Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi guys.. haven't been around in a couple of years, but it's nice to see some familiar names. A few years ago I took in a captive garter(Sly) who had been caught and was being tormented by the neighborhood kids. I should have taken her in my hand, driven to the creek where she was caught and released her, but nooooo....

Anyway... after treating her for mites and having some issues getting heat requirements just right and bugging you guys at every new step she's been doing very well. I can't believe we've had her for two years! FYI... it would have been so much smarter to just purchase a healthy captive bred snake!

On to the question. I remember there was some "rule" about no more than two food items at a feeding or something like that? She's been eating both minnows and pinkies. Just last week I offered her three pinkies rather than the two she'd been getting. She happily ate them. Again this week she ate three pinkies. I looked at fuzzies a while ago and thought they just looked too big. Should I continue with three pinkies or try switching her to a fuzzy? Or offer pinkies and minnows each week? I usually buy a few days worth of minnows and stock up on frozen pinkies about once a month or so.

Thanks & nice seeing you all again!

If you have had the snake for two years and it is still doing well, you have most likely developed a "feel" for what the snake needs. That said....There's no hard and fast rule about number of prey items. One larger item usually winds up being less expensive, and I think that's why lots of folks lean in that direction. I have read that two or three smaller items are actually easier to digest...Makes sense...More surface area.
Many would encourage you to drop the minnows out of the diet altogether now that your snake is eating mice. I did. Probably less chance of introducing new parasites with frozen mice rather than live minnows. Keep up the good work. Duffy

I agree with feeding more prey items that are smaller. When I have caught Thamnophis and Nerodia in the wild, I very rarely see a snake that regurgitates just one large food item (as most usually regurgitate when caught). Normally it just a whole mess of small fish, sometimes over 40 or so depending on the snake. A few smaller food items is definitely easier to digest. Andy
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Andy Maddox
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Houston Herp Key
The Reptizone

If you steal in hunger, I will kick you when you try. These stand for me. Name your god and bleed the freak. I'd like to see. How you all would bleed for me.-Alice In Chains