Garter Hasn't Shed Yet?

[bigsnakegirl785]

So, I've had Draco for just a littler over 3 months now and he hasn't shed yet. I'm not too worried, I'm just wondering how often baby garters shed? He's about 9in now (I finally managed to get him to stay still long enough to get a mostly accurate measurement). Because of his coloration, it's difficult for me to tell if he's going into blue. It doesn't help that he also goes through regular color changes. Some days he looks super pale, with "snow-tipped" scales, some days he looks as bright as the day he arrived, and some days he looks dark and his eyes look the color of dried blood. They're so dark, I can't even see his pupil or normal eye pattern. Then, the very next day he'll look completely different. I talked to one person who says her babies never shed during the winter, so could he just be holding out for spring? I'm just excited to finally see that little strip of skin in his tank. Other than that, he appears to perfectly fine. He's eating and pooping regularly and is highly active, coming out once the light turns on and stalking the people of the house like he usually does. He doesn't look like he's retaining a shed, and he feels super soft to the touch like Bud and Cloud feel when they're shedding, whereas he's always felt sort of coarse. I thought that meant he was shedding, but he's been like that for several weeks now.

Here's what I mean by "snow-tipped." You can see how the edge of each scale is tinged with white:

[drumcrush]

Mine actuall shed recently. Maybe a couple weeks ago. What are you feeding and how often?? Cause when they are small and feeding on nightcrawlers, they don't really grow that fast so they don't shed that often. As soon as you put them on pinkies, they grow rapidly! Mine has had her 4th pinky the other day and she has definitely been growing a lot!

[bigsnakegirl785]

He gets fed 2 live guppies every week. He won't eat anything else. I've been offering him scented pinky parts in an attempt to switch him, but he freaks out like it's trying to eat him or something. He won't eat earthworms or fish filet, either. He has grown a decent amount since I got him. I couldn't accurately measure him, but I'm guessing he was 6-7 inches, 8 at most.

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

He gets fed 2 live guppies every week. He won't eat anything else. I've been offering him scented pinky parts in an attempt to switch him, but he freaks out like it's trying to eat him or something. He won't eat earthworms or fish filet, either. He has grown a decent amount since I got him. I couldn't accurately measure him, but I'm guessing he was 6-7 inches, 8 at most.

Have you tried cutting up nightcrawlers? I would definitely try to get some nightcrawlers in that diet cause an all fish diet isn't very good in the long run. Male garter snakes will probably also have a slower growth rate, knowing that they stay smaller and skinnier. I just continued to feed my garter guppies and nightcrawlers until she was big enough for pinkies. I had to brain the first 2 though. Now she takes them, and actually gets aggressive with them lol.


Oh, and as far as the color changes go, mine seems to do that too:/ not sure what it is.

[bigsnakegirl785]

Yes, I've tried cutting them up, I've tried small whole ones. I've tried everything I can think of and everything I've ever read on switching garters...nothing has worked. Scented, un-scented, it doesn't matter. I have managed to get a few pinky and worm pieces in him by pushing them in his mouth behind the fish. Unfortunately, he swallows the fish so quickly I can't always do it. Either way, he isn't taking them voluntarily.

[drumcrush]

I've heard of people mixing cut up worms and fish together. Maybe try that? Then maybe try adding pinky parts later

[bigsnakegirl785]

I can try, but I'll have to find the smelliest fish I can and see if that will get his attention. I've only tried tilapia and salmon filet so far. There's certainly no way I'm stuffing a guppy with worms....

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by bigsnakegirl785

I can try, but I'll have to find the smelliest fish I can and see if that will get his attention. I've only tried tilapia and salmon filet so far. There's certainly no way I'm stuffing a guppy with worms....

Alrighty, well do what you can and give it a shot

[wrecker45]

I feed my garters every 3 days. They digest faster than other snakes.

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by wrecker45

I feed my garters every 3 days. They digest faster than other snakes.

What are you feeding it? Different foods = different digestive rate

[wrecker45]

The bigger one pinkies. The smaller on nightcrawlers salmon fillet.

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by wrecker45

The bigger one pinkies. The smaller on nightcrawlers salmon fillet.

I feed my albino 1 pinky a week. When she was on worms, I would feed every other day.

[wrecker45]

Going to try the smaller one on pinkies tomorrow.

[drumcrush]

Originally Posted by wrecker45

Going to try the smaller one on pinkies tomorrow.

Good luck!

[bigsnakegirl785]

Originally Posted by wrecker45

I feed my garters every 3 days. They digest faster than other snakes.

It depends on what you feed them. The care sheets I read agree pretty close to this:

6-8 days for live fish
3-4 days for fish filet w/ supplements unless on a mixed diet
every other day for earthworms w/ supplements unless on a mixed diet
1 week for rodents

He is of a pretty good weight and he's grown visibly.