How to Feed an Alligator Snapper
- 1). Feed your captive immature alligator snapper as much as he wants whenever he wants it. He should be fed at least once a day. Place food such as mice, live fish (about 10 to 15 of them, gold or goby fish work well), chicken heads or fish heads in the tank. Although live fish and mice are best, frozen fish and mice sold as lizard food also work well. However, do not take off the skin or fur as they should be eaten whole by your alligator snapper.
- 2). Feed your adult snapper about once every two to three days. Take care not to place your fingers too far into the tank. Although alligator snappers usually are not aggressive unless cornered, they can sometimes mistake your fingers for food. Their strong jaws can easily amputate a finger, although baby snappers do not pose as much of a threat.
- 3). Begin feeding your snapper once a week when it begins to show disinterest in food (taking a long time before the next bite). This happens as the snapper matures and no longer needs to grow.
- 4). Feed your snapper a wide variety of products, trying to make its diet as much like the diet in the wild. Try crayfish, live fish, goby fish, mice, chicken, duck, lettuce and berries, feeding it enough food to cover a regular dinner plate.
- 5). Cut meat into bite-size chunks, but do not debone them. Do not cook the meat or fish you serve your snapper, either; rather, let him eat the fish or meat with their internal organs and skin, if you can.
- 6). Monitor your snapper while he eats. Your snapper can easily and swiftly choke to death on food that is too big to digest.
- 7). Fish out the uneaten food with a net after the snapper has finished eating. Never stick your fingers in to retrieve the uneaten food.
- 8). Using the ingredients above, make food for your snapper.
Cut the fish into very small pieces. Place the cod liver oil on top of it, and then set this mixture aside. Place the unflavored gelatin in boiling water until it dissolves, stirring. Mix in the fish and cod liver oil with the boiling water. Place ground trout chow, dibasic calcium and bone meal into your mixture, and stir vigorously. Add 20 drops of food coloring. Place mix in a refrigerator-safe bowl or container, and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit overnight. Cut the cubes up into small pieces and serve to your snapper. Fish out the uneaten pieces and place back into the fridge. - 9). Feed your snapper commercial turtle food once in a while, but don't make this his regular diet. With just regular turtle food, he will lack proper nutrients found in other things such as lettuce and meat.
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