Can Fish Choke

[bigfish]

I've just some river shrimp to my medium sized fantails and they snapped it up, I'm just worried that they might choke!!!! as 1 of my fantails keeps rolling it around in his mouth. Is it possible for fish to choke on their food? I know it seems a really silly question but i'm quite worried.

Help!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[amityv]

Good question! One that i would like to know also. I just bought some tetri-min variety wafers for my fish as a treat. When i dropped a couple in my tank,my knifefish gulped one right up. i then noticed it was stuck sideways in his mouth. He kept opening his mouth real wide and acting funny trying to get it out. after about 2 minutes he finally got it unstuck and spit it out and my fantail snatched it up and ate it. Now i am afraid to feed them anymore.
I had a lionshead get a rock stuck in his mouth while feeding on the bottom before. freaked me out! He finally spit it out but it scared me to death! He was rather large and so was the rock.

 

[bigfish]

Oh good i'm glad that i'm not the only one freaking out then!!!

 

[CraZ4fiSHieS]

I have had this fear before too. I feed my rubber eel wax worms, and sometimes they dont stay burried in the gravel and float up. My Congo tetras and rainbow bosamanis love to snatch em up and eat them whole! The first time this happened tho it scared me to death cause since the worms are so big it takes em a long time to swallow and it was all haning out of his mouth for the longest time. He was kinda twitching around too. I was afraid it was stuck and choking him! But he eventually got it down and was fine. Ever since I just attribute the twitching as a way to help it get swallowed! I dont think, if it is possible, that fish can choke very easily. Seems to me from both of your stories and mine that fish are pretty tricky fellows in what and how they eat! But still, I dont think u should just take my word for, its a good question and probobly a possibility! Good luck!
Maybe you could try breaking the treats into smaller peices? I do that with things that I think are going to be too big.

 

[sgtbirch]

probably depends on your definition of choke. if you mean choke like humans where something gets lodged in the throat and cuts off air. Then I dont think so. fish resperate throught thier gills and not down the throat like humans. I do believe they can get things lodged in the throat like rocks. but food eventually softens and goes out or down. This is IMO. So correct me if I am wrong please