New garter snake feeding

[Gene0514]

Yes i know
I'll see if i can get it eating in these two weeks, if not then release it is i guess
I'll make sure its a warm day though

[kibakiba]

I'd just keep trying. I have a baby garter who isn't eating but I would never think of letting it go so close to winter. If it was in mid August, maybe but the best thing you can do is just wait it out. sometimes it just takes a while for the to want to eat and my adults are off feed also, Mama has been off and on for almost 2 months. I think its normal around this time.

[Gene0514]

Ok I will
I didn't think about it possibly not eating much due to the season

Thanks

[Selkielass]

Abby was a reluctant eater at first, but she came around.
If you get a good rain, try going out and collecting more of the local worms she is familiar with to have a supply on hand- use them sparingly to scent cut up earthworms.
Getting the size right is important for some snakes until they get comfortable eating- for the first month or so I had Abby she wouldn't eat anything she couldn't swallow quickly and easily and without getting too messy.

After a while I coaxed her into eating live guppies, then a very small pinky mouse (one she could easily wrap her mouth around without a struggle and swallow before she realized it wasn't a big worm chunk.) After a few feedings of well worm slimed pinkies (Didn't even have to cut up the worms, just rubbed the mouse on the slime in a dish of worms.) she began to accept the pinkies with little, then no scenting. Now she seems to prefer the pinkies to just about anything.

Live flipping guppies provoke a strong strike response in most snakes. Abby would eagerly take live guppies and local minnows when dead fish and silversides elicited no response. Keep trying and eventually I'm sure your snake will come around.

[ConcinusMan]

I'd just keep trying. I have a baby garter who isn't eating but I would never think of letting it go so close to winter. If it was in mid August, maybe but the best thing you can do is just wait it out. sometimes it just takes a while for the to want to eat and my adults are off feed also, Mama has been off and on for almost 2 months. I think its normal around this time.

It's definitely not normal, I don't care what others say about that. 2 months is very long time and your northwestern shouldn't be off food this time of year. Mine always have been this time of year, and are currently pigging out bigtime and putting on weight. It's getting close to brumation time. Now, in the heat of mid summer they may eat less and not very frequently but they should be eating a lot this time of year.

I would suggest shortening their day length to more closely match local conditions, and also cooling them down a bit. Perhaps low to mid 70's for a high and cool at night if possible in the 60's. Also mist them a couple of times a day to increase humidity. That might get them eating again.

The concinnus babies I sent should be bottomless pits and growing fast too.

[kibakiba]

I said she's off and on food. Some weeks she wont eat, some weeks she pigs out. She's never gone more than 3 weeks without at LEAST eating half of a night crawler or a pinky. They have been cooling off too, they don't have a heat lamp or anything because I've been using it for the babies. The next few months are strapped financially so it's kind of hard to do anything at all. I mist all of the tanks because runts shedding, I have a newborn northwestern who's constantly in the water dish so I figured it wasn't humid enough. Couple mistings a day in each tank, no more snakes laying in the water dish for over 5 minutes. The ones you gave me are bottomless pits, my newest baby, Tiny, is the non-eater. Maybe you should double check what I say. Off and on isn't bad. Snakey is the same way. He did the same thing exactly the same time last year, except I feed him a lot less now since he eats larger meals. My snakes are perfectly healthy and normal. They act like they usually do even if they eat less. They still look like their same chubby snakey selves. If they started losing weight, I'd be worried.

[ConcinusMan]

Sorry, I thought you meant she hadn't eaten in 3 months. The on again, off again feeding is no big deal without weight loss. She's just eating when she's hungry, and not eating when she's not hungry. No biggie then. Even my ordinoides girl does that. She's in bottomless pit mode right now. Started about 2 weeks ago. She's stuffing herself on night crawlers every single day lately!

[Gene0514]

Update

I tried the smaller container thing and she ate one of the two nightcrawlers that I put in there

I switched her to a 20 gallon tall glass tank because i think it'll calm down more from seeing me and others passing by the tank, instead of me popping in from above in a rubbermaid

[kibakiba]

She was a bottomless pit a while ago but now shes on and off. I've also been offering just worms since we have no pinkies. I do have fuzzies though and I figured I'd try that on her since she may want something different, if not Snakey will probably eat it or I can see if any of the babies want it. Tiny hasn't eaten yet and he thinks of my hand as a friend, even the tweezers... He just wants tons of attention and he doesn't even care about the food. Silly little guy.

[ConcinusMan]

Update

I tried the smaller container thing and she ate one of the two nightcrawlers that I put in there

I switched her to a 20 gallon tall glass tank because i think it'll calm down more from seeing me and others passing by the tank, instead of me popping in from above in a rubbermaid

That brings up a point. People tend to think that more room is better for their garters. The truth is, if they are comfortable and food is brought to them, snakes don't really need to move around much generally speaking. I do take my big garters out occasionally in the yard and just let them go for it, "running" all over the place until they are worn out. That's just to keep them in shape.

But for the most part, when snakes are "home" in their tanks, they like to feel somewhat confined, perhaps cornered in a way, and under cover rather than in a big wide open space.

After I let my snakes "run" they actually seem relieved to be back in their confined space where they feel safe.