"Goldfish are better than mice".

[MasSalvaje]

I am not trying to get too far off topic, but I think over feeding is as much of an issue as what we are feeding. I have not seen it as much with garters because of their high metabolisms, but I think in general captive herps are over fed. Feeding any snake high volumes of rodents on a regular basis can cause problems, anyone that has been to the reptile house at the zoo here in Utah can tell you that. I never would have thought that a 18' Retic would have a problem with eating too much so you can imagine my shock when I saw the one at the zoo with fat rolls.

My point is that we are often so worried about getting our snakes to eat and eating enough "healthy" items that we overlook the fact we may be gorging them out of their scales.

Whole wheat bread may be healthy but if that is all I fed my sons all day everyday and kept them couped up inside, they would be as fat as the kid down the street that is on the drivethru diet.

-Thomas

[Spankenstyne]

Very true.

[drache]

my babies are always offered pinkie strips as part of their first meal, an usually more than half of them will go for rodent over the other choices (fish & night crawler)
I usually offer both pinkie strips and f/t fish first, and then offer worms to the one or two that wouldn't go for the dead food.