Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just came into the care of a very small (4 inches long) baby garter snake. It was wild caught. I work for an organization that does educational programs for kids, so it will be very neat for the kids to get to see this unusual animal.

I have the tank all set up with everything I need (water, bedding, hiding places, etc). I work with many other snakes, so this was all quite easy. My dilemma is with what to feed such a small snake. I have read about earthworms and feeder goldfish, but these will all be too big for the little thing!

Could someone who has cared for very small garters please let me know the best food for them?

Try feeder guppies. They're the perfect size for even the tiniest babies. Just a word of caution though, you should visually inspect the guppies before feeding them to your snake. Sometimes they'll carry parisitic nematode worms.

You can also get a dozen small minnows at a bait store and cut one up into TINY bite-sized pieces. That's what I started mine on, and it worked really well. Please keep us posted, and post some pics if you can. Let us know if both heads are able to eat, or just one. Sometimes the two-headed ones can't seem to eat at all...hope yours does great! Let us know. Duffy

I'd love to see a pic of him/her (or possibly both ) Also, what kind of garter is it? Personally I start them off with pieces of worm and switch them to mice as soon as possible. Good luck, Scott.
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Well, I took the guppie suggestion.... however, the little snake (who we now call Medusa) seems pretty uninterested. I tried putting one into the water dish he has (as recommended by the pet store). Is it possible that he just isn't hungry right now?
He didn't even want to be near the water, much less in it!

As for the heads, one is definitely dominant, but they both flick out their little tounges! I'm interested to see him/her eat. As I have the little guy longer, I'll keep his progress posted!

If he (they?) don't eat the guppies today or tomorrow, try cutting some fish up and offering it. You can cut up a guppy or a minnow. Sometimes the smell/taste of the blood, etc. will stimulate them to eat. A little garter should not go too many days without eating, and you really want to try to keep that unique speciman alive. Ask any and all questions you need. Lots of us are wanting to see Medusa make it. Duffy

It's possible that your baby snake is still adjusting and is just nervous about eating in front of you. Try putting it in a small empty tank with no substrate (small critter keepers are perfect). Find the smallest water dish and fill it up halfway with water. If the water dish is too large and the water's too deep, then the baby will have a very difficult time catching its food. You should also put more than just one guppy into the dish. Fill it up with a whole bunch of them. This will increase the snakes chances of grabbing a fish once it decides to feed. Put this entire setup in a quiet room without a lot of foot traffic. If you decide to sit there and watch it feed, make sure that you don't move around too much. Nervous animals are easily distracted by outside movement. Also, make sure that the room is fairly warm. Snakes will often refuse to eat if the temps are too cool.

Thanks for your support guys.....

So far, I have tried feeding twice. The first night, I put just one guppy in the water dish in the terrarium. No interest at all.

Last night, I tried putting four guppies in a shallow water dish and then placing the snake in with them. Let me tell you... this little snake did not like the water! I finally worried about the less dominant head swallowing water or something (it was submerged way more than the dominant head) so I returned him to his tank.

I guess tonight I will try to put all the guppies in with him and see if he'll eat. If not, I may try cutting them up and feeding that way.

I am very thankful of all the advice. This is my first time with a young snake! All the others I work with are very large and they LOVE to eat!

I know I just posted, but I had to write right back!

I decided to cut up one guppy before I left for work just so I wouldn't be so worried.

Well, Munch munch.... down it went. It took a couple minutes to coax him into it, but after he ate the first bite, he was ready for the second. It looks like he can swallow with no trouble at all. So far, only the dominant head showed interest in eating, but maybe I'll try another one later tonight.

I'm so excited!!!

Can someone let me know how much and how often I should let him eat. Can I feed him until he isn't interested or should I do a schedule... like one guppy each day?

Thanks in advance!

GREAT! I thought the taste of cut up fish might do it. Garters digest fish pretty fast, so I would feed him every day or two.
The amount depends on the size of the snake, and the size of the guppy. For example...if the whole guppy might create a slight lump in your snake (if eaten whole, which is not happening right now, but just for example) then one would be OK. If one guppy seems like barely a morsel, two or three might do.
Right now, the important thing is that he is eating. I would feed several easy to swallow chunks. If he's pretty little, every day is OK. When he gets a little bigger, maybe every other day. Keep us posted, especially let us know if the other head ever eats. Congratulations on such a rare animal. Duffy

Well,
I am pleased to say that after the first day that he ate, Medusa now gobbles up the whole guppies. He ate five of them tonight (granted, they are pretty small), and I think he might have eaten more. I'll offer a couple more tomorrow and see how he does.

The only response I get from the second head is a little tounge flicking every now and then...... maybe things will change with time.

I'll keep everyone posted!