Fish Killer :-(

[Lori P]

Ok. Having guilt.

Ordering frozen rodents is one thing. It's not so bad. I researched companies and looked for one that seemed to care about the welfare of the rodents they were raising. I mean, I don't have a problem with death; death is part of life. Almost all animals eat other animals. I eat other animals. But I raise them myself and I treat them with due respect. Death does not bother me... suffering does. So I wanted frozen rodents that weren't killed in some horrible way and lived fairly decent lives.

So here's my problem. One of the Pugets is a very picky fella. I've not been able to get him to eat. Until this morning... when I found one of the feeder fish had flipped out of the water bowl. It was still damp, so I put it in a very shallow dish of water in front of him-- and he devoured it!

So he wants already dead fish.

Peachy. Except... I don't want to be the one to kill the fish! I don't know how to do it kindly! My own fish, I anesthesize with clove oil... but obviously can't do that with a feeder fish. So what do you do?? Put them straight in the freezer?? Is that awful? Whack 'em on their little fishy heads? (Ugh.)

Ideas?

[enigma200316]

putting them straight into the freezer is probably the best way, but thats
my opinion and I'm sure other poeple will have some other ways......

[zooplan]

Try to feed him a normal tawed feeder fish on the same dish in a few days.
I would guess that you don´t need to kill fishes just before feeding.

[Lori P]

Udo-- and that's the problem-- I haven't found already frozen feeder fish. Maybe I'm not looking in the right place. The pets store and bait stores around me don't have frozen feeders... just live.

[Stefan-A]

Ok. Having guilt.

Ordering frozen rodents is one thing. It's not so bad. I researched companies and looked for one that seemed to care about the welfare of the rodents they were raising. I mean, I don't have a problem with death; death is part of life. Almost all animals eat other animals. I eat other animals. But I raise them myself and I treat them with due respect. Death does not bother me... suffering does. So I wanted frozen rodents that weren't killed in some horrible way and lived fairly decent lives.

So here's my problem. One of the Pugets is a very picky fella. I've not been able to get him to eat. Until this morning... when I found one of the feeder fish had flipped out of the water bowl. It was still damp, so I put it in a very shallow dish of water in front of him-- and he devoured it!

So he wants already dead fish.

Peachy. Except... I don't want to be the one to kill the fish! I don't know how to do it kindly! My own fish, I anesthesize with clove oil... but obviously can't do that with a feeder fish. So what do you do?? Put them straight in the freezer?? Is that awful? Whack 'em on their little fishy heads? (Ugh.)

Ideas?

I don't think there's a kind way to kill anything. The best advice I can come up with, is to just set your feelings aside and do it. Not very useful, I know.

The freezer is pretty easy both for you and the fish. At least there's no use of force involved and they're out of sight when they die.

[ssssnakeluvr]

you can buy trout at the store and cut it into small chunks and freeze it. youi can then thaw what you need for a feeding and place it in the cage. no one I know of has frozen feeder fish.....

[Lori P]

Thank you guys! Stephan, you're right, if I'm going to have these snakes I need to quit being so wimpy. My choice to have them, so I gotta buck up! I agree the freezer is probably relatively quick...

Actually, the good news to this is, he also ate part of a pinky that I put in the dish with the dead fish! So I think he is well on his way!! :-) :-)

[adamanteus]

Sounds like he's going to be a good eater. As Don says, you may not have to use whole frozen/thawed feeder fish. Try him on strips of trout, all my Garters take trout.

[Lori P]

Strips of trout it is. :-) Thank you!! It's soooooo good to see him eating, I was getting very worried! The other one eats pretty much anything he sees, lol!

I haven't gotten any worms yet... that might be a big thing for both of them.

:-)

[Lori P]

LOL... I'm walking thru the kitchen a minute ago and this little plastic fish caught my eye... HE'S ACCUSING ME!!!! LOL