How to save money & have fun

[Stefan-A]

Damn that's a sweet setup. They could stand to be decorated better with perhaps reptibark/coconut fiber substrate as well but sweet enclosures! Bottom one is looking pretty good. Are these bottom heat only or can you use a basking bulb too? Garters love to bask and get warmth from above.

I don't think you'll be getting an answer from him anytime soon, but IIRC, they're bottom heat only. There should be a thread about the making of those enclosures in the Enclosures section.

edit:
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/showthread.php?t=526

[ConcinusMan]

oh yeah, I see now he's a mod but hasn't posted since Oct '09. What did he die or something? Nevermind. Not my business. Thanks for the link.

[infernalis]

Wow, this thread is still active. Sweet!

[Tyrel26]

well im sure everyone knows this but i feel i should mention it just for those new people out there. I never feed my snakes worms from a bait store BUT...my bro bought some once and he fed them to his garter and it died (he didnt realize why) so he had a bunch left over ...and i didnt know they were from a bait store so he gave the leftover worms to me (25-30 fat nightcrawlers are hard to pass up) and of course like a moron i fed them to one of my garters before i found out and the next day my garter had died A lot of bait stores have worms that were fed trash and compost that can contain chemicals and bacteria and such

so just be careful guys, bait store worms are cheap but its better to have dirty fingernails and a healthy snake than to save a few pennies and a dead snake

[infernalis]

I'm a big believer of getting them on pinks fast and keeping them on pinks / fuzzy mice after that.

Complete nutrition, safe and if you buy enough at once economical as well.

[Tyrel26]

i try to give mine a bit of everything...from frogs, toads and tadpoles (DONT JUDGE ME!!!!! lol) to pinks, fish and worms

[infernalis]

Not judging you at all, but were you aware of the parasite loads those amphibians carry??

I have way too much money and time invested to take risks like that.

[Tyrel26]

yes i am aware, i studied fish and wildlife at college; parasite studies was a major part of it. I do agree with you though, and I only use amphibians on the wc garters for the first while because I find the garters far more willing to take those than fish or mice, usually only takes a week or 2 to get them to switch. With what i pay for mice ($3.50/pinkie) i dont like thawing them and letting them go to waste because i dont refreeze them. (and no I dont order my mice wholesale but I would really appreciate some info on a good place to do so) But if I have to choose I'll feed my snakes amphibians before I give them worms from a bait store unless I know the worms are fed natural food only.

[ConcinusMan]

I fed my last concinnus pair using wild caught frogs, fish, worms, etc...found in there natural habitat and occasionally live goldfish or salmon fillet pieces. If they had parasites, there was balance and harmony for a 20 year lifespan so I was blissfully unaware. They were "good wild dogs" and were fed like wild "dogs". They thrived like dogs, they bred like dogs. Hardy wild dogs.

I'm not saying I am continuing that practice, just saying parasites don't always cause harm. It's easy enough to get concinnus to eat pinkies and that's what I'll be doing in addition to f/t silversides this time around.

[infernalis]

A thread I started a long time ago.

Parasites and pathogens