Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi , i have two garters , one possibly male and one possibly female , i have them for nearly 2 two years.

I have seperated them recently , to give one to my friend ( the male ) who does quite fine in his new home.

HOwever , my female , who has been eating a lot for the last month's and growing astonishingly , has stopped eating for nearly a month now. I have read that before giving birth , female garters stop eating. Any cue if it might be that ? I have no idea if she is pregnant or not , i know the male tried to mate a few time before his departure , usually when the female had shed , but she didn't seem too receptive to me . . .

She stopped eating about around the same time the male left. I was wondering what might be the cause of her attitude , for i am become anxious to see her have lunch again. She is slowly thinning and hasn't shed in a while either.

My garters did not brumate , i wondered if she might , after a few months of savage eating , be starving herself , in order to recreate her hibernation cycle in certain way. Or is it because she misses company !?

she is about 65 cm long and quite wide.

Well friend there are several causes for the snakes refusal to accept food,
1) The snake may indeed be gravid- although most temperate species of snakes especially garters require an overwinter hibernation to induce the production of the sex cells.
2) The snake may be experiencing a lack of appetite due to improper husbandry- be sure your temperature is correct. If the temp is too low, the snake may stop eating in anticipation of hibernation. I have also read that a reduction in photoperiod can also cause snakes to "prepare" for hibernation.
3) The snake may indeed have a disease of some sort. Only a vet can diagnose an illness here.
A snakes refusal to eat is always a symptom, it is not a disease. Snakes refuse food because something is wrong. My suggestion is to go over your husbandry techniques and be sure they are correct. If the snake still refuses after this, take it to a local herp vet.

My guess would be that she gonna have babies...........let us know.....thanks, chris

If you can rule out disease, improper care, and pregnancy, then chalk it up to the snake just "doesn't feel like" eating.

My garter just started eating again after a 329-day fast. I had switched him over to adult f/t mice a year ago and he doubled his weight, so he had plenty of reserve. I monitored his weight closely and even brumated him. Now he's back to normal.
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Chris McMartin
www.mcmartinville.com
I'm Not a Herpetologist, but I Play One on the Internet

well , this is all reassuring , i don't think there is a cause of illness involved , to see they sometimes stop eating for a reason or another is okay i guess only time will say , she seems otherwise normal , so if i get babies , i'll post pics , thanks for the info ,all those who replied

well , my garter finally ate , if lightly , after a month and a half break .