Garter snakes can eat spiders, but spiders are not a normal part of their diet. In the wild, a garter snake mostly goes after earthworms, slugs, frogs, tadpoles, small fish and salamanders. A spider might get eaten if it is easy to catch, but it is a small snack at best.
What Garter Snakes Actually Eat
Garter snakes are generalists, and what they eat depends on where they live. Most of their meals come from damp places such as ponds, streams and garden edges.
- Earthworms and slugs: a staple in many gardens and yards.
- Frogs, toads and tadpoles: common near water.
- Small fish and salamanders: eaten where they are easy to find.
- Insects: occasionally, including beetles and caterpillars. Spiders fall into this “opportunistic” group.
- Small rodents and nestling birds: taken sometimes by larger garter snakes.
Garter snakes find food mostly by smell, flicking their tongue to pick up scent trails. They swallow prey whole, usually head first.
Are Garter Snakes Good for Controlling Spiders?
Not really. If you want fewer spiders in your yard or house, a garter snake will not do much about it. Garter snakes do help with slugs and garden pests, though, which is the most useful thing they do for gardeners.
What to Feed a Pet Garter Snake
Pet garter snakes should not be fed spiders or wild-caught bugs. Wild insects and other prey can carry parasites and may have been exposed to pesticides. A safer feeding plan looks like this:
- Earthworms (from a bait or pet supplier, not treated lawns) for young snakes
- Pinky mice, then small mice as the snake grows, preferably frozen and thawed
- Small amounts of fish, such as feeder-sized smelt or silversides, as a variety item
Feed juveniles about two to three times a week and adults about once a week, offering prey about as wide as the thickest part of the snake’s body. For more on thawing and safe feeding, see our guide to feeding snakes frozen mice.
Are Garter Snakes Dangerous?
Garter snakes are not dangerous to people. They have very mild saliva that can bother a small prey animal, but a bite is rarely more than a scratch and a little redness. If one musks (a smelly liquid) or bites when you pick it up, put it down gently and wash your hands. If you notice swelling or an allergic reaction, call your doctor.
Bottom Line
Garter snakes may eat a spider if one crosses their path, but earthworms, slugs, frogs and fish are what they really live on. If you keep one as a pet, skip wild-caught bugs and stick to earthworms and properly sized rodents. For other small snakes, see what rough green snakes eat or what northern water snakes eat.
If your pet snake stops eating or seems unwell, contact a reptile veterinarian.
