title: Diet and growth in juveniles of the garter snakes Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis and Thamnophis radix radix.
abstract: The effects of diets consisting of different food types on the growth of juvenile garter snakes was tested using a litter each of Thamnophis sirtalis infernalis and T. radix radix. The snakes were fed diets consisting of earthworms, Lumbricus terrestris, and mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis. The results reveal differences in growth per unit of mass, calories, and protein consumed on the different diets with differences in length being more pronounced than differences in mass. The results indicate that the total mass, calories, or protein consumed are insufficient to reliably predict the amount of growth to be expected in these species. All results are given plus and minus one standard error with an analysis of variance for the production-ingestion ratios.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003532:Cyprinodontiformes; D004032:Diet; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004435:Eating; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009753:Nutritive Value; D009835:Oligochaeta; D012911:Snakes / Q000254:growth & development*
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins