The Puffer Forum

I actually expected that to be true. I know I've unwittingly eaten quite a few bugs before.

Ok, back to the maggots.......

We use them for fishing in the winter and I don't see why they could not be a good occasional treat for a puffer. Be careful though on the amount, their fat content is high and the skin is tough, kind of like mealworms.

I know I've eaten quite a few riding "in the wind". I don't feel any fatter...

Ok the thing about the maggots. Yes I don't like them at all but if you were to feed them to a pet I'd be careful and make sure they had not been munching on something dead and nastly..Like road kill. Could possibly make you or your puffer sick from handling them...I'm not an expert, just think you should be cautious.

Due to the infection potential from their life cycle ( typically from carrion )
I'd urge real caution handling in them at all.

That being said, they're basically soft bodied worms.
I'm betting most puffers will slorp 'em right down.

I DO know that freshwater Bass and Bream will gobble them
up like crack. Tying a netted, rotten chicken carcase to a low-hanging branch
and letting the developing maggots drop through into the pond, is an old fishing
trick that ensures lots of strikes in a pre-chummed fishing area.

I've even heard maggots described as: "The Rice of the Future."

Yuck. Let's hope not.