# Chinese Water Dragon, Pinky Mouse or Fish?



## henney2280 (Jan 12, 2012)

ok so what age can i feed i pinky mouse or fish to my chinese water dragon, also will they take dead pinky mice? i know it sounds stupid but i dont like the thought of feeding him a live pinky mouse i dont think i could live with the guilt as im a sucker for the cuteness of a mouse :lol2: however i have no problems feeding him goldfish :lol2: how do i feed him fish? do i have to put it in the water? or just feed him it by hand? also is there anything i should look for when buying the goldfish? or do i just go my local pet shop and get 1 from a tank what are they like nutritionally are they good for them or just a treat? also do i dust them? :lol2: i know stupid questions but things i need to know :no1: sum1 please repley asap so i can stop after work to get 1


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## Big_Rich (Aug 11, 2011)

Im pretty sure its illegal to feed live mice now days.

But i dont really know the answer to your question, sorry.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

No it isn't illegal to feed live but it is pretty pathetic posting up the joys of another animal suffering for the keepers amusement (youtube livefeeding and all that blah) which does no good for an already misunderstood hobby and responsible keepers.

If people are going to feed live (for what ever reason) I can't see why they can't just do it quietly behind closed doors but thats by the by.
I don't feed live but there has been alot of discussions on this in the past, mainly the snake sections.

I opt for Pinkie mice or both variety is the key with most animals anyways.
And yes they will accept them dead if you give them a wiggle.

Mine hate pinkies though and haven't fed fish because I am not into the whole live feeding thing (unless its bugs which I don't mind).


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## Big_Rich (Aug 11, 2011)

I thought I read it came under some cruelty to animals act??

Im sure you know more on this subject than I do, its just for my own reference.

I dont feed live mice either, i think its a bit harsh.


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

Big_Rich said:


> I thought I read it came under some cruelty to animals act??
> 
> Im sure you know more on this subject than I do, its just for my own reference.
> 
> I dont feed live mice either, i think its a bit harsh.


 
Well there has to be some justifiable line somewhere, I just typed into the search engine 3 awesome threads on the topic came up  rather than go into it here it would be much better for anyone who has doubts to look into it further because there are good points for and against and responses from DEFRA.

I am not against livefeeding altogether I understand that sometimes it is needed, I just haven't needed to do it and see no reason to consider it (I suppose I am fortunate), other keepers however though do, and you have to kind of try and put yourself into their shoes when reading some of the replys.

It is not Illegal to feed live, but it should be avoided if it can, for example throwing in a live rabbit to a burmese python that will happily accept frozen and then posts it up at the amusement of of the owner is just wrong, which does happen alot.

I know some excellent keepers who feed live and are happy to do it behind closed doors for justifiable reasons, all their live rodents are well cared for up to their end and their deaths are swift and quick, I just have never needed to do it or look further into it.

P.S apoligies for taking the thread off topic. Promise it won't happen again.


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## henney2280 (Jan 12, 2012)

like i said im not keen on feeding him a live pinky, and i know it might sound cruel but fish dont bother me as alot of fish are killed for humans to eat and alot of fish die due to the trawlers in the sea taking all the fish and tossing the ones they dont want back into the sea already dead so i dont see the harm in feeding my dragon a live fish if its going to be extremley nutritious for him and if he will enjoy it, *dont hate me* for thinking this way because if you do i will just call you a hypocrit as bugs have feeling too :lol2: i only want my dragon to be healthy and to allow him to eat the things he enjoys, for all i know he might hate pinkys and fish too hense why im going to only buy 1 either dead pinky or live fish and if he dosnt like the fish then it will have dodged a bullet and will get put in the next door neighbours pond :2thumb: still need an answer tho for how i feed them to him regarding the *DEAD* PINKY and the fish also what do i need to look for when feeding him a live fish will any old fish from a pet store do and do i dust pink mice also are they really good for him?


