Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've offered a few feeder goldfish to my BTS twice in the last couple months & he just snarfs them down, absolutely loves them! Is there any problem with giving him 4-5 feeders as a treat every month or so?

-----
Robins Critters
1.0 Corn snake Jack Skellington
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.0 South American Boa Elvis
0.1 Western Hognose Addy the Adder
1.0 Tricolor Hognose Yoshi
1.3 Leopard Geckos Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.2 Crested Geckos Fox Mulder, Peek & Boo
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles Squirtle II & Yurtle II
0.1 Pacman Frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
0.2 Tiger Salamanders Tiger & Sally
1.1.2 Firebelly Newts Wayne Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 Cats Gus & Mena

I don't think its a good ideal at all, even a couple a month. Feeder fish are notoriously 'dirty' often carrying parasites that can be harmful to any reptile, some of which may not even show signs of being in your reptile till it suddenly dies a year or two later for no apparent reason. I have a friend who fed feeder goldfish to his baby garter snakes and several died a few years later. he did a necropsy on one and a parasitical worm (roundworm I think it was) was in his lung. It was several feet long and pretty much took over the lung, killing the snake (I think it was lung, might have been heart).

I seem to remember reading somewhere that any fish was bad for blue tongues, as in not feed fish or seafood based cat/dog food to them. I may be remembering incorrectly, or thinking of a completely different reptile but I do know that feeder gold fish are very risky to feed, unless your supplier tests their goldfish for parasites and regularly treats them (not selling them till after treatment is over)