How to Feed Hagfish

The hagfish is a carnivorous Atlantic eel-like scavenger that feeds on a few types of prey. One of its preferred foods is already-dead fish. Another favored food is small hermit crabs. Hagfish also eat shrimp and other small invertebrates. A hagfish has no teeth. Instead, using its biting plate, it pierces its food and burrows into it. This allows it to eat its prey from the inside out, consuming the soft internal tissues while leaving only bones, skin or outer shell.

Things You'll Need

  • Shrimp
  • Hermit crabs
  • any dead fish
  • Small fish net
  • Protective gloves
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Instructions

  1. Preparation

    • 1

      Step 1: Put the food in the tank. You can get shrimp and hermit crabs from a pet store; wear gloves to protect your hands from crabs. You can buy fish from a fish market. Beware of using scavenged fish, since you want to avoid feeding a diseased animal to your hagfish. Adding a small fish and a hermit crab to a pinch of shrimp will make a complete meal for your hagfish.

    • 2
      Hagfish eat a variety of other sea creatures.

      Step 2: Place the hagfish in the tank, near the food. Keep it in a separate tank when it is not feeding, since hagfish will sometimes attack and eat live fish.

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      Step 3: Watch the hagfish eat. Feed your hagfish twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. When it is done eating, move the hagfish back to its tank.