Please help me with my garter snake!

[ConcinusMan]

Unless there's frogs available, I think most do.

I can only speak from experience. Take a northwestern garter snake from a habitat far from water, or from a wetland area full of frogs and put them captivity. No difference. Both snakes seem to prefer slugs or worms.

Take a sirtalis from the same wetland habitat, or get one from somewhere else. While the northwesterns will usually ignore the frog, the sirtalis' relish them.

Doesn't seem to matter what kind of habitat the northwestern comes from. While they "get a hair up their..." every once in a while and will eat anything, they are still mainly feeding on worms and/or slugs. If you have northwesterns born in captivity, it seems they will accept with more consistency, anything you offer, especially if you offer "anything" on a continually rotating basis, starting from a couple of months old.

[RedSidedSPR]

No doubt. I wasn't really talking about NW. They werent even in my mind when I said that... garters in general do. Like you said, sirtalis. NW, the worm-lovers are an exception.

Sorry. Should have been more clear.

[kibakiba]

Well amcutem has a NW, so any other species preferences don't matter

[ConcinusMan]

I was thinking it Just so I'm clear, I wasn't saying all of that directed at you Jesse, I was saying it specifically because it's a northwestern that is the subject of this thread.

Since it is a wild caught, and you got it eating anything at all, consider that you just crossed quite a hurdle. In time you can try other tricks. Took me a year to get it to work on Miss Piggy, but cutting off a pinky mouse head and covering it very thoroughly in slug slime (Just irritate the slug and let slime, don't cut the slug) and try offering that to your northwestern after he's already taken a bite of slug and is all worked up into a frenzy. I know, that was kind of rambling but you get the idea.

[katach]

My WC.NW are all eating pinkies. 2 are eating unscented.

[kaseypf]

Hey this is kinda off topic but how do you post a question?

[ConcinusMan]

Hahaha very funny. How original. (not) For posting any random thing, like that post, please use this thread since there is no topic there and you can talk about any random thing. That's what it's there for: http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/gart...t-shh-shh.html

[amcutem]

Hi guys.

Last night I offered him worms. It was pretty tricky again to get him to eat it. I had to rub the slug all over it several times. But eventually after trying to bite the chopstick that smelled most like the slug a couple of times, he missed and took the worm. Lol.

Its true what the other guy said, he seems to love slugs but not worms. Im not sure he even ate worms before becuz he totaly didnt care for them, unlike the slugs.

Today I learned that i can make him follow his food around after he smelled it. I like watching him go vertical. :-)

Also, his more calm now, I can even kiss him and he doesnt hide. Cool

[RedSidedSPR]

Cool indeed. good job. Keep working with worms, he'll learn to like them.

[guidofatherof5]

Glad to hear he's doing better for you.