Fahaka Feeding

[Tripp]

Good News : Dexter is still alive.
He went a total of 7 weeks with no food.

Bad News: He doesn't move much now.
When he does move he still bumps into things.

My questions is about feeding a blind puffer.

Question: How do they sense food? By smell? By Site? (might sound like a dumb questions, sorry)

Dexter wouldn't eat unless I put the clam meat right up to his mouth.
I put it in front of him and nothing. Touched it to his mouth and he would eat it.
Any ideas on why he requires me putting the food to his mouth?
The two remaining ghost shrimp in the tank try to make off with his food.
LOL

[Pufferpunk]

I had a blind goldfish. He would scoot along the substrate, head down & find the food with his mouth.

[RTR]

+1 to Pufferpunk's comments, but I'll add a small improvement. I have has several blind fish over the years, with currently an old and blind feeder goldfish who has been blind well over 10 years. Early on I added a cast reptile watering/feeding dish to the tank, sitting on the gravel substrate at the front corner. as soon as I realized the fish was blind Food, always sinking type and pre-soaked to sink in a shot glass of water, is put in that dish. It is common for the goldfish to be there waiting at feeding time. If he is not there, he soon detects the aroma/flavor in the water and heads straight for the feeding dish.

I take care not to rearrange that tank's decor. Everything gos back exactly where it always is. The fish "remembers" or has learned where the obsticles are and almost never runs into anything.

Obviously, blind fish cannot be kept with sighted fish. They cannot compete. But they are not diffocult to care for and can live out a normal lifepan without very speciazed or time-consuming care. Visitors rarely realize that the fish is blind, as they see it swimming back and forth in its' 48" tank without apparent problems.

HTH