Feeding rosie reds once?

[Starling96]

are the silver minnows silver sides?

[RedSidedSPR]

thats a bummer
whats the other vid's name

I don't have a YouTube yet, if that's what you mean...

[Starling96]

oh i see

[RedSidedSPR]

I need to fix that.

[Starling96]

I know! lol

[ConcinusMan]

Once or even more often for a short period of time probably isn't an issue.
(In my opinion) Long term feeding and only feeding rosies is a problem.

Agreed. Before I knew any better, I fed concinnus' feeder goldfish quite often but they also got a wide variety of other foods and occasional reptile supplements. They got huge and lived long healthy lives. Some snakes seem to be all but immune to the thiaminase problem anyway. It's just that you greatly increase the chances of running into a problem, the more you feed them thiaminase laden fish so it's best not to take the chance and avoid them.

are the silver minnows silver sides?

If I were you, I would try to verify the Latin (scientific) species name to be sure of what you are getting.

Frozen silversides from the pet store(sold as food for carnivorous fish) are Arctic pond smelt. They lack the little fin found on the back, near the tail. True smelt have two fins on their backs. Two common brands of frozen silversides are "San Fransisco Bay Brand" by Ocean Nutrition and my favorite (packed better, in water to avoid freezer burn/drying, and bigger fish) is "Sally's" silversides flat.

Lots of small fish, mainly for human consumption, can be called "silversides" or "smelt" but they have that little fin near the tail and contain thiaminase.

True "minnows" some of which can be called "silversides" also have that little fin and are loaded with thiaminase. The problem with "minnows" or "silversides" is that those common names are often applied to any small silvery fish or juvenile fish. Be sure of the species you are using.

Pet store frozen silversides do not contain thiaminase and are a great food for your garters as just part of their diet. They are always Arctic Pond "smelt" which are quite high in fat so I don't recommend using them as a main food source but they're perfect for preparing your snake for brumation or egg production, or for putting weight on a thin snake that is picky and wants to eat just fish. They are whole, intact fish, including the guts, which is good, and they are thiaminase-free.

[Starling96]

Thanks for all the info
he is currently on "San Fransisco Bay Brand" silversides, fuzzie mice, fillet and on occasion he'll tak a worm

[ConcinusMan]

Sounds like an excellent diet. I'm sure a few rosies every now and then will not cause B1 deficiency with a well rounded diet like that but why do it if you don't have to.

[RedSidedSPR]

Won't hurt thiamnaise-wise, but there IS a parasite concern in rosies from petstores.

[d_virginiana]

I love watching mine hunt fish too.. If you are worried about thiaminase, then if you can find silver bait minnows where you live, those won't have thiaminase in them.

Once in awhile with rosy reds probably isn't a problem though.