Do you think a fish will starve itself to death?

[hybridtheoryd16]

why would one allow a fish to starve itself just because one doesn't want to offer a food? that just seems irresponsible to me. a lot of fish can be switched without starving and by offering the prefered food more frequently along with an accepted food every few days.
this may not work on picky preds but it's worked for me with aros, rays, pbass, clown knife, catfish, fie eels, dats, water cow... not huge preds but can be picky eaters and turn into targets for some to starve for weeks at a time. i have gotten them all to take my prefered food for them without starving for over 3 days. some were reluctant but eventually took my prefered food along with what they wanted to eat and then switched completely

I agree.

I have no idea how some people sleep at night while starving there fish for weeks on end try to convert thousands of years of evolution.

I guess it is some people's human nature to try and change what a living thing is in nature.

 

[LBathory]

it's happened to me.

 

[swede]

i really never thought this poll would be so close......

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

I just can't imagine saying to myself, wow look at those teeth and aggressive nature that fish has. I am going to take it home and starve it until it learns to eat a pellet or some shrimp.

Do people understand why different species of fish look and act they way they do?

Like say a fish has very large eyes compared to its body and also has a nice set of teeth? Or a fish has razor sharp teeth that interlock like scissors? Or a fish has teeth so large that they protrude outside of its mouth even when closed?

Well if you did not know. Evolution has a way of shaping everything so that it becomes better at what it does. And these apex predators have been slowly evolving since there existence to be the best hunters of live prey they can be.

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

i really never thought this poll would be so close......

I would be willing to bet that the answers for No it will not starve, have been made by beginners or by people that have never kept a wide variety of species.

Some people think that all fish act like there cichlids or guppies.

 

[DucatiDragster]

No.

 

[snyder810]

for those voting no you must understand there are a lot of fish that have developed special feeding strategies and will starve rather than alter from natural behavior. this is especially common with different salt-water fish as previously mentioned.

 

[MonsterMinis]

I'm sure their is lots of debat.. but I didn't bother to go back and read threw everything. Yes, fish can and will starve themseves to death if thier owner doesn't feed them properly. and by properly foods that are akin or the same as what they would get in the wild. Most if not all wild caught species must get live foods upon arrival to stimulate their feeding response, or a majority will perish from lack of nutrition and stress of everything in short order. Once the fishes system gets use to not eating it simply loses interest in food altogether and perishes. At the point the animal is at this stage even reintroduceing it to natural foods of live origin may not be enough to trigger a feeding response and a slow progression back to health. I've seen it time and again with a myrid of predetory fish,reptiles, small mammals.

imo intentionally starveing a fish to get it to eat a particular food is not just inhumane but flat abuse of the animal. Would you strave your kid who wouldn't eat broccoli until they ate it and offered nothing but broccoli? and would any expert reccomend you do it? Our fish are no different.

 

[packer43064]

I said no. I just don't think a fish is that stupid. I'm not saying all fish will not starve itself. But I think a majority of fish will eat sooner or later, it's instinct to eat whenever they can get a chance. BUT these rules must follow
A)It can't be WC, that's understandable it won't know what to do with a manufactured food
B)It can't be unhealthy to start with, if it's unhealthy and you starve it of course it will die
C)Must be healthy, goes with B
D)You have to feed it something that makes sense for the fish ie. Not flakes to a gar, floating pellets for a catfish,massivore to a small senegal bichir

I think if these rules are followed that MOST fish will eat and not starve itself. Just my opinion, please I beg you please do not get mad, it's okay to counter your opinion but we don't need to argue.

 

[T]

ive had many fish that starved to death. becuz they wouldnt budge on prepared foods.