Hi there, being an expert in thamnophis husbandry, I must add this, do not feed silversides, a.k.a. smelt, to your snake. Sadly, silversides are also high in thiaminase and are not any better to use than goldfish. I was using these myself until I looked them up and almost had a heart attack. Rosy red minnows and Catfish, as well. Guppies and platies are safe if you need to use live fishes, but cuts of trout with a calcium supplement work WONDERFULLY. If you buy guppies, make SURE they are guppies, not all stores know the difference between these and rosy reds. You can also use salmon or tilapia strips. (as a side note, these may be saltwater fish but saltwater fish DO NOT contain salt in them like so many seem to think they do) I like to use trout as my first choice, because the snakes seem to prefer that the most. You should also check out the recipe for complete homemade garter snake diet that I will be posting in a few minutes. It involved the use of raw fish, gelatin, and vitamins/calcium. You can also switch the snake over to rodents using scenting. A ribbon snake makes a great pet, just know that they are rather flighty, and do NOT take well to being handled for the most part. They are more of a "look at" snake. But they are indeed, fun to watch! A female can easily reach 4 feet in length and gives birth to a HUGE clutch of offspring.

You can TRY nightcrawlers on your ribbon, not all ribbons will take them. I do have one ribbon who loves to eat worms though. Tadpoles, salamanders and frogs are all relished food items of any thamnophis. If you ever have a problem feeder, any amphibian is an instant cure for that. Freeze any amphibian prey before you feed it to your snake to reduce the risk of parasites by a considerable amount.

if you have any additional questions regarding garter and ribbon snake husbandry, I am an open book and more than willing to help.