A more ethical way to live feed?

[Zmouvek]

I was thinking about live feeding, and specifically, how to make it more humane. Now in the goldfish community it is standard to give goldfish a clove oil bath as anesthesia in order to perform surgery, and I was thinking, could we do the same in order to make live feeding more humane? Basically, bathe your feeders in clove oil for a bit, then drop them in the tank, where they will be alive but very tipsy, and be eaten without experiencing much distress.
What are your thoughts on the manner forum?

 

[dmyersWv]

I don't think there is a way to make live feeding more humane. Either you are ok with feeding one animal to another or you are not. Not judging one way or the other. Just my opinion.

 

[esoxlucius]

It's simple in my eye. If you are remotely squeamish about this sort of thing, then don't get an animal, fish or otherwise, which requires live food.

What benefits are there for an animal which requires live food only to be fed live food that has been sedated/knocked out beforehand? I'd have thought it was the distress movements of the prey that make the whole thing realistic for the predator?

You're either all in, warts and all, or not. Just my opinion.

For the record, in my younger days this sort of feeding never bothered me, but nowadays i feel cruel even feeding live crickets and worms, lol.

 

[RD.]

Not too sure one would get the same feed response, from a clove oil dipped food.

 

[Zmouvek]

It's simple in my eye. If you are remotely squeamish about this sort of thing, then don't get an animal, fish or otherwise, which requires live food.

What benefits are there for an animal which requires live food only to be fed live food that has been sedated/knocked out beforehand? I'd have thought it was the distress movements of the prey that make the whole thing realistic for the predator?

You're either all in, warts and all, or not. Just my opinion.

For the record, in my younger days this sort of feeding never bothered me, but nowadays i feel cruel even feeding live crickets and worms, lol.

In all honestly, I hate live feeding, I just wanted to spread an idea to make it more humane, the idea is that the fish would still move on its own, which would let the predator know it's alive. If it was up to me we would only life feed when we had to, to wean a wild caught onto dead food, then pellets.

 

[skjl47]

Hello; A question I have never considered before is what possible detrimental effects would a feeder knocked out with clove oil have on the fish being fed. Using such to ease a sick fish out of some misery does not involve such considerations.

As other have stated do not keep animals which require live food if it bothers you. I stopped knowingly keeping wild caught species decades ago for similar reasons.

 

[dmyersWv]

I do wonder if the clove oil or other substance would have a negative effect on the fish eating it. Had a friend who kept snakes. He would smack them in the head before feeding them to the snakes stating that it was more humane. Still doesn't make any sense to me.

 

[Ogertron3000]

This sounds to me more like a way for the person doing the live feeding to feel less guilty about it.
I doubt the feeder fish feels any better about it, they still would be distressed being caught and dipped in the clove oil, then removed from the oil and dropped into the predators tank while being in some sort of sedated state . I doubt its pleasant for them. In the end they end up getting eten anyway, being doped out while its happening doesnt change the end result.
I get your intention but really i dont think its any nicer for the fish and seems a lot of stuffing around for the fishkeeper and the feeder fish for the same result.

 

[Midwater]

I live feed my fish and have done so for years.

Fish eat fish, and shrimp and insects and whatever else. That is what happens in nature and you are not going to stop it. That is ethics.

 

[dmyersWv]

I'm not against live feeding from any ethical stand point. I and many others have lost prized fish to poor quality sick feeders. I feed my culls from breeding projects. I look back and am amazed by my stupidity at having strict quarantine rules I would never break, but I would bring home feeders and put them in with my fish.