Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I have a garter snake that will not eat.. He used to eat great up until about 2 months ago.. he suddenly stopped eating.. I tried offering him fish which he used to eat as well.. he doesn't show any signs of being sick.. if anyone has any suggestions please let me know thanks

Check to make sure the temps are still right, try offering small frogs (I beleive garter snakes normally eat frogs in the wild), earthworms, or red wigglers. He may be still in mating season, though I beleive garter snakes would have mated months ago now. Also, has anything changed in his tank since he stopped eating? Stress could be part of it. Have you been monitoring his weight? Snakes can lose alot of weight without any noticeable signs of weight loss. A vet check may be necessary, especially if you can get a recent stool sample (which is hard to get, since he hasn't eaten in months).

Well.. there hasn't been any changes since he last ate. The temp in his tank is around 84 (31ºC). He is starting to loose weight, due to not eating. Tommorow i'll try giving him a worm and see if he takes it. If he does not, what kind of frogs are healthy for garter snakes? I've already been told to try frogs because it's thier favorite food.. Also, i've heard it is dangerous to force feed a garter. Im currently force feeding a 8 month old corn snake right now.. Thank you for the info.

Hi again, I tried feeding him worms.. no luck.. I don't know why he wont eat.. I tried mice and fish again yesterday, but he won't eat anything.. He doesn't seem to be getting weak.. Hes a bit skinny though. Well, i'm completely out of ideas.. Is it safe to force feed a garter? Ive heard it can be dangerous for the snake.. Ive force fed other snakes but i was just wondering if its the same as, for say, a corn snake.. Any suggestions would be very helpful