The checkered garter snake ( Thamnophis marcianus) is a fascinating reptile with specific dietary preferences and feeding behaviors. This article explores the diet and feeding habits of the checkered garter snake, drawing upon available research and observations.
General Information about Checkered Garter Snakes
The Checkered garter snake is a small, generally harmless snake found in the Americas. The checkered garter snake is a species of garter snake in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. It is typically greenish in color, with a distinct, black checkerboard pattern down its back. Checkered garter snakes are native to the southwestern United States, Mexico, and Central America. They inhabit areas from sea-level to elevations of 2,200 m.
These snakes can be found in a variety of habitats from wetlands (e.g. rivers, ponds, springs, irrigation ditches, and lakes) to drylands (deserts and dry forests). They tend to burrow under rocks, logs, and in thick vegetation. They are also found in backyards and gardens.
Adult checkered garter snakes average 60 g, but can weigh 31 to 122 g. Males are leaner and shorter. They are 51 cm long and weigh 51 g.
Checkered garter snakes grow indeterminately and are ovoviviparous. Eggs hatch within the bodies of females, so babies are born live. As soon as checkered garter snakes are born, they are independent. The longest known lifespan of checkered garter snakes in the wild is 7 years.
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Hunting and Feeding Behavior
Checkered garter snakes are carnivores. Wild garters are known to eat a variety of prey, including earthworms, leeches, fish, tadpoles, newts, frogs, young birds, and small mammals. They feed on many small animals like earthworms, mice, fish, lizards, slugs, amphibians, and eggs. Specifically, their diet includes tadpoles, adult frogs, and salamanders.
These snakes use their excellent sense of smell and vision to hunt prey. Snakes use their tongues as a way to “smell the air.” By flicking their tongue they can pick up the scent chemicals of prey or predators close by. The tongue goes back into the mouth and fits neatly into the Jacobson’s organ located on the roof of the mouth. Here the information about the chemicals gathered is sent to the brain and decoded! Checkered garter snakes search for food in ditches and streams using smell and sight.
Checkered garter snakes use vibrations to detect prey, other snakes, or other animals around them. They also use vision when close to prey sources. They detect pheromones in the air released from animals and other species, using their sense of smell to pick up on their pheromones and to detect pheromones in the air.
Diet in Captivity
In captivity, the key to providing a healthy, balanced diet for your pet snake is VARIETY. Provide as varied of a diet as you possibly can for a healthier, less picky pet!
Prey ideas for garter snakes:
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- Earthworms (chopped as needed)
- Guppies
- Platies
- Mice
- Button quail
- Quail eggs
- Reptilinks
These can generally be purchased from high-quality feeder breeders. Never use red wigglers as feeders, and nightcrawlers are best avoided. Use soft-tipped feeding tweezers to reduce the risk of getting accidentally bitten when the snake strikes.
How often garter snakes need to eat can be estimated by age:
- Newborns - every other day
- Juveniles - every 3-5 days
- Adults - every 4-7 days
The size of your snake’s prey should be no more than 1.5x the width of your garter snake at its widest point, or up to 10% of its body weight. Note that due to caloric density, worm eaters need to be fed more frequently than fish eaters, and mouse eaters the least frequently. Worms and fish should be offered multiple at a time.
If offering worms in a community enclosure with multiple snakes, make sure to chop earthworms into pieces roughly the same size as the snakes’ heads, as this helps prevent accidental cannibalism.
Many fish species contain an enzyme called “thiaminase” which breaks down thiamine (vitamin B1) in snakes’ bodies and can lead to a vitamin deficiency.
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Additional Feeding Considerations
If you are housing multiple garter or ribbon snakes together, it’s best practice to feed them separately to prevent accidental cannibalism during the excitement of feeding time.
Pet parents should begin juvenile snakes on a diet of “pinkies,” or young and nearly hairless mice. As the snake grows into adulthood, it can be transitioned to a diet of slightly larger immature mice (“fuzzies” and larger “hoppers”). Prey should be around the same size as the snake’s width at mid-body.
Live rodents should not be fed. While still alive, rodents can become aggressive and leave severe wounds that lead to life-threatening infections. Ideally, feeding sessions should take place in a separate enclosure. That way, the snake will not learn to associate their pet parent’s hand or the opening of their usual habitat with feeding.
Put the frozen food in a sealed plastic bag and place it in a thawing container filled with cold water. Keep the food in the water until it thaws. Place the thawed prey, still in the sealed plastic bag, in the warm water. Never use a microwave to thaw or warm frozen rodents, and never offer food that's still frozen to a pet. Frozen food that is not consumed should never be refrozen for future use, as this encourages bacteria to form in the food. Avoid preparing frozen rodents in the same area that you use to prepare food.
Defense Mechanisms
When threatened, checkered garter snakes will release a foul-smelling liquid from their cloaca and may also strike and bite if provoked, leaving behind tiny, superficial bite marks. They will also slither into the water to escape a predator on land and will thrash their bodies side to side to confuse predators.