Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just rescued a little baby garter from a cat. The cat never touched the snake but would have if I had not intervened. I have pythons and other colubrids but this is my first wild caught garter. It's hard to tell from the pic, but this little one is thinner than a pencil and about 7" long. I live in Oregon, so finding earth worms and slugs won't be a problem. Just wondering what else you guys feed babies this size to give them the nutrition they need. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance, Eric-

small feeder fish are great, esp. in winter when slugs aren't as easy to find.

Ian

I've got two about the same size (and I'm in Oregon, too) and they won't touch any kind of 'terrestrial' food, they love tadpoles, or feeder fish in winter or fall. Good luck!

Feeder fish are your first choice as this point. As soon as you can you will want to switch it over to pinkies. You may have to scent f/t pinkies at first. If feeding worms you should use a calcium supplement. I would avoid using any amphibians if at all possible as captive Garters have a tendency to build up unhealthy levels of internal parasites acquired from them. This problem exists with fish but to a much lesser degree. A rodent diet is much more nutritious, convenient and far less problematic as far as internal parasites.
-----
Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps