Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I don't know how easy or hard it is for various species of Garters to switch over to rodents, but I'm amazed how smooth it was for my 05 female Red-Sided (parietalis) to already be chowing down on pinkie parts on her third feeding. Anyone else have a pretty easy time switching over with their garters? Any difficulties with certain species of garters?

Steve

Difficulties - Shorthead Garter Snakes(T. brachystoma), no matter how hard or how much scenting you try with these guys, you will not get any specimen to take anything that isn't a worm.

After a few people suggested it.. I tried getting my 05 garters on pinky parts. My Flame Eastern male will take scented hopper tails, on occasion, and usually if it isn't a worm he won't eat it. My baby Erythristic Easterns which are smaller than all the others, will take scented pinky parts as soon as I offer them... they aren't too picky. My pair of Het Albino Easterns will not take to any parts, only fish and worms...

It varies from specimen to specimen... but no matter what they are feeding on once they get to about 10" the switch to pinky mice is as easy as can be.

Mike
Michael's Place

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KingPin Reptiles Inc.
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Yes I remember your post further down on the forum asking if Garters should stay on worms until they are large enough for pinkie parts. I was going to stick with only earth worms for a while myself, and then I saw Scott & Tom's replies to your post that said worms had low nutritional value, and it would be better to have them on rodents for better growth.
If you get a chance Mike, post some pics of your Flame Eastern. I had a very tough time making a choice on which Garter I wanted from Scott. God knows I asked him enough questions, LOL, but I ended up getting a Red-Sided (parietalis)
Here's a pic of her below.

Steve

Nice... I would've gotten a flame, well, I did lol. The flames will look ALOT more colorful at all stages in their life, while with red sided garters you are taking a chance. Some might grow up and be very reddish orange, spectacular looking, and some will stay black with a couple red spots along the side.

I'll try and get some pics of him...

Mike
Michael's Place

-----
Michael's Place has updated, better caresheets
KingPin Reptiles Inc.
Helmz777@aol.com
www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

When I've bred eastern blackneck garters, they're not that hard to switch to pinkies (with some scenting) but the hard part is that they are naturally amphibian eaters. What little research there is on their food in the wild indicates that frogs and salamanders are about it. So - my experience is that they don't take worms and they only sometimes will take feeder fish. That complicates things for blackneck breeders who don't have access to amphibians. For the first few feedings, there aren't many choices.

Once they get on rodents, then the problem is solved. My male started as a neonate and has been doing fine on a rodent diet for about 7 years.

Michael
Link

I found a neonate western terrestrial last year. He was just a bit over 6". He initailly refused the pinki, but I re-offered it pre-killed & brained and he took it. It took him a bit of work to get it down and it left a huge lump, but he you could almost see him grow as the meal got digested. After that, he no longer required braining. I fed him weekly and by the third week he was large enough to take down the day old pinkies easily.

My western terrestrail from nothern CA needed to have his first pinki scented with frog after that he took unscented.

My common garter required frog scenting and now, over a year later, he will only take unscented mice sporadically and the unscented mice have to be brained. Luckily my pet tree frog works great for scenting.

All three will also take fish with gusto.

-Alice