Aggressive

[SpyrotheGartersnake]

what makes garter aggressive? do pinkies mice and other rodents make them aggressive? i need to know because i want to change my garter to eat primarily on pinkies

[Garter_Gertie]

Huh?

My thinking is that food doesn't make them aggressive. Lack of may. Winnie's eaten fish and rabbit and is just as sweet and docile as she's ever been.

What a strange question...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

no.... eating food does not make a snake aggressive... it makes them full! Whether they eat this or that is not going to drastically alter their mood and turn them viscious

[infernalis]

A snakes behavior is based on many factors, however to the best of my knowledge, food item selection is not one of them.

[Odie]

When I do find slugs in the yard, Stripe is all over them like he's starving

[drache]

I think this may be an off-shoot of the vegetarian myth that meat-eaters are more aggressive than vegetarians
in nature as a general rule of thumb, I suppose carnivores are more "aggressive" than herbivores, but I don't think that within those parameters food choices make that much difference, although apparently the taste of human flesh changes a predator's preferences, which from our point of view would make them more aggressive, but that's another subject
my most aggressive eater is my most handleable garter and she eats primarily rat pups

[ssssnakeluvr]

I think this may be an off-shoot of the vegetarian myth that meat-eaters are more aggressive than vegetarians
in nature as a general rule of thumb, I suppose carnivores are more "aggressive" than herbivores, but I don't think that within those parameters food choices make that much difference, although apparently the taste of human flesh changes a predator's preferences, which from our point of view would make them more aggressive, but that's another subject
my most aggressive eater is my most handleable garter and she eats primarily rat pups

Human flesh changes predator's preferences?????? I hope you don't buy that one......I have yet to see any proof of that....some people think that's true...not! People are just easier to catch prey....just think, chasing down a deer or a man.....its obvious which is faster....

[zooplan]

Aggression against the keeper, is motsly caused by the fear of the keeper!
Garters can learn a lot they may learn to eat rodents or to strike at the hand that twitches away.

[drache]

Human flesh changes predator's preferences?????? I hope you don't buy that one......I have yet to see any proof of that....some people think that's true...not! People are just easier to catch prey....just think, chasing down a deer or a man.....its obvious which is faster....

that's why I added "apparently" - it was the wrong modifier though
I don't have a clue
to my human tastes of course, something with less fur would be preferable to something where I keep getting hair up my nose while eating, but I doubt animals have these silly preferences
and we probably taste no better than factory farmed chicken - possibly a bit more tender than wild prey
yeah - it must be that we're easier to catch

[Garter_Gertie]

Gosh. Then, theoretically, we could breed Thamnophis sirtalis pitpullius. Just joking. Interesting supposition though. The flip side o'the coin idea.

Winnie when eating does take on a different 'personality' that could seem aggressive. She's single-minded and a snake outta control! But that's probably, I think, got something do with the survival instinct and so she put all her concentration and ENERGY into the capture of food. Self preservation and all that. She seems aggressive from a human's point of view, possibly. But I've never termed it aggressive as I wasn't coming from that perspective. But it could be considered that I suppose.