feeding garter snakes

[lizardoking]

I just caught a garter snake and I decided to keep for once and I dont know what it likes to eat. I have a hunch that it likes to eat baby crickets and small bugs. Its only about 8 inches long so it is pretty small. Any information on a enclousure would be nice to.

[redtails]

Baby crickets should be fine, or you can even try baby lizards as well. Try a 10 or 20 gallon for your snake and try to make it look as natural as the place you caught it. What kind of garter did you find? I used to have a narrowheaded(rufipunctatus) and a couple others, most of which ate goldfish as they were semi-fully aquatic.

[FitnessFreak]

start it off on worms then move up to crickets when it gets a bit bigger

i'm in the same boat as you, had a baby garter snake for a year and released it now i'm going to get another baby as soon as they come around, which where i live you can find babies around may/june

[Boots]

I would not suggest feeding the garter crickets, but would start off with worms or smaller fish like feeder guppies. Do not feed a garter goldfish as they contain thiaminase which will build up and kill your pet. For a great care sheet, I would have a look at Garter Snakes Care Sheet It is a work in progress, but even so it is a great resource for Garter Snakes.

Jason

[joeysgreen]

Thiaminase won't build up and kill your pet, that's crap. Thiaminase is just an enzyme contained in the fish that renders thiamine useless. As long as your pet eats more thiamine than is broken up by enzyme, it will be fine. Thus, a varied diet is key, whether goldfish are a part of it or not.

I've had the best success with worms and fish for my garters. The neonates would eat small guppies and peices of worms. You can also try frogs. All of these foods can be intermediate hosts for a range of parasites so getting periodic fecals would be a good idea.

Ian

[Boots]

Yep, you are correct; it is an enzyme renders thiamine non-functional, which can have devastating impacts on your pet if they develop a thiamine deficency. It would be best to try to stay away from foods that contain Thiaminase, but the odd goldfish will not harm it. Thanks for the correction, Joeysgreen!

Jason