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  1. #1
    Forum Moderator infernalis's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    Quote Originally Posted by aSnakeLovinBabe View Post
    With all of the questionable keepers out there that will buy the cheapest stuff they can find, I think you'd see a LOT more issues with this if it WAS what was killing off snakes in batches. I personally still think it's got a lot to do with fish simply being contaminated with stuff as they are grown... seeing as our planet's shot to hell, I don't really buy into the whole "organic" movement as there realistically are no places untouched by human scum anymore. I've moved away from feeding fish filets because a whole prey diet is certainly a lot more ideal than filets with artificial supplements and it's not cost prohibitive anyways.
    How many of those "questionable" keepers pay attention.

    We have had plenty of those "oh my snake just died" threads, "I don't know why"...

    I agree with the human scum statement, but I'm quite sure there are MANY unreported deaths, and many "I don't know what happened" deaths.

    Further, if the preservatives are prayed on with nozzles at the packaging plant, a dribble, a sputter or a clogged up spray nozzle suddenly clearing could (and will) deposit higher concentrations of the chemical on the fish being packaged.

    One calibration at the plant goes out of spec, and suddenly a whole batch or just a few inches of a batch of fish gets a larger dose of detergent than the rest of the line.

    Heck, after reading the material safety data sheets Stefan posted up, I'm not sure I would want to eat that fish myself.

    When many of us feed babies, we tend to chop up fish, how many of those "failure to thrive" babies actually fell victim to the chemical preservatives in the fish??

  2. #2
    Forum Moderator aSnakeLovinBabe's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    Failure to thrive happens regardless of what kinds of food items offered... No matter what kind of keeper you are, you are going to notice if a couple of your snakes die overnight after eating some fish. And you are right, if I were you I wouldn't eat the fish either... In fact avoid any meat at a grocery store! Meats don't belong on a conveyor belt under a series of sprayers. Like I said, if one is really worried about it, I would just avoid feeding filets... Kind of like thiaminase! There are plenty of feeding options that are out there.
    Mother of many snakes and a beautiful baby girl! I am also a polymer clay artist!


  3. #3
    "Preparing For Second shed"
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    Quote Originally Posted by infernalis View Post
    How many of those "questionable" keepers pay attention.

    We have had plenty of those "oh my snake just died" threads, "I don't know why"...

    I agree with the human scum statement, but I'm quite sure there are MANY unreported deaths, and many "I don't know what happened" deaths.

    Further, if the preservatives are prayed on with nozzles at the packaging plant, a dribble, a sputter or a clogged up spray nozzle suddenly clearing could (and will) deposit higher concentrations of the chemical on the fish being packaged.

    One calibration at the plant goes out of spec, and suddenly a whole batch or just a few inches of a batch of fish gets a larger dose of detergent than the rest of the line.

    Heck, after reading the material safety data sheets Stefan posted up, I'm not sure I would want to eat that fish myself.

    When many of us feed babies, we tend to chop up fish, how many of those "failure to thrive" babies actually fell victim to the chemical preservatives in the fish??

    I used to manage a pet store and I obviously got in plenty of reptiles in the beginning. After all I adore them, why wouldn't I carry them? I switched to stocking large quantities of gold fish and hamsters and pushing them. the reason they are easy, and most people will come in saying "my son wants an iguana? isn't that a lizard?" and leave with the hamster and be fine, the son may not be thrilled, but he isn't likely to be the one buying the food and not caring if its healthy. I had tons of people who came in to replace reptiles. (we were the closest place for a 4 hour drive to buy reptiles at the time) and tell me that their iguana (they were the rage at the time) had died, they didn't know why. "It had been doing so well and lived a really long time. oh at least a year." I quickly decided that since for every owner that cared and actually did even minimal research, I saw over a hundred who didn't, that the average person shouldn't be trusted with anything more then a feeder goldfish- and then that only because its gonna die within a couple years anyway (they've horrible genetics)

    so yeah I can easily believe there are a lot people feeding their snakes whatever comes to hand, even if that looks like obvious poison to us.

    anyone here is much more likely to avoid something that *might* hurt their precious pets, then say the budget conscious mother of three buying cheap food for a snake she never really wanted in the house anyway...

