Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a wc eastern garter caught in Ashland, VA. The area he came from has no standing water so I don't believe he ever ate any small fish. He loves night crawlers so I buy them from a bait and tackle shop. Should I offer supplements with them? I feed him every 3-4 days since he wont take pinks.

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2.4 ball pythons
1.1 sand boas
1.2 corn snakes
1.0 southern plains rat
1.1 black rat snakes
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog
1.0 wc eastern garter

Yes, supplements are recommended. A crawlers only diet is bound to leave him short on calcium. Try scenting the pinkies with crawlers, frogs or fish. Are you offering those pinkies living or killed? I'd imagine that him being a wc, he'd be inclined to go after anything moving. If you haven't tried fish yet, try it anyway.

Makes sense about using live pinks. I tried f/t but he didn't take to it. Thanks
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2.4 ball pythons
1.1 sand boas
1.2 corn snakes
1.0 southern plains rat
1.1 black rat snakes
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog
1.0 wc eastern garter

First of all... I recommend you not feeding him worms on that substrate. It will EASILY stick to the worm, and the snake can/will ingest it, which is not good.

Second of all.... Getting the snake on mice will not be the least bit difficult. Get it accustomed to eating worms from your hand. After 3-4 feedings like that, offer it a pinky you covered in worm slime and it most likely will take it. Keep offering pinkies like that and after probably 4-10 more feedings it will just take unscented.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 7/29!!!
www.captivebredforum.com

I agree about the substrate. I know it's hard to see in the pic but he is in a large deli container eating the night crawlers. I watch him while he eats to make sure he doesn't drag them out onto the aspen. I like your advice on the pinks and will try that this week. Thanks.
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2.4 ball pythons
1.1 sand boas
1.2 corn snakes
1.0 southern plains rat
1.1 black rat snakes
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog
1.0 wc eastern garter

You should have little or no trouble converting your pet to f/t pinks though it may take a little trial and error with scenting.

I do not agree with feeding the snake from your hand. Often times Garters will come to associate the hand with feeding. This situation can solicit a visual feeding response and your snake may easily become a biter. This may not happen with all individual Garters but I have seen it frequently enough and it has occurred with w/c Eastern Garters.
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Randy Hallman
Firehouse Herps

Feeding the snake from your hand will increase the possibility of getting bit...

But after it gets onto pinkies stop feeding it that way...

There are methods other than the hand feeding tricks to get them on mice. For example, offer f/t worms in the same exact spot of the enclosure and after several feedings put a scented mouse there.

The hand feeding one is usually the easiest.
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Mike
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake
Updated 7/29!!!
www.captivebredforum.com

either way is fine. He has already bitten me so many times that a few more times wont matter much. Thanks for all the good advice. I have a few live pinks now and will see if he will take it tonight.
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2.4 ball pythons
1.1 sand boas
1.2 corn snakes
1.0 southern plains rat
1.1 black rat snakes
1.0 striped Cali king
1.0 western hog
1.0 wc eastern garter