My Snake Won't Eat

[Finalflash50]

I had a snake years ago that I got for my birthday. He was a ribbon snake. He died 3 years ago. Last Tuesday, I was coming home from school and I was about to pull my car in the garage but my brother told me to stop. There was a snake in the garage. I picked it up and brought it inside. We put it in a plastic container so I could show it to my mom. She is a biology professor, so I thought she would want to see it. We decided to keep it because it was very young and we didn't want it to take it's chances in the winter, so we gathered up all of the old things from my previous snake, and he had a new home. The next day, we picked up what my old snake used to eat. Rosie Red minnows. He wouldn't eat them, so we decided to just let him take his time. Days passed now, and he still hasn't eaten anything. I keep seeing him burrow into the mulch so it seems like he is looking for worms, but we gave him worms too and he didn't want them. I have read in numerous places that he is stressed about his relocation, but the thing is if he didn't want to eat, why does he keep burrowing. I just want some help. It has been just under a week since we found him, and we don't know when the last time he ate was when he was in the wild. I would just like some advice. My old ribbon snake never did this, but then again he was lab born from a breeder, so he was probably never very stressed about a climate change. If anyone wants any information, he is about a foot long. We do have a heating light directly over a flat rock so he can heat on once he needs to digest. We have a few logs, and a coconut with a door cut into it so he can go in there. He sleeps in there by the way. We do have a waterbowl for him, about 6x6 in inches. We use small wood chips for his tank. I also think he is a very friendly snake. I've caught baby garter snakes before with my bare hands, but they bit me once or twice. This one didn't even show interest in biting. Right now there are 3 rosie reds in his bowl. Sometimes he hovers his neck and head over the water, looking down at the fish. I always hope in vein that he is getting ready to strike, but then it seems like he loses interest and goes away. Sometimes he goes underwater and goes everywhere underwater. He isn't showing signs of pain though, he roams his tank all day. Is he sick? I'm just worried about him. It could be that he is stressed from need of skin shedding, but hold up. He has beautiful colors right now, and usually, my old snake's eyes would get cloudy when he was shedding, so I don't think he needs to shed. I think the most likely thing is that he is stressed from his new home, but that still doesn't explain why he keeps burrowing, looking for worms. (I assume.) If he is stressed, what can I do to make him eat? Is it possible that he will never eat and eventually pass away? I very much do not want that to happen. I love animals a lot, and snakes are my favorite animal.

Things I would like to know,
Am I feeding him the right thing
Why is he burrowing
How long can he stay hungry

Thanks so much to anyone that can help me. I don't want him to die because of this.

[RedSidedSPR]

"Am I feeding him the right thing" - Not exactly. Don't feed Rosy reds if you can help it. They carry thiamnaise, use guppies instead. Although to get him eating it's not gonna hurt him.

I would need to know if this is a ribbon, or an actual garter....

"how long can he stay hungry" a long time LOL. Months. That doesn't mean you want to push that. Its getting close to hibernating time, and he needs time to find a hibernation spot... He doesn't gave much time that means if he doest show any signs of eating, he not be eating since it's that Time of year. Releasing him may be all you can do.

"why is he burrowing" To hide. To feel safe. To check things out. They do that. Mine do that.

http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/chucknkelly/Babysnake010.jpg
http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b283/chucknkelly/GarterSnake57.jpg

[Finalflash50]

Well I don't think it would be in his best interest to release him. I am from michigan, around the detroit area. The roads are constantly busy, and it is more of a city area. His chances are very low of making it healthy.

Also, thanks for telling me about the burrow thing. I've only had a ribbon snake, not garter. I guess that's why I didn't know about it.

Yes, he is a garter. He does not have a dot on the top of his head, and while that is not the only different thing about garters and ribbons, I've looked up other things and he keeps appearing as a garter. Right now, he is up high on his big log, so I take it he is trying to get warm. I'm glad to see he is still active.

Thanks for replying. It helped. I'll keep this thread updated of anything new he does.

[Finalflash50]

Thanks for the reply. That's a huge relief. Also, good snakes. They look very healthy and don't look stressed at all.

[guidofatherof5]

Good looking little scrub.
Here's a link to the care sheet which might answer a lot of the questions you might have.
Any other questions can be posted to the forum.
As stated guppies are much safer. You might put a small dish full of dirt and worms in to let your snake hunt on its own.
A week without food isn't very long. Probably needs more time to settle in.
Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

[katach]

I got my reluctant eater to eat with a live guppy. You could also try a smelly fish like salmon or talapia chunks.

[d_virginiana]

Like Jesse said, try to avoid the rosy reds. My garter never even touched those; just wouldn't eat them. He does love silver bait minnows though, and they don't run the risk of thiaminase: same food appeal, cheaper, and less risk than rosy reds. Normally I wouldn't advise using bait minnows as feeders because they can carry parasites, but since yours was wild caught that doesn't matter. What sort of worm were you trying to feed? Stay away from red wrigglers as they are poisonous. Use only earthworms and nightcrawlers. You can also cut up nightcrawlers into chunks and leave them in the cage for awhile.

