I'm new and I love snakes!

[guidofatherof5]

Welcome to the forum.
Sounds like Sammy is in good, caring hands. Goldfish should not be on the menu, at all. Your idea about a variety diet is good. Worms(nightcrawlers or Earth worms) as a rule are safe and parasites shouldn't be a problem. Never feed him Redworms, they are toxic. If you want to feed fish, use Guppies. If you check the home page you will find the care sheets that explain the problem with certain fish. Store bought Salmon or Trout are safe but I would avoid any "Product of China"
Make sure Sammy has plenty of water to bath in, this will help when the shed comes. After the eyes go clear the shed should happen within a couple of days. From the sounds of it you should be back before that occurs. Him being anxious is normal since his vision is reduced and he's not able to see what's going on. Good job on researching the shed process. Retained eye caps and tail tips can cause problems so you are right to look for those once the shed is complete.
If you can post a picture of the tail area from the bottom side we may be able to tell you what you have. Here's a link to a sexing thread that might help you indentify what you have and also assist in the right kind of photo to post. http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/bree...xing-pics.html There are a lot of caring people here on the forum who are willing to help you make the best of this adventure you and your daughter are on. Garter snakes are a very active and interactive creature. They are just as curious about us as we are with them. Great job on the rescue of Sammy.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

looks like you're going to end up with 48593759843 garter snakes as fast as I did!!! Don, sssnakeluver in the forums lives in Utah, he might be able to point you in the right direction!!!