[GarterGuy]

Well from some observations that I've done, I think your garters are probably sustained more off of the amphibian population then the fish. I've noticed, again and again, that thriving populations of garters are often associated with good amphibian populations as well. All my good garter sites also have a really healthy amphibian population. Even though you probably don't see as many frogs as you do fish......there's probably a lot more there. Also if they do feed on the fish, they wouldn't be doing so exclusively, so their diet would be varied enough to offset any most of the affects from the thiaminase in the fish. You CAN feed your garters goldfish occasionally, it's just when it's made a staple part of the diet that's when problems can arise. Because garters are so varied in diet, unless you're actually capturing the snakes and getting them to regurgitate there meals, you really don't know exactly what they're feeding on and in what quantity. Don't assume that a snake that feeds on earthworms has dietary problems. Feeding in captivity and in the wild are very different. There are species that specialize in feeding on worms (T.brachystoma for instance) and they do just fine on this diet. You've just got to make sure the worms you're using are nutritious. Worms in the wild are taking in all kinds of plant matter, soil, ect.....all this "stuff" will have nutrients in it that the worm it's self doesn't. It's like gut loading feeder insects for lizards. Lizard keepers know that wild insects have the most nutrition, it's just they can also carry parasites and toxins. I really believe the best captive diet for garters is to keep things varied as much as possible, while making sure all their nutritional needs are met.