Most garter snakes prey mainly on worms, fish, and amphibians. Some, but not all, will eat insects and/or reptiles and/or mice. It depends on the species of garter and where it came from.

At that size I'd feed him mainly worms and small fish. As far as fish go, livebearers are best. Guppies just happen to be an example that's both good for them, and small enough for a neonate to eat.

You'll want to start introducing him to pinky mice as soon as he's big enough to swallow them. If he won't take them naturally, you will have to scent them with fish or worms by rubbing the mouse on fish or worms. As he grows you will upgrade from pinkies to fuzzies, and as he gets used to eating mammals, you can eventually stop scenting them. Just try an unscented one now and then and see if he takes it. Once he starts eating mice, these should be the bulk of his diet, but continue to supplement that with worms, fish, and tadpoles if you can.

The reason for the mouse diet is because a diet of almost nothing but worms is not nutritionally balanced enough, and a diet of nothing but fish will eventually lead to a Thiamine deficiency which could kill him. Since mice are far easier to come by than amphibians, it's best to stick with mice as the staple.

Oh, and if your garter will take crickets, you can add those to the diet as well, but I've personally never seen a garter snake that will eat insects, though I know there are some out there.

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"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

Very cute snake The viv is beautiful.

This is what I have for my remaining 12.

I recently had to split them because of age and size.

I am not looking forward to another upgrade because we are anticipating a new boa and his sibling ball into our home. That makes our herp count at a fantastic 17. Which reminds me, anyone looking to care for a captive born eastern garter... feel free to contact us for pictures and picks.