Tilapia/Trout fillet....

[RedSidedSPR]

I DO NOT have a local market. Ive been trying to find some tialpia somewhere OTHER than Walmart.

I found one, at a store called Trader Joes. (we go there because itsthe closet grocery store) a big chain, just not as common. It has frozen tilapia fillet, no salt, from Canada. Is that good? How do you know if it's safe?

They also have trout which I know is a good fish too.

I really need a fish source other than silversides. Theyre expensive and fatty, so not a good staple diet.

Where do you get yours besides some market?

[infernalis]

The seafood section of higher end grocery stores sell farm raised rainbow trout.

It's not cheap, but it goes a long way.

$5 worth (it's sold by the pound) will go a long way for you with three snakes.

[RedSidedSPR]

Thanks, and yeah, not worried about the price if theres a good amount.

How do I know if it's safe though? I mean, what makes the fish from Walmart unsafe?

And are you saying farm raised because Canada is a no? Is farm raised always safe?

I just know fillet can be bad, I dont want to buy the wrong stuff

[RedSidedSPR]

Another concern i forgot to mention, about them being not all are safe. Steve had some salmon and it had worms in it. I just really don't want to buy something with worms. That would really piss me off.

I want a good, safe, wormless, hunk of fish.

[snakehill]

You just want it all don't you!!! lol

[Didymus20X6]

If I was to hazard a guess, it would be because Wal-Mart either gets their el cheapo fish from unreliable sources, or because the stores don't handle the product appropriately. I don't know how many times I've gone to my local Wal-Mart to find the freezers have broken down, and all the nukerwave pizzas have thawed out. Here's a hint: don't buy nukerwave pizzas that have been thawed in the store.

I'm willing to bet that something similar has happened with the fish freezer at Wal-Marts, too. And we all know how raw fish can be if not handled properly under the right conditions: it's a severe illness waiting to happen.

On the other hand, the tilapia I've been using for the past few months came from Wal-Mart. I bought it for myself to make fish tacos a while back before I read about problems with their fish. Little Dude likes it and has eaten several filets by herself, and she shows no symptoms of health problems as a result.

The thing is, you also have to keep in mind that, in the wild, snakes don't have an idealized diet. They eat what they can get. I honestly think that, as long as you put some care into food selection and balance, you should be okay.

Oh, and by the way, food experts will tell you that there are ways to tell bad fish from good. For one thing, if you open a tilapia filet, and it has a very strong fish odor, toss it out; it's gone bad. But as long as the flesh looks normal, and the smell isn't strong, it is fine. And I'm referring to people who prepare fish for human consumption, so they have to know these kinds of things. Maybe check FoodTV.com for more details.

Point is, as long as you're handling any food product, there is the likelihood you're going to find some gone bad. But if you know what to look for, you should be okay.

Also, it has been suggested that you can cook the fish, too. This removes some of the potentially harmful toxins - like heavy metals and salt - as well as killing germs, parasites, and thiaminase.

[RedSidedSPR]

Ok thanks!

Is farm raised the way to go? Ill go get a good (far as i can tell) fillet, but where should it be from. If it's farmed raised I'll do that, but if there's only Canada is that ok?

[infernalis]

I mean, what makes the fish from Walmart unsafe?

My paranoia from losing snakes twice from feeding wal mart crap.

There are threads about it.

They ate it and died within 4 hours of consuming wal mart fish.

That was enough to prevent me from ever buying fish there again.

[RedSidedSPR]

Those threads, and Steves worm incident, have made me paranoid. I really don't want to buy something like that.

[jitami]

The stuff from Trader Joe's should be fine. For those not familiar with Trader Joe's it's a higher end store, similar to Whole Foods (just not as large).