what type of snake do i have?

[nicolelove]

hi can anyone tell me wht type of baby garter snake i have? i have issues with feeding him and he hasn't ate since i bought him. can anyone tell me how i can get him to start eating worms or crickets i bought him?

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

Get rid of the crickets. Garter snakes don't eat crickets. also, try live guppies. And please read our care sheet.

[RdubSnider]

Hey I would say Its a radix (plains garter ) but its kinda hard to say for sure. Shannon's advice for feeding is perfect no matter what type it is.

[d_virginiana]

If you bought it then it might be a bad idea to just let it go depending on where you live and what snakes are native to that area..
Once it gets the right food it'll probably start right up eating though.

[kibakiba]

That's a Northwestern garter snake. They specialize in worms and slugs or snails. Make sure that if you are to feed it a slug, it is not bigger than it's head and that it's a safe slug. If it puts out yellow slime, it can kill the snake. Garter snakes NEVER eat crickets. Buy night crawlers, all of my northwesterns like night crawlers.

I doubt it's a radix if it's native to Washington

[ssssnakeluvr]

it's a northwestern garter. they specialize in worms..... garters will generally not feed for a week or so after being caught as they acclimate to captivity. very small worms is the best to feed. absolutely avoid crickets!!! garters can't digest them or any insects.

[Didymus20X6]

Crickets are out. Try nightcrawlers or guppies. Being such a small snake, I would cut the nightcrawler up into bite-sized pieces right before feeding them to the snake, that way they're small enough for it to handle, and are still wiggling around to catch its attention.

Also, how long have you had the snake? Snakes generally don't need to eat frequently (about twice a week is good - a juvenile snake may need to eat more frequently, though). They tend to go on lengthy fasts on occasion (sometimes weeks at a time - shed cycles, brumination, if they're about to give birth or pass unfertilized eggs). With snakes, you really have to be patient and let them eat when they want. But if the snake is relatively new, you might want to wait as long as three weeks to let it adjust to its new environment.

[drache]

welcome to the forum, Nicole

just to clarify:
the worms you feed should be nightcrawlers (a kind of earth worm), not meal worms; or "compost" worms (red wigglers - also earthworms, but toxic)

[nicolelove]

thank you everyone who has replayed to my post! i did buy night crawlers and i cut them up but i didnt no how small to cut them up. i think it was to big. but im very new to this and i didnt no they die like 5 days after buying them so i trew them out this morning. and i took the crickets out as well. im leaving for petco this afternoon to buy some pinkies for him. i was wondering how in the world to cut those up for him to eat and wht size? today will be 9 days iv had him. and still wont eat.

[kibakiba]

If you keep them cold they wont die that fast. He will eat when he's ready, give him some time alone and offer food every day if you're that worried. He's a baby, it's likely that he was born not too long ago. They don't eat, usually, until the second week after being born.