Since I have one of my baby shortnose in the office, I often share the feeding experience with others. A few weeks ago I dropped a rosy in and I was explaining how he would catch it, then turn it and swallow it head first. He had to prove me wrong by swallowing it tail first.

Today, he amazed me again by swallowing neither head nor tail first but rather folding it in half and swallowing it middle first. It sat in his throat area for a couple minutes and now it has moved down to between the pectoral and pelvic fins. I wish I had my camera at work today because this bulge just looks really strange. I sure hope there will be no ill effects.

Since I have one of my baby shortnose in the office, I often share the feeding experience with others. A few weeks ago I dropped a rosy in and I was explaining how he would catch it, then turn it and swallow it head first. He had to prove me wrong by swallowing it tail first.

Today, he amazed me again by swallowing neither head nor tail first but rather folding it in half and swallowing it middle first. It sat in his throat area for a couple minutes and now it has moved down to between the pectoral and pelvic fins. I wish I had my camera at work today because this bulge just looks really strange. I sure hope there will be no ill effects.

They will do that quite often. Sometimes they will spit the fish back out and re-catch and swallow head first, but most of the time they just down it tail first no matter how long it takes..No ill effects will occur...

So how big are yours now???
I have one just under 8 inches right now!!! from that same group...

So how big are yours now???

Both of mine are about 5.5-6 inches long.

Ive been feeding the one at work 1 rosy every day except on weekends. Sometimes I give him 2 on Mondays. The one at home I would just drop 10 rosies every other week and he would get them as needed. He was in a 20 gal tank outside so the water was green providing the rosies some hope of temporary escape. There also was 4 red shiners too large for him to swallow to help distract him. Now that Ive moved, that tank is inside and I have separated the gar into his own 10 gal tank so I can monitor what he eats.

My gar at work is still in a 5 gal, but I will be moving him home soon as well.

The fish he swallowed sideways is still in front of the pelvic fins, but at least it made it past his gills. It was odd to see both the head and tail of the rosy in the throat of the gar when he opened his mouth.