water snake food

[tsdsbd]

im getting bits and parts of what can be fed to a water snake (southern water snake to be exact) but im just wondering what all my options are.

right now ive fed it small minnows from the very clean lake we live on. (look like the guppy pictures on the sticky) but being so small (maybe 1/6th inch at thickest width) what else can i feed it? will it eat super worms or other things from pet shop?

[Brewster320]

You can try earth worms. I'm not sure if baby waters eat worms like garters do but they are both very similar species. ou could also try tadpoles. They are big on those to. Its your best luck until he reaches a size where you can try switching him onto pinkie mice. The guppy like fish you caught are probably mosquito which are fine for him to eat, they are the North American cousin to the guppy. You can get him fish at the pet store to, avoid goldfish and rosy red minnows though. Also you can give him pieces of a fish fillet from the supermarket, salmon, trout, ect. Good luck. I've been trying to fine myself a little watersnake for a long time!

[tsdsbd]

thanks! i was lucky. found him in my room!?

think they can eat super worms? lol

[Brewster320]

He probably wouldn't eat superworms. Very few snakes actually eat insects other than blind snakes and the rough and smooth green snake. I've heard the exoskeletons are hard for them to digest as well.

[tsdsbd]

gotcha. gracias..i love learning about reptiles... hopefully my post retirement job will be herp related.

[Jason Bowden]

Frogs that are the right size from the minnow lake.

[amnesia]

Frogs and tadpoles, minnows. Properly sized of course. When I kept mine, years ago, I didn't know better and fed them goldfish. They were gluttons, eating 5-6 in a sitting!

If you want to wean him/her onto frozen foods. Go to your local fish store (pet fish, not the seafood market ), and ask about frozen silver sides. You should be able to get them in different sizes, or just cut them into smaller pieces.

[amnesia]

When I said not the seafood market, I was refering to buying the silver sides. You may be able to wean your snake onto pieces of market fresh seafood aswell. There is a sticky, with a great recipe for prepared food for gaters, that may work for your water aswell. Here is the link.

[Raptor]

I always fed mine in the waterdish. That's basically the only place he'd eat. You could try getting pinkies and putting them in there. Possibly rubbing them on a fish to get the smell onto them.