Crickets good for my tiger oscar?

Question

stopped by the pet store today and they didn't have any feeders.. so i bought some crickets instead.. since i herd that bugs and crawlers were a main source of food for wild tiger. i was very curious as to weather my tiger would even go near the crickets since she's usually VERY cautious around new food.. but apparently she loved em, ate a about 8 of em. (shes a very very very big fish.)

but im just wondering, would crickets be a source of food that i should feed her more often now that i know she eats them without hesitation?

i normally feed her, feeders, dried shrimp, a bit of dried bloodworm (can't find live!), and im not sure if it's her eating the pellets or the mayan chic... but what about lizards? think if i catch one of the wild ones running around my lawn she'll eat it? and would it be nutritious?

Answer 1

o snap!! scared me for a second. lol i thought you were talking about a wild tiger like a cat like a lion lol

Answer 2

yes when there big they can eat mice

Answer 3

Crickets are just fine, and if you want to increase the nutritional value of them, get a cricket cage, put some Gut Load in there, your pet store should have that as well, let them sit at least 24 hours in that, and then give some.  Your Oscars should get quite happy with live food like that.  And yes, you shouldn't be giving feeder fish as it is.  There are TONS of other worse things to worry about then Salmonella LMFAO.  Droopsy, Fin and Gill rot, All kinds of parasites, Columnaris, Costia, Velvet, just to name a few things that will kill your Oscar off in short order.  Then not to mention all that high protien food like that will contribute to hole in the head.

Outside of the feeders, looks like you have some good stuff, and yes, your Oscars will eat a Spiralina coated flake food too.  Avoid the wild crickets, unless you know if they dwell in areas that have pesticides or not.

Answer 4

Oh yeah, crickets are totally fine to feed your oscar for the occasional treat. But they will not contain all the nutrition he will need in the long run, so using them only as treats is the best thing. Stay away from feeders as well, since they also do not contain enough nutrients for them. You will need to feed them a good quality pellet food as a staple diet to meet their nutritional needs, and feeding all the other things as treats. I would also suggest trying to find frozen foods instead of the freeze dried, they are usually fresher. I feed my 10" tiger oscar one cube of frozen foods as a treat once a week, and he gets some hikari carnivore 3-5mm pellets and NLS 3mm pellets every day as his main diet. I have fed my oscar crickets before, and it is fine to do so. Wild crickets might be ok, but might carry other parasites or have chemicals on them from the things people use on their lawns, so be cautious with them.

Answer 5

STOP feeding your fish feeders because they can get salmonella.  Feed them regular fish food, Crickets are okay once a week because too much protein can get them pot-bellied or fat. Hope I helped, have fun with your fish!