Vits

[Lulu Bennett]

jut got back from the pet store for some vits and calcium for my baby tetras for when they have worms. They baffled my head like crazy with a load of different ones. he also said sprinkling a bit of powdered cuttle fish on the worm will be good enough. what vits are needed to be used with worms?
thanks guys xxx

[Stefan-A]

I think the main problem with worms was the lack of calcium. Or the phosphorous to calcium ratio, really.

edit:

I don't want to sound like I'm going on a worm-bashing trip, here. They're a fine food, but they should be supplemented with vitamins, minerals, and occasionally other foods. A bit of variety, however, is good advise with any diet.

With that said, worms have a low concentration (density) of nutrients/compounds associated with skeletal formation & maintenance, neural development & maintenance, vision, and digestion. It's true that snakes can make MANY of these chemicals for themselves, but a diet consisting of vertebrates "provides" these nutrients without the need for extra processing. This alone, can make a big difference to snakes dealing with the stresses of captivity.

Worms also have to "conform" to their environment, which can expose them to a lifetime of harmful chemicals (i.e. fertilizers, pesticides, petroleum byproducts...). On the other hand, they can be fed well, kept in clean soil, and be an excellent part of a varied diet.

Finally, they have a high water content, so you have to feed a lot of worms to provide enough calories & nutrients to keep garters satisfied. Fish, on the other hand, have more complex physiologies that are more similar to that of snakes, and they provide more nutrients per unit mass. Healthy, well-fed mammals are even more nutritious. If this sounded too negative on worms, please reread the first paragraph.

[adamanteus]

Powdered cuttlefish is a good supplement to use if you're using worms exclusively (or extensively) Any one of the proprietory multi-vitamins manufactured for reptiles will suffice. If you're spoilt for choice, maybe let price guide you and go for an expensive one! Don't overdo things though, you don't need to add supplements to every meal. If you can get your snakes onto pinkies the only supplement you need to use is the cuttlefish.

[drache]

If you can get your snakes onto pinkies the only supplement you need to use is the cuttlefish.

I'm confused
why would you need to supplement with cuttlefish, if you're feeding pinkies?
don't they already provide sufficient amounts of calcium?

[KITKAT]

I would think so... their stomachs are full of milk, and their bones, while not as hard and dense as adult mice, would provide calcium.

But maybe she was referring to feeding other things, such as earthworms.

[adamanteus]

I'm confused
why would you need to supplement with cuttlefish, if you're feeding pinkies?
don't they already provide sufficient amounts of calcium?

Being babies, their bones are not fully developed, thus contain less calcium. A little extra help can't hurt.

[Lulu Bennett]

thanks guys. i tried my tetras on a bit of scented rat pup (i had a load spare as sissle wont eat them lol) so i gave them that with a few worms still wriggling and they ate most of the chopped rat pup i gave them. quite chuffed with that and they looked alot more full than what they did with worms lol

[Sputnik]

Glad you asked that question, Lou. I was in a reptile shop yesterday and was wondering the same thing myself. I also had no idea if £6 for a bottle of vitamin spray was a lot of money or not.

[CrazyHedgehog]

Just to add my two pence worth... ...

I feed mainly on mice/pinks alternating with trout...and the odd worms for a treat..but I rarely use calcium unless they are not eating the mice....

If a garter snake in the wild saw a worm, a slug or a tadpole, it wouldn't stop to find its calcium salt shaker....it would just eat it....

what I am trying to say is do not worry too much if you are feeding a varied diet,
only if you are only feeding fish or only worms would I add a suppliment.

be careful because I think the opposite is just as harmful, you can add too much vitamin

[adamanteus]

be careful because I think the opposite is just as harmful, you can add too much vitamin

I think that is a very good point. Perhaps less so for the calcium, which the snake can pass, but over use of multi-vitamins might well be dangerous.