Checkered garter not eating

[Albert Clark]

Um... No, usually about a month without food is when you should start to worry unless they are dropping weight. I'm well aware of garters' metabolism, as is Steve. Saying that two weeks without food for an adult garter is inherently dangerous and needs immediate action is just plain incorrect.

Telling an inexperienced garter keeper to brumate without a good reason is more likely to be dangerous than helpful, when the first course of action should be making sure the temps are staying on point and offering a wider variety of food items. Nine times out of ten offering nightcrawlers or silversides (scenting with the fish usually works too if someone is wary of using fish) will solve the problem.

"Two days or even four days": Most people feed their adult garters weekly, sometimes with snacks in between. You can't seriously be suggesting that two to four days is the threshold for a healthy food intake schedule... My sixteen year old blind garter doesn't even drop weight that quickly.

My usual feeding schedule for healthy adults is a pinkie mouse feeding once a week and a small snack of more easily digested food in between. That being said, my oldest male would often hunger strike for nearly a month during mating season when he was younger with no ill effects, and my subadult female blackneck will often skip two feedings when she's nearing a shed (one before and one after the shed); she's an absolute monster of a snake for her age.

Listen, Obsidian dragon is not new to this. My points of view and suggestions to the op are well founded. People agree to disagree on numerous fronts and this is one where we are just going to have to do that. Yes, any time a garter does not eat on a two week interval there is something wrong. You shouldn't say that my suggestions to brumate a non feeding snake is dangerous. There is absolutely nothing wrong with turning off the heat and the lights on a non feeding snake who has already been two weeks into a cycle. But you know what? I don't have the desire or inclination to go back and forth on issues that are clearly written into the literature. I said what I said to give the op a remedy for his garters state of being at the moment. Nothing that I proposed is anywhere near dangerous or incorrect. I have garters that feed on rat pinks , whole f/t frog legs, cut pieces of large f/t fish. When they don't eat for two weeks , trust me , somethings wrong. I feed my adult garters two times a week and 3 times a week when they are gravid. Trust me also, a pinkie mouse for a adult garter once a week is nutritionally deficient. A pinky mouse, especially a mice pinky and not a rat pinky is only a substandard meal for a adult garter. There is virtually little to any calcium or bone development in a pinky. Come on Lora.

[ObsidianDragon]

I didn't have snakes until 2014--I'm still pretty new at this, and have yet to brumate a snake ever, so in many respects I'm still pretty green. But, I still know to check my husbandry first. His temps were here I always keep them, 85 on the hot side. Nothing about his enclosure had changed lately--he has plenty of cover (3 plants, a cardboard tube, a reptile basics hide, a humid hide, and a ledge--he doesn't know what open space in his home IS). And he's been out and about (for his version of out and about) about as much as normal.

This particular garter came to me feeding on pinkie parts already--I'm not sure what other prey he'd eat, to be honest, as I've never offered him anything else either. I was going to try fish, but as it happens he took a pinkie mouse I left for him last night. Obviously that's not a full meal for him, but now I can think about offering the rat pinks I just received. Even if, to me, they look absolutely huge for my little shoestring snake. O.o

Anyway! Everyone ate last night yaaaaay.

[Albert Clark]

I never once said "two weeks without food for an adult garter is inherently dangerous and needs immediate action". Those are your words. What I did say was " Two weeks of food refusals should raise a red flag".

[Albert Clark]

I didn't have snakes until 2014--I'm still pretty new at this, and have yet to brumate a snake ever, so in many respects I'm still pretty green. But, I still know to check my husbandry first. His temps were here I always keep them, 85 on the hot side. Nothing about his enclosure had changed lately--he has plenty of cover (3 plants, a cardboard tube, a reptile basics hide, a humid hide, and a ledge--he doesn't know what open space in his home IS). And he's been out and about (for his version of out and about) about as much as normal.

This particular garter came to me feeding on pinkie parts already--I'm not sure what other prey he'd eat, to be honest, as I've never offered him anything else either. I was going to try fish, but as it happens he took a pinkie mouse I left for him last night. Obviously that's not a full meal for him, but now I can think about offering the rat pinks I just received. Even if, to me, they look absolutely huge for my little shoestring snake. O.o

Anyway! Everyone ate last night yaaaaay.

