Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have Just aquired a pair of eastern blacknecks, a pair of albino checkereds and a pair of melanistic easterns. After about a months of alomost daily feedings of 3-6 rosies per day they are now at the size where they could take pinkies easily (the easterns could actually take fuzzies as they are quite a bit bigger) I have switched checkereds over in the past with no problems but I have never kept easterns or black necks (I've heard they can be more of a problem to switch)

My question is regarding the feeding of pinkies, and is specifically aimed at those of you (if any) who have fed pinkies exclusively to your garters. Have you experienced any problems in feeding a diet exclusively rodents to a species that has not neccesarily evolved to live on that prey. I know a few people who won't feed their hognoses mice because they feel the snake miss out on something by not getting toads. On the other hand I know people who have fed mice exclusivley and seem to have no problems.

For now, I have no problems feeding rosies but as they grow I will be forced to move on to something larger (I've read good and bad about goldfish) and a mouse diet will fit in nicely with my other colubrids.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Thanks

Steve

hey steve ... I have kept several different garter sub-species in the past including the e.black necks. All of the garters I kept thrived on a strictly rodent diet. I just got back into garters and have 2 small, young colonies of Pacific NW's, Red Spots & Puget Sound. All of them are eating roseys and pinks without hesitation. This time around however, I am going to feed a varied diet. Left to their own devise, garters are pretty much scavengers so I intend on offering salmon, chicken liver, gizzards, etc. Those are my thoughts anyway )

good luck,
mt

Thanks, I read a couple of the excellent websites (scotts for one, and a couple I linked to from his) and it made it pretty clear that an all rodent dieat was fine. Both easterns are getting ready to shed so I think I will wait until they are finished and try to switch them.