T. ordinoides on the Ranch

[guidofatherof5]

The Northwesterns all said NO! to the turkey heart.
They've been enjoying the fresh slugs and earth worms I've been getting daily for them.

[KephrenJorgensen]

One of my 8 month old ordies will eat three meals a day if I let it. I fed the three scrubs around a dozen small night crawlers and maybe 8 slugs, and they ate it all within a matter of 10 minutes. I've never had a baby that is so tame and used to human interaction, but that may be because this is the first baby I've had that was born in captivity. It seems I may have to seperate them however, as one is increasingly more defensive with it's food and usually gets the right to eat first. I'm not sure if I should put "Lunchtime" on his/her own and give the other two a chance to still interact, or put the runt on its own.

[guidofatherof5]

If we only knew what was causing some of these feeding issues. Separating a runt out might help but it might also increase that snake's stress level and create more of a problem. Then again, maybe it's the stress of being with the more aggressive snakes that is causing the problem.
We just don't know what is going on with them.
Kind of a "damned when you do, damned when you don't situation.

[KephrenJorgensen]

Come to think of it, I havn't seen the runt out and about since I changed their substrate to carefresh. Perhaps I will seperate it. If it helps, it will really help. If it doesn't, chances are the snake wouldn't get much better for eating and growing if I don't do anything. Of the 9 born, 6 were "troubled" snakes, and just wouldn't eat consistently. They all passed save 2 who escaped. The last three are the runt of the litter and the two biggest. They are approaching 12" now, with the little one nearing 8".

Aside from baby troubles, the red male I found in March is doing excellent in quarantine. Readily excepting worms and slugs like a fiend. I am curious as to whether or not I should house a mixed-gender group of adults in the new enclosure I am just finishing up. It has a floor space of 3 by 3 feet. By the time it is finished the male will have been in quarantine for a month. I will be able to switch my melanistic girl into the big new enclosure, and begin the full quarantine of my pair of pickeringii, which I will eventually be keeping in a 30 gallon tall (30 x 12 x 18).

[guidofatherof5]

Mixed sex groups of adults = baby garter snakes. They do what they do best.

[ConcinusMan]

The Northwesterns all said NO! to the turkey heart..

That's what I would expect from them

[guidofatherof5]

That's what I would expect from them

I had to try.

[ConcinusMan]

Next time try crickets. Couldn't do any worse with those.

[guidofatherof5]

Next time try crickets. Couldn't do any worse with those.

Oh come on. I just wanted to expand their Culinary Palette.

[ConcinusMan]

Oh if that's all then heck, you might as well try vegetarian pizza. If there's any snake that's going to be highly resistant to change it's northwesterns. Yes there's a few that will take pinkies and perhaps fish but those seem few and far between. They've made it very clear to me over the years that they are worm and slug eaters all the way. This goes to everyone out there considering getting them. If you don't have a year 'round bottomless supply of fat juicy night crawlers and/or slugs, don't bother.

I do have better luck with CB babies though. Start mixing in fish and/or pinky parts with their worms early in life and most of them will eat that just fine the rest of their lives but once they're set in their ways, forget it!

On a side note, I did get flicker to eat a piece of chicken once but he's kind of a weirdo when it comes to food anyway.