The Puffer Forum

My understanding of how clove oil works is that it's more a combination motor paralytic and anaesthetic than a tranquilizer, and thus isn't likely to dope up your fish.

So they won't turn out like my loopy mom? (She's better now, BTW--always been a bit loopy anyway.)

Thanks again for the information. We will try this over the weekend - we are getting ready for our son's 2nd birthday party on Sat.

Thank you for all of your valuable help and advice. Unfortunately, we did not have a happy ending. He died almost a week ago. I was surprised at how I reacted when my husband called me at work to tell me the news - I cried. I hadn't realized how attached I had become - they really do have wonderful personalities. We would definitely like to have another and we will NOT buy krill anymore. It will probably be several months before we get another one, though.

So sorry to hear that.

is there a folow up on the status of this fish? i am going thru the same thing and and am in need of help. what is the going mortality rate or survival rates of fish in this situation that have been supplimented and force fed using clove oil for sedation. I am wondering if this is a lost cause. please help!! I am at one week of noneating and am serous ablut force feeding, everything sounds very simlar to this post as far as what is going on. Krill / shrimp main diet and im sure its mal nutrition, i should of resurched more upon buying this animnal and this is nobodys fault but my own and i want to take responsability and fix the problem. Saylor is our family pet and and we want to keep it that way. any help is appreciated!!!

One week is not a long time for a fish to go without food at all. Some puffers will refuse to eat for a month because they are being snooty about a move and taking their time settling in. I don't think the mortality rate on performing a force feeding should be signifcant at ALL, if it's done carefully. Under sedation the main risk is hurting the fish with the feeding tube. Force feeding including vitamin suppliments is the only known remedy for lockjaw, and I don't see it as being as risky to the fish as just hoping he'll get use of the jaw back on his own, which is nearly always fatal.

does anybody know of any cases that there efforts were for the better, that the animnal pulled thru from force feeding vitamen fortified supplemental diet? That they got use of there jaw back?

Try a search on lockjaw.

I have searched extensively on lock jaw and i haven't seen anything that states outcomes of the effort you put in towards helping heal the problem. If there is someone that has done the effort and had a good outcome please fill me in and let me know what was done and how you have done this so i can use a method that actually works. There are so many different ways about going about this i want to know which way has proven to work.