Ok. That's great! For the future however, there is nothing dangerous about brumation! Nothing wrong with resetting a feeding clock in a otherwise non feeding snake. They (snakes) have been brumating for many years through evolution. Males typically will go off food if they are breeding or recently bred, if they have the desire to breed (smell or sense females in their area). Other reasons for non feeding I spoke about previously. Any time your snake refuses food over a two week period is time to start triple checking your husbandry and start playing detective bc it is something wrong. Congrats on him resuming his feedings. A varied diet is also best. As far as the rat pinks are concerned and you think they are too large. Cut them up and place the pink in a feeding dish of some kind before placing it into the enclosure.

[d_virginiana]

A 'pinkie mouse' feeding means a feeding of pinkie mice, not a single mouse. I think you know I'm not feeding my snakes one mouse per week. Really.

"When they don't feed for two weeks, trust me something is wrong"
It sounds to me that you are implying two weeks without food is inherently dangerous or an indication of a serious health problem. Though, if you could point me to where it is "Clearly written into the literature" that garters should eat every two to four days, I may revise my opinion.

There is nothing inherently dangerous about brumation. I never said that. It is, however, a tricky thing to cool down a snake safely and then warm them up again if someone has never done it before and doesn't have a lot of experience changing up temps like that. There are also the inherent risks in brumating any animal that it can aggravate underlying health conditions. Thus making brumation a more complicated and potentially dangerous solution than offering a different food item. It can absolutely be done safely, but IMO it's ridiculous to suggest that before a dietary change has even been offered.

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ObsidianDragon, I'm glad he ate. It still won't hurt to pick up some nightcrawlers (you can cut them up) and some silversides to try scenting with. A new smell on the food may get him more excited about eating. Plus, I like to think they appreciate the occasional new food item :P

[Qwerty3159]

How big is your snake? My checkered sits somewhere in the 20-24 inch range and he fed on rat pinkies weekly without issue.

[Albert Clark]

A 'pinkie mouse' feeding means a feeding of pinkie mice, not a single mouse. I think you know I'm not feeding my snakes one mouse per week. Really.

"When they don't feed for two weeks, trust me something is wrong"
It sounds to me that you are implying two weeks without food is inherently dangerous or an indication of a serious health problem. Though, if you could point me to where it is "Clearly written into the literature" that garters should eat every two to four days, I may revise my opinion.

There is nothing inherently dangerous about brumation. I never said that. It is, however, a tricky thing to cool down a snake safely and then warm them up again if someone has never done it before and doesn't have a lot of experience changing up temps like that. There are also the inherent risks in brumating any animal that it can aggravate underlying health conditions. Thus making brumation a more complicated and potentially dangerous solution than offering a different food item. It can absolutely be done safely, but IMO it's ridiculous to suggest that before a dietary change has even been offered.

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ObsidianDragon, I'm glad he ate. It still won't hurt to pick up some nightcrawlers (you can cut them up) and some silversides to try scenting with. A new smell on the food may get him more excited about eating. Plus, I like to think they appreciate the occasional new food item :P

Clearly written in the literature "The Garter Snakes evolution and ecology by Rossman, Ford and Seigel. Page122 of chapter 6 titled "Care in Captivity". Among other literature that defines the preferred feeding regimen of captive garters.

[Albert Clark]

How big is your snake? My checkered sits somewhere in the 20-24 inch range and he fed on rat pinkies weekly without issue.

My checkered albino is approx. 32" and weighs 308 gms. My pastel checkereds, of which I have 2 large females are about 19" and about 70 to 78 gms each (2 females). They all are gravid now and get fed twice to three times a week.

[Albert Clark]

This is another angle of her. I can picture the pastel checkereds tomorrow. I rest this case.

[Qwerty3159]

Lol I meant ObsidianDragon's snake, they thought the rat pinkies were too large for their snake.

Beautiful checkereds, though