J
jonathan
Guest
I'm aware that most living things have parasites of some sort living on/in them and the majority of these are harmless. So I guess the question is about harmful (to caudates) parasites. Almost all the food I feed is either live or killed by freezing, so they could all carry parasites.
People who use live fish as feeders are often warned about parasites. Does the risk of earthworms, crickets and random soft-bodied insects carrying parasites compare to the risk of live fish? Does the origin of the food source make a big difference (mail order vs. local bait shop vs. back yard vs. culture)? does the life stage make a big difference - is a larval food source more parasite free than an adult food source? what about noxious food items like "red wigglers"? are they less likely to have parasites than their sweeter smelling relatives? I don't mean to sound like I'm paranoid. I would just like to have a better idea of what the relative risks are and possible ways to minimize them. Even if you can't answer the questions exactly, I'd be interested in reading discussion on the subject.
People who use live fish as feeders are often warned about parasites. Does the risk of earthworms, crickets and random soft-bodied insects carrying parasites compare to the risk of live fish? Does the origin of the food source make a big difference (mail order vs. local bait shop vs. back yard vs. culture)? does the life stage make a big difference - is a larval food source more parasite free than an adult food source? what about noxious food items like "red wigglers"? are they less likely to have parasites than their sweeter smelling relatives? I don't mean to sound like I'm paranoid. I would just like to have a better idea of what the relative risks are and possible ways to minimize them. Even if you can't answer the questions exactly, I'd be interested in reading discussion on the subject.