2 new babies!

[poissonguppy]

So, lately I had seen garter snakes around my holly and hosta bushes but they've always been to fast for me to catch. One day my dog was sniffing under a rock and I went outside to investigate. I hadn't put my contacts in so when I lifted the rock, I just saw a mass of black and yellow. I grabbed a little blindly and found out I had fished out two baby garters! I put them into a tank with paper towels, a couple rocks, and a saucer of water. They are inseperable, sleeping together, drinking together, even exploring together! And now I guess I just have a couple of beginner questions.
Although I shouldn't be worrying (but I always do), the larger of the two is eating while the smaller isn't. I've put him in a tub alone with an earthworm but he still doesn't eat. It's been a couple of days... How often and how much should I feed both? And what should I do about the finicky feeder?
Also, the two babies are pretty aggressive. Both coil and try to bite whenever I reach my hand into the tank. Is this normal? Thanks.

(I posted a while back about a pregnant garter, and never really updated. I had to go on a week long trip and though she probably would have survived it, I didn't want to have to deal with the worry.)

[adamanteus]

Hi Bibi, good to hear from you again. That was pretty brave, grabbing those snakes even though you couldn't see what they were!

I think you do right to feed these two separately, don't want any accidents! You can feed them as much as they'll eat for now. With the awkward feeder, just keep trying as wide a variety of food items as you can. I'm sure it will soon eat. Good luck.

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Bibi

[drache]

welcome again, Bibi
looks like you are going to stick around
congrats
your garters will probably mellow as they get used to being handled
make sure you don't have any smell of something they might like to eat on your fingers

[poissonguppy]

Thanks guys. How often should I feed babies?

[adamanteus]

I generally feed babies every two or three days.

[Snaky]

In the first months I feed every 3-4 days and as much as they want.

[Thamnophis]

I feed them about two times per week till they reach the brumation-period.
After the brumation they go to about once a week.

[poissonguppy]

Yay! I had to go on a trip that took two days. When I came back, I found a snake skin. The smaller garter, the one that wasn't eating, had shed while I was gone. I stuck in a worm and he ate it!

It seems that the larger snake is about to shed. He was settled in a container filled with damp paper towels and his eyes were a blue-ish color. Compared to the smaller garter, the larger one seems really dull and pale.

[poissonguppy]

Here are some pics of the smaller snake. Can anyone tell the species? I'm no good at it....




Also, I'm confused about the classifications of garters. Dog is one species, but there are many breeds. Are garters the same thing, or is an eastern a different species than a wandering?