Feeder fish for pacman? Good or bad

[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.