HELP this is urgent...can minnows kill my new garter

[Dameco13]

I just purchased a baby garter snake yesterday from petco and they said they feed her minnows so i bought a dozen of minnows i fed her 3 today but now that i am looking around on the site i see that minnows have something to do with ????thiaminase???? I have no idea what it is but aparantly its a nutiance killing toxin or something. I want to know am i killing my snake and if earthworms are a better choice of food.
(P.s. I have already tried to persuade my mom to let me buy pinkies but she said no cause they are dead rats) please help me as soon as possible.

[Stefan-A]

Thiaminase i an enzyme that breaks down thiamine, also known as vitamin B1. Long term, it can cause fatal neurological problems. But fortunately, it's probably not that urgent.

Find another type of fish, if pinkies are out of the question. Trout, salmon, tilapia or guppies.

[brubru2]

If I were you, I would try a bit harder to get those pinkies. Pinkies are the healthiest garter food I know of, and once the garters adapt to their new food source, they learn to love it. However, there are other food sources available, but with most fish (i.e. talapia) I'm pretty sure you need to add an added calcium supplement.

P.S. What age range is your garter in? (baby, subabault, or adult)

[Dameco13]

its a baby female

[drache]

don't panic - a few minnows will not kill your garter
but it's a good idea to feed it something different as soon as you can
trout is good.
about the pinkies . . .
yes they're dead - that's the good part
is your mom a vegetarian? if not, there are many arguments for dead meat

[Dameco13]

No my mom is not a vegitarian she just doesnt like the idea of haveing frozen mice in her freezer.

oka so i know now that minnows are out of the food list for me.

What about earthworms?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Don't worry! A few minnows will not kill your snake instantly. If you can find guppies, they are great for your snake to eat. Also, you can use cut up pieces of salmon or trout as long as you sprinkle on some calcium powder. You could also mix in nightcrawlers for variety. It's not necessary to feed your garter snake rodents, as they are fish, frog and worm specialists in the wild anyways. Some larger garters have been shown to take rodents in the wild but rodents are not a garter staple in the wild and they don't need to be in captivity if you don't want them to be. They can be, but it's definitely not a requirement. Nature knows best and you can't better it!

If you can find silversides, I highly recommend using those. They are a long skinny silvery fish often sold at pet stores frozen, as food for fish. Snakes love them and they are safe for snakes to eat just as guppies, salmon, and trout are. My entire collection of garter snakes gets silversides as the main food, with mice and nightcrawlers and frog legs mixed in occasionally.

[Dameco13]

Don't worry! A few minnows will not kill your snake instantly. If you can find guppies, they are great for your snake to eat. Also, you can use cut up pieces of salmon or trout as long as you sprinkle on some calcium powder. You could also mix in nightcrawlers for variety. It's not necessary to feed your garter snake rodents, as they are fish, frog and worm specialists in the wild anyways. Some larger garters have been shown to take rodents in the wild but rodents are not a garter staple in the wild and they don't need to be in captivity if you don't want them to be. They can be, but it's definitely not a requirement. Nature knows best and you can't better it!

If you can find silversides, I highly recommend using those. They are a long skinny silvery fish often sold at pet stores frozen, as food for fish. Snakes love them and they are safe for snakes to eat just as guppies, salmon, and trout are. My entire collection of garter snakes gets silversides as the main food, with mice and nightcrawlers and frog legs mixed in occasionally.

i have 2 quesstions
1.Can you buy silversides at grocery stores?
2.Can earthworms be a primary food source?(i really need this to be)

anyone can answer

[ssssnakeluvr]

worms are mostly water....will pass thru quick and leave a big mess. if you feed only worms, you will need vitamin supplements weekly

[Dameco13]

so do they sell silversides in grocery stores?