Rescued a garter, surprised me with babies

[eventer]

Tried to post, but it didn't go through, so I hoping this one does. I rescued a garter, (about 1 ft, black with light tan stripes, pale belly. Will post pictures. I'm in Oregon). She was found in a horse's stall, probably from a bale of hay. Woke up this morning, and she had one stillborn baby in her cage. I cleaned it up, but I had to leave for a few hours. Came home, and still nothing. About half hour later there were 2 babies in the cage. So, the questions.

Can wild garters make good pets? What are the pros/cons? How do they compare to corn snakes?

If I keep them/one of them... Do I release the babies? The momma? Which would be most successful for a life in captivity? None?

What do I feed momma? What about the babies? I know some fish have thiaminase, which isn't good for them... Does salmon have it? Could I feed them little pieces of salmon? If I can get one to eat, should I just keep that one? I've also heard worms are good, what kind? How often should I feed them?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to do what is best for them. If none would make good pets, I'll release them all. Just want more opinions before I do that :)

[bigsnakegirl785]

My eastern baby was the result of an injured wildcaught female giving birth in captivity. Unfortunately, she was unfit to release because of her injuries, so her owner kept her (she recently passed away from what appears to be old age). The eastern I got from her litter is now 2 years old, and he's doing great! My most enthusiastic eater by far, and very inquisitive. He's out pretty much every time I look over at him. At least compared to my checkered, who's a hermit. >.>

I'd say, if the female can be released, release her. The babies should be fine if you chose to keep them, though. :)

As far as thiaminase, I'd google some lists. There's a bunch of different ones out there with different amounts of examples on them, but should give you a good idea. You want to stay away from rosy red minnows (often called simply "feeder fish" by pet stores) and goldfish (the most commonly used feeder fish). That said, a purely worm or rodent diet would be preferable to a fish-only diet....Stay away from the red wrigglers, they're the ones that jump around and split apart. They secrete a thick white liquid that is poisonous.

Salmon should be fine, but buy ONLY sushi-grade quality salmon to feed to your garters.

How often you feed depends on the prey source.

Live fish: once every 5-7 days
Fish filet with supplements: every 2-4 days
Earthworms: every 2-3 days
Whole and rodent parts: every 7 days

[Obsidian_Dragon]

There's no real reason to keep a WC garter when they are cheaply available in the hobby. That said, if you want to keep one, a baby would be the better bet...if you can get them to eat. Baby garters are tricky.

Chopped up nightcrawlers would be fine. You could also buy fresh salmon from the grocery store and feed slices of that, but they would need calcium powder with either of these options. You can transition them to mice--probably pinky parts to start.

Poke around on the garter forums (http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/forum.php) for good information, including safe to feed fish. :)