Posted by:
casichelydia
at Wed Aug 31 22:02:42 2005 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by casichelydia ]
I like fish very much as food for Thamnophis. For many individuals that work with other more naturally rodent-oriented snakes, fish may not be nearly so convenient as they are for me.
In the case of baby garters, small, as-clean-as-possible worms are obviously a great choice, but come with the aforementioned risk factor that can be very difficult to assess or control.
As for fish, nematode and fluke parasites are the main pathogens with which to be concerned. Fortunately, since aquaculture has concerned itself with the well-being of our foodfishes for many years, we have options. Some fish flakes and mashes (powder for fry) are manufactured in a medicated state to rid fish of these problems. If one was to set up a thirty or fifty gallon tub for minnows, they could be maintained untill clean to serve as a practical (and far more nutritionally realistic for valuable, growing young) food source for neonatal Thamnophis than are mouse tails.
Another option is to manipulate parasites with a generational approach. Whether fish are caught from a ditch or bought from a top-notch aquarium shop, they have the potential for carrying the above pathogens. Fortunately, there is no dearth in the ornamental fish trade of easy-to-breed fishes that can serve the purpose of snake food production. Once guppies, mollies, platies, swordtails and mosquitofish reproduce, the offspring can normally be considered clean if quickly removed from the parents. F1 generation babies can serve as a quick-growing, very practical food or can be raised themselves to serve as safe breeders.
With this kind of approach, Thamnophis are unlikely to encounter the ontogenetic difficulties that a steady diet of mouse tails could inflict. When one is considering raising these snakes to breed in turn, the effects of a positive ontogenetic development early in life becomes of crucial concern. There would be little difficulty (so long as one set up fish production ahead of time to account for the potentially huge litters Thams can throw) in taking a fish-based dietary approach until the snakes are large enough to consume an entire pinky. Just options.
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fish solutions for better baby snakes - casichelydia, Wed Aug 31 22:02:42 2005