Snake Food

[NickeyV]

Would anyone want to make a list of food that their garter snakes eat? It would help a lot so I can know what different kinds of food to try to feed my garter snake and her babies.

[Mrs N1ntndo]

I feed my babies. Talopia and cut up worms. Sometimes they dont want to eat the worms so I rub the worm on the fish and they gobble it up. I did at one point feed the salmon but they didnt care for that too much. Talopia and salmon are on the safe fish list. Good luck with ur babies. Mine were born July 29, 2011. And they are Eastern garters.

[guidofatherof5]

The care sheet is a good place for a list of foods.

Garter Snake Care Sheet - Caresheets (http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Garter_Snake_Care_Sheet)

[Kantar]

I feed my babies night crawlers with suppliments once in a while while my adults are on a mix of night crawlers and f/t mice

[chris-uk]

Ours are on salmon, hake or pinky pieces. The albino prefers pinkies and seems to be refusing fish now. One of the normals likes pinkies, but will still eat fish, the other seems to prefer fish. And we have a fussy eater who will only eat salmon if it's left for her and you leave the room. All of them have refused small slugs and worms. So I suppose all snakes are different and it's a case of finding what works for yours.

[guidofatherof5]

Those troubled eaters are such a challenge.
If you haven't tried you might slip a few chucks of worm in with the salmon.
Make sure it is covered with fish scent.
It's a good way to introduce another food item and it's worked for me.
Best of luck.

[Didymus20X6]

Little Dude eats Tilapia (frozen-thawed), Chicken, and Nightcrawlers. I occasionally sprinkle calcium powder to supplement.

Scarlett, so far, has only eaten Nightcrawlers, minnows (not recommended), and frogs (also not recommended). I have not gotten her to eat anything that wasn't alive, except for a few tiny pieces of Tilapia, but normally she won't go for that.

I have not been able to get either snake to eat rodents, although pinkies are highly recommended on this forum.

Guppies are also highly recommended among fish. But stay away from Rosy Reds or Goldfish, except for rare occasions.

Although a few keepers feed their snakes a specialized diet (for example, all-rodent or all-fish), the consensus seems to be that a balanced diet works best.

[dieselbaby]

my two baby garters eat cut up small pieces of pinkie mice, and cut up worms here, Hazanga their breeder and previous owner, also fed them guppies, and talapia pieces as well. I have 3 guppies on hand in case they start to refuse food, but so far so good. I also add a calcium supplement and electrolyte solution called reptisafe to their pool. It also neutralises and removes chlorine and amonia from the water. Its supposed to be for all reptiles including snakes, turtles, frogs, etc. i use it in my turtle tank, and in my snakes water pool/bowl.

[katach]

I feed my babies night crawlers with suppliments once in a while while my adults are on a mix of night crawlers and f/t mice

Me too. With a little salmon chunk sometimes.

[d_virginiana]

I feed my adult nightcrawlers, minnows (again, not really recommended), and pinkies. The baby eats mostly pinkie bits and chopped nightcrawlers.

I've found that red organ meat from pinkies (especially the liver) is more appealing to mine than the other parts. If I put leftover parts on a dish for my adult, he will actually sort through them and run off with the liver every time! It's also the baby's favorite, but then again everything seems to be her favorite...
Though it is a bit gross to feed them that as you sort of have to dissect the mouse to get them out in-tact.

[Serpico]

My two garters, but some say they are actually ribbon, eat salmon, trout, atherina boyeri (small fish F/T or fresh). Refused pinkies, whole or parts, refused guppies. Not yet offered nightcrawlers due to unavailability in my country atm.
My old couple, who were surely sirtalis sirtalis, ate all the above save pinkies, plus veal and beef meat stripes, especially heart, plus any kind of worms (most probably they got some red wrigglers too), plus toads, frogs and tadpoles (the latter three, captured in the lake). Interesting to say, thy never ever got problems, of any kind.

[zooplan]

big females can swallow and digest baby-chicks,
but need high temperatures for it.

[infernalis]

My big females are all on rat pinks. I feed my adult males mouse pinks. babies chopped fish and ground up reptomin.

[Serpico]

The most interesting one, food wise is the Hierophis (see "warning, snake at large" thread) Viridiflavus, corresponding specie of your Whip snake, i think, who eats lizards and small birds, when wild, and who now eats the two garters's leftovers, especially the small FT fish atherina boyeri (sort of big guppy, bought at the local fish market).... now you tell me WHERE, in the wilderness, he has ever seen a fish????