Originally Posted by Cazador
I don't want to sound like I'm going on a worm-bashing trip, here. They're a fine food, but they should be supplemented with vitamins, minerals, and occasionally other foods. A bit of variety, however, is good advise with any diet.
With that said, worms have a low concentration (density) of nutrients/compounds associated with skeletal formation & maintenance, neural development & maintenance, vision, and digestion. It's true that snakes can make MANY of these chemicals for themselves, but a diet consisting of vertebrates "provides" these nutrients without the need for extra processing. This alone, can make a big difference to snakes dealing with the stresses of captivity.
Worms also have to "conform" to their environment, which can expose them to a lifetime of harmful chemicals (i.e. fertilizers, pesticides, petroleum byproducts...). On the other hand, they can be fed well, kept in clean soil, and be an excellent part of a varied diet.
Finally, they have a high water content, so you have to feed a lot of worms to provide enough calories & nutrients to keep garters satisfied. Fish, on the other hand, have more complex physiologies that are more similar to that of snakes, and they provide more nutrients per unit mass. Healthy, well-fed mammals are even more nutritious. If this sounded too negative on worms, please reread the first paragraph.
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