# Bought a mouse to feed my piranha



## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Put him in an empty 20 gallon i had laying around. Problem is the piranha doesnt express an interest before the mouse gets tired of swimming and drowns. I had to rescue the mouse, and he is still alive until i figure out what to do


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

looks like you have a new pet lol


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

he is a cute little feller. Feeding him Crispix cereal and some banana this morning.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

i would have tried a pinkie bro... or if you insist on adults find some a.s.fs
african soft furs, easier to digest but the fur is gonna reak havok on your filters ...


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

ASF Rats - Better Balls, Boas, and Beardies


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Yup u got a new pet lol


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

I just went to King Ed and picked out a mouse. I dont think they carry many species.

would it be better to feed them pinkies? just throw it in and let the fish sort it out?


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

I dont want a new pet! I am not buying a cage for this guy. He is a special treat for the piranha, and im not sure my landlord would approve of a type of pet that could escape and cause problems in the building.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Your landlord doesnt need to know  Besides he is kind of cute, except for the tail bbbrrrr


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

His tail bothers you? lol


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

Feeding a live mouse to your fish just seems like a bad idea to me. It's a cruel death for the mouse, the mouse can end up injuring your fish, and it can make a big mess in your tank. We don't even feed our pet snake live mice.


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Youtube Piranha Vs Mouse

There are many clips to watch

in the wild, your snake eats live prey. I fail to see the issue here.


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

double post


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## Pamela (Apr 21, 2010)

ThePhoenix said:


> Youtube Piranha Vs Mouse
> 
> There are many clips to watch
> 
> in the wild, your snake eats live prey. I fail to see the issue here.


No issue, just my opinion.

In the wild my snake would be in an open space, not confined in a 40 gallon area. We feed our snake frozen/thawed mice for his own safety.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

while some may not like the thought of a mouse being eaten it is in fact a food source what you choose to feed them is your gig , but i would say this, take the mouse back , go get a pinkie , and i would starve your fishies for a day or so before attempting a meal as large as this ,

also pamela is right there is a good chance that when the mouse is bitten it could rip your fish up , even potentially kill it , blind it ect ect . thats why i would try for a pinkie..

your not gonna get the responce from your rbp that your thinking though , your piranha wont act like a piranha untill it has some friends, and your bb doesnt count lol, i think there is a higher likely hood of your bb eating it


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

macframalama said:


> youre not gonna get the responce from your rbp that youre thinking though , your piranha wont act like a piranha untill it has some friends, and your bb doesnt count lol, i think there is a higher likelihood of your bb eating it


When I put the mouse in, the blackbelt was very interested and even nipped at it a few times, but didnt break the skin. The rbp didnt come near it afterwards, and the mouse got tired, started sinking and almost drowned. I had to step in and save it. I think I'll try starving them for a couple days and see what happens.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

ThePhoenix said:


> Youtube Piranha Vs Mouse
> 
> There are many clips to watch
> 
> in the wild, your snake eats live prey. I fail to see the issue here.


The issue is some people are more compassionate than others when it comes to cute living creatures. You post a pic of a cute mouse, thats meant to be food for your fish, for your own entertainment, doesn't go over too well with alot of people. Especially when it sounds like he is basically being tortured until somebody decides to eat it. I don't see alot of fish owners feeding live mice to their fish, if they are.... then it is obviously for entertainment purposes as there is plenty of non living foods/meat they can be fed to them, without starving them for a couple days just so they will fulfill your need to see them rip a live animal to shreds. Perhaps next time just ask the question w/o posting a pic of what most will perceive as a adorable furry animal. Pretty sure most people know what a mouse is, don't think ya really needed a cute pic of it. There was also some other good reasons mentioned not to feed live mice, but they obviously don't matter. To each his own....Just my 2 cents


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

The problem is your have a RBP. They normally will do damage if they are in a school. Having 1 RBP most likely will not act its normal behavior. And, most people will not feed live to RBP anyway. This is usually done with either diamond, black rom, elong., etc, the more aggressive type.


