Posted by:
EdK
at Wed Jan 10 21:28:37 2007 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by EdK ]
This is frequently cited on many forums as a reason for not using them as feeders however people fail to consider that other feeders can also carry parasites. For example, many insects are routine vectors for coccidia... which is why the amphibians should have routine fecal checks done at least once to twice a year.
The comments about goldfish and feeder fish are typically carried over from the fact that they can be vectors for fish diseases like ick which is not a concern for terrestrial amphibians. This is another item that continues to make the circle on the forums and list serves but I have yet to see any good documentation in the literature (like Amphibian Medicine and Captive Husbandry).
Now this does not mean that goldfish are a great choice. The problem with the goldfish is that they have a high cholesterol content. This high saturated fat content is why they are not a good food choice. If you are going to use fish, then you should use cold water, marine or live bearers for your food choices.
Jungle mix is safe for many amphibians but if I remember correctly it contains peat moss as one of the ingredients and this would make me hesitant to use it for a substrat as the low pH of the peat moss can disrupt the caudates ability to osmoregulate leading to stress and/or death.
Some comments
Ed
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