I got a Pugent Sound Gartersnake a few days ago, and I'm wondering how I would go about getting it onto a diet of unscented rodents, if that can be done. I was told at the store that some of them were accepting rodents, but I'm not sure if the one I got (a female almost two feet in lenth) was among them. I bought some nightcrawlers today and some frozen pinkies.
First I offered the snake one of the nightcrawlers and she definitely seemed interested, but I couldn't get her to take it after about five minutes. I wanted to save the worms to scent the mice with, so I put a worm-scented brained pink mouse in and left it. I realize this is a bit soon and I'm not going to worry if she doesn't take it, but I'm used to kings that take mice the day I get them so I figured I'd at least give it a try.
I've converted many garters to mice before at work, but they have been mostly eastern varieties with apparently different dietary preferences. What does everyone here feed their Pickeringii? If I cannot get her to take rodents or other vertebrates, will I need to put UV on the enclosure so she can get vitamin D (I think that's the one)?
-----
- Natalie
(San Francisco Bay Area)
1.0 Banded California King
1.0 Mexican Black King
1.0 Goini Kingsnake
1.0 Bay of LA Rosy Boa
2.1 Kenyan Sand Boas
1.2 Rubber Boas
0.1 Pickering's Gartersnake

