Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I currently have 9 Homalopsis buccata. The cost of minnows is killing me! So I have started them on (currently) catfish fillets. I will continue to give them whole fish for the nutritional value, but I am wondering what would be a Good way to "Supplement" the fillets?

They will take the fillets/minnows with their heads out of the water, and sometimes eat them that way. But sometimes they draw the food back into the water. So, that kinda nips powder supplements in the bud.

They really don't like to be taken out to be fed, and I really don't want to go that route anyway.

Any Thoughts or Experience?
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Acrochordus.com

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before, i have used fish fillets for certain watersnakes. i mixed chicken babyfood, cal powder, powdered gateraide, and some powdered baby formula. i then took the mix and injected it from a 5 cc 13 guage needle into the fish.

How did you come up with that combination? And how long did you use it for? And how did it work?

Thanks!

the concept of mixing up a little meat cocktail dates back to bill haast. most serpentologst have their own mixture. i have been reformulating mine for about 20 years and this is what i have settled on. the meat based baby food is the starting point for most ppl. i added the baby food powder cause it is made for new borns and very easy for the baby to take in, i added the gateraide for the other vits needed, that are not included in the meat bases. also it seems to bring up the energy level in a weak snake. i used it on waters for probably about a year. i have used it to inject froozen toads for my eastern hogs since about 2003.

Thanks! I was wondering about the sugar levels in Gatorade--how they would affect the snakes.

So is this feeding formula a temporary "treatment", or is the mix constantly offered?

Thanks again.

well, not really temp, i keep all the waters and hogs in my collection on it full time. i haven't kept either for a long period of time. i had a female eastern hog that was somewhat red, and i wanted to breed that out, so i kept her for like 2 years. she was round and healthy the whole time. lost track of her after i traded her off. they only eat toads, and a froozen toad, didn't seem to me to offer all they would need. Plus they are hard to come by, so i wanted a way to make what i had last longer. used that injection pretty much the whole time i had her. gave her 2 to 3 toads, every 2 to 3 weeks. everything seemed well. haven't used it on waters for more then like 6 months. injected froozen fish and sometime just chunks of fish or frogs/taods.

Search for bags of great lakes frozen smelt. They're a fresh water fish that are typically w/o heads and innards. Long ago I fed them to my water snakes for years and they thrived. Easiest snakes I'd ever kept!
Jeff

I'm confused as to why you would supplement the toads. First, easterns can be switched to mice. Second, as toad eaters by nature, why would you feel toads would offer inadequate nutrition?

whole items are better than pieces.we all know that.......my thoughts.fillets would not be good.....

./......mice?......fish flavored mice?..not hard.....tuna water in a bowl full of fuzzies?.....

......catch fish......if you find the right spots minnows or other fish are easy to catch and a whole new sprt to do for fun?.....freeze them if you worry about parasites I guess....in winter I used to know a spot where the baby carp would come into a creek under a pipe under the RRtracks by the river here...one dip was too heavy to pick up..thousands of them .....legally......50 would be the total to legally take.....and I forget if netting is legal for carp.I think here it is.anyways.minnows are the same..........find the concentrated spots........same deal.legally..50....one dip has gotten thousand ......

.....I think the mice deal would be easiest and best......for garters or waters or hogs
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