my new garter!

[guidofatherof5]

I scent pinkies for Shyblue (T.proximus orarius - Gulf Coast Ribbon) by spraying the worms with water, then I give them a little stir. Then dip the pinkies in the water and slime.
I do this when I don't need any cut up worms.

[kibakiba]

A couple of my snakes required blood to be on the pinky when I was switching them over. All of them are different, so if the slime doesn't work, I'd try a bit of worm blood slathered over the pinky.

And, Dae is right (at least this is true for all of my snakes), they like colder food. My mom, when she helps me feed, takes a pinky and puts it in hot water and thinks they want it warm, but none of them will take it. If it's cool, they happily take it.

[guidofatherof5]

A couple of my snakes required blood to be on the pinky when I was switching them over. All of them are different, so if the slime doesn't work, I'd try a bit of worm blood slathered over the pinky.

And, Dae is right (at least this is true for all of my snakes), they like colder food. My mom, when she helps me feed, takes a pinky and puts it in hot water and thinks they want it warm, but none of them will take it. If it's cool, they happily take it.

That's interesting about the food temp. May snakes will take them hot or room temperature and it's not just a radix thing.
So don't anyone be bad-mouthing my over zealous radixes.

[kibakiba]

northwesterns live in a cooler climate, usually... At least here they do. Well, it's either freezing cold or deathly hot here... There isn't really a happy medium. Hah. But, most of the food is pretty cold, except for the field mice.

[EasternGirl]

I've never tried warming food...but I have given it to my snakes cool and room temp and they seem to like it either way. I think Cee Cee would eat any food any temp...the girl ain't picky...if she can eat it...she's gonna eat it!

[setfree]

I guess all the snakes have different preferences so I will have to experiment with these great ideas. Thanks!

[ConcinusMan]

They don't eat rodents naturally in the wild

I disagree. And just for the record, about 75% of the WC T. s. concinnus', T. elegans, and even some adult T. ordinoides that I have kept, have readily accepted pinky mice and/or rats, unscented. They do seem to be put off by hair though, and prefer naked rodents. Furthermore, T. s. fitchi has been photographed and/or observed feeding on live rodents in the wild.

It's just that this particular snake is probably not familiar with rodents and probably hasn't been finding or eating them. Washing the pinkies and smothering in worms should get the snake to eat them. Once they get familiar with them, no scenting is usually necessary.

I'd have to see more pics, but that doesn't appear to be a T. radix at all. If it was found in Iowa, then I'd say it's probably a T. sirtalis parietalis that is low red, or lacks red completely. It just doesn't look like a radix at all to me.

[kibakiba]

They do here. It's the only food available during summer. When it's raining everywhere else, it's dry here (usually) and the only food available is the tiny field mice. That's just here, though.

[setfree]

I finally found the species of my garter.... it is a red-sided/eastern garter snake. I will try to post pics soon. thanks for all the help!

[kibakiba]

Red sided and easterns are not the same thing. It would have to be one or the other, or a mutt.