Feeder fish for pacman? Good or bad

[Flowerpower]

I've heard they were good and bad. If they are good, how many times a week could they eat them? What are good kinds of little fish?

[redeyedtreefrog123451]

Just feeder fish would be fine but not for a stable diet like crickets. Fish should only be used as a treat

[DVirginiana]

No, feeder fish are not okay. They are a huge parasite risk, and some of the species they sell at pet stores have a chemical in them called thiaminase which is bad for most reptiles.

The only time fish are okay is if you feed frozen/thawed silversides (which you can get at most petsmart/petco). Those don't contain thiaminase and have been frozen long enough to kill parasites. You can feed one of those like once every two weeks as a treat.

[Truffs1178]

Agree with DVirginiana, live fish have a good chance of containing parasites.

[Lija]

if to give live fish as a treat you can do your own raised guppies or similar, if you raise them they most likely are parasite free

[Truffs1178]

if to give live fish as a treat you can do your own raised guppies or similar, if you raise them they most likely are parasite free

I am not saying they will have parasites it's just alot of fish feeders like bloodworms and shrimp etc can pass on parasites but if you get the fish food from a good source or use fish flakes to raise them they are likely to be fine.

[DVirginiana]

if to give live fish as a treat you can do your own raised guppies or similar, if you raise them they most likely are parasite free

I've considered raising my own feeder fish before, but it just seems like too much trouble. Since my frog eats so few fish, I'd end up thinking of them as pets :P

[GrifTheGreat]

No, feeder fish are not okay. They are a huge parasite risk, and some of the species they sell at pet stores have a chemical in them called thiaminase which is bad for most reptiles.

The only time fish are okay is if you feed frozen/thawed silversides (which you can get at most petsmart/petco). Those don't contain thiaminase and have been frozen long enough to kill parasites. You can feed one of those like once every two weeks as a treat.

I'm just going to point out that DV is correct here about freezing killing off parasites, BUT please note that freeezing does not kill off bacteria and viruses. These single celled oraganisms actually create a protein membrain that protects them from dieing when frozen. Hence why labs keep them on ice for study.

[DVirginiana]

I'm just going to point out that DV is correct here about freezing killing off parasites, BUT please note that freeezing does not kill off bacteria and viruses. These single celled oraganisms actually create a protein membrain that protects them from dieing when frozen. Hence why labs keep them on ice for study.

True, though my snakes are mostly fish-eaters and I've never had an issue with the Sally's Silversides brand and I've been using them for years. There should be minimal risk of an animal getting sick if they're fed right after unfreezing, since the bacteria haven't had time to begin reproducing again after they thaw.

[GrifTheGreat]

True, though my snakes are mostly fish-eaters and I've never had an issue with the Sally's Silversides brand and I've been using them for years. There should be minimal risk of an animal getting sick if they're fed right after unfreezing, since the bacteria haven't had time to begin reproducing again after they thaw.

Exactly!

I only pointed this out because many people think they can just freeze wild caught feeders and they be 100% safe which is untrue.