My son found a garter snake on the road on his way home from school about 10 days ago. It had an injured eye. There was blood all around the eye. The bleeding stopped, but the eye appears black and swollen. We decided to keep him and take care of him. He seems active and flicks his tongue regularly (which I have heard is a good sign). We put him in a 10 gallon tank with bedding, a rock, and water. Over the next 10 days we attempted to feed him a frozen baby mouse (thawed and warmed), as well as placing a bowl of live baby goldfish in his tank. He has not eaten anything the whole ten days we have had him. How long can he go without eating? Why won't he eat? Should we try to feed him something else? My son put some grasshoppers in the tank today, in hopes that he would eat those, but no luck so far. This is our first time caring for/owning a snake. We don't know much about it. I would really appreciate any advice. Also, is it okay to hold and handle him? Will it hurt or scare him? Thanks in advance.
Camilla