I am new to the forum

[AnnaBanana]

I just got a baby garter snake. He is in a 4.5 gallon tank and he looks very happy but I have 2 questions.
His eyes are a blueish tint. The blue seems to have gotten darker since I got him. Is he going to molt?
Also, last night I bought him a pinky mouse. He hasnt eaten it. I scented it with chicken broth and he looked at it but didnt eat it. Do you think it is too big for him to eat?

[PINJOHN]

hi welcome to the forum from a lovely sunny Liverpool,
the answers to your questions will be arriving very soon i guarantee it ;)

[Didymus20X6]

If he's getting ready to shed, he's not going to be hungry. Wait until after the shed cycle, then offer food.

When a snake is getting ready to shed, the eyes turn a milky-blue color. This is a fluid the snake secretes to loosen the top layer of skin. They will turn clear, and then a couple of days later, he will shed. Make sure there's enough water in the enclosure to immerse himself in.

It's not uncommon for garters to refuse to eat when they come into a new environment. If you just got him, give him some time, and don't worry about whether he eats or not. Now, if he sheds, and then after a couple of weeks, he still hasn't eaten, then it's time to worry.

If' he's a baby, a pinky might be a bit big for him. Rule of thumb: try to feed nothing larger than the snake's head, even though they are capable of eating things much larger. Also, try chopping up nightcrawlers into pieces; baby snakes love nightcrawlers.

I don't know about chicken broth. Chicken isn't one of the snake's natural prey. Try scenting the pinky with fish, nightcrawlers, or frogs.

Also, how big is your snake? Can you post pictures of him?

[kibakiba]

Chicken broth, depending on the brand, has salt in it, too. Salt is dangerous for snakes, it can kill them. After he sheds, if you get some night crawlers, he could eat those, or guppies, silversides, etc.

[guidofatherof5]

Nice to have you on the forum.
New snakes many times have a settling in period.
Your snake is also in opaque phase(shedding phase) many snakes don't eat during that time. The eyes will go back to clear within a few day. You can expect a shed anytime after that. Make sure you have an adequate dish of water available in case the snake wants to soak before it sheds.
Guest curious as to why you tried to scent with chicken broth?
Here's a link to the care sheet which should answer many questions you might have.
You can post any other questions to the forum for advice.
Any idea which garter snake you have. That can also have some effect of the food you should try.
What part(State) of the country are you in?
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

[AnnaBanana]

I think this is him: http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/Pictures/GarterSnakeCommon_ThamnophisSirtalis_Doubletop_060 701.jpg
Im in Maine.
I will take a picture of him in a minute.
I have a pond, and there are frogs of all different sizes and tadpoles but someone said that wild caught prey isn't good because of parasites. I saw a garter snake in the pond once so Im guessing the wild garters feed there. Since I know now that he is going to molt should I just not put any food in for now? After he molts can I feed him rosy red minnows from Petco?

[AnnaBanana]

This is her, its a bad picture because my phone wouldn't upload them:

[infernalis]

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

[RedSidedSPR]

Welcome.

i wouldn't do chicken broth... everybody else said why. It's useless and dangerous..

If he really is a baby, either feed something smaller, or, if you have the guts, chop the pinkie up. Not as bad as it sounds, just do it when it's frozen;)

[d_virginiana]

Welcome to the forum!

Even my adult doesn't like to eat whole pinkies because he's picky :P If it's small enough to be in a 4.5 gallon, you're almost definitely going to have to chop the pinky for it... And like others have said, scent it with fish or mix it with nightcrawler bits or something. Chicken (or birds of any sort) aren't really a part of the snake's natural diet, so that wouldn't help him recognize it as food, plus the salt is bad.
Do you know what (or if) it was eating before you got it? That's usually a good place to start :)

[AnnaBanana]

No I dont know, I got him a tadpole and he didnt show any interest in it :(
I have tried everything but fish, i dunno what to do!!
Also the blue in his eyes went away and I was reading about shedding today. Should I give him a rock to rub his skin on?

[kibakiba]

He can shed today or up to a week from today. Every snake is different.

If he has anything in the tank with a bit of an edge or some roughness, he should be fine.

[Sonya610]

Guest curious as to why you tried to scent with chicken broth?

I have read about ball python owners trying that when desperate (among the 25 other tricks they try when ball's just refuse to eat for months at a time). I tried it with my BP once, didn't work.

Never heard of it for garters though.

[RedSidedSPR]

Also I wouldn't call that a BABY... more like, YOUNG ADULT.

[Mommy2many]

Welcome to the forum!

[d_virginiana]

No I dont know, I got him a tadpole and he didnt show any interest in it :(
I have tried everything but fish, i dunno what to do!!
Also the blue in his eyes went away and I was reading about shedding today. Should I give him a rock to rub his skin on?

Wait till he sheds; he'll probably start eating after that :)
But if you need to use live fish to start him eating, most petstores carry feeder guppies that are safe.

[mustang]

WELCOME!!!sorry im a little late iv been doing a bunch of stuff at home

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, AnnaBanana :)

[AnnaBanana]

Thanks for the welcome, everyone :)
I want to try feeder guppies because he likes spending time in his water bowl.