Gravid radix

[Dan72]

Going out later to purchase some nightcrawlers. Momma snake hasn't eaten in two days that I know of, could be longer, so thought I would offer a meal today and see if shes hungry. On a side note, same purchase run will have me getting pinkies for the first time for my other girls (and a lodger I have). Try to get everybody on the pinks, this should prove comical today. Should I offer momma snake things that maybe she shouldn't get used to eating on the chance she finds herself back in the wild and has no way of eating such things? Or, spoil her and feed her well while shes her because it makes no difference? I understand out on their own a meal is had whenever one presents itself so wasn't sure about momma and pinks.

[EasternGirl]

Congrats on your find, Dan! I think that you are giving her a nice, safe place to give birth. I commend you wanting to help that beautiful girl. Keep us posted.

[Steveo]

I wouldn't force her to eat rodents, but if she'll take them readily I don't see a problem with it. It's not an unnatural food, just one they don't commonly find. The night I brought my wild-caught wandering garter home she gulped down a half-swallowed f/t mouse that another snake couldn't fit

My personal opinion is that as long as you're offering a typical food item to a healthy snake, they'll eat when they're hungry. There's certainly nothing wrong with not feeding her mice, but without knowing her feeding history we can't match her wild diet anyway.

[Dan72]

Okay drum roll please......insert roll here.......... three out of four snakes approve!! Momma snake ate a pinkie and a half plus a little nightcrawler. Goldie ate a little crawler plus a half pinkie cut in half. The male lodger ate nightcrawler and one pinkie. Butterscotch ate probably too much nightcrawler (which was operator error, not hers) so when she got to the half pinkie cut in half, she sniffed it and moved on. So momma got the half, figured she's eating for more than herself. The video attempts were not great at best, either the snakes didn't cooperate or the lighting/focus was bad. Might post the video of the male eating his. It's the best but by that I mean the least horrible. But over all success! Very happy with my gang, oh the pinkies were scented with nightcrawler but I'm sure you all got that. So for some WC garters who I'm guessing have never meet a mouse, loved it like I love, well...... food.

[guidofatherof5]

I think the city radixes probably come in contact with pinkies more often then we all realize.
Considering the amount of wild mice I see I'm guessing my locals taste them often.

[Dan72]

So momma snake is settled in nicely. She has eaten twice and doing everything pretty normally. I'm not handling her (mostly so I don't get attached), but I watch her all the time. She always wins the staring contests, I blink first. She really is a pretty radix and upon closer inspection of her and Goldie I really do think I'm looking at Goldie as an adult. Wednesday pinkies are up again. When she ate them last week she had one and half of another that Butterscotch didn't touch. Any reason why this week she couldn't have two? With most of your adults do you guys feed two (more) pinkies to an adult? Busy week and weekend this last one with that family wedding, but hope to post some pics this week of the gang.

[guidofatherof5]

"mostly so I don't get attached"

Who are you trying to kid. She's worked her magic on you already and you know it.
You're amongst friends Dan, it OK to admit it.

[Dan72]

I've read in a couple different threads where members gravid snakes had a bigger appetite than when not expecting. Should I feed her more often than I would otherwise? She ate pinkies/nightcrawlers on Thursday last week. Then nightcrawlers on Sunday. Then today pinkies /nightcrawlers. Is this enough? Feed more often? She ate 1 pinky with the crawlers last week, I bumped that up to 2 today. She ate them like it was NO problem at all, almost like a snack. What do those of you with adult snakes that are on pinkies feed in term of quantity in a meal? 2, 3, ? Also, not that I do, but can multiple gravid females be kept in the same enclosure or should they be kept seperate?

[guidofatherof5]

How much to feed as a relative question depending on the snakes size, activity and metabolism.
You should be able judge whether she is getting enough and not too much.
If she seems to be processing the food then give her more.

I can see two initial problems with housing gravid females together.
1- The possiblity you might loose track of who's babies they are.
2- Another large snake doubles the chance babies can be injured or killed (rollovers and crushing).

[Invisible Snake]

I would say feed her more because she could be eating for up to 20+ baby snakes. And adding a reptile vitamin that has calcium wouldn't hurt either.