Getting Garter Snakes on dead food

[Louie]

If a garter is refusing trout and earthworms,they may be something wrong! Couple of things: They are normally hibernating at this time,What are your temperatures? Also,although many people dont,i like to treat them more like lizards,with UV and a guarded basking spot-light.You could also try a defrost pinkie.

You know garters because they do "bask" around here. They do seem to enjoy sun rays .

 

[Bottomfeeder]

I'm starting to worry that it's a medican problem. He even refused cut off worm tails. They were still twitching, but perfectly bite sized.

 

[coura]

I francky think that your overeacting to your snake refusing food and probably your putting on so much presure on her that your making her even more stressed and less likely to acept any food, unless she is really thin you have to chill and let nature follow its corse. Wait another week, make shure nothing disturbs the snake and then try again. Use something your snake would recognize as food like a small frog, a slug,etc. If a pair of weeks go by and it still doesant acepts maybe its time to take it to see a vet. Descrive your setup or better post pics of all. Maybe there is something obviously wrong with it and you havent detected it.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

It's a 10g (male Snake) with an overturned flowerpot on one side, with a water bowl on the other side. The heat lamp is over the flowerpot. The substrate is a mix of airy soil and wood chips. Not sure what it's called.

I've had him since NYE, that's why I'm getting worried...

 

[Louie]

I would at least try a couple LIVE rosy reds because even though in Berber kings experience most dont need that there are a some who have had the rare garter that does like gigas12 and unless you rule that out .
You can't say its a medical issue .

If 8 out of 10 garters will eat anything from Day 1 you still have the exception and you cant rule that out.
Ask your dad to do it while your in school,etc so you dont have to be around for it.



Again like others have said maybe your garter wants to sleep for awhile. Post a pic of it.

 

[coura]

It's a 10g (male Snake) with an overturned flowerpot on one side, with a water bowl on the other side. The heat lamp is over the flowerpot. The substrate is a mix of airy soil and wood chips. Not sure what it's called.

I've had him since NYE, that's why I'm getting worried...

What kind of lamp do you have? Im tinnking your snake may be overheated, to my best knowlege this guys are not the biggest fans of too much heat and your terrarium is very small wich means it can consentrate heat really fast. Also if your snake was a wild one at this time he would be hirbernating, in my experience most temperate climate herps in captivity tend to mantain such habits even when kept warm. Unless your snake is really thin it should be completly fine, remenbar thouse in Canada remain without eating over half year. If I were you I would put that terrarium in a place were it got indirect ligth, got rid of the lamp and got a heat pad to give gentle heat, see if your snake actively serches heat, if not turn it of. Also it is important to remenbar your snake was very likely wild cauth and the aclimatation of thouse can be very tricky. If you see it is getting hard then you should hand your snake to someone experienced enough to take care of it. If you want a beautifull and very hard snake you should have gotten a corn wich are allmost always cb and great eaters.

 

[Bottomfeeder]

I don't think he's wild caught, as he has never musked, not even on the way home.


I think either the lamp or the fixture is Exo-Terra and the other is Zilla.
He doesn't try to hide from the lamp, in fact, he basks constantly... although I have been using it a lot lately to try to stimulate his metabolism. I'll try lowering it.

I have a heating pad hooked up to the tank, although I don't use it because the tank is on an unfinished wooden shelf.

 

[Louie]

I don't think he's wild caught, as he has never musked, not even on the way home.


I think either the lamp or the fixture is Exo-Terra and the other is Zilla.
He doesn't try to hide from the lamp, in fact, he basks constantly... although I have been using it a lot lately to try to stimulate his metabolism. I'll try lowering it.

I have a heating pad hooked up to the tank, although I don't use it because the tank is on an unfinished wooden shelf.

Well your keeping him correctly. Like Berber king said they bask. I see them now and than in my yard basking . They never put the lounge chairs back where they got them .

They do love to bask and if I had one would see no need for an UTH for a garter if your using over head heat/ light.

 

[jr monster fish]

That guys crazy, I used to catch wild garter snakes and feed them dead food like 30 sec. later. But feeder fish work really well too.

I stand corrected. I'm sorrry, but you'll probably have to suck it up and feed live/get someone else to if your that worried. If he pooped on you though he probably ate recently (thats usually the case IME).

 

[Pyramid_Party]

I used to own one. I fed it mostly goldfish. I fed it a frog once, crickets and even a cockroach. I always fed it once a week. I never got around to trying to train it to eat something dead though. Mine used to respond to movement. So maybe you can rig something up to make the food item appear alive and it might coax the snake into eating it.

Edit: Ater looking at another post I forgot to mention. The snake does like to bask and mine also liked laying in water. So make sure you have a good water dish. Also, you might have to feed it feeders to get the snake healthy and stable. Then try and train it to eat other foods. It may actually die soon if you dont do something else. If you cant feed it feeders then maybe give it away.