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

oh really? I thought RBPs were more aggressive.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

in groups, the others are solitary


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Diztrbd1 said:


> The issue is some people are more compassionate than others when it comes to cute living creatures. You post a pic of a cute mouse, thats meant to be food for your fish, for your own entertainment, doesn't go over too well with alot of people. Especially when it sounds like he is basically being tortured until somebody decides to eat it. I don't see alot of fish owners feeding live mice to their fish, if they are.... then it is obviously for entertainment purposes as there is plenty of non living foods/meat they can be fed to them, without starving them for a couple days just so they will fulfill your need to see them rip a live animal to shreds. Perhaps next time just ask the question w/o posting a pic of what most will perceive as a adorable furry animal. Pretty sure most people know what a mouse is, don't think ya really needed a cute pic of it. There was also some other good reasons mentioned not to feed live mice, but they obviously don't matter. To each his own....Just my 2 cents


while I understand those opinions, and without coming across as heartless, I bought the mouse for food. I did not buy him to be a pet. *He was bread to be food, and he will be food.* I will make sure to not post pics anymore on this topic.


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## Elle (Oct 25, 2010)

You've been watching too many re-runs of the low budget cult film "Piranha".

RBP's may eat live in the wild, but they usually feed on dead, dying or injured animals  *which are a lot less likely to hurt them*, or on other fish. The Vancouver Aquarium feeds their piranha live and dead fish (healthy feeders and also chunks of fish flesh). As others have pointed out, a single RBP won't exhibit the same feeding behavior that you see from a school like Mac's, and most of these fish have likely never seen a live mouse and are quite rightly wary about it because they don't know what it is. If you insist on feeding him to the fish, try killing the mouse quickly first to minimize damage to the fish and make sure there is some blood in the water. Frozen pinky mice are a better bet, or something like a chicken wing, keeping in mind that none of these are good as a staple diet and will cause all kinds of hell with your water and filters.

If you want to see something ripped apart, go to IPU Burnaby for the shark feeding. Risking your fish and torturing the mouse all to post a "cool" video on YouTube or for your own sick, juvenile entertainment is stupid for all the reasons stated above, but if you are going to do it I'd suggest not posting the vid on here. 

Of course, another solution to the "bred for food" thing is to find a neighbour with a cat...


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

I wont be filming it


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Well if u change your mind and want to keep the little guy I will b selling some hamster/mice cages and accesories......just saying


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

lol at the 1978 movie Piranha.... not that Jaws (film) hadn't already created a fear of swimming in the ocean, Piranha came out and made me a bit worried about swimming in lakes and rivers when I was younger lol
Phoenix, in the event your fish don't ever eat the mouse ...before he drowns anyway lol lemme know and I'll take him off your hands. 
Also it's "bred" not "bread"


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## charles (Apr 21, 2010)

your RBP is not killing your other fish in the same tank should be a sign on how aggressive a RBP is.

On the other hand, put a black rom. in your tank, you will soon discover your other fish missing or at least part of it missing.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

now that my rbp are settled in there getting nastier and nastier , feeding used to be hit or miss for excitement , now that they have a regular feeding schedule and are more comfortable with there surroundings they are really starting to show pack feeding its pretty neat, I will post a vid tomorow of mine eating a big ole hunk of tilapia and that will provide piranha feeding frenzy entertainment for the day anyways, i would have posted today but i already fed them.. 

and they made a big ole mess, which is the downside to entertaining feedings, when its pellet time , no clean up which is nice,


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

macframalama said:


> they made a big ole mess, which is the downside to entertaining feedings, when its pellet time , no clean up which is nice,


You know my RBP doesnt make a mess! I buy him feeders every weekend, and he doesnt leave ONE piece behind. he finishes every last scrap.



