The Puffer Forum

She's swimming! Well she did for about 5 minutes anyway. Now she's back at the bottom of the tank. I went ahead and put more prazipro in the tank and also more epsom salt. Her anus is still slightly open and I can still see some worm. Hoping this is the end of it. Her tummy is almost totally flat. That big glob that came out reminds me of an earth worm. If you look at an earthworm there is this band around them just before the head. It was about the same width as that band. If tapeworms are similar to earthworms in that way then there shouldn't be much left in her. When I get home tonight I'm going to puree some food for her and try to feed her through a syringe (without a needle). The way I did when Selena was sick. Hopefully I will be able to get some food in her. If not I'll leave her alone and wait it out. But I'm thinking it worked with Selena it may work for Annabelle.

It isn't a matter of which med to add, You can always feel safe to add Melafix in combination with any other meds.
How long since she's eaten?

Come on Annabelle! You can do it! Kick the nasty worm!

Pufferpunk wrote:It isn't a matter of which med to add, You can always feel safe to add Melafix in combination with any other meds.
How long since she's eaten?

Today is day 9 that she has not eaten.

i think you're right to try and get her to eat a little.. especially as she's fairly happy for you to handle her. Just try gently though, see if it kick starts her feeding.

Wishing you every luck in the world.

Try this to get her eating crush up a garlic clove and some hot water add leave it for a while drain off the liquid and add a frozen mussel and leave to thaw out cut in to 4 leave it for half an hour and drop a piece in front of her, it gets my puffers eating after they have been ill

I put the food in a syringe and slowly squeezed it into her mouth. She spit every bit of it out. I really don't want to tube feed her but I have no idea what else to do for her. I'm just going to leave her alone for now. I got another 3in of worm out of her just before I fed her. She was not swimming around when I got home. She was laying under the log. I think she's getting worse.

It's alot for a fish to deal with, having something that big rotting inside her..

All you can do is your best, and hope she can pass it all before it gets too rotten.

Just took out another 3in. We are now at approx. 16in of worm removed.

poor baby....she's been thru so much....
i just want to burn that dang worm on a stick.......
come on annabelle.....you can get thru this...you have a mom that loves you sooooo much......

I treated Annabelle's tank again this morning with epsom salt. Got home from work about 40 minutes ago and no sign of worms! She's not moving or swimming around and still refused food. She's laying on the grass and the only thing moving is her gills and her eyes. Tomorrow will be day 3, second round of prazipro treatment. I'll do another water change Saturday morning and add carbon to the filters. Then sunday I'll do another water change.

Her anus is now closed and the swelling has gone away. No signs of lumps on her tummy, totally smooth.
Do you think this means the worms are all out?

since her anus is closed and belly is smooth, hopefully she all the worms are out!!

maybe she is in recovery mode post this trauamtic event?

I think she's just resting up now. That was a hard thing to do expelling such a huge worm like that....and it was taking up ALOT of space inside her. She needs time to relax. So...She needs darkness, and just let her chill.

I bet she'll be digging in the substrate again as soon as you know it.

Get some GelTek for your next round of Preventative maintanence. 3 servings of Freeze dried food soaked in that nummy stuff vs this insane bout of whatever...

I need to keep an eye on BigAl's Canada's site for it.

I have 3 bottle of geltek on hand. And I hope your right I hope she's just resting. It's really got me worried.

so how is she today?