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Health risks of feeding fathead minnows to snakes

SnakeBiteJunkies Jul 22, 2003 08:44 PM

Just curious if anyone knew of any risks associated with the feeding of fathead minnows to neonate snakes (i.e., Candoia). My baby Isabels eat them readily, but I've heard rumors that commercial fatheads can spread diseases like hepatitis. Anyone have any knowledge of this? And if so, are these diseases transmittable to the snakes, or worse yet humans?

Replies (1)

Colchicine Jul 24, 2003 07:35 PM

As far as my understanding goes, ANY live food is completely capable of transmitting parasites and disease. It is often recommended that you freeze the fish for at least 30 days to help kill off pathogens and parasites. However, this may pose problems because of vitamin B deficiencies commonly associated with frozen fish. I am sure that if you were to scoop a small amount of Reptile supplements into the buccal cavity of the fish before you feed it, it may overcome the deficiency.
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