Hmmm ok, I thought crayfish were vertebrates though.... I'll have a look into it, I thought it was things that caused cruelty that were illegal... wonder how those people that bought a goldfish and ate it live in the pet shop got away with it.... I might just buy some guppies to liven up that tank, and breed some in a smaller tank for when the ones in my main tank go missing
I've just done a search, it's not specifically illegal to feed live fish, the illegal side is if unnecessary suffering is caused to either prey/predator. Well, I'm planning on growing the guppies as pet fish, only feeding deformed ones that would usually be culled anyway. They would be fed at a size where they could be swallowed whole, so no ripping apart (I think that that is cruel, unnecessary and would imo be into the illegal suffering). Because I would have bred them, no parasites would be introduced, and I was asking for good nutrition so that wouldn't be an issue, so no suffering for my snakehead. These are my sources on the law (which do state the bills etc: http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=3713 and here is the quote: Pet fish are the owners responsibility and they have a duty of care to the fish. They are legally obligated to provide housing, diet etc and are responsible for the fishes welfare. The owner also has a duty that the fish does not suffer unnecessarily. The owner must protect the fish from disease, pain and injury.
As Defra said, it is a grey area, but I do no believe that feeding home bred, deformed guppies that will be swallowed in one bit would come under this law. Unlike feeding a large, shop bought goldfish to an Oscar for example...
