Q: SNAKE

Answered by Neko on 8/16/02, 8:05 pm

A: SNAKE

From my Snake FAQ:
For a varied diet you can feed them worms,insects (grasshoppers, nightcrawlers), small fish (feeder goldfish, guppies) pinky mice(baby mice,) fuzzy mice (juvenile mice, pinky rats and adult mice. Only feed a mouse/pinky to a garter that has a midsection width the same size around or larger than the mouse/pinky. Depending on girth, it may need a pinky rat/fuzzy mouse or even small adult mouse. You can place a live fish in the water dish you have provided for your garter. Just remember to change the water afterwards as fish have a slimecoat on their bodies and this will contaminate your garter's water. If you place a pinky (pre-killed) in a container with worms, the pinky will get the worm scent on it and the garter snake will eat it more readily. If feeding with worms, insects and fish, twice a week should suffice to keep your snake full (feed enough food that matches your garter's midsection width). Also, when feeding insects, sprinkling store-bought insects with Cricket Dust (a good brand is Herpcare,) will provide the snake with nutrients it may not get by eating insects alone. If you choose to raise your own insects, sprinkling Cricket Dust on the insect's food 24-48 hrs before feeding them to the snake will also provide the nutrients for the snake. Pinky mice, fuzzy mice (juvenile mice) and pinky rats with their rear-ends dipped in calcium supplement can be given as a once a week treat if desired, but only feed the pinky alone or mouse (depending on snake's girth) once a week as feeding the usual twice a week when giving the snake a pinky is too much food and could attribute to obesity and health problems. Adult mice don't need calcium dipping as they have the proper 2:1 calcium ratio. You can decide which of these (pinky mouse, pinky rat or adult mouse) is ok to feed your garter by looking at the girth (midsection) of your snake. If the girth is as wide around as a pinky mouse, then feed with a pinky mouse. If the girth is larger, then pinky rat or fuzzy mouse (juvenile mouse) and so on.

Here's a website on Garter snake care:

http://www.gartersnake.co.uk/

Here's a website for mice/rat suppliers:

http://www.rodentpro.com/
http://beechdalerodents.com/

Website for insect suppliers:

http://edsflymeatinc.com/

THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE CAUGHT THIS SNAKE:

Let it go. A wild snake will not do well in captivity and will almost certainly die. Wild snakes carry parasites and placing them in captivity can stress them out. Excess stress lowers the snake's immune system and by doing so, decreases it's chances for survival. Please for the snake's sake, let it go:) It's almost certain even if you try to feed it, it won't eat because it will be too stressed being in captivity to eat and they can also be very aggressive, which could cause harm to you. If you have had this snake for awhile (2 weeks or more) and cannot provide proper housing or proper feed, then you'll have to give it away to someone who knows how to properly take care of it. If a snake has been in captivity for awhile, it can't be put back into the wild. The reason being, the snake may have become domesticated and may not properly care for itself now. If you can still release it, put it back in the area that you found it. If you put it in another area that it's not familiar with, it may not know where to find food or appropriate shelter. It might be at risk from birds or other predators that may live in that area.

Please, if you really want a snake, go the route of a pet-store or breeder. Most of these snakes are captive-bred (hand raised from birth) parasite free (usually), will eat readily (after a usual adjustment period of being in a new home) and adjust to being in a tank without too much stress. The breeder or the pet-store owner can usually tell you what kind of snake it is, how to care for it and it will have an increased chance for survival when properly cared for. Even if you care for a wild snake properly, it's chances are still not as good as a captive-bred snake unless you are an experienced snake handler with a lot of years behind you, caring for snakes. It's also illegal in many states and countries to catch and keep wild snakes.