Feeding the beast(RTC)

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FLiP129

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 17, 2010
25
0
0
pembroke pines, fl
so ive found a cheap and easy way to keep my rtc fed. I have been feeding him chunks of raw chicken breast. I was wondering, how healthy feeding him chicken is. Any thoughts on this?
 
Fish don't digest mammalian fat that well.

Found a great site for caring for RTCs

Quite an opportunistic feeder in nature, feeding on fish, invertebrates and fallen fruits. In captivity it relishes meaty items such as prawns, mussels, cockle, lancefish or earthworms. Larger specimens can be offered whole fish fillets (use white fish). Try to keep the diet varied or you may find it becomes too accustomed to a particular food and is reluctant to accept anything else. Also take care not to overfeed. It's easy for predatory species to become overweight in captivity, especially when fed a high protein diet. This can lead to health problems in the long term. Feed every other day when juvenile but as the fish grows reduce the frequency. An adult specimen needs only a single meal per week at most.

It should not be fed the meat of mammals such as beef heart or chicken. Some of the lipids contained in these meats cannot be properly metabolised by the fish, and can cause excess deposits of fat and even organ degeneration. Similarly there is no benefit in the use of 'feeder' fish such as livebearers or small goldfish. Risks involved with feeding these include the potential of disease introduction.
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I think its so much cheaper to feed them bugs, fish, crayfish that you raise.. thats my two cents.
 
I've fed mine chicken once, he went nuts for it but I'm not going to feed it often at all. It's too unhealthy and I prefer to just feed him fish fillets and stuff he would find in nature. :)
 
They really love the chicken but i wouldn't recommend it. I going fishing a lot so i just cut up a part of the fillet and throw it in there. It's better for him and it's a lot cheaper!
 
A chicken is not a mammal, but because the chickens body temp when alive runs hottter than that of the rtc, the rtc is unable to properly digest any fat and muscle.
 
Tilapia and shrimp work best.
 
chicken is NOT a mammal.. it IS ok as a part of a varied diet, but i don't believe that i would use it exclusively.

my fish (including the catfish i no longer have) get a variety of meats: shrimp, tilapia, cod, pollock, chicken breasts and chicken hearts (when i can get them). i also feed floating pellets too, hikari cichlid gold and jumbo carni sticks.

i believe a varied diet is the best to insure that they are getting enough of the proper nutrients and to control the food budget.
 
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