Florida gar not eating
- Thread starter shaan21
- Start date
I had luck hand feeding pieces of tilapia to mine when I first got him. I would cut up little pieces that were long enough for me to hold and for him to bite into without getting my finger. Then hold it up to him and wait for him to eventually take the food. Took mine a little under a week to take food, but eventually they get hungry enough. However, depending on where you got the gar from and what they were feeding it, could also help. Do you know if it was on live, pellets, frozen, etc?
be patient, he'll eat.
I've got a few florida gar ranging from 10" to 18" and recently got a couple of smaller ones. One was really stubborn and took a couple of weeks but it reacted to and jump started feeding by cutting small pieces of lancefish/silversides squeezing them by him in the water so he could smell it then dropping it near his mouth and he started striking food. Once they start you're sorted and they eat loads
I've got a few florida gar ranging from 10" to 18" and recently got a couple of smaller ones. One was really stubborn and took a couple of weeks but it reacted to and jump started feeding by cutting small pieces of lancefish/silversides squeezing them by him in the water so he could smell it then dropping it near his mouth and he started striking food. Once they start you're sorted and they eat loads
He was on live feed eating zebra danios as much as I remember in the store,but I'll try doing what you've told me to maybe it'll help
Ohkay noted
I'm just worried that it doesn't die of not eating
How long these small ones can go without eating?
If he was on live food it will definitely be tougher getting him to eat non live food. Definitely try different types of frozen. You can splash the surface with the food to get attention/natural feeding and hunting behaviors, and as mentioned by
Simonas
try getting him to smell the food too, and then obviously try hand feeding as close as you can get. I’ve also had luck with bloodworms when new fish won’t take anything else, it is just harder to target feed with bloodworms and you have to make sure that the water quality doesn’t get bad if he doesn’t eat it. He should be able to go a lot longer than you would think without eating before he finally does. I had a bass that went 2 weeks before eating anything. Patience and persistence and he’ll eat at some point.