Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I run a taxi repair shop. We got a load of Crown Vics in from out of state. As we were pulling the cars in the back, a very small gartner snake fell from the bottom and started slithering away. I ofcourse picked it up before anyone killed it. I can't let it go right now, it's below freezing. I will though take care of it for the winter and release it in spring. But how the heck do I feed it? I got 6 other snakes, 5 geckos, and a tarantula. But I have no idea what to feed this small snake. It's maybe 6" long and maybe 1/4" round. I tried mealworms with no luck. What can I feed it? This snake it SO small. Any help would be appreciated.
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1.0 Normal Ball Python (adopted from animal rescue)
0.1 Pied Ball Python
1.0 Pastel Ball Python
1.1 Columbian Red Tails
0.1 Cal Kingsnake
1.1 Normal Leopard Geckos
1.1 Albino Leopard Geckos
1.0 Tremper Super Giant from Ron himself
0.1 Tarantula from Grandmas house YEARS ago
1.0 Crazy owner

The perfect food for baby garters are feeder guppies. They're just the right size. You could also try really small earthworms, or try cutting a larger one into smaller pieces. Do not give it the wiry bloodworms that are used for composting however. From what I hear they're supposedly toxic. Also, since you've mentioned that it's really cold where you're at right now, make sure that the snake is in a warm enviroment before you try feeding it. Snakes that are too cold will refuse to feed.

Should I put the feeder guppies in a small water dish? What about substrate?
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1.0 Normal Ball Python (adopted from animal rescue)
0.1 Pied Ball Python
1.0 Pastel Ball Python
1.1 Columbian Red Tails
0.1 Cal Kingsnake
1.1 Normal Leopard Geckos
1.1 Albino Leopard Geckos
1.0 Tremper Super Giant from Ron himself
0.1 Tarantula from Grandmas house YEARS ago
1.0 Crazy owner

Yes, put the guppies in a small dish, and then place the dish in a small bare aquarium or critter keeper without any substrate. Most likely a few of the guppies will end up jumping out of the dish when the snake goes after them, or if the snake grabs one and pulls it out of the dish, you don't want any substrate sticking to the fish. Any accidental ingestion of substrate by the snake could lead to an impacted bowel and possibly its death. It has been my experience that when it comes to feeding, baby garters are usually very skittish. It would be best if you left the snake with the fish in a room alone where it wouldn't be disturbed. If you plan on watching, make sure you sit very still. Any sudden movement by you could cause the snake to freak out and drop its prey and stop eating.

Do you suspect the snake came in on the vehicle from out of state? It would be unethical to ever release it except in the known location of origin. It would also be illegal. In many states it is also illegal to release a snake after it has been in captivity, even in the location of origin. Your best bet is to start looking for a good home for it. Any other option would have negative implications.

You brought up a good point. I have seen these gartners around here. I did call the guy who gets us our cars though. These cars came from California and were sitting in his chicago lot for a little over a month waiting for us to get the room for them. As for being illegal to release it after I hold onto it for the winter.....I'm not too concerned about that. I will show my vet though just to confirm this type of gartner is from our area.
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1.0 Normal Ball Python (adopted from animal rescue)
0.1 Pied Ball Python
1.0 Pastel Ball Python
1.1 Columbian Red Tails
0.1 Cal Kingsnake
1.1 Normal Leopard Geckos
1.1 Albino Leopard Geckos
1.0 Tremper Super Giant from Ron himself
0.1 Tarantula from Grandmas house YEARS ago
1.0 Crazy owner