob question.

There, see? nobody got called a noob. Quite often people misunderstand and get defensive and personally insulted even if the statement isn't about them. I usually just explain that I didn't call them anything (they'll swear I did although I didn't) and then I'll say "I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem"

kibakiba
09-12-2010, 05:29 PM
I'm not that new to the forum, and in no way am I new to Steve ad his radixes. I already knew he had a lot of them. But as I said, I'm not bothered. I am a newer member and I understand why I may be called a noob but it's completely unnecessary. No reason to keep dragging it on. No question even needs to be called a noob question, you've had a time when you were new and asked such questions I'm sure. I think if someone's brave enough to ask a question, it's a great question because for ever question they ask and get a straight answer, they can better take care of their snake. Don't you think? It's important to know what to feed your snake and how much... So it's not a noob question. I also don't have a perception problem, I have a mental disorder and I think quite differently than many other people. It's a good thing though, because I'm very much different from everyone else.

Mommy2many
09-12-2010, 05:42 PM
We are all different and process information differently. We should not be prosecuted or shamed for the way we process this information, instead we should be applauded for asking the question in the first place. It shows that we are more interested in learning the correct information than going on with the misguided information.

guidofatherof5
09-12-2010, 05:47 PM
We are all different and process information differently. We should not be prosecuted or shamed for the way we process this information, instead we should be applauded for asking the question in the first place. It shows that we are more interested in learning the correct information than going on with the misguided information.

Very well put. http://media.bigoo.ws/content/smile/happy/happy_64.gif Sorry, it's the best I could do.

Mommy2many
09-12-2010, 05:49 PM
Thank you!

kibakiba
09-12-2010, 06:52 PM
It is very well put.
I like that people ask questions on here, in a way it lets us know that they truly care for their "owners" ;).

ConcinusMan
09-12-2010, 08:39 PM
And somehow I'm turned into the bad guy again. Somehow calling a question a "noob" question must somehow automatically be a negative even though that wasn't the meaning I wanted to convey. The longer I tried, the worse things got.

Since it seems my point was lost I'll just say it as plain as I can. When I said "what a noob question" I never meant that to be negative and certainly didn't mean for it to be taken as such or to be taken as something that reflects negatively on the person who asks the question.

In a round about sort of way I was also trying to make you ask yourself why does it (noob) automatically have to be a negative? If 'noob' was a negative thing,(it's not) why does it have to be taken as an insult to you personally when it wasn't a person I was talking about?

Sorry for dragging it on but this time I didn't want to just drop it and leave myself misunderstood like so many times before. I often find people complaining and downright whining about me and actually disliking me while if they would read what I actually 'said', instead of assuming what I mean, they wouldn't get so upset.


We are all different and process information differently. We should not be prosecuted or shamed for the way we process this information, instead we should be applauded for asking the question in the first place.

That even goes for noob questions.:p (just had to say that one more time)