New garter snake feeding

[Gene0514]

Hi

Yesterday I went herping to a park near me, where there was supposed to be a pond (the pond dried up from the heat), and I caught a ~2 foot long eastern garter snake. It appears to be an eastern. It is pretty nice sized. I have it in a 24" by 13" rubbermaid enclosure. I have paper towel as substrate, a nice sized water bowl, some driftwood for climbing, a hide box, and a 40W bulb for heat. The snake seems to be pretty skittish, and when I tried tossing a night crawler in today, it just looked at it and didn't attempt to eat it. If I can't get the snake eating, I'm going to take it back to the park. Can someone please help?

Here is a pic of the snake. It musked and bit me when I caught it.
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t171/Gene0514/0907001229.jpg

[guidofatherof5]

It may take a few days or weeks for your snake to settle down. The weeks is an extreme.
Garters usually calm down rather quickly. Be patience with her. Remember you're a big scary monster to her.
Take your time and take little steps, she needs to learn to trust you.
She's beautiful.

[Gene0514]

Thanks for the advice

I'll try again on sunday
If anything, I'll try mosquito fish

[Mommy2many]

As Steve said, takes time and we appear to be threats to them. It may take a few weeks for your snake to acclimate itself to want to eat. They usually always do, though. Just keep trying the night crawlers every other day or so.

Make sure she has plenty of clean water and a hide. She looks like a beautiful snake!

[Gene0514]

Thanks
here's a pic of its setup
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t171/Gene0514/0908001806.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t171/Gene0514/0908001806a.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t171/Gene0514/0908001806b.jpg
http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t171/Gene0514/0908001807.jpg

[Snakers]

set up looks very nice and as stated before she has to learn to trust you

[Gene0514]

Thanks, I'll let her get used to the tank

[infernalis]

Welcome.. That is a nice Eastern...

She will come around eventually.

[Gene0514]

Thanks

I hope she does

[Gene0514]

good news!

Today I went to the park where I caught her and found some earthworms. I offered them to her and she ate one!
Not much but its still progress

[guidofatherof5]

good news!

Today I went to the park where I caught her and found some earthworms. I offered them to her and she ate one!
Not much but its still progress


That is good news.

[Gene0514]

She just ate a second one!

[guidofatherof5]

The news just keeps getting better.
Nice job.;)

[Gene0514]

thanks!

I'm gonna try a nightcrawler tomorrow and see if she eats it
Then, I'll try the mosquitofish

[Mommy2many]

That is great news!

[Gene0514]

She hasn't eaten since those worms
I have been offering nightcrawlers but she just ignores them
I even resorted to minnows, but she didn't even try them.
I'm not sure what to do here
If worst comes to worst, I'll have to release her

[mustang]

She hasn't eaten since those worms
I have been offering nightcrawlers but she just ignores them
I even resorted to minnows, but she didn't even try them.
I'm not sure what to do here
If worst comes to worst, I'll have to release her
put her in a different smaller enclosure with just a nightcrawler(keep it moist) and put the cage in a closet or someplace quiet and dark with little to no disturbance give her a few days (change dried out wors and water diah daily etd. untill she eats then it should be easier from then on.

[guidofatherof5]

She hasn't eaten since those worms
I have been offering nightcrawlers but she just ignores them
I even resorted to minnows, but she didn't even try them.
I'm not sure what to do here
If worst comes to worst, I'll have to release her



Relax. I've had some of my garters go off food for 2 months.
Be patient. Offer the food every day or so.
In the end it will have to be your call on the release.
Keep in mind Winter is approaching fast and your snake needs time to find a brumation site.

[Gene0514]

Thanks for the advice
I'll try the smaller enclosure
I'm going to get a new pack of nightcrawlers tomorrow.
@guidofather0f5
The fact that the garter can survive not eating for 2 months gives me some relief
I'll keep trying the nightcrawlers
i'll try some worms from the park where i found it again as well, she seemed to eat those

[guidofatherof5]

Thanks for the advice
I'll try the smaller enclosure
I'm going to get a new pack of nightcrawlers tomorrow.
@guidofather0f5
The fact that the garter can survive not eating for 2 months gives me some relief
I'll keep trying the nightcrawlers
i'll try some worms from the park where i found it again as well, she seemed to eat those


Keep in mind the time you have left until Winter. Waiting too long to make the release will not be good for the snake and keeping it(non-eating) is going to be difficult. The situation you are in is not an easy one.
Keep us posted on your progress.

[Gene0514]

Yes i know
I'll see if i can get it eating in these two weeks, if not then release it is i guess
I'll make sure its a warm day though

[kibakiba]

I'd just keep trying. I have a baby garter who isn't eating but I would never think of letting it go so close to winter. If it was in mid August, maybe but the best thing you can do is just wait it out. sometimes it just takes a while for the to want to eat and my adults are off feed also, Mama has been off and on for almost 2 months. I think its normal around this time.

[Gene0514]

Ok I will
I didn't think about it possibly not eating much due to the season

Thanks

[Selkielass]

Abby was a reluctant eater at first, but she came around.
If you get a good rain, try going out and collecting more of the local worms she is familiar with to have a supply on hand- use them sparingly to scent cut up earthworms.
Getting the size right is important for some snakes until they get comfortable eating- for the first month or so I had Abby she wouldn't eat anything she couldn't swallow quickly and easily and without getting too messy.

