Pacman bone disease and calcium defeciency

[DVirginiana]

I wouldn't recommend goldfish as feeders... They contain high levels of Thiaminase, which causes neurological problems in many reptiles (and even in mammals if consumed exclusively over long periods, as documented in some European studies on mink).

The problem is that how it affects a reptile really seems to depend on the individual. Some people can feed goldfish and rosy red minnows (ability to produce red pigment is a big giveaway that the fish species contains Thiaminase) to a reptile for years, and see only very minor issues. Other reptiles can eat goldfish for a couple weeks and develop fatal problems. There hasn't been a lot of in-depth research on the effects of Thiaminase in reptiles, but it's enough of a problem that many breeders avoid feeders with Thiaminase. It's probably not something that will cause your animal to drop dead overnight, but it's definitely something to be wary of doing often.

Silversides bought frozen from petstores are about the safest feeder fish out there.