Turtle pelets as snake food?

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

is that healthy? kingsnake.com Classifieds

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I saw this add too and i actually jsut came to thamnophis to post a thread about it! you beat me to it. I don't think this is a healthy food item for a garter snake. arent there vegetable components in those??? and they are hard... garters generally eat soft or wet things... plus i would worry about the pellets getting stuck in their throats! I don't think feeding turtle pellets to garters is healthy. I think it's just something that store is doing to appeal to customers and to sell their snakes. that article disgusts me.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I am trying to send them this following message, but it isnt working for some reason.. if anyone else could do it that would be great.

"Hi there, I happen to be a keeper specializing in keeping thamnophis (garter snakes) and I am very concerned with your food choice for these garters. Checkered garters or any garter for that matter, should not be eating turtle pellets. I have a can of them sitting in front of me, the first ingredient is WHEAT starch. the next is fish meal. after that, besides shrimp meal, there are all vegetable components in these pellets! This is no good for a garter... wheat is not something any snake should be ingesting and they need REAL fish, not fish meal. A checkered garter should be a fed diet consisting of small rodents, amphibians, and any fish found not to contain thiaminase (thats why you don't feed them goldfish). I understand that feeding them pellets appeals to the average consumer, but it wouldn't if they knew the truth about what is healthy for a garter snake to be eating. I am sure that they will live for a good bit on these pellets, but in the long run I forsee illness and younger-than average deaths. Feeding garter snakes is very inexpensive, thawed trout supplemented with vitamins occasionally works just fine. I ask that you please consider the long term health of your animals and switch to a more appropriate food source. And on another note, I am not sure if you bred them yourself or not, but $125 is asking way too much for the most commonly sold garter snake in the pet trade. These snakes are commonly available for $30-$40 each. But it's really not your price I have a problem with, it is the diet. You can visit thamnophis.com for more information on proper garter diet. Please respond to this email, don't brush it off, I am genuinely concerned for your snakes' health and not responding would prove a lack of interest of proper care on your part."

[drache]

the snake looks healthy
I can't tell what it's eating though
those are turtle pellets?
don't they contain vegetable matter?
once in a while, it might not be harmful, but the problem with any kind of packaged convenience food is that it primarily appeals to people who are lazy, and then it becomes not a once in a while thing

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i just looked up the Reptomin turtle pellets "contains meat and vegetable matter for balanced nutrition."

[ssssnakeluvr]

no....they are designed for turtles...snakes are strict carnivores....wouldn't feed it to them. I would say they don't know a lot about herps if they are feeding turtle pellets to snakes....doesn't the name give it away??? TURTLE pellets.....duh! great for turtles, my red ears do great on it, but would not give it to snakes!

[Stefan-A]

the snake looks healthy
I can't tell what it's eating though
those are turtle pellets?
don't they contain vegetable matter?

So do fish, mice and worms.

[Zephyr]

Stefan makes a good point. Most wild prey items would have bellies loaded with partially digested vegetable matter. However, there's a difference in chemical composition between what's in turtle pellets and what's in a prey item's belly.

[adamanteus]

Personally, I always steer clear of any processed foods..... I don't eat it, why should my snakes?

[Stefan-A]

I don't eat vegetables, why should my snakes?