Gauging how much to feed...

[Sonya610]

Okay I really do not think I am underfeeding but can someone tell me how much is appropriate when feeding babies everyday? I am not seeing a bulge.

I am probably feeding them 4-6 pieces that are roughly one third to maybe half the size of their head on average (if that makes sense) but honestly it is hard to tell, pieces are usually as wide as their mouth so they don't have to struggle to much.

Can anyone give me an estimate based on the baby head size? It is hard to tell especially because frozen pinky pieces look bigger than when it is thawed. I don't think I am underfeeding, they seem to be growing fine, but some days they also seem hungry and hunting all day (one in particular) so I wonder if maybe he didn't eat enough?

[guidofatherof5]

Typical baby garter snake ploy. Act hungry all the time.
They are little growing machines as babies. Trying to get a little higher up on the food chain as fast as they can.
I give my babies a good meal so that them look full but not stuffed.
If I'm feeding fish(salmon) they get less. I don't trust the fish I have to buy.
I think babies can handle being fed everyday. But not stuffed.

[Sonya610]

Typical baby garter snake ploy. Act hungry all the time.
They are little growing machines as babies. Trying to get a little higher up on the food chain as fast as they can.
I give my babies a good meal so that them look full but not stuffed.
If I'm feeding fish(salmon) they get less. I don't trust the fish I have to buy.
I think babies can handle being fed everyday. But not stuffed.

Yeah they are getting much less fish, like maybe 1/3 fish every other day. Mostly pinky with an earth worm starter as required.

See, the descriptions on how much to feed are so vague! "A good size meal". Sheesh, with larger snakes it is usually "a prey item about as big around as their widest girth or a bit smaller" which makes it easy to judge.

The flame is a real little food beggar, if he sees me looking in he either comes closer or dashes to the front and puts his face against the glass. The concinnus is of course playing catchup after the shed fast, and ate twice today but constantly sticks his head out the hidey hole to see if food is coming, and he has done that all day long but it is probably a phase.

If feeding every day is NOT bad I will assume they are okay and won't starve. I rather doubt many garters starve when eating 2 out of 3 days, so I will ignore the pathetic we aren't getting enough food looks.

[guidofatherof5]

See, the descriptions on how much to feed are so vague! "A good size meal".

You are absolutely right, my answer was vague.
I have kept garters for a long time and sometimes write thinking everyone will know what I mean.
That was my mistake. Sorry.

[ConcinusMan]

The answer is vague because the answer is vague. There really isn't a right or wrong answer. Rule of thumb for babies is do not over stuff, (this seems to increase the occurrence of sudden unexplained death) and feed them often. Every day is fine especially if you don't notice any bulge. Now and then I do let my babies eat enough so that they definitely look full. Every now and then I let them go several days without food. Just remember they don't know when to stop so if they start looking full, stop feeding them. Bottom line is, you're feeding them something every day. They're going to grow and they're not going to starve. It's OK to feed them until they look full and skip days, and it's also OK to feed them just a little each day and not have it show so much.

"Opportunistic feeder" doesn't just mean they'll eat anything. It also means they will eat as much as they can, when the opportunity presents itself. This is because in the wild, it may be days or longer before the next opportunity. I'm sure you're feeding them just fine. When they get bigger (12 inches and beyond) I start feeding them bigger meals less frequently. They will naturally go toward that trend anyway once they get a certain size. Amy used to eat nearly every day and never refuse food when he was a baby. Well, he slowed down now and usually only accepts food once or twice a week so I make it count and feed him a big enough bite that a bulge is noticeable.

Right now it's a race to gain size as quickly as possible so they will be eating machines and act starved all the time. But you have to remember that their rapidly developing bodies are susceptible to overexertion, that includes the digestive system, so don't over stuff. It can actually be fatal in babies but adults can handle it better. Just keep doing what you're doing. A little every day is fine. So is skipping a day or two. It's no biggie. It's not rocket science. They are very adaptable to fluctuating food supplies.

[Sonya610]

Okay. I figured they should be eating enough, but with the ever hungry looks I wondered. Would hate to find out later "oh didn't you know? you should see a slight bulge...".

Also when you have raised a lot of little scrubs you can tell by looking at them if they seem a bit thin or chubby. When you have only seen two baby garters in your entire life it is harder to tell what optimum is. It isn't like puppies/kittens or human babies where it is easy to judge by body mass and feel the layer of fat. : )