GSP and snails.

xvCODY · Post by **xvCODY** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:37 am

Seems my GSP doesnt like snails. Everytime i give him a few he pecks them once and goes away. I dont think he's figured out yet that theyre food. (same with crabs). I see videos of other GSP snatching the snails and destroying them. Any way i can get him to figure out he's getting food?

Reaperpilot2014 · Post by **Reaperpilot2014** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:01 am

You can try putting them in some garlic solution for a bit (doesn't seem to hurt them at all). Something that has worked well for me is to crack the shell with you fingers so the puffer can get at the meaty part of the snail with ease. What other foods is your GSP eating?

jjj5311 · Post by **jjj5311** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:09 pm

it would be nice to know what else it is you are feeding him. You could try crushing the snails between your fingers and toss them in with whatever else you are feeding

Pufftastic · Post by **Pufftastic** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:23 pm

My F8s didn't recognize whole snails, even really small ones, as food until I crushed the snails for them. Then they became wild beasts, biting and shaking and ripping. Like having Wild Kingdom in my fish tank.

I use the back of a spoon to crush the snails -- not my fingers. (Ewww!) They still get the benefit of the "crunch" even when you pre-smash.

jjj5311 · Post by **jjj5311** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:29 pm

hahaha yes you do not have to smush them with your fingers. Just the easiest and most available tool when i am feeding lol.

Reaperpilot2014 · Post by **Reaperpilot2014** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:46 pm

Xv, just a few things I didn't mention before. The snails you are feeding may be too big or too small. My Fahaka ignores pond snails, but won't even try to attack an apple snail yet. Also, depending on the size or hunting ability of your puffer, crabs may last a bit too. My Fahaka took 24 hours to catch the red claw crab I stuck in there. Also, he still won't touch earthworms.

Is he showing any interest in the foods?

Great article in the puffer library about other foods you can give to your puffers.
library/feeding/feeding-your-puffers/

xvCODY · Post by **xvCODY** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:43 pm

He eats snails, but not like other puffers ive seen. Ill slowly find them missing from their shells with single bites out of the shell. I've tried all sizes of snails in his tank. Gave him pretty small ones today and he just nipped at them. I did crush 1 and he destroyed it.

I also feed him freeze dried mysis(spelling) shrimp which he devours, but his absolute favorite so far is ghost shrimp. He goes crazy on ghost shrimp. Thought about digging a big hole in my front yard for earth worms for him. lol

jjj5311 · Post by **jjj5311** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:55 pm

I wouldnt worry that he isnt aggresive towards the snails. Puffers are all different and have very different personalities. Mine has had some ghost shrimp that i left in his tank while i was away for the weekend and he loves to follow them around like they are his pets. Yet he wont eat them.

However if i drop a snail in there he demolishes it, along with just about everything else. Not sure why he likes the ghosts as his tank mates. But it is fine with me cause they are great cleaners

RVS · Post by **RVS** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:40 pm

I know by experience that young puffers prefers snails that are the same size tan they eyes.
Bigger o smaller snails will be ignored... in come cases... there are voracious puffers that will eat everything that moves, and there is also those who are selective on their food.

Alslo be careful with over wearing their tooth, when they have small tooth the y prefer soft foods instead snails...

Reaperpilot2014 · Post by **Reaperpilot2014** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:05 pm

Well at least he's eating them.

Pufftastic · Post by **Pufftastic** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 6:07 pm

RVS wrote:Alslo be careful with over wearing their tooth, when they have small tooth the y prefer soft foods instead snails...

I've never heard this before. I thought that if the snail was appropriately sized for the puffer (approximately eye-sized), and was the right type (i.e. ramshorn or pond snail), that it was good for them to eat crunchy foods, even when small.

Reaperpilot2014 · Post by **Reaperpilot2014** » Tue Aug 30, 2011 7:33 pm

Snails, as well as other invertebrates and crustaceans are what they eat all the time in the wild, so I really couldn't imagine their teeth getting worn down too much. Even with eating snails constantly, South American puffers still need dentistry. Maybe PP or RTR have more knowledge on this?

xvCODY · Post by **xvCODY** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:47 pm

So, my GSP still hasn't figured out that he can crush shells on his own, so i just break the snails and give them to him. haha

Reaperpilot2014 · Post by **Reaperpilot2014** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 4:56 pm

That's just fine. I has the same effect. I've had to do that with several of my puffers, and they eventually figure out how to break it by themselves.

xvCODY · Post by **xvCODY** » Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:14 pm

He almost figured out how to do it, lol. Every time i give him crushed snails, i sneak in a whole snail in between to see if he crushes them. No such luck though.

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