Claudia said:


> Well if u change your mind and want to keep the little guy I will b selling some hamster/mice cages and accesories......just saying


LOL


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Diztrbd1 said:


> Phoenix, in the event your fish don't ever eat the mouse ...before he drowns anyway lol lemme know and I'll take him off your hands.
> Also it's "bred" not "bread


Deal.... and thank you, I wont be making that mistake again


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## Keri (Aug 2, 2010)

There is no reason (other than your own entertainment) to feed a live mouse to this fish, if you buy a frozen one and thaw it it would work just as well and not be cruel to the mouse or put the fish at risk.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

the mess phoenix is caused by them all latching on and trying to go in 7 directions at once, they go around after the melee and clean up but by that time the filters , overflow sump all end up with chunks and small its and bits and thats how you get a amonia spike , by not doing massive frequent water changes those hunks could become toxic, thats why a filter sock on your downpipe is a good idea takes 5 seconds each day and no big unwanted debris gets in the sump.

feeding small pieces is a better way to feed ... however 7 big ole fishies ripping a hunk of meat is a lot of fun to watch, when they go.... buddy they go, just a bunch of teeth and silver flashes ... pretty neat, so either buy some more rbp's and rehome the bb, or you could find a pack of rbp's near your guys size and make a trade for a better tank mate , OR.... whenever we meet up one day i'll take your rbp and i will swap you for a flowerhorn, or another fish i have on hand whatever tickles your fancy at the time, and your loner can join my pack.....
your call , good excuse to come to the island..


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

Keri, it isnt cruel to the mouse, he was bred to be food. You only think its cruel because you think the mouse is cute.

And you dont think freezing a mouse to death isnt cruel either? come on. we own meat-eating fish.

I expected this kind of response on facebook, but not here. We're all supposed to understand eachother because we all love to care for our fish.


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## Kimrocks (Aug 30, 2011)

But what if . . .

Reincarnation, is it real? Do animals reincarnate? Will my pet return to me? | Pet Chatter


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

^*rolls eyes*

haha


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

So maybe that piranha is a reincarnation of another fish or mouse u fed before to another of your fish and thats why he doesnt want to eat this mouse...now makes sence. I will get a cage ready for u


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## ThePhoenix (Jul 23, 2012)

This is the first mouse I have ever bought in my life.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

ThePhoenix said:


> Keri, it isnt cruel to the mouse, he was bred to be food. You only think its cruel because you think the mouse is cute.
> And you dont think freezing a mouse to death isnt cruel either? come on. we own meat-eating fish.
> I expected this kind of response on facebook, but not here. We're all supposed to understand eachother because we all love to care for our fish.


lol Phoenix, now your starting to sound heartless. I have to disagree ....they are bred for several reasons & being a pet is one of them. They are not bred just to be food. Besides that, If you were bred for food would you just accept that?? Safe to say if you knew that was your destiny, you'd be doing everything possible to escape. And it is cruel. Maybe you should take a swim in a pool with a couple hungry great whites and see if you still feel it isn't a cruel way to go lol and as for the frozen mouse thing.... well any unnecessary death for any living creature sucks no matter how it's brought on. Though I would still rather be frozen to death before being ripped apart piece by piece. I believe they are sedated before the freezing process anyway, so thats pretty painless.
And though this is not facebook , Im sure a huge majority of the members have facebook, for that matter we are on facebook lol so you can probably expect the same reactions here lol except without all the foul language. Understanding each other is one thing, but people are going to have their own feelings on certain things... and most likely voice it lol Again, some people are alot more compassionate about animals, than others. This might be a site for fish lovers, but alot of fish lovers love all animals and will look at this as a cruel act. BTW Keri has bunch of snakes and is like the head honcho of the BC Reptile Club lol.....safe to say she knows a little about feeder rats and mice as she has meat eaters too lol.
Just because some things happen naturally in the wild doesn't mean they have to react the same way in a domesticated environment. I dunno anyone who is feeding birds and mice to their cats intentionally. If they were ,it would only be for entertainment , again. Thats probably why most people frown on using a live mouse ....is that it's more about the "entertainment" factor and the fact that the mouse is being somewhat tortured while your waiting for your fish to eat it. Anyway as I said...to each his own

lol Kim and Claudia


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## The Guy (Nov 26, 2010)

Are we done with this mouse thing now! This topic is really getting tired !!


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## Lamplighter (Aug 3, 2012)

ThePhoenix said:


> We're all supposed to understand each other because we all love to care for our fish.


