Quote Originally Posted by RoccoIsMyBuddy. :) View Post
The pet stores i have went to told me that pinkies weren't something that garters eat. Which everyone told me that's not true. But is it really?
In the wild, none but some Western Terrestrial garters do (Thamnophis elegans will sometimes eat rodents) and I would argue feeding them pinkies is a bad idea, because bluntly, everything has parasites, and pinkies may contain parasites that the snakes have not evolved to manage, while the ones they get from fish and frogs they HAVE.

Host-parasite interactions folks. The parasite, unless it is a wierd hyperspecialist (which exist, but are more rare than non-hyperspecialists) are much more able to host-jump than the host is to be able to defend against the parasite.

Additionally, I am not convinced that pinkies provide the right nutrition for a fish and frog eating snake, and at min are far too fatty for a snake to eat unless it is a natural rodent eater, especially considering the frequency at which they feed in captivity. Obese snakes are not healthy snakes.

As a result, I feed my snakes (both my Nerodia and my Thamnophis) a combination of small fish (of various species) and tadpoles/frogs. I have started a bullfrog and leopard frog breeding project (as part of my research, but I will produce WAY more tadpoles than I will ever use and what IACUC does not know cant hurt me) and that should yield me parasite free tadpoles, and soon will start the much easier project of breeding Guppies.

However I am also not convinced that thiaminase is a problem for fish eating snakes. They are not feeding on trout and salmon in the wild (Ok, T. atratus does), but rather on shad, minnows, etc. Fish that are high in thiaminase. The fish actually HAS thiamine in its system. Thiaminase is present in order to break down excess. What matters is not the amount of thiaminase, but rather the reaction rate with thiamine in the time the enzyme has to operate. A fish that is still alive, no problem. The snake's digestion will break down the enzyme like it breaks down all other proteins, leaving plenty of thiamine to be absorbed by the snake. Keeping the fish frozen is the problem, because even with the slowed down reaction rate, the enzyme is still active and has sufficient time to break down thiamine, leaving your snake with a deficiency. Granted, Goldfish are far too fatty, but live minnows (like rosy reds, or sthe stuff you catch in a trap), crappy, and other small fish... no problem.