Goldfish, not OK? rosies, OK? Confused...

[vulgaris]

Now I'm really confused. It is not OK to feed them goldfish... But it is OK to feed them rosies? I started out feeding both of mine earthworms dusted with "reptical", a nutritional supplement. I have an "adult (over a year old)" and a "baby(under a year old)". My pet store owner who breeds snakes said I should feed the baby rosies and the adult goldfish... So that's what I've been doing. What is OK? And how often do I feed them? I've been doing 6 rosies/sm goldfish 1-2 times a week and they still seem hungry all the time. They shed often and seem to be healthy...

[adamanteus]

Hi Heather. No, Goldfish are never safe to use, because of the thiaminase they contain.
http://www.thamnophis.com/caresheets/index.php?title=Thiamin,#THIAMIN.2C_THIAMINASE.2C_ .26_GOLDFISH

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

rosies are not baby goldfish just telling you (some people didnt know that), and a pet store will tell you to feed goldfish to your garter/ribbon they dont know that its bad though, ive been trying to get the petcos around here to stop selling them for garter food

[enigma200316]

rosies are not baby goldfish just telling you (some people didnt know that), and a pet store will tell you to feed goldfish to your garter/ribbon they dont know that its bad though, ive been trying to get the petcos around here to stop selling them for garter food


Rosies are actually Fat-Head Minnows.........just to clear that up.......:D

[adamanteus]

Heather, just to give you more options... You can vary the diet if you wish.. you can feed your Garter on pinky mice, 'suitable' live fish, fish strips (such as trout or salmon) and earthworms (night crawlers).

[tikichick]

Now I'm wondering if what petsmart is selling me is the correct fish?

http://www.lakehousemedia.com/hidden/herps/garters/food.jpg

[Lori P]

Yes, those are minnows. :-)

[tikichick]

Whew! Thanks :D

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

pet smart sells fish?? do they have pinkies too?

Now I'm wondering if what petsmart is selling me is the correct fish?

http://www.lakehousemedia.com/hidden/herps/garters/food.jpg

[tikichick]

Yes, but they're pricey and frozen. I think it's $9.99 for 6. The local petstore I frequent sells them for $1 a piece. I've just ordered from rodentpro.com and it's .16 cents a piece if you get a bag of 100, plus the shipping. I went in on the order with some other folks here in town, so we're splitting the shipping between 4 people and that put my cost at .34 cents per pinky.

[vulgaris]

Thanks, everyone.

I think I am eventually just going to go all-pinkie. I used to breed mice for snakes back in high school, I'll probably just go back to that.

[adamanteus]

A mouse only diet isn't really a good idea for Garter Snakes, thery're too high in fat to use exclusively. The best option is a variety of foods; pinkies, 'safe' fish such as salmon or trout and some earthworms.

[vulgaris]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. i'll do some research on tha fishes and where i can order them around here. most the pet stores only have minnows and goldfish.

[adamanteus]

You can buy the trout or salmon at any supermarket. It works out way cheaper, pound for pound, than any 'feeder' fish.

[Stefan-A]

Just don't forget to remove the bones and add a calcium supplement. ;)

[adamanteus]

Just don't forget to remove the bones and add a calcium supplement. ;)

Some people leave bones in... as long as they don't protrude so that they could snag in the snakes' gullet, it's probably a very good idea. Personally though, I don't.

[EdgyExoticReptiles]

i buy de-boned salmon and put that chopped up on a plate with chopped up pinkies and a little bit of calcium supplement.

[adamanteus]

Pretty much what I do, Reed.... I buy whole trout, cut it into strips and offer it with pinkies etc.

[Stefan-A]

I buy fillets, debone them myself, cook and eat most of it, cut the rest into strips, freeze them separately and offer them without pinkies. I never offer more than I know will be eaten. I'm not rich enough to waste any pinkies. ;)

[drache]

I offer trout with bone and salmon without
Runty is the only one who will not eat rodent, and the ones who do are not interested in anything else - so much for variety
thanks to my plated lizards, I never have to waste any food
I feed them all the snake left-overs and then top them off with bugs

[vulgaris]

Well that's neat. I never thought of just offering them slivers of food. I already use a calcium supplement... Sounds like a good plan.

[Lori P]

Now, again, with the variety thing... my vet was actually a little concerned when I told him I had to chop up pinkies for Miriam. He told me to make sure she doesn't just always eat one part, like, don't let her just always eat the head. Make sure she gets different organs from time to time. So, I think with the pieces of fish (and I do use salmon strips myself) make sure that at sometime they get whole foods too (like whole minnows, whole pinkies). Just to make sure they are getting the "whole food" advantage and not missing out on the nutrients found in whole foods.

[adamanteus]

Good point, Lori. For that reason I always slice my pinkies lengthways and offer a 'full' half.

[Stefan-A]

The only problem is that the guts, including that precious calcium-filled stomach, spill out when the snake drags the half-a-pinkie around the cage. :)

[adamanteus]

Haha, that's so true! I generally tweezer feed (plus a bit of powdered cuttlefish) to avoid that.

[Lori P]

That's the problem I'm having... I like the concept of slicing them lengthwise, but they fall all apart!

[adamanteus]

Lori, you need a really sharp knife... like a filleting knife.

[Stefan-A]

I use ordinary scissors. Not incredibly messy, unless you try to cut through it too quickly. But the blood and guts do stick to everything, so it's not much help, when the snake decides to drag the pinkie around a bit instead of swallowing it right away.

[Lori P]

Well, the chopping part is ok, I chop them when they're frozen. But when Miriam tries to drag it off, "stuff" goes all over. Hopefully soon she'll be big enough to eat them whole!!

She did partially eat a sliced one this weekend and then regruged it back. But then she ate a big minnow off the tweezers a few minutes later. Think it was just a one time thing??

[adamanteus]

I usually slice them (with a filleting knife) once they're thawed. It's surprisingly un-messy. When tweezer feeding I find you can drop 'stray bits' back into the body cavity as they're eating! Lovely!

[Stefan-A]

I found that it won't be able to flip the pinkie over as easily if you feed it in a paper towel/toilet paper roll. Pic. (http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/extra/halfapinkie.jpg) :)

[adamanteus]

Useful tip, Stefan. I'll try that.:)

[Lori P]

Ooooh clever!! I'll try that too! :-)

[Stefan-A]

Let's not exaggerate how useful it is, it can still drag it out of the roll and it just makes flipping the pinkie a tiny bit harder. :D


http://koti.mbnet.fi/thamnoph/extra/halfapinkie2.jpg

[drache]

I cut mine (lengthwise) when they're still frozen - no mess at all until after they thaw
I'm wondering about the powdered cuttlefish - does it help to keep the gooey parts sticking together?

[drache]

I like that roll trick - wil have to try that next time