Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello
I notice few here feed pinkies . Why feed garters pinkies at all ?
Isnt their natural diet fish,amphibians .

thanks

Parasites can be transferred to snakes by feeding them fish and amphibians. Pinkies are a "clean" captive-produced food item and they are nutritionally complete. In addition, many amphibians are protected by state laws and cannot be legally collected and "farm raised" feeder fish often contain chemicals that are toxic.

Tim

Okay thanks. I was suprised to read that they even took pinkies.

mice are part of the garters diet....they eat fish, amphibians, worms, slugs, rodents, leeches, and have been known to eat roadkilled animals (I have seen pics of them eating flattened toads and birds). Pinkies provide a clean parasite free and highly nutritious meal.

I can certainly see how pinkies are parasite free but wouldnt think they are naturally part of a garters diet.

If anything I would imagine very rare if ever when a garter came across pinkies not only due to season but adult mice could kill a garter defending the nest.

Again I can see how people would feed pinkies now as true disease free and easy to obtain plus I rather use that than the horrid feeder fish usually sold .

Garters have been 'hitting" my pond left and right (I have "zillion" little fish)other than today as its chilly mid 50s .
However no albino garters lol . I couldnt imagine pinkies till read the forum here

Hi.
I feed young mice because they are a "clean" food source, as the others have said, and also because they are convieniant, and my garters seem to grow very well on them. They seem to grow well with less frequent feedings with rodents too, in my experience.
Not all garter species do take rodents naturally, but many/most can be converted to take them through scenting the rodent with their prefered foods like guppys or frogs. After several feedings, they slowly begin to recognize rodents as part of their diet.
I have 6 different types of garters, plus a ribbon, and they all will take rodents, but 2 of them still ned minor scenting.
I keep an ice cube tray in the freezer with a few guppies per cube. At feeding time, I thaw a cube, feed the garter a guppy first, to get him in feeding mode, then offer a pink scented with another guppy.

That was very interesting info thank you very much

>>Hello
>> I notice few here feed pinkies . Why feed garters pinkies at all ?
>> Isnt their natural diet fish,amphibians .
>>
>> thanks

- Depending on the species, mice may very well be a part of their natural diet.
- Complete meals
- Minimal parasite risk
- Easy to breed
- Easy to come by
- Cheap
- Local laws prohibit the collection of wild amphibians

I've never had a snake that didn't take mice without scenting.
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0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis (CB'05)
0.2 Thamnophis elegans vagrans (CB'07)
0.1 Thamnophis sirtalis tetrataenia (CB'07)