Yesterday my female red-sided garter (high red-pattern snake from KS) had a litter of 16. Today they're starting on cricket frogs. It's a lot of fun to watch their first meal - they tongue-flick and show interest, but if the frog does not move they ignore it. The frog may even sit on the snake's head - but after a while the movement cues trigger a feeding response.
At first it seems comical because they seem stupid - but when you think about it, they're remarkably talented. They have no experience foraging or feeding and have to have built-in responses to particular cues. We've all seen baby garters showing some arousal when there are fish or frogs present, and often it takes that sudden movement to trigger a strike.
Michael Smith
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