Re: What 2 feed them?

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Posted by Jennifer on July 12, 1999 at 21:57:04:

In Reply to: Re: What 2 feed them? posted by Jennifer on July 12, 1999 at 21:00:19:

: :
: : : Ok I got a question: I found a garder snake by my pool today and my little bro has convinced my parents to keep him(the snake).We have NO CLUE how/what to : feed him, keep him warm, provide water, etc. Can u answer these questions 4 me?

I have owned garter snakes in the past, and just recently found one in my yard too. They eat raw hamburger meat and do appreciate having a dish of water in the aquarium to drink from and swim in. They like to be kept warm. Try a heating pad at one end of the aquarium (under it) on a low setting (in cold weather). You will find the snake sleeping in that area and moving off of it when they are warm enough.

They will shed skin periodically. The first sign that they are about to shed is a glazed look in the eyes and a dullness to their skin color. They lose their appetite also (and may appear grumpy). Then, the skin is shed and they are usually hungry and more active. I handle my snake alot and he sleeps in my pockets. He never has bitten us. He sticks out his tongue alot, this is their way of smelling something - so don't be afraid. Snakes have a bad reputation for some reason. But I have never had any problem with the garter snakes we have found in our yard. An adult garter snake can grow up to 24 inches in length. It is fun to save the skins and compare them to each other as they grow. I brought some in to my Science class. The teacher and students enjoyed seeing them.

Another tip on feeding. Give the snake a piece of raw hamburger meat slightly larger than his head. He will un-hinge his jaw to wrap his mouth around the meat and will draw the meat into his mouth with no trouble. You will see the lump move down his body until he has digested it. When they go to the bathroom, it will have a watery consistency. Place more than one piece of meat in the aquarium and the snake will eat until he is full.

I have small rocks (I bought at the pet store) at the bottom of the aquarium and one large rock for him to sit on. They like to hide inside dark places, so I have a small cave which fits in the aquarium which came from the pet store. Pet stores also have a heating rock which plugs in and snakes like to sit on these too (instead of a heating pad).

Make sure you have a screen to cover the aquarium. This allows the snake to get air, and will keep him from getting away. I had one snake that liked to climb the glass walls and did get out of the aquarium when the cover was not on properly.

I hope this is helpful to you. Have fun with the new snake!

Jennifer

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: : : : : : : Ok I got a question: I found a garder snake by my pool today and my little bro has convinced my parents to keep him(the snake).We have NO CLUE how/what to : feed him, keep him warm, provide water, etc. Can u answer these questions 4 me? : I have owned garter snakes in the past, and just recently found one in my yard too. They eat raw hamburger meat and do appreciate having a dish of water in the aquarium to drink from and swim in. They like to be kept warm. Try a heating pad at one end of the aquarium (under it) on a low setting (in cold weather). You will find the snake sleeping in that area and moving off of it when they are warm enough. : They will shed skin periodically. The first sign that they are about to shed is a glazed look in the eyes and a dullness to their skin color. They lose their appetite also (and may appear grumpy). Then, the skin is shed and they are usually hungry and more active. I handle my snake alot and he sleeps in my pockets. He never has bitten us. He sticks out his tongue alot, this is their way of smelling something - so don't be afraid. Snakes have a bad reputation for some reason. But I have never had any problem with the garter snakes we have found in our yard. An adult garter snake can grow up to 24 inches in length. It is fun to save the skins and compare them to each other as they grow. I brought some in to my Science class. The teacher and students enjoyed seeing them. : Another tip on feeding. Give the snake a piece of raw hamburger meat slightly larger than his head. He will un-hinge his jaw to wrap his mouth around the meat and will draw the meat into his mouth with no trouble. You will see the lump move down his body until he has digested it. When they go to the bathroom, it will have a watery consistency. Place more than one piece of meat in the aquarium and the snake will eat until he is full. : I have small rocks (I bought at the pet store) at the bottom of the aquarium and one large rock for him to sit on. They like to hide inside dark places, so I have a small cave which fits in the aquarium which came from the pet store. Pet stores also have a heating rock which plugs in and snakes like to sit on these too (instead of a heating pad). : Make sure you have a screen to cover the aquarium. This allows the snake to get air, and will keep him from getting away. I had one snake that liked to climb the glass walls and did get out of the aquarium when the cover was not on properly. : I hope this is helpful to you. Have fun with the new snake! : Jennifer

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