Seasonal variation in diet?

[Stefan-A]

Has anybody else here noticed some sort of seasonal variation in what type of food your garters prefer? I've only had garters for a relatively short while, but I'm fairly certain I already see some sort of pattern.

I feed mine mice, fish and worms. Worms are available for just a part of the year, so I can't say much about them. But it seems to me that my snakes almost refuse (they are generally reluctant) to eat mice for about four months of the year, October-January, clearly preferring fish. The rest of the year they seem to take mice as readily as fish, maybe even preferring to eat mice.

As I understand it, they do have seasonal dietary variation in the wild. But in captivity..?

[ClosedCasket88]

if you know a retailer that sells nightcrawlers through the winter let me know, thatd b killer

[Thamnophis]

I have not noticed this with my animals.
Maybe this is because I feed my gartersnakes always with two or three different food-items. Every feeding they get a pinkie, some smelt and some pieces of chickenheart. And so every now and then they get worms and/or other fishpieces.

But I will watch them better to see if some specimen have changing preferences during the season.

[Stefan-A]

I try to give ft mice as a first option and if they refuse, I offer them fish. And this time of year, a lot of mice go to waste but almost no fish. Scenting doesn't help either.

[abcat1993]

if you know a retailer that sells nightcrawlers through the winter let me know, thatd b killer

our hardware store sells them.

[ClosedCasket88]

and what state would that b?

[GarterGuy]

Haven't really noticed this with my pair of T.s.concinnus. They seem to always take the prey the same no matter what the season is.

[Cazador]

I've occasionally noticed that if I rely on one type of food for a long time, then they occasionally become more finicky. Then I have to switch to something else, but I haven't noticed a seasonality to it. I haven't really looked for a pattern beyond how long I feed one item, though.

[ssssnakeluvr]

Walmart and Kmart have nightcrawlers in the sporting goods sections...fishermen like to fish all year!!!! I haven't noticed any seasonal changes in appetites. I try to get mine eating rodents on a permanent basis and they do fine on that...I usually can get problem feeders to take rodents if they like worms...has worked better than fish most of the time with me...

[snakeman]

My flame female always refuses mice around sept. oct..After that she will only take nightcrawlers.I stuck her in the fridge early so I would not have to deal with that.She is the only one out of 17 easterns I have that gives me problems.