As a child my friends and I found a common garter snake and caught it, it ended up biting me when I wasn't expecting it while I was holding it and I threw it out of surprise. My friends that were with me ran and grabbed it and decided they would beat it since it bit me.... so they started stomping and smacking with sticks..... I grabbed it again and brought it home and kept it at home until it was healthy again (took me about a month) and I let it go in my yard. Ever since then I have liked them and wanted one. I have been thinking about getting a garter snake/ribbon snake for a while and decided it was time to start researching how to care for them as I think its possible for me to get one this fall and I would like to be prepared.
I have a few questions mainly about feeding, well any advice/links/pictures would be helpful as I am starting from scratch here but my first question is about feeding.
I read online that their natural diet is worms and small fish as well as some other insects, however it is suggested that when kept as a pet you switch them over to feeder mice, why? Wouldn't it be better to keep a natural diet? One of the reasons sited for why on the care sheets I had found said that it would introduce parasites and illness if a natural diet is fed and that is why mice are better, however if I am raising my own feeder fish and worms then it should be ok right?
I have a few questions mainly about feeding, well any advice/links/pictures would be helpful as I am starting from scratch here but my first question is about feeding.
I read online that their natural diet is worms and small fish as well as some other insects, however it is suggested that when kept as a pet you switch them over to feeder mice, why? Wouldn't it be better to keep a natural diet? One of the reasons sited for why on the care sheets I had found said that it would introduce parasites and illness if a natural diet is fed and that is why mice are better, however if I am raising my own feeder fish and worms then it should be ok right?