What to feed baby garters?

[Eli419]

Well I dont own one myself, but I saw a baby albino checkered garter snake at PetCo. It was sooo teeny tiny, much to small for pinkies. So what do they eat? It was so adorable I may just have to get one haha.

 

[Tavia]

Guppies and nightcrawlers are some good foods for garters. Here is a good care sheet, along with a list of good foods and foods to avoid.
http://www.thamnophis.com/index.php?page=caresheet

 

[Rich Z]

Back when I was a kid I caught a huge garter snake that happened to be gravid. Boy was I shocked when I woke up to find zillions of baby snakes crawling around in that cage!

Anyway, what I fed the babies was pieces of earthworms that I cut to appropriate size. Worked like a champ. Actually, now that I think of it, that was the first time EVER that I had been able to get any snakes to feed at all. Prior to that I had tried to keep queen snakes and I never could get them to eat anything. Yeah, that was a LONG time ago.....

 

[Tavia]

We had that happen too, was out catching grasshoppers to feed to our mantids when my brother and I were about 11 and 13 and the neighbors thought we were looking for snakes and gave us this big ol' garter snake they had caught. We named it a boy name and kept it a nearly two years, until one day I walked in and there were 11 little garter strings all over the cage, had to have been retained sperm from a breeding prior to being caught. That was enough for our long suffering mom, who doesn't really like snakes, and she made us release them at a nearby marshy area. We didn't attempt trying to get them to eat though.

 

[Eli419]

Guppies and nightcrawlers are some good foods for garters. Here is a good care sheet, along with a list of good foods and foods to avoid.
http://www.thamnophis.com/index.php?page=caresheet

Ohh ok. I was just curious, but I think I'd like to have one in the future so thanks for the link! I'll be sure to take a look at it.

 

[Eli419]

Anyway, what I fed the babies was pieces of earthworms that I cut to appropriate size. Worked like a champ.

Oh that's cool. Haven't heard of snakes eating earthworms. Thx

 

[Afrederi]

My mum used to keep them as pets. Pretty sure she fed them worms and other bugs. I think they feed on fish too.

 

[Eli419]

Are you supposed to feed them live fish?

 

[Chip]

Either live or thawed fish will be taken eagerly by most garters. Just avoid goldfish.

 

[Eli419]

Ok thank you