Feeder Guppies?

[J@50n]

I was going to post in the wanted section, but thought it may only be for snakes...

Anyway I want feeder guppies... Anyone have an idea of where one could find such fish? I tried Petsmart but they told me all they have is fancy guppies for $3-$5 a fish... Any ideas?

[guidofatherof5]

You might have better luck contacting a smaller pet shop. Put something on Craiglist in there "wanted" item section.
There's bound to be someone out there breeding them.
Just keep in mind they are coming from people and conditions you don't know about.:rolleyes:

[RedSidedSPR]

Local craigslist, or check out all your pet stores.

[infernalis]

Small aquarium specialty shops can get them for you. around 20 cents each.

[brain]

I tried Petsmart but they told me all they have is fancy guppies for $3-$5 a fish... Any ideas?

Why not get a ten gallon tank, buy like 3 fem and 2 males and raise your own. They are easy to care for.

Check out that "Safe Fish" and sub in a cheap live fish from Petsmart. Mollies, Platties, or Zebra Dainos.

[J@50n]

I found at my Petco they will sell Fancy Guppies (females) for only about 1.50... Which is pretty pricey (for guppies being food that is) but I only want about 3 to even see if he will accept them... Or should I not even bother?

And also, I have another food related question... I went to Petsmart the other day and I asked how much Pinkies were... She said 6 for $18!!!??? Is this right? Isn't that a bit much?

[guidofatherof5]

Yes it is :eek:

$3.00 each :eek:

[RedSidedSPR]

I get (got) mine for 2$ 10... cheap, but when I was up in VA for a week, they were 10 cents EACH!!! That was awesome...

[Didymus20X6]

It costs more to feed a tiny little garter snake than it does to feed a full-grown human. Does that seem right to you?

[RedSidedSPR]

Depends on what you feed yourself :D

No it doesn't. Although, I like snakes better than people. :p

[J@50n]

Where do you get yours? Just a local pet store?

[Plissken]

i get pinkies for $.99 and fuzzies for $1.19 from my local pet shop. Look around your local places. The other shop in town sells their pinkies for $1.50 each and they claim that garters only need crickets. Shop around.

[RedSidedSPR]

Where do you get yours? Just a local pet store?

I get them at Pet Supermarket. Only place that carries 'em 'round these parts.

[Bart]

Just buy a big aquarium with plenty of plants and hides, proper filter and heater and buy two or three males and eight females (make sure they aren't related) and your guppies will breed like crazy.

[J@50n]

I went to my local pet store today... He told me he will sell me LIVE pinks for $1.08

IM EXCITED!!

[RedSidedSPR]

Good, but thats more money than I'd pay...

[Didymus20X6]

But bear in mind, Red, that some of us don't have a small army of snakes, and maybe don't have the storage space for 500+ frozen rodents. I'd take pinkies for $1 if I could get them at all here.

[Bart]

Live pinks? Well, it sucks. We all here don't like live feedings.

[Didymus20X6]

I'd take a live pinkie if I thought it would help get my snakes to eat rodents.

[J@50n]

I agree with Didy, My snake is WC and never eaten anything frozen before and I don't think he likes the idea of non-moving prey... Yet...

[Bart]

And they won't, because they normally do not eat rodents. They eat frogs and fish and worms. Just scent frozen pinks and there you go - rodent eaters. And remember, that garters do like moving prey, but we are talking about movement IN WATER!!!

[RedSidedSPR]

No, they eat them in wild. IF they come across a suitable sized one.

I prefer live feeding. But I wont pay 1.00 for ever pinkie, because it would get expensive FAST.

[Bart]

I never said they don't eat them - I said they don't eat them NORMALLY. In my expirience, gartes rely on their smell sense first when locating their prey and then with their eyesight. Thus (wild garters) locate fish or frogs or worms with their smelling sense and then, eventually, use their eyesight. I mean, garters expect to see movement in the water, not the dry land. Of course there are some which tasted birds or rodents and are attracted to their movement - but in my opinion they are exeptions.

[RedSidedSPR]

Yeah... your right. But there's nothing that keeps then from eating rodents, birds, or anything that's not typically mentioned.

[Bart]

Yes, but still I can't see any benefits from feeding garters with live pinkies.

[RedSidedSPR]

Not live, but there are benefits to pinkies.

When I say I prefer live, that doesnt include mice. They just pee on the bedding when the snake attacks :D

[Didymus20X6]

First of all, your theory about garters and water would work great, if garters were always found near bodies of water, or if they were semi-aquatic snakes. What about garters that live in areas where there isn't a readily available body of water to house such prey items (like my back yard)? I can only surmise that, in such circumstances, garters' hunting instincts are not limited by the availability of water or water-bound prey.

The benefit that I specifically listed of feeding a live pinkie to a garter would be if I had a picky eater who won't touch dead pinkies (like Little Dude and Scarlett), but who might be enticed to eat if the prey was moving.

[RedSidedSPR]

Yup. And than, that should get them eaten dead ones.

[jitami]

There will always be debate about feeding live and I do encourage people to switch to frozen/thawed as soon as possible, but my 2 wild caught garters prefer mice to ANYTHING else. They'll take mice over fish and especially worms. Neither cares for worms. I have no doubt that they ate rodents in their 'previous lives'. On the other hand, my captive bred kids will eat just about anything... which is one of the reasons I often suggest captive bred pets :)

[Bart]

Whoa! Hold your horses! I'm feeding my snakes with mice myself! I'm not talking about not feeding them with mice at all, I'm talking about not feeding them with live pinks!



First of all, your theory about garters and water would work great, if garters were always found near bodies of water, or if they were semi-aquatic snakes. What about garters that live in areas where there isn't a readily available body of water to house such prey items (like my back yard)? I can only surmise that, in such circumstances, garters' hunting instincts are not limited by the availability of water or water-bound prey.

The benefit that I specifically listed of feeding a live pinkie to a garter would be if I had a picky eater who won't touch dead pinkies (like Little Dude and Scarlett), but who might be enticed to eat if the prey was moving.

Yes - it still works great, even for garters that live on the wasteland without any water. ;) Such food as pinkies are found under ground, where eyes aren't used so much, because there is no light and is dark. Like I said, garters locate their prey thanks to smelling sense and that's how they find pinks. No movement is needed. In the other hand, when they hunt fish, they use their eyes and that's why they are attracted to movement in water. I mean, look at the fising garter. You can clearly see how he's following fish with his eyes. In the other hand, when I feed with pinkies, my snakes do eat them on sight without any hesitation (after locating them of course with their tongue) - OR when they are in water and are moving (I move them with tongs). No anything between.

[snakehill]

I wouldn't keep a snake that doesn't eat frozen\thawed! I've kept a few snakes in my time and they all ate frozen. I have friends that would like to give me their sons ball python but it eats live. Unless they can convert it to frozen/thawed it ain't happenin!;)

[Didymus20X6]

For the last time, (a) I can't get frozen/thawed pinkies in this town, (b) neither of my snakes will eat f/t pinkies, and (c) IF I could get live pinkies (which is moot, since I can't), I'd feed them those. End of story.

[snakehill]

I'm just saying that Is ME! I don't have a problem if others would like to feed live! I can't!:)

[ConcinusMan]

i get pinkies for $.99 and fuzzies for $1.19 from my local pet shop.

That's more in the realm of reasonable, although most pet stores are not reasonable.