After a while I coaxed her into eating live guppies, then a very small pinky mouse (one she could easily wrap her mouth around without a struggle and swallow before she realized it wasn't a big worm chunk.) After a few feedings of well worm slimed pinkies (Didn't even have to cut up the worms, just rubbed the mouse on the slime in a dish of worms.) she began to accept the pinkies with little, then no scenting. Now she seems to prefer the pinkies to just about anything.

Live flipping guppies provoke a strong strike response in most snakes. Abby would eagerly take live guppies and local minnows when dead fish and silversides elicited no response. Keep trying and eventually I'm sure your snake will come around.

[ConcinusMan]

I'd just keep trying. I have a baby garter who isn't eating but I would never think of letting it go so close to winter. If it was in mid August, maybe but the best thing you can do is just wait it out. sometimes it just takes a while for the to want to eat and my adults are off feed also, Mama has been off and on for almost 2 months. I think its normal around this time.

It's definitely not normal, I don't care what others say about that. 2 months is very long time and your northwestern shouldn't be off food this time of year. Mine always have been this time of year, and are currently pigging out bigtime and putting on weight. It's getting close to brumation time. Now, in the heat of mid summer they may eat less and not very frequently but they should be eating a lot this time of year.

I would suggest shortening their day length to more closely match local conditions, and also cooling them down a bit. Perhaps low to mid 70's for a high and cool at night if possible in the 60's. Also mist them a couple of times a day to increase humidity. That might get them eating again.

The concinnus babies I sent should be bottomless pits and growing fast too.

[kibakiba]

I said she's off and on food. Some weeks she wont eat, some weeks she pigs out. She's never gone more than 3 weeks without at LEAST eating half of a night crawler or a pinky. They have been cooling off too, they don't have a heat lamp or anything because I've been using it for the babies. The next few months are strapped financially so it's kind of hard to do anything at all. I mist all of the tanks because runts shedding, I have a newborn northwestern who's constantly in the water dish so I figured it wasn't humid enough. Couple mistings a day in each tank, no more snakes laying in the water dish for over 5 minutes. The ones you gave me are bottomless pits, my newest baby, Tiny, is the non-eater. Maybe you should double check what I say. Off and on isn't bad. Snakey is the same way. He did the same thing exactly the same time last year, except I feed him a lot less now since he eats larger meals. My snakes are perfectly healthy and normal. They act like they usually do even if they eat less. They still look like their same chubby snakey selves. If they started losing weight, I'd be worried.

[ConcinusMan]

Sorry, I thought you meant she hadn't eaten in 3 months. The on again, off again feeding is no big deal without weight loss. She's just eating when she's hungry, and not eating when she's not hungry. No biggie then. Even my ordinoides girl does that. She's in bottomless pit mode right now.:rolleyes: Started about 2 weeks ago. She's stuffing herself on night crawlers every single day lately!

[Gene0514]

Update

I tried the smaller container thing and she ate one of the two nightcrawlers that I put in there

I switched her to a 20 gallon tall glass tank because i think it'll calm down more from seeing me and others passing by the tank, instead of me popping in from above in a rubbermaid

[kibakiba]

She was a bottomless pit a while ago but now shes on and off. I've also been offering just worms since we have no pinkies. I do have fuzzies though and I figured I'd try that on her since she may want something different, if not Snakey will probably eat it or I can see if any of the babies want it. Tiny hasn't eaten yet and he thinks of my hand as a friend, even the tweezers... He just wants tons of attention and he doesn't even care about the food. Silly little guy.

[ConcinusMan]

Update

I tried the smaller container thing and she ate one of the two nightcrawlers that I put in there

I switched her to a 20 gallon tall glass tank because i think it'll calm down more from seeing me and others passing by the tank, instead of me popping in from above in a rubbermaid

That brings up a point. People tend to think that more room is better for their garters. The truth is, if they are comfortable and food is brought to them, snakes don't really need to move around much generally speaking. I do take my big garters out occasionally in the yard and just let them go for it, "running" all over the place until they are worn out. That's just to keep them in shape.

But for the most part, when snakes are "home" in their tanks, they like to feel somewhat confined, perhaps cornered in a way, and under cover rather than in a big wide open space.

After I let my snakes "run" they actually seem relieved to be back in their confined space where they feel safe.

[guidofatherof5]

I think the more room the better as long as it's usable space for the snake.
You are right they don't like open spaces but a large enclosure with lots of things to explore will keep your snakes actively exploring their home.

[Gene0514]

The garter snake just ate a nightcrawler

Edit: I just watched her hunt down a second one!

She seems to be settling in
She's almost always on the move. I have a container with coco fiber in it and some cuttings of pothos, and she loves to dig through it.
This enclosure is definitely working out

[guidofatherof5]

That is great news.
Nice start to the weekend.

[Gene0514]

Thanks it is

and here's some more
She's gobbling down a third one right now

[HazAnga]

I deff think the glass tank is better then a rubbermade. But I also agree that as long as their comfortable and. Being fed they don't care.

[Gene0514]

So the final count of nightcrawlers for today is 4!

[ConcinusMan]

:rolleyes:Oh thank goodness. It sounds like you have a live garter snake there.:p