Another feeding question

[Lovok]

I've been wondering...

Scylla's been "of her feed" again, and while I'm not so concerned that she's not eating as much, she seems to have had yet ANOTHER change in her preferences. She almost seems "bored" with the usual fare; loved pinkies, now she could take 'em or leave 'em (mostly leave 'em). She'd eat PetSmart earthworms til she couldn't eat another, now she "sniffs", and turns away. She gobbled up three minnows from a local stream last month, but the last one she ate the other week was dead for about a day after it flopped out of the water dish I had put it in- she doesn't seem to know how to "go fishing" yet. I got her to eat three smaller earthworms from the back yard yesterday, and she even then she seemed ready to turn up her snout at them until I put all three in at once. Once she got a taste of the first one, she finished off the other two. It's been rather hot here lately, and though I've been trying to keep her tank around 80 degrees, it's difficult (thinking of buying a little battery-powered fan to aim into the tank). It's been ranging around 90. :-( I keep her lights off or low, and have cool water in two locations in her tank every day, all of the time, so again, I'll not worry if it's just the heat that may be affecting her appetite.

My main question is, since Eastern Garters as considered "opportunistic feeders", have they ever been known to eat baby birds, i.e. hatchlings & before they get feathers? I KNOW this sounds morbid, but I was thinking of offering her one from a robin's nest that's under our deck. Since she's "bored" with everything else I'm trying that she USED to love, would it be worth the try, and would the body parts of the hatchling cause any digestive problems? Again, this would be a one w/ no feathers, and small enough for her to probably swallow- the avian version of a pinkie. The eggs haven't hatched yet, so I want to be ready to collect one while it's small if there's a chance she'll eat it.

[guidofatherof5]

Please, not the Robins. Such a beautiful bird.
She may just be taking a break. If you've fed her good she may not feel she needs to eat. I have snakes go off food all the time. No reason for it they just don't feel like eating. I offer all the foods they love. They could care less.
I watch their weight and appearance. They sometimes are off food for a month of more.
If her body weight and body symmetry are good I wouldn't wory too much at this time.

[Kevinh583]

Doesn't sound any more morbid than baby mice or fish. I'm actually curious about this too. I've got a bunch of nests around my house and shop and its about time those birds paid some rent

[Lovok]

Thank you my friend!

I need to post some recent pics of her anyway, since it's been a while- she's almost doubled her size, best I can measure. She doesn't appear thin by any means, I don't see any folds in her skin that would indicate she's underfed (gods know she was a real pig there for a while), and she has some actual weight to her when I pick her up.

That addresses the apparent hunger strike, now what about the baby bird idea? Should I offer one to her, or would it just be asking for digestive problems? I don't think I'd be able to add robins with any frequency, this is more of an experiment for future reference. I'm being "opportunistic" myself on this one!

Kevin- I like the way you think! LOL

[guidofatherof5]

Doesn't sound any more morbid than baby mice or fish. I'm actually curious about this too. I've got a bunch of nests around my house and shop and its about time those birds paid some rent

I only say something because I've raised many a Robin. They hold a special place in my heart. They are a very smart bird.
It wasn't said to imply anything or get anything started.

[Kevinh583]

I only say something because I've raised many a Robin. They hold a special place in my heart. They are a very smart bird.
It wasn't said to imply anything or get anything started.

I meant to say that in reply to Lovok's comment about whether using birds as food is morbid. I probably should have quoted.

I can completely understand your feelings about robins they are nice birds. I would have trouble using an animal for food that I once raised. I've got plenty of sparrows around here which are pretty much the mouse of the bird world in my opinion.

Lovok - I found the following youtube video when doing a google search. I don't think that guy cares very much about his snake though because that seems really unsafe.




This is more what I had in mind (or even slightly younger)

[Lovok]

Yup, that's about the size I was meaning too, hopefully smaller. The nest I'm thinking of invading has four eggs in it, so it's not like I'm destroying the robin population or anything.

I don't think feeding a completely feathered bird to a snake is a good idea, unless birds are a natural part of its diet, but since I've read that garters have even been observed eating road kill...I just want to add more variety, satisfy a curiosity, and not harm my snake.

I may be wanting too much...

[ConcinusMan]

Listen up EVERYONE. Robins are songbirds and therefore protected. Raiding nests to feed your snakes is ILLEGAL. If you want to feed baby birds to your snakes, then raid the nests of European starlings or House sparrows if you live in the U.S. You may kill and raid the nests of those two non-native birds all you want. I think I mentioned it before, it's pretty easy to get house sparrows or starlings to nest in a crude, cheaply made nest box. Wait for the chicks to hatch and snag them up. The birds will simply lay more eggs and hatch those out too, up to 3 times before they give up. Raid a robins nest AFTER incubation or hatching commences, and the robin will never use that spot again.