Whether it's intention or not you come across as a troll! I'm sorry I do not *understand* you nor do I want to. Further, I do not have the time to investigate the matter at the moment but drowning a mouse while it's waiting to be eaten is inhumane IMO. If indeed that is the case then I'll * demand * that the matter be investigated to see if charges can be laid. There's such a thing as animal cruelty.

I think this thread is setting a bad example for kids that read it.


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## sunshine_1965 (Aug 16, 2011)

PHOENIX when I ran a pet store a few years ago I dealt with a lot of immature young guys that got real kicks out of torturing live animals. It gave me great joy to not sell to them and contact other store owners which I new very well to also do the same. There are many of us here on BCA that own meat eaters but feed them appropriately. I have never thought about nor would I ever consider feeding a live mouse to any of my fish. It was hard enough to feed them feeder fish. I prefer to feed them beef heart or nice chunks of liver. If you get great joy out of this type of thing then I bet you would also get joy from putting 2 male bettas in the same tank. After all in there natural environment they are not kept separate. You are definitely not thinking about the safety and well being of your fish. Just my opinion.


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## stratos (Apr 21, 2010)

Lamplighter said:


> Whether it's intention or not you come across as a troll! I'm sorry I do not *understand* you nor do I want to. Further, I do not have the time to investigate the matter at the moment but drowning a mouse while it's waiting to be eaten is inhumane IMO. If indeed that is the case then I'll * demand * that the matter be investigated to see if charges can be laid. There's such a thing as animal cruelty.
> 
> I think this thread is setting a bad example for kids that read it.


Lamplighter I agree with you 100%!

Mods, why don't you show some backbone, set a proper tone for this site and close the thread.


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## macframalama (Apr 17, 2012)

using mice for feed happens daily, why do you think they are labeled feeder mice @ the pet store if you have beef with him feeding one mouse, what about every snake,bearded dragon,monitor owner outhere that believes in live feed....

granted it isnt the nicest way to die , if feeding live isnt your gig then why are you reading a thread clearly labeled about live feed.
are you going to press charges on me for the goldfish i fed to my snakeheads, i used to purchase like upwards of 200 at a time from petsmart in red deer.. the only reason you give a crap is the fact that it is a cutesey little mousey, and thats crap...

if you have ever fed anything you own a goldfish,guppy moly, swordtail,endler , or let the fry in your tank get eaten then you are being completly hypocritical, im not pro piranha eats mouse but i think to come in a thread simply to talk crap at him..

i used to feed anything i could to my fish, nightcrawlers, big old creepy bugs, prawns , live crawfish, even kept a few trout alive to feed old fat head, so were is the line in the sand drawn... is a gerbil off limits because it is a gerbil?, or fish are okay because it is a fish? whats the difference, ever toss a grody spider in your tank..... murderer!!!!

dont b e hypocritical or if you insist you have never fed anything to anything your a hell of a bs artist..
if this mouse was in your house you'd call an exterminator or set a trap, if it was a pest youd pay to have it killed, what if the exterminator told you he was keeping them alive to feed his fish/snake? wopuld you hire another guy to just break there necks, drownd them? its a mouse breathe people...

if he starts feeding off stray cats from the neighbourhood , then worry about it , but more than likely he will end up keeping the damn thing, otherwise if he was such a heartless dick he would have let that thing drowned


Lamplighter said:


> Whether it's intention or not you come across as a troll! I'm sorry I do not *understand* you nor do I want to. Further, I do not have the time to investigate the matter at the moment but drowning a mouse while it's waiting to be eaten is inhumane IMO. If indeed that is the case then I'll * demand * that the matter be investigated to see if charges can be laid. There's such a thing as animal cruelty.
> 
> I think this thread is setting a bad example for kids that read it.


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## Diztrbd1 (Apr 21, 2010)

I do not think people have read the whole thread and are just getting bit's of info and working off of that. And since this has strayed away from it's intended topic and looking to head south, I think it is best to just close it. Sorry Phoenix, if you have a problem with it , IM me. I know you will want to respond to the comments but this thread is clearly going south fast & rather then watch it get any worse, the decision was made to close it. I believe you got the answers to your question already anyway.

Regards John


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