Live feeder debate

[ozz465]

My view on live feeders may be different , i mainly raise geckos and snakes . My geckos get either CGD or roaches /mealworms , while my snakes get f/t mice or live mice but only small mice like pinkies and fuzzies , the reason is hognose snakes are more of a visual aided animals and live gets there attention asap . i do use a pair of tweezers to feed f/t but Only for larger mice . All these feeders are raised by myself and are clean and disease free.

 

[Younglin]

He is wrong, you can keep turtles very healthy and active without live feeder fish. I cared for a 130lbs alligator snapper that was raised entirely on frozen/ thawed fillets. I know of other snappers that are only fed live crayfish and dead fish and dead mice. I don't think there is any reason to say that feeding live is better than feeding prekilled. The same level of enrichment that a turtle might get from hunting could also be achieved by doing things like changing the decor in the tank, adding a current, adding non-edible tank mates, giving visual stimuli, etc.

Also if you feed strictly minnows you will need to be careful of thyaminase poisoning. Many commercially available feeder fish are quite bad for your turtles when fed in bulk.

Perfectly put.

Seeing those videos kind of makes me want a turtle.