To be honest, piranhas have always been in the limelight but, for the wrong reasons; Hollywood especially, portrayed these fishes as vicious creatures that are constantly on the lookout for prey and are waiting to pounce on another animal to satiate their appetite.
This infers that most of the piranhas are omnivores and depend on both meat and fruits and vegetables for their survival.
If you are looking forward to finding out more about their diet, read on.
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What do piranhas eat in the wild?
For those of you who might now, the piranhas are also sometimes referred to as “opportunistic carnivores” primarily because of its tendency to feed on land and aquatic animals whenever there’s a chance.
President Teddy Roosevelt, in his visit to the South African jungle, revealed that he witnessed a piranha tearing apart and devouring a whole cow within minutes.
Nevertheless, let us here bust a myth for you. In movies, you will often see a piranha eating man in unparalleled wilderness and aggression but, the real picture presents something completely different.
We cannot steer away from accepting that piranhas indeed have intense cravings but, rarely do they attack large animals or spring on man.
As carnivores, they are drawn towards insects, birds, amphibians, rodents, small fish, mollusks, crustaceans, worms and the like.
Coming to their herbivores variants and the omnivores such as the Red-Bellied Piranha, they mostly survive on plant matter, fruits and seeds.
Piranhas also find the fins and tails of the other animals very delicious; this is why they sometimes take a bite from their body when they pass by such potential prey and thus, exhibit signs of cannibalism when going through a dry spell.
We must also clarify here that a piranha will not consider a human as its food until they are certain that the latter has died or is heavily injured. Nevertheless, this wild fish can bite swimmers when there’s a shortage of sustenance, or their nests are laid vulnerable when breeding.
Despite the fact that they have been blessed with notched teeth and muscular jaws, one shouldn’t simply assume that they are only fond of meat; interestingly, Piranhas’ affinity towards vegetation is as much as towards meat.
This more or less elucidates why the grey-bodied fish is alarmed whenever some fruit or branches from the nearby trees fall into the water.
What do piranhas eat in captivity?
Because Piranhas are classified under that category of fishes that hardly change their disposition when held captive, you should strive to give them a life and diet in the aquarium which reflects the habits in the wild.
Also, as we have mentioned in the preceding section, most piranhas are omnivores, you should curate a diet that is an amalgamation of variable nutrients to keep away dietary deficiencies and severe health issues.
Bear in mind that the fish doesn’t like being left hungry; situations where they are stimulated by loud noise, scarcity of food or dry season, they will turn to communal feeding and inevitably develop feeding frenzies and this inclination can surface itself during any part of the day.
If you are searching for a detailed list, in the following segment, we will lay down one for your better understanding.
What do you feed a pet piranha?
Feeding a pet Piranha shouldn’t be very difficult because in the wild too, they are exposed to innumerable diversities of food and that is what they should have inside an aquarium.
There are essentially five different types of food that a Piranha can devour and they are namely live foods, frozen foods, dried foods, meaty foods, and vegetables.
- Live foods
Shrimp or fish:
The first and the most important part of a Piranha’s diet should be shrimp and fishes; but, remember when they are kept with other fishes in the tank, and the area is more crowded than it normally should be, the feeder fish can actively start dispersing disease and parasites to the others in the reservoir.
Therefore, we would recommend you to first isolate the feeder fish for some time after procuring it and then diligently treat it to eradicate germs and parasites, if any; this will help you ensure that the chances of latent diseases are reduced to the minimum.
According to experts, the feeder fishes must be always cultivated in healthy environments and rightfully so. You can resort to brine shrimp for feeding young piranhas as they are relatively softer and easy to digest.
Mammals:
Despite the fact that a lot of people would suggest you feed mammals like mice to your Piranha, we are of the opinion that you should avoid it as much as possible because (a) living mammals can attempt to bite the fish back, and (b) their furry skin can encourage choking or make way for indigestion.
If at all you must feed your pet a mammal, you can opt for dead mice merely because they aren’t messy.
Insects:
Insects like crickets and mealworms are great recourses that can be inculcated in a Piranha’s diet.
You can stock up on the farm-bred and store-bought ones or foster them at your home just to be on the safer spectrum of things because the former alternative can contain herbicides that are hazardous for all the fishes in the tank.
Worms:
Generally speaking, worms are the safest food that you can offer to your piranha because apart from being disease-free, they are cost-effective and dexterously available in all pet stores.
Never try to give your fish worms that are freshly picked from the garden because of that way, there will always be a lingering chance of contamination from dirt.
- Frozen Foods
Frozen cubes:
Frozen cubes, as the name suggests, are minuscule bits of shrimp, beef heart, daphnia and bringing shrimp that are suitable for both juvenile and adult Piranhas but, try to feed furnish these to the mature ones only occasionally.
