Diet in the Wild Slugs and leeches are also a favorite of Garters, and some have also been known to eat small snakes and lizards occasionally. Garters eat small toads and Frogs and they can fit into their mouths. Garters can also be found eating small mammals such as mice, rats, squirrels, voles, hares and rabbits. They’ll also eat birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Table of Contents
What do Plain garter snakes eat?
Like all snakes, garter snakes are hungry. Their diet consists of almost any creature they are capable of overpowering: slugs, earthworms, nightcrawlers, leeches, lizards, amphibians, small mammals, birds, and fish.
Gartersnakes have been known to eat other snakes as well such as rattlesnake:
- Copperhead
- Cottonmouth
- Black mamba
- Cobra
- Boa constrictor
- Brown recluse
- American alligator
- Water moccasin
- Alligators
- Crocodiles
- Pythons
- Caimans
- Jaguars
- Ocelots
- Bobcats
- Foxes
- Coyotes
- Jackals
- Skunks
- Opossums
- Raccoons
- Many other animals
red-bellied pit viper
They have also been observed eating other reptiles, including crocodilians and turtles.
In fact, one of the most dangerous snakes in the United States is the American crocodile, which can grow up to 6 feet long and weigh as much as 200 pounds. It is considered the world’s most venomous reptile.
Will a garter snake bite you?
Though garter snakes will use their sharp teeth to catch prey, it’s very unlikely these pests will choose to bite a human. When provoked, they tend to lashes out at humans. Garter snake bites are rare, but they do happen. If you are bitten, seek medical attention immediately.
Do garter snakes need water?
Garter snakes are semi-aquatic, meaning they need water for swimming and drinking. A large bowl of clean, chlorine-free water is needed for the snake to soak itself. The water should be changed every few days. If you have a garter snake in your home, it’s important to keep it away from other snakes and other animals. If you’re not sure what kind of snake it is, ask your veterinarian.
Do garter snakes climb trees?
Some garter snakes will climb a small tree or shrub which can be disconcerting the first hundred times you see one slithering down a low lying limb. Some people will feed on fish in the water. The cold blooded reptiles love to sun themselves on hot summer days. Gartersnakes are the most venomous snakes in North America.
They have the largest venom glands of any snake and are capable of delivering up to 1,000 milligrams of venom per millilitre of body weight. This is enough to kill a human being in a matter of minutes. It is not uncommon for a snakebite victim to have to be treated in hospital within a few hours of being bitten.
What does seeing a garter snake mean?
In some tribes, the garden snakes are symbols of jealousy or dishonesty, while in others they are a symbol of water. In the traditions of the Arapaho Indians, the Sun Dance is associated with the representation of garter snakes in the hoop of a hoop dance. Garter snake symbolism is also found in other Native American cultures, such as the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni.
