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My garter isn't eating!

Zany Chimp

Zany Chimp

Harvesting Maniac
I asked about this in the chat last night, and they said to clean my cage out. I did this, but it didn't help. A feeder fish has been in there for days and it isn't getting eaten! Anything else that could be a problem? Any input will be much appreciated.

Thanks.
 
Zany Chimp said:
I asked about this in the chat last night, and they said to clean my cage out. I did this, but it didn't help. A feeder fish has been in there for days and it isn't getting eaten! Anything else that could be a problem? Any input will be much appreciated.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

How big is your garter? How long have you had it? Is it a wild caught? What are your temps? Why did they say to clean your cage out? What kind of Feeder fish do you have?
 
It's a Thamnophis sirtalis (according to webspinners.com) that I bought about a month ago as a baby. I don't have a thermometer nor do I know how to measure it or tell the sex. They said to clean the cage to get rid of a fruit fly infestation. I feed it rosy reds (which it has eaten in the past), and whenever I try to feed it earthworms, they just burrow under. I saw it staring over the side of the water dish, so maybe the feeder fish is too big?
 
Zany Chimp said:
It's a Thamnophis sirtalis (according to webspinners.com) that I bought about a month ago as a baby. I don't have a thermometer nor do I know how to measure it or tell the sex. They said to clean the cage to get rid of a fruit fly infestation. I feed it rosy reds (which it has eaten in the past), and whenever I try to feed it earthworms, they just burrow under. I saw it staring over the side of the water dish, so maybe the feeder fish is too big?
Click to expand...

Ok, sounds like a bit of inpatients here. I would clean the cage ever week, Saturday is always a good snake cleaning day.
Just let the rosies sit in the dish. I use a clear bowl in my cage. I have even gotten my w/c to eat thawed pinks from me. I have to swish it in the water to get its attention. But he gobbles them up with ease.
Let you guy go for a few days. keep an eye on the fish to see if any are missing. Your snake will feed just give it time. Mine has refused for me as well. So this is normal, so don't worry or fret. If your snake looks to be loosing weight well then there may need to see some action done here.
Also listen to Jodu.. she has some really nice Garters herself. Just take a look at Roy Munson's Gretchen thread, she produced that baby.
 
tricksterpup said:
Ok, sounds like a bit of inpatients here. I would clean the cage ever week, Saturday is always a good snake cleaning day.
Just let the rosies sit in the dish. I use a clear bowl in my cage. I have even gotten my w/c to eat thawed pinks from me. I have to swish it in the water to get its attention. But he gobbles them up with ease.
Let you guy go for a few days. keep an eye on the fish to see if any are missing. Your snake will feed just give it time. Mine has refused for me as well. So this is normal, so don't worry or fret. If your snake looks to be loosing weight well then there may need to see some action done here.
Also listen to Jodu.. she has some really nice Garters herself. Just take a look at Roy Munson's Gretchen thread, she produced that baby.
Click to expand...

Couldn't have said it better myself ;)

Garters can and do often refuse feeds. If your garter is going into shed it may not eat. Last year I found my babies ate much better if I used a glass feeding dish. Some like to see the fish swimming, others like to see it flopping around.

I can't tell from your posts but it sounds like the snake has eaten for you in the past and that you are feeding in the cage and that the cage has substrate in it. If the snake has eaten relax, they can miss a few meals without worry. If you are trying to feed worms on the substrate forget it. They will burrow. You need to put them on some sort of plate. I use tupperware tops. But I like feeding fish and getting them on to pinks as soon as possible.

You do need to check the temps in the cage if you are using a heater of some sort. You can accidentally overheat your snake and if it is too cold the snake will not eat.

Good luck
 
How long has it been? That part seems to be missing.

I've never been able to get my garters (Fl. Blues) to eat pinks for the life of me, but they'll take trout and salmon from tongs, so I go that route (you can often get small scraps like this from meat markets for free).

You should at least have a basking spot of 85F, and let the rest of the cage cool down to room temps.
 
My garter shed!

It shed last night! The skin came off cleanly and about 16" long!
 

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There is a stretch factor- the snake itself will always be a bit shorter than the shed skin. Congrats tho... I just had one of mine shed, and I hung it from the ceiling of my basement. :)
 
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