Feeding problems

[Brittany26]

I have an almost 10 yr/old garter snake and he has always been an avid feeder, unless in hibernation. He only eats frozen pinkies, up until 5-6 weeks ago when I introduced night crawlers into his diet. About 3-4 weeks ago is when he refused to eat the pinkies and night crawlers. I was worried about his health so I bought him 5 rosy reds (I know they're bad but he use to eat these for the first couple years of his life and the store had no Guppies). He ate all 5 of them so I figured he was back to normal, until today when I tried feeding him a pinky which he wouldn't eat. I looked in his cage and I have seen little to no poop, other than a small grey spot of poop. Here is a picture of his cage and the grey poop.

[Albert Clark]

Hi, nice setup and nice garter! What temperatures are you keeping him at? I see the lamp but what wattage bulb is in there? Has anything changed in the enclosure and did you hibernate him recently?

[Brittany26]

Hi, nice setup and nice garter! What temperatures are you keeping him at? I see the lamp but what wattage bulb is in there? Has anything changed in the enclosure and did you hibernate him recently?

Thanks for the compliment! His bulb is 50W and I turn it on and off throughout the day, so it's hard to say the exact temps. I try not to let it get over 85-89 and it stays around 80. there is also a heating pad on the right side. I kept his lamp on this past winter so he did not hibernate, but he has hibernated before. The only thing I changed in his cage is the water bowl, which I made smaller so he has more room. Also, a new behavior of my snake is that he has been burrowing under the aspen bedding most of the time these past few weeks on the cool side.

[guidofatherof5]

You could trying scenting the pinky mice with the scent of the fish.

[d_virginiana]

I have to scent mice with fish to get my blind 16 year old guy to eat. I use the frozen silversides they sell at petsmart and usually I cut the fish in two and use the insides to scent it since the smell is stronger; you might not have to cut them up if that bothers you, the stronger smell just seems to help because my guy can't see.

[Brittany26]

I have to scent mice with fish to get my blind 16 year old guy to eat. I use the frozen silversides they sell at petsmart and usually I cut the fish in two and use the insides to scent it since the smell is stronger; you might not have to cut them up if that bothers you, the stronger smell just seems to help because my guy can't see.

wow 16? I thought mine was old! and I might have to end up doing that. I just don't understand why he would all of a sudden refuse to eat pinkies, he has loved them for years now and always wanted more. maybe he's coming to an end for his age? other than the food problem he is active when I get him out and seems healthy and drinks water from my faucet.

[Albert Clark]

Thanks for the compliment! His bulb is 50W and I turn it on and off throughout the day, so it's hard to say the exact temps. I try not to let it get over 85-89 and it stays around 80. there is also a heating pad on the right side. I kept his lamp on this past winter so he did not hibernate, but he has hibernated before. The only thing I changed in his cage is the water bowl, which I made smaller so he has more room. Also, a new behavior of my snake is that he has been burrowing under the aspen bedding most of the time these past few weeks on the cool side.

Well, it sounds like he's been doing pretty good in your care. The heat pad you are using is connected to a thermostat right? The heating capacitance needs to be controlled. The bulb on the same side as the heating pad may make it quite uncomfortable for him. That is something that needs to be checked. You may want to invest in a infra red temperature gun to check the surface temps on the glass above your heat pad and to keep track of the other surface temperatures in the enclosure. Checkered garters are a southwestern species but they should be kept at temps in the mid to upper 80's. Their hot basking temp should be 88f -90f. You will need to keep track of the humidity as well. I keep my checkereds at a 55% humidity.
Also, if he's burrowing on the cool side as a new behavior there is a possibility the heat pad is creating a hot zone that is at a dangerous level if it's not on a thermostat.

[Brittany26]

Well, it sounds like he's been doing pretty good in your care. The heat pad you are using is connected to a thermostat right? The heating capacitance needs to be controlled. The bulb on the same side as the heating pad may make it quite uncomfortable for him. That is something that needs to be checked. You may want to invest in a infra red temperature gun to check the surface temps on the glass above your heat pad and to keep track of the other surface temperatures in the enclosure. Checkered garters are a southwestern species but they should be kept at temps in the mid to upper 80's. Their hot basking temp should be 88f -90f. You will need to keep track of the humidity as well. I keep my checkereds at a 55% humidity.
Also, if he's burrowing on the cool side as a new behavior there is a possibility the heat pad is creating a hot zone that is at a dangerous level if it's not on a thermostat.

My heating pad doesn't have a thermometer, but I usually only use it in the winter time and turn it off when the weather warms up (I turned it off for good today). and he never burrows on the side with the pad.
Also, is it okay to use rosy reds to scent the pinkies with even though they aren't that safe for snakes? pet smart is pretty far from my house sadly and those are one of my few options

[Albert Clark]

My heating pad doesn't have a thermometer, but I usually only use it in the winter time and turn it off when the weather warms up (I turned it off for good today). and he never burrows on the side with the pad.
Also, is it okay to use rosy reds to scent the pinkies with even though they aren't that safe for snakes? pet smart is pretty far from my house sadly and those are one of my few options

Your heating pad will need a thermostat not a thermometer when you decide to plug it back in. Thermometers measure temperatures and THERMOSTATS regulate temperatures. That will be very important. Petco and Petsmart sell the simple thermostats for reasonably affordable prices. Snakes usually go off food for several reasons and the top three are husbandry, seasonal with a desire to breed, and illness and or injury. As far as the seasonal issues, it seem males typically will go off food more so than females. As far as illness issues, you have to look, listen, and feel for suspicious sights and sounds along with any abnormalities on or in the animals body. That grey colored defecation you pictured in the initial post from your garter, i think is bc he hasn't eaten. I would monitor the color and consistency if it continues after he resumes feeding. Rosy reds are not the preferred fish to feed but for scenting it should be ok. As a alternative you could use a piece of fresh ocean perch, salmon, or tilapia to scent also.

[d_virginiana]

First, I want to second Albert's recommendation of a thermostat. You NEED to have one to regulate heat pads. It causes burns on bigger animals like pythons, but based on what I was told after the fact, an unregulated thermostat likely caused organ damage and eventual death of a garter I was keeping (it was a breeding loan, and the snake's owner had an unregulated heat pad in the tank prior to loaning her to me for breeding season).

Sometimes mine will go extremely long periods only eating one thing and refusing to eat other foods they usually eat with no problem. Just try to find something he'll eat, and then move to scenting whatever he usually eats.