Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What are the best fishes to feed matamata? I heard of red rosies, but is that a type of goldfish or something? Do any of you know where to get large amounts of fish?

Go to tropicalfishdit.net.For a mata mata I heard of people feeding zebra danios which is what I feed my snappers.Also smelt(frozen),feeder comets,minnows from local ponds.There are many things but I would Use the zebra danios and the frozen smelt.The feeder comets and pond fish can be very toxic to the mata mata.This is just a suggestion not a have to idea.So anybody who disagrees with this post please dont email me with a bunch of crap to say I am wrong.

thanks alot

I use bait minnows from a local fishing store. On occasion I catch Shiners from a local river.

The fish that you spoke of, Rosey Reds, are a type of minnow that is commonly used for feeding other animals. Most places sell them, by the dozen, VERY cheaply.

Buy a dozen of them and put them, live, into your turtle's tank. Keep track of how long it takes him to eat the whole dozen. When he can do it in one day, it's time to move up to a slightly larger fish... maybe a larger size of bait fish from a bait shop.

It is said that one shouldn't use goldfish as a steady diet for other animals. They supposedly contain too high a percentage of fat.

The issue with goldfish is not that they contain lots of fat but what kinds of fat they contain cause problems for turtle metabolism. Also for matas, goldfish are never recommended as there is a (potential) danger that they will erect their dorsal fin when being swallowed and this could get (and apparently has gotten) stuck in the turtle's throat. I have never seen it happen but folks claim that it does. I would use long streamlined fish; rosy reds are good for this also look for bait minnows (many in american are fundulus species which have a similar shape) and are a good shape (phallic) for swallowing. Wide fat fish or those with flowing or spiny fins can cause problems. Also, plan on de-worming the turtle a few times per year as feeding so many live fish inevitably leads to parasite problems. for this reason many people get their fish and feed them for several weeks in clean water away from the turtle in hopes of fattening them up and cleaning them up. Many species of fish are actualy not that hard to get to breed in your tank and some people think its worth it to try.

Red rosies or Rosy Red Minnows around here generally are young fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, and are not goldfish.
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