Storeria ordinoides

[guidofatherof5]

I know that those little brown snakes(Storeria dekayi) love their slugs but my eyes were opened to the fact Northwesterns(T.ordinoides) go crazy for them.
I've been having some trouble getting my new Northwesterns to eat worms so tonight I went out on a slug hunt.
I found some large ones for my area and offered them up. They were gone in the blink of an eye.
I've always had a few radixes that love them but these Northwesterns hit them like snakes eating pinkies.
I like these new additions to the Ranch.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/t_ordie.jpg

[kibakiba]

Runt really enjoyed the slug I gave her too. She's been refusing to eat now, though. I think she's hoping for another slug. ;)

That ordinoides is absolutely lovely!!

[PINJOHN]

hi steve your success at feeding slugs has got me wondering, the slugs i have in my area tend to be large black leathery looking creatures they dont look a bit appetizing [for the snake you understand] so what i would really like to know is is there a type of slug or slugs that should be avoided

[guidofatherof5]

hi steve your success at feeding slugs has got me wondering, the slugs i have in my area tend to be large black leathery looking creatures they dont look a bit appetizing [for the snake you understand] so what i would really like to know is is there a type of slug or slugs that should be avoided


Great question. I never gave it any thought since the slugs in my area seem to all be the same and are very edible to my local garter population.
I have no idea as to what the local slugs are in your neck of the world.
I think I read somewhere that licking a Banana Slug will make your tongue go numb. I have no intentions on proving that out, though:D
This was an interesting read. Now I know more about slugs. Maybe more than I ever wanted :D
Slug - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slug)

[ConcinusMan]

We do have a very large dark brown slug with an orange underside that tends to not be a garden pest, but is usually found in wooded places. The slime is dangerous to snakes and will literally choke them to death. I avoid those, obviously. The small, common slugs found in my yard are OK.

Some ordinoides just flat refuse to eat anything but slugs. Kind of a pain, especially in the summer when it's 100 degrees and hasn't rained in a month. But, this is the Pacific Northwest so it's damp enough to find slugs 10 or 11 months out of the year, if you know where to look.

Good news to hear they are eating Steve.:D

[Odie]

I know that those little brown snakes(Storeria dekayi) love their slugs but my eyes were opened to the fact Northwesterns(T.ordinoides) go crazy for them.http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/t_ordie.jpg
Slugs for of my charges, Stripe particularly, makes them act like a cat with Catnip ;)

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, I think I mentioned once before how much alike T. ordinoides and dekayi are. They both function at very cool temperatures, are about the same average size and they both attack slugs like it's big game. Oh, and lets not leave out the fact that they both have very cute faces/expressions.

[brain]

I know that those little brown snakes(Storeria dekayi) love their slugs but my eyes were opened to the fact Northwesterns(T.ordinoides) go crazy for them.
I've been having some trouble getting my new Northwesterns to eat worms so tonight I went out on a slug hunt.
I found some large ones for my area and offered them up. They were gone in the blink of an eye.
I've always had a few radixes that love them but these Northwesterns hit them like snakes eating pinkies.
I like these new additions to the Ranch.
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/t_ordie.jpg

And believe me you they do keep the slugs in check. Out here, slugs are the main stay of all three T. sirtalis fitchi, T. elegans and T. ordinoides. I have three W/C 2.1 T. s. fitchi who are temp in a 10 gallon with guppies not having it, so I leave the dish for playing in the water. I cut up 6 NC and they love it, go out, and get a slug after they have all eaten and it’s as if I hadn’t offered anything. :rolleyes:
But in a separate 10 gal I have a scrub about maybe3 months old at the max, won’t eat a NC or a slug but I can keep minnows there for him. :confused::confused:

[guidofatherof5]

We've got cold weather moving in so I went out on a slug/earthworm hunt this afternoon.
Once I collected what I could find I headed to the snake room. This food was for the resident Northwestern garter snakes(T.ordinoides)
As fast as I could offer the slugs they were consumed. Once the slugs ran out I fed off the earthworms. When the dish was empty I had some happier snakes. Not satisfied but happier.:D
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/slug3.jpg

[kibakiba]

That looks like a meal Snap would love to eat all by her self ;) My therapist, instead of calling her Snap she calls her Foofan because.. She eats, and eats, and eats. If it weren't for me limiting her food, she'd eat the whole dish of food that's meant for all 8 of my garters.

[ssssnakeluvr]

slugs are rare here in Magna.....too dry. find them occasionally. one of my radix ate the last one I found.

[guidofatherof5]

slugs are rare here in Magna.....too dry. find them occasionally. one of my radix ate the last one I found.

I would say only about 1% of my radixes will have anything to do with slugs.
The few that eat them really like them. Others try once then rub their mouth on me to get the slime off. Little jerks.

[guidofatherof5]

I'm really starting to love these Northwesterns.
Looking forward to all they have to offers.

[kibakiba]

You'll come to love them even more. ;) While I haven't owned any other garter species than ordinoides, I doubt I'd ever have another favourite. If I'm still living with my mother in 2 years, she might try to get me to move out because the concinnus I have are going to be bigger than Mama... My mom doesn't like big snakes, and if Mama ever got bigger, my mom would have a heart attack! Northwesterns are very very lovable indeed.

[ConcinusMan]

Glad you like them Steve. They were my first snake. Been keeping them since I was about 7 years old. It's very rare that I find one that won't tame down or otherwise doesn't make an excellent pet. So I take it they've settled in and are eating? You can look forward to very slow growth and no more than around 2 feet long some years from now. I have one baby left from my red stripe girl and I swear they haven't grown. I think they shed one time since birth. They were only slightly smaller than the concinnus babies at birth. The concinnus babies are now twice the size of the northwestern.:eek: Don't let their small size fool you, a northwestern only 12 inches long is a breedable adult.;)

Now you see, if it weren't for you, and an hour of my time to catch them, they'd probably be dead now. There's nothing left of the habitat where I found them. They've excavated down several feet and installed curbs for a street going through. If any survived the construction, they now have temperatures in the teens to face and no place left to brumate.:(

Speaking of storeia, Flicker, that gorgeous red ordinoides male I borrowed just won't eat anything but slugs no matter what tricks I try. Luckily, they are (were) plentiful right outside my door and so he's been eating several nearly every day for the past month or so but he just won't put on body mass. He's so thin I'm afraid to brumate him. His intended girlfriend, my red stripe girl is nice and thick and already brumating. We're in the deep freeze now but before it froze, I put a couple dozen slugs in the fridge to hold him over until things thaw later this week. The only time I can't find slugs is when it's very hot and dry in July and/or August, or when it's below freezing like now. If it's going to be a very cold winter, I may have no choice but to brumate him even though he's very thin because I won't have any food for him:cool:

[guidofatherof5]

This little T.ordinoides(Northwestern garter snake) has a system to get the slime out.
Just hang upside down and let gravity do the rest.
http://i1113.photobucket.com/albums/k501/guidofatherof5/slimed.jpg