Frozen baitfish:
Most of the fish baits obtainable at pet stores are scented to allure your pet to finish his meal quickly. If you can get your hands on a bunch of these, you can be assured that their meal-time will be sorted and hassle-free.
- Dried foods
Flakes and pellets:
Flakes and pellets are the most sought-after food when it comes to serving fishes in an aquarium and here, the piranhas are no exception.
Nonetheless, these supplements contain a limited amount of calcium and protein and thereby, should be made available to the fish only in the form of add-ons with or after a complete meal.
Frozen dried foods:
The grouping of frozen dried foods includes animal proteins derived from krill, shrimp, planktons, daphnia, bloodworms, and tubifex. They are fulfilling for the young piranhas and can be also supplied to the adults as adjuncts.
Fresh meaty food
Meaty foods that are acquired from pet stores are normally frozen to safeguard them against conceivable organisms and bacteria that can ruin the health of your fish.
Therefore, if you are trying to craft a platter of meaty foods for your little munchkin, you should freeze it for a few days and then drop the bits inside the tank.
Meaty foods like shrimps and fishes are rich in calcium and their shells, in turn, comprise high portions of carotene, a compound known for its ability to improve the coat color of the Piranha fish.
Do not forget to chop off the tail and head of the fishes because that way, it will be easier for your domesticated fish to digest its food.
Additionally, as fishes do not necessarily need high-fat foods, if you present them with animal meats such as beef or chicken, only incorporate an extremely small fraction of it in their diet.
- Vegetables
Green leafy veggies:
Greens, for instance, cabbages, spinach, and kale are favorable for proper nutrition in Piranhas; but, the catch is, your fish might not eat the entire portion served to them all at once.
There’s nothing to worry about though because vegetables take time to rot when in water and hence, you can be assured about the verity that till the food survives without showing signs of depreciation, the Piranha will have it.
Why do piranhas eat so fast?
The reason why Piranhas eat so fast is that they don’t chew their food; they take one bite of their food and gulp it down.
Thereby, unless the whole serving is finished, they will keep shutting and opening their jaw.
When caught up in a feeding frenzy, in particular, the piranhas constantly change their position and take turns to tear up the victim in implausible speed, opening doors to the “boiling water” or multiple bubble effect on the surface of the water.
How often do Piranhas eat?
Unlike in the wild, where the Piranhas eat whenever they are hungry and there is food readily available in front of them, the ones that are stuck in the aquarium should be fed once or twice a day.
The juvenile and the young Piranhas, on the other hand, will look for food two or four times a day.
The feeding habits of this stout fish are influenced by the food you are subjecting it to; meaning, if you overfeed your fish not only will its digestive system get disrupted but, there will be nibbles of it floating in the water for long and the piranha will consume them too.
Making sure that you are offering your fish a healthy and balanced diet will aid in increasing its longevity and enhance its immune system.
4 Interesting facts about Piranha
- Although Piranhas’ reputation is built around their chiseled teeth, they are not permanent. Authentic piranhas have tricuspid teeth that have a pronounced crown and each of them is 4 millimeters tall. Whereas the adults have just got a single row of interlocking jaw on the periphery of their jaw. Their teeth get substituted in multiple quarters throughout their lifetime and can reach up to 8 years of captivity.
- It is only in the case of humans and capybaras that a piranha will feed on when they are either dead or about to die.
- When they make their mind to hunt their prey, they first go for the eyes and tail of the animal to immobilize them.
- As per the assertion of researches, piranhas are attracted to loud noises, sounds of fruits and leaves splashing on water and the smell of blood. The sense of smell is so mighty in the piranhas that can detect the whiff of a drop of blood in around 200 liters of water without mistaking it for anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Do Piranhas attack humans?
Technically, yes, Piranhas do attack humans but, only when they sense that the being is dead or about to die, otherwise not.
You will never see a piranha scrapping a living human into pieces, not even when they reach their frenzy. Moreover, if they find human swimming in their territory, they can wage a bit here and there but, will never swoop on him/her as a shark would.
Are Piranhas dangerous?
Even if piranhas can pose danger for other water animals, they are considered safe for humans. Its powerful jaws and prickly teeth make it perilous but, they typically feed on other fishes and wounded animals.
The red-bellied Piranha attack surges chiefly during the dry season when the waters are low and food is rare; even so, the strikes in this dry season are limited only to the hands and feet of the human beings.
Are Piranhas legal?
Albeit piranhas lurk little danger to humans, they can be threatening for the other fish species and this supports the constriction of importing, breeding and even thriving them in aquariums illegal in many states.
When people toss off their piranhas into the water bodies such as rivers and lakes, they fail to realize that the fishes will cause a massacre amongst the fish species that live there and consequently, ring in an imbalance in the overall ecology.
