I saw a few videos of people feeding their extra large cichlids mice on youtube recently. Including a Mangenese, an oscar, and a wolf. Now I don't have any fish nearly big enough to do this with myself but still I was curious about whether this was a dangerous practice or not. Has anyone here tried it before? let me know.
Saw a fish eat a mouse
- Thread starter F1shkeeper
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personally i dont think i would feed my fish something like that but then again those are not my fish
i kinda think the bones would be a bad deal for the fish
i kinda think the bones would be a bad deal for the fish
Most omvivores are opportunistic, including omnivorous fish. In the wild, if it falls in the water, it's fair game. The bones would not be an issue. In fact, if it's even close to the water, its fair game. Arowanas can leap several feet out of the water to snag birds off of branches hanging over the water.
I'd be a little more concerned about the nutritional aspect if people were doing this as a staple. If it's a dead mouse and it's an occasional treat, I'd say it's not a big deal and just make sure you do a large water change. If either one of the two conditions on the last statement aren't met, I might have a philosophical disagreement with it.
I don't think it would be bad for their digestive track but I wouldn't recommend it. I would think a struggling rodent could potentially hurt the fish. I'm not sure of the nutrition value as well, I would think it better to stick to high quality fish food. I don't like those videos 
Just makes me feel bad for the mouse
Just makes me feel bad for the mouse
I don't get the nutritional argument. In the wild these fish aren't eating high quality pellets and flakes. They eat what they find nothing more nothing less.
How do we know by filling them with this high quality food we aren't really harming them. If you give a homeless person rich foods they develop gout because they aren't use to the food.
I know the argument will be most fish are farm raised and so they are fed these products. But what about wild caught?
How do we know by filling them with this high quality food we aren't really harming them. If you give a homeless person rich foods they develop gout because they aren't use to the food.
I know the argument will be most fish are farm raised and so they are fed these products. But what about wild caught?
the fish that eat rodents birds and other small critters are designed to handle this type of food source in the wild where there is thousands of gallons of water flowing and so on, but in a small closed system we call aquariums really not a great thing i mean you can do it if you want to its the hobbyist call like piranha well they need meat so do you feed live or dead but it remains they need meat not flakes or pellets, but as for live feedings go we have to make our mind up to do so, i feed all my tangs live fish, shrimp and worms on the occasion but i know i can go to my local pet store and get the same stuff frozen, water changes would be a must, this is my 2 cents.
If a mouse or any other live food is given to the fish for nutritional value, I have no problem with it. I do, however, have a problem with the giving of live food for the sole purpose of entertainment.