    I try to see the point of view of the parents etc. but really I still feel in the end that a gold fish is the most they should be trusted with, and that a hamster (horrible little monsters) is an acceptable substitute if it looks like the kid in question will give a crap and wants something to handle. (although a hamster might cure that fast enough)

  4. #4
    "Preparing For Third shed" Sonya610's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    I only buy fish at the counter but virtually all of it is frozen and then thawed and sold as fresh. Does anyone know if the "fresh pre-frozen" counter fish also contains this? Or only fish that was packaged for long term freezing in the frozen foods section? I backed off fish a while ago and stuck with pinkies, just reintroduced a bit of tilapia the other night.

  5. #5
    I like snakes! mikem's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    yea, just checked my tilapia...it's there. well, looks like i have some fillets for me now! heh...

    would there be an issue in purchasing fresh and then freezing it yourself? i'd imagine not, but thought i'd throw it out there..
    mike

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    Forum Moderator aSnakeLovinBabe's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    I DO fish for my own trout... there are currently quite a few in my freezer!
    Mother of many snakes and a beautiful baby girl! I am also a polymer clay artist!


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    "PM Boots For Custom Title" CrazyHedgehog's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    Quote Originally Posted by aSnakeLovinBabe View Post
    I DO fish for my own trout... there are currently quite a few in my freezer!
    lol, I was trying to find the list of safe fish when I found this thread...I can only catch trout by tickling, my step dad taught me when I was young, but I think it might be classed as poaching now!
    Inge
    our house is like a zoo, too many to list here!

  8. #8
    Forum Moderator infernalis's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    Quote Originally Posted by mikem View Post
    yea, just checked my tilapia...it's there. well, looks like i have some fillets for me now! heh...

    would there be an issue in purchasing fresh and then freezing it yourself? i'd imagine not, but thought i'd throw it out there..
    I buy fresh and then cut up and freeze it.


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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    Quote Originally Posted by infernalis View Post
    I buy fresh and then cut up and freeze it.

    The Tilapia I buy says for the ingredients "Tilapia fillet, water". It also says, "all natural, no preservatives" If I "buy fresh" the only difference is the cost. If they don't sell it fresh in one day, they end up vacuum sealing and freezing it and I can then buy it much cheaper in the freezer under the Kroger brand name.

    The store is Fred Meyer (which, outside of the Northwest, is called Kroger's) I've never had any issues with their fish. It is farmed and imported from SE Asia.

    Checking the label for salt and additives is a given. Tilapia or not.

    Quote Originally Posted by chris-uk View Post
    It may be dehydration Wayne. If the sodium causes an electrolyte imbalance and can't be excreted the chances are that it draws out water.
    Which is why excessive sodium, such as added salt, causes rapid kidney failure in snakes. They simply aren't equipped to expell excess salt like mammal kidneys can because they excrete solid urates, not liquid urine. Note that tilapia has sodium naturally, (because fish need to balance sodium too, obviously) but it doesn't appear to be enough to harm the snakes.
    Last edited by ConcinusMan; 02-21-2012 at 06:23 PM.

  10. #10
    Hi, I'm New Here! Alicia_kay_47's Avatar
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    Re: A note concerning pre-packaged frozen fish

    This is so upsetting. I love my snake, Eden. No pet owner wants to kill their pet, we want what's best, but quite frankly, not all of us all teaming in bait shops where we can easily get worms, or mice. (Mine is too small to eat mice anyhow.) So when the one bait shop near me says they're out of Earth worms( ridiculous, right? I know, wtf? ) I turn to Tilapia. It's in my freezer, I'm going to make it for dinner tonight, and I was planning to give some to Eden. But your revelation describing the horrible death I'd be condemning him to...make's me feel like a bad person for not driving 18 miles to the nearest earthworm breeder. That's scarey. However, Wal-Mart , you say? They're an evil conglomerate who gets their fare from seedy places anyways. So, I'll try my non-Wal-mart Tilapia an cross my fingers until I can get him his real food.

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