Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i post on how to feed an wild caught gartner, i have no idea on how to feed him, i put 2 worms and couple of feeder fish in his water bowl and he still haven't touch them yet! please help; i caught him in iowa which is located in the midwest and i have enclosed some pics of him so you guys can get an idea what kind of gartner he is and what to feed him or how to feed him. if he doesnt eat in the next couple of days i will be force to release him and i really dont want to do that bc he is my first pet snake and is the tamest snake i ever touch so i would really apperciate any tips on feeding him. thankyou

This could be a Thamnophis radix,the Plains Garter snake.

You will have to stop handling the animal. Give it some rest. Make sure that the terrarium is well suited and has many places to hide.
Later, when it is settled, it will show itself more and more.

The most important thing however is that you do not handle it. Let it adjust to its new surroundings.

Normally it will start eating within a week.

A gartersnake can easily without food for a week.
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Dutch Thamnophis Forum

I'm in Central Iowa. Looks like Thamnophis radix, the plains garter, to me, too. The ground color on yours looks lighter than on the ones where I live. I'll hazard a guess that he comes from the western part of the state.

If you have to release him, put him back where you found him.

The most common reason a snake won't eat is because he is too cold. Have you done a search for garter snake care sheets?

My plains garters didn't do well at catching food submerged in water. But they massacred earthworms (aka nightcrawlers, dewworms) that were put on a saucer with a few drops of water to keep them from sticking to the plate.

Good luck.

Paul Hollander

Yeah... same deal with the others. I caught my first snake wild too. Same type as yours. Just make sure you have a few hiding spots in your tank and some water. Once it gets settled in, it should be fine. You'll know when its settled in when it starts to get curious about the tank. It'll come out of its hiding spot more and more often.