found this on kingsnake

[Charlet_2007]

He was WC... My cat almost killed him... If he was out in the wild whats to say he did eat crickets or any bugs for that matter... I know he loves toads but anything you look up on them it says they eat small crickets and toads and such... Come on there's not pinky mice that show up magically every time a garter gets hungry lol .. I'm pretty sure they can digest the exo skeloton or we wont have them our in the wild today...

[vwsrcool]

ive never had a problem with feeding goldfish to my snakes, i never knew they were bad for them.

we used to get goldfish all the time until they got to expensive, i think they were $10 for 100. now we buy minnows buy the pound from the bait shop, depending on there size you get 250 - 300 minnows for $14.

when we did feed them goldfish that wasnt all they got. we feed worms, fish, mice, frogs, toads, salamanders and tadpoles. we feed them worms, mice and fish all the time and the amphibians when they can be caught.

back to the point they allways did fine with the goldfish, but i guess i will make sure to stay away from them now.

what do you guys think???

[drache]

I remember that I used to feed goldfish to my first garters
they didn't live very long
not sure what they died of
back then I most likely made a host of other mistakes too

the thing is
once you know something's not good, it makes more sense to avoid it

[brandon0133]

well ive read yes and no on that one,,,i feed them every once in awhile to my garters and they love them,,,and i dont see any harm in a few now and then,,,maybe if u fed them that all the time and nothing else then i could see it messing with ure diet,,,but its like someone on a diet that eats one hamburger,,,it aint going to mess there whole diet up unless they eat them all the time,,IMO

[rancor_]

well ive read yes and no on that one,,,i feed them every once in awhile to my garters and they love them,,,and i dont see any harm in a few now and then,,,maybe if u fed them that all the time and nothing else then i could see it messing with ure diet,,,but its like someone on a diet that eats one hamburger,,,it aint going to mess there whole diet up unless they eat them all the time,,IMO

Its nothing like eating a hamburger. Unless we're talking a burger laced with e. coli . Its not the nutritional content thats the issue, read closer...its thiaminase. there is no arguable reason to feed a something a toxic food when other options are available. The guy who bred my garters starts them on worms, and switchs to mice as soon as theyll take them. My male was born in july 07 and after 10-12 worm meals with me, has just taken a cut up pinkie tonight. Mice are a complete food item and IMO, there isnt any reason to supliment with fish, worms salamander ect...
In closing, DONT FEED THEM GOLDFISH....theyre snakes not oscars.

[Charlet_2007]

i wouldn't even feed my Oscars gold fish.. they have hole in the head disease...

[vwsrcool]

ok i guess i wont do the goldfish thing anymore, but i was just stating that i have feed goldfish for years with no ill effects.

if mice are considered a complete diet for garters, as long as they are getting mice why not give them a variety as extra stimulation? i know if i lived in a glass cage my entire life i wouldnt want to eat the same thing every day.

when i had a black rat snake years ago mice was his main diet, it also go baby chickens, baby quail and toads.

my point is i have always tried to make my pets lives better ( or at least i think so ) by feeding them variety, and changing the items in there cages every few weeks.

am i wrong for thinking that way?

[Lori P]

Ben, I agree, variety is important. We restrict their lives so much, the least we can do is give them some interest in their meals. As long as everything is healthy and they are happy to eat a variety, I think it's a great idea.

[RZL36]

I tried feeding my snakes variety. The only thing I got out of it was a love for garters. Everytime I look at them I think, "I can't believe you were gonna be food."

[Lori P]

LOL Rich! And they look at you and think, "I can't belive he was gonna use us for food!! Quick, someone poop on him!!" LOL