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

henney2280 said:


> like i said im not keen on feeding him a live pinky, and i know it might sound cruel but fish dont bother me as alot of fish are killed for humans to eat and alot of fish die due to the trawlers in the sea taking all the fish and tossing the ones they dont want back into the sea already dead so i dont see the harm in feeding my dragon a live fish if its going to be extremley nutritious for him and if he will enjoy it, *dont hate me* for thinking this way because if you do i will just call you a hypocrit as bugs have feeling too :lol2: i only want my dragon to be healthy and to allow him to eat the things he enjoys, for all i know he might hate pinkys and fish too hense why im going to only buy 1 either dead pinky or live fish and if he dosnt like the fish then it will have dodged a bullet and will get put in the next door neighbours pond :2thumb: still need an answer tho for how i feed them to him regarding the *DEAD* PINKY and the fish also what do i need to look for when feeding him a live fish will any old fish from a pet store do and do i dust pink mice also are they really good for him?


 
Right, well if you are going to buy a frozen pinkie, allow it to defrost and soak it in warm water (at least thats what I do) just to get it to a nice warm temperature.
Don't just feed it frozen, get some forceps, and give it a jingle in front of your water dragon, keep moving it slightly ontil it attracts his attention.

As for the fish! I am pretty sure a few peeps on here just buy fish, stick them in a tank or pond and let the dragon do its thing.
but I don't really know quite what the pros and cons of that are.
I just know if you can avoid feeding live, do it.: victory:

Insects have feelings do they? try telling that to my spiders. LOL


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## xxx-dztini-xxx (May 12, 2009)

i was under the impression it is illegal to feed live mice?

Please read this if you reside in the UK and feed live vertebrate food!!

also i think goldfish are bad for chinese water dragons, something to do with the parasites they can carry, fish like minnows are supposed to be better


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## henney2280 (Jan 12, 2012)

alright then yeh im not a fan of live feeding and it is bit harsh and the reason it would have to be a live fish is i know its not going to have died of some horrible illness that could possibly make my dragon ill and i dont have anywere around here that sells dead fish either way ive not made a decision yet so will have a think about it, hes happy eating crickets and his favorite at the moment is green grapes i did abit of looking into it and i assume grapes are fine for them do you recommend any other fruits and veg as he dosnt like peppers and never eats lettuce off his own back (only when he misses the crickets and gets a gob full) :lol2:


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## Salazare Slytherin (Oct 21, 2009)

xxx-dztini-xxx said:


> i was under the impression it is illegal to feed live mice?
> 
> Please read this if you reside in the UK and feed live vertebrate food!!
> 
> also i think goldfish are bad for chinese water dragons, something to do with the parasites they can carry, fish like minnows are supposed to be better


http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/snakes/342961-please-dont-feed-live-food-5.html
You will probibly see alot of people on this thread who disagree some being herpetologists, animal care lecturers, have vetrinary back grounds and the laws outlined by people who fight daily to keep this hobby afloat, and are considerd to have a "real expertise" in what it is they do.
I will check out that link, but I don't expect to read anything I haven't herd or read before, because there is always much more to it.

There are more recent threads on this but thats the best one I could find on the first page of the search function.

Live feeding is not strictly illegal! sorry but it isn't to my knowledge there is no law to justify the reasons for live feeding in black and white, DEFRA have had a code of practice for this particular method to try and resolve it and submited it to them in the past by the FBH and as far as I know nothing was used to set some kind of guideline, ultimately it is a grey area currently, one animal for the other but the principal covers both so where do you go from there? I haven't herd anything since apart from the usual debate that has been going on for years, even on the more recent topics so I assume there never was anything acted on.

A more recent thread suggested it is not illegal, but if you are found to have fed live with no justifiable cause then yes that I suppose could be an offence?

It is strongly discourage by DEFRA but there are alot of other laws and factors that play a part too, for example the five freedoms, they can be interpretated and used in just about any way, the freedom to behave as they would naturally?


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## xxx-dztini-xxx (May 12, 2009)

ive been thinking about trying a minnow though :whistling2: i wonder if it will be too small and fast for mine to catch though, any idea what other fish are ok for them?


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## alex_p (Jul 20, 2010)

I have guppies, minnows and a pleco in my dragons water and he was a bit interested in them to start with but just ignores them now and lets them clean him while he sits in the water... I wouldn't recommend goldfish either, they're not that nutritional and may have parasites plus the cost in the UK.

Mice should be bought frozen and defrosted in warm water before feeding, the size depends on your dragon. Preferably bigger mice if the dragon is big enough as they have more calcium and less fat compared to pinkies. I use tongs to feed mice, just wiggle it and they're off but beware they can be a bit messy as their natural instinct to kill it sometimes leaves guts on the glass.

Alex


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