Fluffs

[badbunny42]

Hi

I've been feeding our little Lightning (Chequred Garter) pinkies for a while and she just gulps them down with barely a stretch. Does anybody have any thoughts on upping her to fluffs? The care sheet on this site doesn't seem to mention anything larger than a pinky.

Thanks

Ben

[katach]

I think there are people who feed fuzzies. I don't think anything with too much fur is a good idea though. It has been known to cause intestinal blockages. I only feed pinkies so maybe those that feed the older mice can chime in on this topic.

[Steveo]

I've also been warned about fur blockage. I use rat pinkies, which are a little smaller than adult mice.

[Invisible Snake]

Yeah you should try using rat pinks and let us know how it goes.

[EasternGirl]

How big is your garter? You want to be careful not to overfeed even if the snake acts like she wants more than is good for her. I always use the rule of thumb that when the belly has a nice bulge in it...I stop feeding. I have snakes who would take 10 pinkies in a row if I gave them...but that would just end up making them sick. I feed my adult eastern female...who is three-feet-long...two to three small pinkies every 6 days. I feed my smaller snakes...who are about a foot long...one small pinky a week and that is plenty.

[-MARWOLAETH-]

I think you should stick with pinkies because garters have a high metabolism and are adapted to eating smaller food items.Or am I taking rubbish?

[Stefan-A]

Garters are adapted to eat the widest practical range of prey sizes. Anything from tadpoles a fraction of the size of the snake's head to fish that weigh half as much as the snake.
High metabolism is an answer to the problem of high energy expenditure, which is an answer to the problem of having to cover a lot of ground, which is an answer to the problem of finding enough food. Sit-and-wait works pretty poorly if your diet consists of amphibians. Rodents are far more predictable.

A properly hydrated snake shouldn't have any problems passing fur.

[Selkielass]

Rat pinks are taken eagerly by my snakes, but they've become quite fat on them. I've switched them to fish 3 weeks a month, rodents one.
Mice are cheaper and lower in fat than comparatively sized rats. Some here have written about how easy it is to skin a frozen mouse dipped briefly in warm water so only the skin is thawed.

[indigoman]

Rat pinks are relished by my T.marcianus and concinnus. However i always feed a varied diet.

[Mommy2many]

I am putting my big girl on rat pups and the others are on pinks. I also worry about the fur issue. I also vary the diet between mice, fish and worms.