Do you feed your garter snake pinkies?

[chris-uk]

Simple question: Do you feed your garter snake pinkies?

[Didymus20X6]

No, I don't feed my garter snakes pinkies. But it's because they are not locally available, and not because of any ideological issues. Instead, I feed them mostly fish pieces and nightcrawlers.

[chris-uk]

I didn't think about "No, because they aren't available" option Didymus.

Just as background to the poll for everyone. On reptile forums UK, there's a chap who disagreed with me when I said "many" or "most" garter keepers are happy feeding pinkies to garters. So it made me wonder, is my impression that most people do feed pinkies to garters an incorrect assumption based on anecdotal evidence from postings here and on RFUK?

[kimbosaur]

I don't feed pinkies either, but it's not because I think it's "wrong." It's simply because I can't get over the fact that it's a baby mouse. I think that's a pretty common reason for those who don't feed pinkies. Either the individual can't get over the whole frozen rodent thing or there's a family member that's against keeping a pack of mice in the freezer.

I am considering feeding them once in a while as a rare treat though.

[EasternGirl]

I feed pinkies as part of a mixed diet, but I would say that it is the basis for the diet. With my easterns, pinkies are not something that came naturally to them...they had to be conditioned to eat them, as easterns primarily eat worms in the wild. However, now all of my snakes really enjoy pinkies as the main food in their diet, along with fresh fish fillet, and worms occasionally.

[GarterGuy17]

Well my jade only at pinkies at first but now I haven't gone to buy any so its a mixed diet or fish and worms with some pinkies whenever I have them.

[Didymus20X6]

poit narf zort egad!

[ScimitarX]

Always fed my garters mice, never had any problems, and they love them

[ssssnakeluvr]

I use them as part of a mixed diet with fish and worms. wandering garters regularly eat rodents in the wild.

[kibakiba]

The snakes we catch around here actually do eat mice in the wild. It gets so bone dry that there isn't any worms or slugs, and the only other thing that is plentiful around here is little field mice. They are about the size of a fuzzy, maybe a hopper, when they're fully grown. The babies are the size of my pinky nail, so it's easier for younger garters to eat. Snakey took a pinky without any scenting at all. Mama took them after a while of setting a pinky on top of worms. The rest of them took after a little scenting, but I had them since they were little babies. Pinkies are the main staple in their diet for now, but because of the lack of money and our worm supplier quit.