Yours may not be eating because if it was wild, it's probably preparing to brumate. Also, it's not uncommon for them to go on a mini hunger strike when they're first taken into captivity. Where do you have his cage at? If you can, try putting it somewhere that's pretty low activity for awhile and only mess with him when you offer food. That'll help him calm down and start eating for you quicker.

I'd love to see pics of him btw!

[Finalflash50]

Yeah I put in pieces of salmon last night. He didn't want those. I'll try guppies like the other people said.
@d virginiana
I'll post some pictures soon. Right now he's next to my window in the sunlight. Should I put a blanket over his tank? It wouldn't block his light or anything and he wouldn't be able to see anyone.

[chris-uk]

Yeah I put in pieces of salmon last night. He didn't want those. I'll try guppies like the other people said.
@d virginiana
I'll post some pictures soon. Right now he's next to my window in the sunlight. Should I put a blanket over his tank? It wouldn't block his light or anything and he wouldn't be able to see anyone.

Watch out if he's in direct sunlight. Is it a glass viv? If it is the sunlight will turn it into a greenhouse and overheat, although I'm assuming you have thermometers in the viv to monitor the temp. Just be aware that a short spell of direct sunlight can rise the temps really quickly. Personally, I'd avoid anywhere in direct sunlight.

[Finalflash50]

@chris-uk
Well the blinds are closed most of the time, but yes sometimes it is in direct sunlight, but the top of the tank is not solid. It has metal mesh. Yes there is a thermometer. It's not too hot. If there was ever a tempareture problem, it would for sure be too cold, and I have a bad and a light for things like that, so he will never get too cold.

[chris-uk]

If the blinds are cold that should do the trick and stop you cooking him in a greenhouse. :-)

[Finalflash50]

Ok all the fish died now. I am going to buy him a bigger waterbowl and some guppies.

[Finalflash50]

Ok update. He is more active now, so I think he is starting to feel more comfortable with his new home. Also, I bought ten guppies. I just finished putting them in his bowl, so I'll see if he eats those.

[ScaleNtail]

Well, I don't realy have much experience with snakes (I'm new here, just getting information for now...) but I think you probably shouldn't leave ten guppies all day long in his waterbowl. They will poop in there and make it messy and with such a low amount of water will surelly die quite quickly if your snake don't eat them, and your garther will drink the bad water.
If I were you, I would get myself a small aquarium/ large-ish bowl to keep the guppies and only put a few at a time in his bowl. This way the water for your snake will stay cleaner longer and the fishies will be healthier, have less chance to die and be overall better snake food. It will probably also be easier to check if your garther ate his 3-4 fish than trying to count how many of them are left. you don't have to go buy an aquarium, just a big tuperware should be enought...

[guidofatherof5]

Guppies are magic.
Hope they drive your snake crazy (in a good way);)

[Finalflash50]

Good news, I took a trip to a cabin up north. I didn't find any snakes, but when I came back, some of the fish in his waterbowl were gone. One of them flopped out, dried up and died, but the other ones are gone. I'm thinking he ate them. I have looked in his wood chips, in the waterbowl and they are nowhere to be found. At least I know I found something he can tolerate eating.

[guidofatherof5]

Hope he ate something.

[d_virginiana]

Good to hear, hope he ate something.

[Finalflash50]

Ok, he only ate one fish. I saw some feces on his rock. At least I know that he is aware of his food. I put a plant in his water so the fish won't die.

[guidofatherof5]

Something is better to nothing. Feces is also a good sign.

[Finalflash50]

My mom is a biology professor. She isn't a snake expert, but she works with one. He said that he has a garter snake about the same age as mine. It wouldn't eat at first, because it felt intimidated by it's prey. He got a baby earthworm, cut it up into small pieces with scissors so it died, but was still fresh, and the pieces would not move. The snake ate them. I tried feeding him an earthworm a while back, but he looked at it at first, got interested, but once it moved, he started away from it. I'm thinking I need one that is small, and dead.

[kibakiba]

Mine eat cut up worms, the adults eat whole worms. Sometimes you need to scent it and chop it up, they tend to perk up more when they smell the worm blood.

[Mrs N1ntndo]

I have some baby easterns and they eat cut up worm and talopia. None of them liked the salmon. I tried slugs too(make sure you use the right ones) and they didnt like those. Actully they just had no interest at all.

[Finalflash50]

Very good news. He ate 6 whole worms cut up. He is very full now. I am glad I finally found something to feed him. Thanks for all your replies.

[guidofatherof5]

That's great news.

[Finalflash50]

He had a feast. He must have eaten about 4 worms all together. I fed him 2 of them this morning. There's just one more thing I'm curious about. When he finished his last piece, he did a yawning motion. Now I know this is what snakes do when they are about to throw up, but he did it one time, and then headed for his heat rock to digest. I think he is repositioning his jaws because he did eat a lot.

[chris-uk]

From what you said I think you are right, it's just repositioning its jaw. When you swallow something that is the same size as your head you need to put your jaw back in place. Our checkereds often do it between morsals, once the jaw is reset it is my signal to give them the next piece.

[katach]

Yep, what Chris said.

[RedSidedSPR]

Awesome news