The Puffer Forum

I'm sure they can but has anyone fed their puffer maggots, just the basic normal maggots that fisherman use as bait on their fishing line?

I know these are quite cheap and was thinking of getting some

I wouldn't do it. It's not something they would normally come into contact with, right?

LilGreenPuffer wrote:I wouldn't do it. It's not something they would normally come into contact with, right?

I don't know really, but I suppose you could say the same about normal fish that eat them when their chucked in by fishermen?!

Maybe the fact that no ones ever mentioned them before would suggest they're not good to feed to your puffer.

Saying that though are they not just like mealworms but squiggier?

Like my famous chicken under the water comment...

Have you seen a maggot in scuba gear under water?

Until you do, I wouldn't feed them that.

My worry would be not so much that they're not natural puffer food, since it says in the Pufferpedia that for several freshwater puffers, insects are an acceptable part of their diet. I guess the logic is that in the wild, insects are bound to fall into the water, and as we all know a puffer is never one to pass up a free meal. What I would be more concerned about is that maggots are probably really rich and fatty, kind of like cheesecake for puffers. Which means of course good once in a while, but not too often.

marksrush wrote:What I would be more concerned about is that maggots are probably really rich and fatty, kind of like cheesecake for puffers.

LOL

marksrush wrote:My worry would be not so much that they're not natural puffer food, since it says in the Pufferpedia that for several freshwater puffers, insects are an acceptable part of their diet. I guess the logic is that in the wild, insects are bound to fall into the water, and as we all know a puffer is never one to pass up a free meal. What I would be more concerned about is that maggots are probably really rich and fatty, kind of like cheesecake for puffers. Which means of course good once in a while, but not too often.

I agree, as long as they have soft bodies (not the hard chitons like mealworms), they should be ok as a treat.

"Squiggier"??? Is that a real word?

It is now.

Pufferpunk wrote:

marksrush wrote:My worry would be not so much that they're not natural puffer food, since it says in the Pufferpedia that for several freshwater puffers, insects are an acceptable part of their diet. I guess the logic is that in the wild, insects are bound to fall into the water, and as we all know a puffer is never one to pass up a free meal. What I would be more concerned about is that maggots are probably really rich and fatty, kind of like cheesecake for puffers. Which means of course good once in a while, but not too often.

I agree, as long as they have soft bodies (not the hard chitons like mealworms), they should be ok as a treat.

"Squiggier"??? Is that a real word?

LOL

I wasn't sure how to spell it, it's actually spelt squidgier

That's just gross, i couldn't stomach touching or looking at them or having them in my house! yarks!! Maggots and roaches are on my "effin" nasty list lol

Should be ok, but i would personnally use earthworm, i have fed some of my larger fish the wario worms (biggest mealworms) before when i was keeping lizards abd various other reptiles, they really enjoyed them.

I use myself earthworms from bait shops, i get 1/4 of a kilo for £2.50 and thats plenty of worms, for me to go around with loads of tanks and big hungry fish. If you want to keep them longer and increase nutrient content, put them into a larger plastic container and add some grass, lettue etc... Or if you buy a large amount say 1.5-2 kilo you could easily start up a colony, if you got say a large secure box, keep it in a dark place, say a shedd, and it will keep replenishing itself. I havent tried dwaine with worms yet as other fish tend to get it first.

But i reckon worms would be a safer more natural alternative to mealworms.

Earthworms, I figure, end up in bodies of water all the time. If they end up in so many puddles during rainstorms, they must end up in larger bodies of water too when fleeing rain. Plus, fish react so strongly to them, they must relish the occasional chances they get at worms in the wild. Every now and then at the pet store, I used to give skinny puffers that came in which were too small for earthworms a waxworm or two to jump-start their appetite. Very fatty, but I figure, not a problem for a starving fish for his first couple meals until he acclimates to captivity.

If you decide to try it, I would get waxworms from a petstore. fishing bait is not grown with pets in mind and is loaded with bacteria and possibly IPs.

I wasn't sure how to spell it, it's actually spelt squidgier

I believe the proper word is "squigglier".

Pufferpunk wrote:

I wasn't sure how to spell it, it's actually spelt squidgier

I believe the proper word is "squigglier".

No that's not the word I was after

If a grape is squidgy a strawberry would be squidgier than the grape (if you get what I mean)