Feeding

[QuietLunatic]

Okay, I am blatantly ignorant about the care and feeding of snakes of any kind, and it's good that I don't have one yet, because it would suffer horribly as I learned about it. So, learn first, get snake(s) later. The good news is that my kids and I like garter snakes and think they're as cute as can be.

So...what do I feed one? Can I gather some slugs and such from my yard?(please note I do NOT use any chemicals in my yard for any purpose). Is it okay to feed them a mix of commercial and wild prey?

Please help and excuse my ignorance.

[Boots]

So...what do I feed one? Can I gather some slugs and such from my yard?(please note I do NOT use any chemicals in my yard for any purpose). Is it okay to feed them a mix of commercial and wild prey?

Please help and excuse my ignorance.

Hi QuietLunatic,

While I never feed my garters slugs, I can tell you that in the wild, the common garter snake is an opportunistic eater who's diet consist of earthworms, frogs, crayfish, toads, tadpoles, fish, salamanders and even young birds. In the Wild they are not fussy eaters , and will basically feed on whatever is abundant in the area.

In captivity most garter snakes are fed fish, earthworms, and pinkies. A lot of keepers favor mice since they are easy to purchase, and are available in many sizes. Hope the information helps.

Jason

[QuietLunatic]

Thanks, Jason. There's a little pet/aquarium store downtown that I'll have to go check out. My daughter wanted a bunny she saw there. I wonder if she'll settle for a snake. LOL. The thing is, she just might!

[QuietLunatic]

I finally got to talk to my 14 year old daughter and asked her what she thought about a pet snake. She's all for the idea! So long to asking for a bunny!

[Brian]

Slugs are a good prey item (when they come from yards without chemicals like yours) and most garters love them.
They are good for scenting pinkies too since they have so much slime on them.
Just as with worms though, garters need a calcium suplement if fed just worms or slugs. You could give them fish once in a while as a calcium suplement as well.

[Thamnophis]

I give my garter snakes slugs so every now and than.
From my own backyard.