CTS - small feeder fish????

[bowdnboy]

G'Day, I'm forward thinking here trying to get ready for when my common tree snake eggs hatch and what I'm going to feed them.

Has anyone who has bred them before, tried mosquito fish (gambusia)???? They are quite small, and relatively spike-less. Have also read that they dont contain thiaminase??

If not, what have u fed????

Thanks

 

[Hoplophile]

I got mine years ago from a breeder who NEVER fed young tree snakes on fish, frogs or skinks because they were too hard to get the snake off them. He used to get the smallest pinkies he could find and tease feed them until they grabbed it. Then the tricky part...the slightest move and the neonate WILL drop the pinky. Stay statue still and they'll eventually swallow it. It might take 10, 20 30 goes but eventually they will swallow the pinky. Over time they get more used to being fed this way. One warning though...wait till the pinky goes right down into the stomach...they have the ability to rapidly regurgitate meals that are 1/3 of the way down.

My Green Tree Snakes went from tiny pinkies, to fuzzies to weaners without EVER having a fish or frog or skink. This is also best if you want parasite free snakes.

 

[geckodan]

G'Day, I'm forward thinking here trying to get ready for when my common tree snake eggs hatch and what I'm going to feed them.

Has anyone who has bred them before, tried mosquito fish (gambusia)???? They are quite small, and relatively spike-less. Have also read that they dont contain thiaminase??

If not, what have u fed????

Thanks

Thiaminase is only activated in the dead frozen fish as it is thawed. Gambusia probably do contain thiaminases as its the 'bottom of the food chain' fish that contain it. Fresh live (or fresh killed) fish contain NO ACTIVATED THIAMINASES so are SAFE.
A friend feeds his slaty grey hatchlings by filling a click clack with water and creating a gravel island in the middle. The Gambusia is released into the moat around the edges and the baby snake sits on the island and catches them.

 

[Reptilez123]

any sort of live bearing fish is easy to breed i have gambusia and sword tails that breed nonstop

 

[bowdnboy]

thanks guys. very interesting about geckodan. Ive fed my male gold fish since ive had him because i cant get him onto pinkys. the female on the other hand, cant get enough of them. If thats right what your saying, he alway eats them fresh live, so thats good.

Hoplophile, yer that may be good, i just thought theyd be too small too take even the smallest pinky mouse. been a while since ive seen pinky mice though i must admit.

Cheers

 

[cheekabee]

Neon tetras are probably the best fish to feed hatchling CTS, you can get them for less than a dollar at some melbourne aquariums, they are the right shape, size to feed them and their colour could possibly draw attention. I wouldn't offer them from the water bowl but leave them on the floor or in the hide to let them flap around that also draws attention. Good luck with eggs, keep us updated.

 

[GeckoJosh]

I found this an interesting read
Thiaminase

It basically says that its the vitamin B1 levels that are lowered by freezing (b1 reduces the effects of thiaminase) and that fish such as Goldfish have high levels of thiaminase and low levels of B1 regardless of freezing.

 

[geckodan]

I found this an interesting read
Thiaminase

It basically says that its the vitamin B1 levels that are lowered by freezing (b1 reduces the effects of thiaminase) and that fish such as Goldfish have high levels of thiaminase and low levels of B1 regardless of freezing.

The author has missed several points that were corrected by the first reply. The thiaminase is live fish is inactive. It might well be in high levels but it is non functional until it undergoes an unexpected chemical conversion following the thawing process where it becomes activated and now able to cause damage. Those fish are perfectly safe to use if not frozen. You'll notice all references to thiaminases in live fish are referred to as anecdotal evidence, postulated theories and suggested ideas - there is no scientific evidence to back it up and ceratinly there is no veterinary evidence to support thiamin deficiency fron feeding live fish.

 

[cathy1986]

WHAT LIVE FEEDING OMG !!!! CANT POSSIBLY DO THAT LMAO ohh its just a fish never mind.

lol so funny how its so wrong to feed a live mouse to a snake who kills quickly but its fine to feed lizards live everything from insects to little fish lol do they actually die after while they are being eaten my lizard seems to swallow whole and you can see them down its throat moving still :-/

just pointing out the fact ;-)

Cathy

 

[Hoplophile]

By the way I was referring to thawed, not live, pinkies in my post....

 

[cathy1986]

By the way I was referring to thawed, not live, pinkies in my post....

i wasnt saying you were i just dont understand the big carry on when it comes to live feeding snakes but lizards get live everything

ps i dont live feed any of my reptiles i was just saying i dont get it lol

Cathy