Fish

[Robbo]

We are wanting to do live fish as a treat every now and again for the ducks. We did not want pet store fish though as they always seem so dirty and so sick. There is a local fish guy who does all of his stuff at home and sells in a little shop here. He has feeders that are about an inch to two inches.

They are called Rosy Red Feeder Fish. They look just like red tinted long fish... kinda like a feeder gold fish but not really.

are these okay for them to eat? I don't think it would matter which kind of fish, does it?

 

[melissamerry]

Mine eat both the rosy red and feeder fish. They seem to like the feeder fish better though, more specifically the orange ones...They always leave the silver ones. Funny little ducks.

 

[ducklover87]

The rosy reds are perfect. I'm actually looking into breeding them for my ducks.

 

[Diamond88]

Great question, Robbo. Wish I could give you an answer, but instead, I'm posting here looking for answers as well.

I, too, have wanted to get some feeder fish to throw in my duck's pool, but I've heard bad things about them being diseased. I used to have a puffer fish for a pet, and I was told never to feed him feeder fish because they carry so many diseases.

Are ducks immune to the diseases feeder fish carry? Are there certain types of feeder fish that are healthier? If so, are those fish small enough for a call duck to eat?

Thanks for the input!

 

[Robbo]

Diamond88 I am worried about the diseased too and that is why we chose to go with a local healthy breeder than a pet store. Also, I have 2 puffers!

Thanks everyone! Looks like my next day off I will buy some Rosy Fish for them They are a bit bigger than 1" and are .20 a piece - not bad for a once in awhile.

 

[Diamond88]

Diamond88 I am worried about the diseased too and that is why we chose to go with a local healthy breeder than a pet store. Also, I have 2 puffers!

Thanks everyone! Looks like my next day off I will buy some Rosy Fish for them They are a bit bigger than 1" and are .20 a piece - not bad for a once in awhile.

I'll definitely have to look for a local fish breeder. I wonder if 1" fish would be small enough for a call duck. What kind of duck do you have?

And--threadjack--what kinds of puffers do you have? I had a green spotted puffer who I loved so much! Sadly he died at only 3.5 years old, and I never knew why for sure. I was very invested in his care, but I couldn't revive his health when he suddenly got sick. After that, I switched the tank back to full freshwater and got three dwarf puffers. Cute little guys! I had them for about a year, but I wasn't as emotionally attached to them, so I rehomed them with a family friend when I moved across the country. I think puffers are some of the coolest fish! Someday I'd like to have an Mbu puffer.

 

[ducklover87]

The disease are not in the fish themselves but are from being poorly taken care of. That why buying from Walmart where there's always dead fish in the tanks try pet smart or a pet shop they would take better care of their fish. Just check the fish for any signs of sickness like ick or see if there's dead fish if so then I wouldn't buy them but otherwise they will be fine. I've fed my ducks tons of feeder fish.

 

[farmer boy]

i catch my own fish for my ducks i make a minnow trap and i just catch those and my ducks can eat those so i don't have to pay for anything i just get it my self and its pretty easy to do