Just a couple of questions from someone new to snakes!

[Jaded815]

I got my first snake a week ago and I just have a couple of questions, I want to give her the best life possible! At the pet store I was told that she'll live off of a diet of 1 feeder fish every 4-5 days. Then when I did some research online I learned that feeder fish don't provide adequate nutrition, and that tuffies contain something that can be harmful to garters. So today I bought her a platy to eat, I read that platies and guppies are better then tuffies and gold fish, but getting her to eat pinkies would be ideal. I don't know if she's big enough to eat a pinky yet, but they don't seem any bigger then the fish she's eaten.

How do I go about trying to convert her onto pinkies? Is live the best or should I do frozen? And how often should I feed her?

Now my other question is about handling. How often should I handle her, I want to make sure she's well handled and friendly, but I don't want to stress her by handling her too much! So far she's been pretty friendly, a little nervous when I first pick her up, but she settles down quickly, and hasn't tried to bite yet! So any advice would be wonderful! Thank you!

[infernalis]

A great place to start...

Garter Snake Forum - Garter Caresheet

[guidofatherof5]

Handling is more of a personal preference thing.
Some keepers handle and some don't. My snake population gets handled a lot and seen very comfortable with it.
Once you get to know your snake a little better you'll know what to do.
Some species don't like being handled much, some not at all.
For some snakes the switch to frozen/thawed pinkies is easy. Some other require some help/scenting.
The link Wayne provided is a good place to get some answers to many questions.
Have you tried any night crawlers with Taz?

[ssssnakeluvr]

also, 1 feeder fish every 4-5 days isn't enough either

[katach]

I scented frozen/thawed pinkies with fish scent to get mine switched over. Once switched to pinkies they get 2 per week with a mid week snack of a worm or small chunk of fish. Variety is good in their diet. While pinkies do provide the most nutritionally balanced meal, you can get supplement powder if they won't switch. I have 2 that refuse pinkies. They get dusted worm pieces every 3 feedings. Fish and worms have a higher digestion rate so you'll need to feed more often than a pinkie diet. Hope that helps! Welcome to the forum family, and keep the questions coming!

[Light of Dae]

As for easy scenting I mince up worms and add Cut up Pinkie pieces (Cut Pinkies when frozen) That way my picky little eater has a harder time avoiding the pinkies lol She'll 'nose' her way around in the food n try to pick out all the worm chunks.

[Jaded815]

I'm a little worried about my girl, she tends to hide under the substrate and doesn't come out much. She hasn't eaten since Tuesday even though I gave her fish yesterday. I read that garters are usually very active, but she's not, I'm wondering if her tank is too cold. at the petstore they told me the tank only needed to be heated to around 70-72 degrees, but that really seems too cold to me, should it be warmer? I'll go get a new heat lamp and stuff tomorrow...

Also she looks like she's lost a little color, maybe she's going to shed soon? Her eyes are still clear though... She's my first snake, I want to do it right! Thanks for all of the help!

[Light of Dae]

I'm a little worried about my girl, she tends to hide under the substrate and doesn't come out much. She hasn't eaten since Tuesday even though I gave her fish yesterday. I read that garters are usually very active, but she's not, I'm wondering if her tank is too cold. at the petstore they told me the tank only needed to be heated to around 70-72 degrees, but that really seems too cold to me, should it be warmer? I'll go get a new heat lamp and stuff tomorrow...

Also she looks like she's lost a little color, maybe she's going to shed soon? Her eyes are still clear though... She's my first snake, I want to do it right! Thanks for all of the help!

I know My little Radix got a lot more active after I added just a normal 60w lamp and raised my temps from 55f to 65-70f... I know every species likes different temps and I keep forgetting to buy a 100w bulb to make it a wee warmer for my girl. But she is active still. You should have a warm side / basking spot as well as a cool side, places to hide on either end, so she can regulate her temperature on her own.

If Taz seems dull to you she probably will shed within a week, watch for blue cloudy eyes. Have a water dish big enough she can soak if she wants to. I give mine luke warm baths when I notice her go dull (Warmth helps boost metabolism n water helps moisten the skin for a healthy shed) With my Radix both times she shed for me were different, first time she got dull with blue eyes for half a day then Shed. This last time she was dull for a week had cloudy eyes for two days then a day of clear eyes then the next day she shed.


Now I ain't an expert(Like Steve / Guidofatherof5 is) but these are things I've learnt with my little Radix over the past few months.

[mb90078]

Before they shed they tend to reject food and hide more frequently. If her color is fading that could explain the behavior.

Is the 70-72 at the warm spot of the tank or the cool spot?

[Light of Dae]

How do I go about trying to convert her onto pinkies? Is live the best or should I do frozen? And how often should I feed her?

Avoid live pinkies simply they can harm your Taz, and the die fast.
I personally do a mix of worms with either bits of Salmon fillet or half a frozen pinkie chopped up into bite size chunks, mix with a drop of water n watch the 'hunt' begin lol. I feed every 2-3 days.