Post any feeding tips (needed for WC adult)

[Calift]

The dog-injured garter is still with me, and has yet to eat. It's been three weeks. I've offered f/t pinkies, rat pups, and fresh worms. I also have mealworms available and can try to catch any other native insects outside.
I'm willing to try a fish recipe too, though I doubt he's eaten fish in the past.


I've never had a garter not eat for so long for me- any tips on how to coax him to eat? His tank is spacious, and the proper temps/humidity.

[Calift]

Oh, and the snake is otherwise normal and active. Injuries are looking the same, as he has not shed yet.

[Tyrel26]

put some live dace minnows in the water dish or some live tadpoles and just leave him alone for a while. That usually works for me.

[infernalis]

Please NO insects.... Tadpoles or newts will usually get a feeding response.

Garters do not eat insects.

[Tyrel26]

NEWTS??? Ive been trying to find just 1 and you have enough to feed a snake? lol I wanted one as a pet

[infernalis]

NEWTS??? Ive been trying to find just 1 and you have enough to feed a snake? lol I wanted one as a pet

I am spoiled, I own several acres of swampy wetlands, so these food items are plentiful.

[charles parenteau]

Frogs ,toad,worm ,fish are the only food for wild adult garter snake!!!rodent are not in their diet!...

[Stefan-A]

Frogs ,toad,worm ,fish are the only food for wild adult garter snake!!!rodent are not in their diet!...

They are, if we're talking about T. sirtalis and T. elegans, or some of the other generalists.

[Jeff B]

Yeah I would agree, many adults of many species/subspecies of garters will eat rodents if they happen across a nest of babies or youngsters in the wild, granted they aren't likely to subdue an adult mouse although I have heard of that happening as well with a captive radix I believe. Frogs, toads, fish, worms and other amphibians make up the majority of the diets but you can't completely discount mice as a natural prey item.

[ConcinusMan]

Frogs ,toad,worm ,fish are the only food for wild adult garter snake!!!rodent are not in their diet!...

I wouldn't quite go so far as to say that. I used to think the same thing not so long ago. I have a red stripe gravid female ordinoides, you know, the worm lovers. Now granted, she's been a very enthusiastic eater from the start and must have ate a dozen night crawlers in 10 days but after a 5 day fast, I took a frozen pinky, made a few cuts in it, then thawed it in a bag. I offered her this bloody pinky yesterday and she chowed, practically taking my finger with it, then she begged for more.

My male hypoery concinnus has also accepted pinkies, as well as silversides and night crawlers. Shannon reported to me that the anery concinnus pair I sent her, chowed down on fuzzies.

Bottom line is, when you have a wild snake that is refusing to eat, you need to offer many possible foods until you find one that it will take. A good place to start, is where the snake was found. Find food items from that area. You can always slowly wean them off of that food they take, and on to other foods. My Amy (radix) refused to eat pinky parts so I first scented them with fish, which she loves. Slowly but surely, I fed her more pinky parts. Now she chows on unscented pinky parts, no problem.