Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi,
I have worked with kingsnakes alot, but never garters or ribbons. A friend of mine gave me a ribbon snake today because he has no room for it. It's feeding on live fish at the moment. He told me to train it on to pinky mice. My question is this: in the tropical fish hobby if you take a fish that eats one kind of protein all the time and feed it another, it ends up sick and dead; will the same thing happen to this ribbon snake? Will it develope some sort of deficiency? Thanks for any help you have to offer,
Mike

If you give the snake fish ànd mice, the problem is solved.
I have never heard of the problem you mentioned by reptiles (or Thamnophis).
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Dutch Thamnophis Forum

Thanks, that makes sense. I asked because mice are much more available. The winters here (in the Eastern ribbonsnake homelands of Western New York) are rough, lots of cold and multiple feet of snow. I live far away from a pet shop and will not necessarily be able to get to one regularly in the winter (roads aren't good alot), so if I buy a winter's worth of mice now my snakes will be good to go- rain or shine, making that seem to be a better course of action if it's not bad for them. So, thanks for your help, I'll do fish when I can and mice when I can't.
Mike

I bought a Ribbon Snake at a pet store several years ago. Mine feeds exclusively on f/t pinky mice about one a week. I usually scent them with goldfish but the snake will also take them if they are just dipped in water. After four years my Ribbon looks and acts healthy and has an excellent appearance. I have over 40 snakes about 16 of which are Thamnophis.
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps