Other things to feed your snake?

[hissies]

What sorts of things do you/can you feed besides silversides, worms, tilapia, trout, salmon, and pinkies?

I've seen a couple threads mentioning meat- what kinds, organs, muscle meat?

Is there anything you can buy from bait shops that might be a good treat? Leeches seem to pop up a bit in lists of garters' natural diets. Has anyone tried using them? Share your sources if you know of a reasonable place to buy things from online!

I'm aware it's not good to offer things you've gone out and caught due to parasites and toxins in the environment.

What about something like this: Can O Snails - 1.7 oz. | ThatPetPlace.com

[infernalis]

I doubt you could get a garter snake to eat canned snails.

I'm afraid I don't understand. Snakes are not like humans, variety on the supper plate is of little interest.

Several people here do very well with just a rodent diet.

As for "meat" whole prey items are far more nutritionally complete.

Reptiles utilize virtually everything from whole prey, when you start feeding hunks of meat or organs, many necessary nutrients including the calcium from skeletons is missing from the meal.

[Stefan-A]

I doubt you could get a garter snake to eat canned snails.

As it happens, I do have a can o snails and today is feeding day.

[infernalis]

As it happens, I do have a can o snails and today is feeding day.

Yours will eat them?

[kimbosaur]

Both my snakes eat them. One took to them immediately, and the other needed a little scenting.

[Stefan-A]

Yours will eat them?

Haven't tested them yet. I really only have two snakes that I know will take invertebrates.

Just gave each a dish of snails. One appears to be circling the dish, although it's possible that it's picking up some residual scent from previous fish meals. I don't see any takers and the snails smell like everything else that's been canned.

I do have two other snakes in lego mode, but it wouldn't be fair to test the snails on them.

[d_virginiana]

I like keeping a small variety around like fish, worms, and pinkies just because mine will randomly decide to stop eating one food item and suddenly go crazy for another. I probably wouldn't try to get them eating something more complicated like chicken livers or egg whites (I think there have been threads about those in the past) just because it would require scenting to get them to even try it, and I don't want them to think that something I don't have on hand often is something they can hunger-strike for.

[infernalis]

I do have two other snakes in lego mode.

I remember that post well.

[hissies]

I'm afraid I don't understand. Snakes are not like humans, variety on the supper plate is of little interest.

Interesting, I was under the impression that a varied diet was a good thing! If not for the snake's culinary interest so much as the potential nutritive value.

Primarily, I'm asking out of curiosity. Garters seem so versatile in what they can eat, I was wondering if any keepers feed something outside the "standard".

The snails caught my eye because I've seen slugs brought up on several occasions, yet wild-caught food is discouraged.

[guidofatherof5]

Years ago I tried the can-o-snailes. Most of my snakes refused to eat them.

I do give a treat now and then of turkey heart and turkey liver usually around Christmas and New Years when they are available in bulk.