Mice make garters bigger then on worms?

[FunkyRes]

I have found a California Red-sided that was over 4 feet in length.
Most abundant prey was American Bullfrog.

Common garters (T sirtalis) at least on the west coast seem to largely be associated with streams and ponds where there are plenty of Rana to feed upon.

They also take rodents in the wild, but rodents undoubtedly make up a smaller portion of their diet.

If you have a lot of garters, varying the diet may be difficult, but if you only have a few I think it may be better for the snake to receive a variety of prey items similar to what they naturally feed upon.

I have no idea how much calcium worms have, but I wonder if garters fed upon mice grow faster / larger than worm fed because of the calcium in rodents. That could be why T sirtalis that feed largely upon Rana species naturally grow larger than species that are more prone to feed upon slugs and worms in the wild.

Large snakes are always neat, but I don't personally see a need to see how big I can get them to grow.

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

If you have a lot of garters, varying the diet may be difficult, but if you only have a few I think it may be better for the snake to receive a variety of prey items similar to what they naturally feed upon.

to add some input, I personally find varying the diet of my large collection easy. I manage it by simply thawing out a large portion of whatever's on the menu, and if it's fish, chop it up and feed everyone the same thing on one day, then the next feeding, something else. I make scenting cups in case some of the snakes don't like what I am feeding so that I can still convince them to eat it!!! that has worked out pretty well for me!