The garter snake belongs to the Colubridae family, which has about 1,700 different species. Both North and Central America are home to them. Because they either have very little venom or none at all, they are thought to be generally harmless to people. Many gardeners even like to keep a couple of these small snakes around in their gardens to deter pests from damaging their crops. They are also known as rodent and insect repellents. Do garter snakes eat tomatoes? As we discuss what garter snakes should and should not consume, please continue reading.
No, is the answer. They do not eat fruits or vegetables; instead, their main diet consists of tiny animals. Due to the structure of their bodies, snakes are unable to assimilate nutrients from plants because they are carnivorous by nature and rely solely on eating other animals or insects to exist. However, just because garter snakes occasionally consume fruits or vegetables like tomatoes doesn’t indicate they are drawn to them or that they can consume them.
Why Are They Called Garter Snakes?
Leopold Fitzinger used the term “garter snake” in 1843 to designate the genus that includes ribbon snakes and garter snakes. The striped garters that men used to wear to keep their socks up gave garter snakes their common name. The name is derived from the Greek words ophio, which means snake, and thamnos, which means bush.
The species name sirtalis is derived from the Latin for garter and appears to indicate striped, which is alluding to the longitudinal stripes running the length of the body. Thamnophis, as it is commonly known, actually means bush snake.
Are Garter Snakes Good To Have Around?
Despite their dramatic tendencies, these snakes are a gardener’s best friend. In general, snakes play a significant role in our ecology. Garden snakes like garter snakes, which eat small insects that could hurt your plants and rodents that could invade your home, can be a welcome addition to a property while venomous snakes, which are a danger in some locations, are not.
Garter snakes are known to consume a variety of typical garden pests, including slugs, bugs, and small rodents. These are fantastic snakes to encourage on your property because they are safe for humans. Therefore, if you see larger snakes in your yard, don’t be alarmed; it may indicate that there are rodent nests nearby.
What Is The Best Food For A Garter Snake?
Since they will consume a range of prey, garter snakes benefit from a diversified diet to guarantee optimum nutrition. This helps explain why they are so numerous. While young garter snakes should consume a variety of earthworms, feeder guppies, fish pillets, and minnows every day, mature garter snakes often only require food once per week in the form of tiny rodents (pinkies or mice). Garter snakes can eat toads without becoming sick because they are immune to their toxic skin secretions.
They also consume small fish, tadpoles, slugs, grasshoppers, leeches, insects, crayfish, frogs, amphibians, tadpoles, toads, and other snakes. They occasionally consume young birds, shrews, small animals, chipmunks, voles, and lizards on an equal basis.
Can Garter Snakes Eat Raw Chicken?
They will happily eat any type of poultry, especially chicken, once they are of a manageable size to eat, but store-bought chicken should never be given to them. However, garter snakes do consume fully grown adult chickens, just like any other snake. Although snakes like to eat eggs or young chicks since they are easier to digest, you must be careful because occasionally these snakes may even start to crave adult chickens. So they can feast on your chicks in addition to eating your chicken eggs and decreasing your supply.
If most snakes weren’t non-venomous, they might attack people if they became frightened or angry. You can see how much they enjoy raw flesh by that.
What Vegetables Do Garter Snakes Eat?
They are just carnivores, which explains why they prefer meat. Vegetables cannot be digested by their bodies, thus meat is all they require. They only consume flesh from other animals, which means they do not consume vegetables.
Garter snakes are one of the smaller snake species, and because they lack strong venom and the capacity to constrict their prey, they choose hunting small, helpless prey that they may ambush and consume whole. They frequently eat rats, mice, earthworms, snails, slugs, and a wide variety of other creatures.
How Aggressive Are Garter Snakes?
The garter snake is timid and non-aggressive, like the majority of snake species. They are not a nuisance, have no negative effects on people or human activity, and are non-venomous to people. They are frequently seen in yards and around sheds, but when disturbed, they are known to become violent and strike or bite.
Garter snakes can be seen moving around at all hours of the day and night, including on warm winter days. Even though they are frequently calm captives, garter snakes can occasionally get disturbed, afraid, or agitated, which might cause them to urinate, release musk, or even try to bite. However, because they are non-venomous, these snakes are typically regarded as harmless. The eastern garter snake bite is therefore not harmful.
What Is The Spiritual Meaning Of A Garter Snake?
Garter snakes in dreams might stand in for a fresh start or a new beginning—a opportunity to remove old skin and begin over. And the reason for that is that they are considered to be more protective, healing, and fertile than other snake species.
Garter snakes in dreams are not dangerous; they may represent a potentially dangerous circumstance that has now passed. They also signify someone who initially made us nervous but who we later understood wouldn’t hurt us because they are not poisonous.
However, if you see a poisonous snake in your dream, it could be one of two different types of cautions. In either case, you are lying to yourself by denying a truth that you are aware of. Or that you shouldn’t blindly trust everyone in your life.
How Long Do Garter Snakes Live?
Although a 14-year lifespan has been documented, the typical captive longevity is between 6 and 10 years. They most likely do not live as long as this for wild animals, whose years are sometimes shortened by predators and environmental pressures.
Can I Pick Up A Garter Snake?
Can still bite but isn’t harmful. Garter snakes are helpful rodents, bug pest deterrents, and reasonably innocuous reptiles. Most snakes raised in captivity have friendly personalities and don’t mind being handled. However, unless you are handling it in a comfortable manner, avoid picking it up as it can nip you if it feels threatened by your contact. That is to say, you are convinced the snake you are trying to trap is a harmless garter snake that you are already familiar with. Then, you can grab it in nearly any way you choose. Therefore, you must ensure that your slithery acquaintance is accustomed to you before you begin practicing this. Instead of grasping your snake from the top, approach it from the side to avoid making it feel threatened.
What Do Garter Snakes Do When They Are Scared?
The species of garter snakes that reside in colder areas hibernate over the winter, despite the fact that they are frequently docile in captivity. When handled, garter snakes will occasionally try to bite you, thrash about erratically, release foul-smelling musk, or defecate. These show that your garter snake is agitated or frightened. The garter snake has a lot of predators, therefore its scent is helpful. They produce this smell expressly to ward off predators.
Summary
The fact that garter snakes occasionally eat fruits or vegetables, such as tomatoes, does not mean they are attracted to them or are able to eat them. Although they may not be harmed by tomatoes, snakes cannot consume plant nutrients because they are carnivorous by nature and must only consume other animals or insects to survive.
