Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys, i have a couple alligator snappers that are close to a year old. What is the max i can feed them as far as days per week? I mean SAFELY without causing health probs? 3,4,5 what? Mines staple food source is chicken liver. If anyone has any suggestions to different foods that add beneficial nutrients that they do not get from chicken liver, please let me know. I appreciate any info.

Thanks,
Dallas Quarles

to answer. I guess i am not so bad off afterall! LOL!

Dallas

Your initial question is a good one that I was waiting to see some experienced answers to. I can tell you that I feed my yearling common snapper nearly every day. He eats whole minnows almost exclusively. I can get a dozen down at the bait store for less than a buck, and he munches 2-3 most days. I may skip a day when I run out and then on down to the bait store I go again. I have had him since he hatched and he's doing great as far as I can tell. I would suggest perhaps switching to whole organisms such as minnows, or at least supplementing with them, as you get all the "parts" and all the nutrition.
Like I said...I was hoping that someone might answer your question based on much research and/or experience so that I would know if I need to back off on the feeding. I suspect that with winter coming he will back off a bit on his own. He did not eat at all his first fall and winter. I was surprised that he survived, but now he eats like a pig. Duffy

As suggested above, it would be recommended to begin feeding whole organisms, such as fish, crayfish, and possibly chicks and rodents; size permitting. I am not a chelonian specialist so I cannot factually say what comes closest to a natural diet; but if you can simulate this your snapper would truely benefit. I have done some work experience at a zoo that fed it's adult common snapper rats.

It is a common belief that liver is a nutritional food source. While quite rich in many nutrients it is in fact a very poorly balanced portion of an animal; specifically when considering it's upside down Ca ratio. The general rule of thumb when feeding carnivores is to assume that a healthy whole prey animal had everything it needed to live, thus it has everything the predator needs to live. Closely assimilating a natural diet (fish instead of chicken for example) may reduce tendencies towards obesity and lethargic behavior. A final note: I think that common snappers are somewhat omnivorous and alligator snappers wholey carnivorous or vice a versa; something to look into anyway

Usually you should not feed a turtle more than it weights.