new snake owner needs advice!

[ssssnakeluvr]

Feeder guppies in a water bowl are a good food source for babies. Sex is impossible to tell on newborns by looking at them, they have to be probed or "popped" to tell for sure. Western terrestrial garters don't range into Colorado... Wandering garters do...probalby is a wandering...pics would be nice too. That would help with ID.

[Estrelita05]

Many thanks to everyone for your great advice! My snake, Slither, has finally started eating worms, and she is nice and active, and even seems to have grown a little! I will go and buy some feeder guppies today, and see if she likes those. Can she eat them whole, or should I cut them up, like I do with the worms??

As for her environment, I have her in a nice big fishtank, where she has plenty of room to move around, with a shallow dish of water and a flat rock to hide under. At first, we had little rocks (like you would use for fish) in the bottom of the tank, but I have read that rocks aren't good for snakes, so right now I have paper towels in the bottom of the tank for her. Is there a substrate that is considered best for a baby snake?

I will post some pictures of Slither as soon as I can get a good pic of her- she seems to dislike having her picture taken!

Once again, thank you all so much!!

[Cazador]

Hi Heather,

As long as you're heading to the pet store, but sure to pick up a small container of Calcium powder to lightly sprinkle over the pieces of worm. You only want to do it every two weeks or so, but getting enough Calcium is very important for a growing snake. As far as the diameter of the guppies... they should be a bit smaller than the diameter of the snake's head. You can give them larger food later, but don't challenge a baby too much right away. Also, do you have a thermometer and a heat source, like a spot light or a heat mat? They're important.

Rick