The Puffer Forum

Hi! very one. I just bought a Mbu puffer two weeks ago. I tried to gave it couple live snail the fist day but it just tried to bite few time then it lost interest. At first, I though the snail may be too big for it so I cracked the snail opened but It still not eat it, so now I just feed it frozen fish and shrimp. Can any one know how can I make to take snail?

Well, you dont have to feed them snails. Raw (uncooked or un-processed) shrimp with a shell or even live cray fish can do enough to help with their beaks.

IMHO & IME, shrimp are a very weak substitute for snails. Crayfish would be better, as would crab/lobster legs, mussels, clams, etc.

RTR wrote:IMHO & IME, shrimp are a very weak substitute for snails. Crayfish would be better, as would crab/lobster legs, mussels, clams, etc.

What size of puffer would be good enough to feast on a 2" live crayfish?

I had tried with crayfish too but it lost interest after few test bite, may be it still too small to feed with those food with tough shell coz it onlyabout 3" now

Our Mbu is about 5ins, when we first gave him a prawn with shell on, he lost interest after a few bites so I tried to take it out with the vac.

As soon as he saw it moving, he attacked it. Now whenever we feed him we have to make his food move, with a pair of forceps, so he can attack it.

Have you tried crushing the snail and moving it about the surface of the tank with some forceps ?

Also we get him into a frenzy by showing him his food at the glass and moving it around for him to follow, he didn't take long to learn that whatever we were waving at him was going in the tank. As soon as it touches the water, he wants it.

Yeah...if he's not used to it, and doesn't know how to eat it, he will lose interest. Just keep crushing the food and offering it, he'll soon get the hang, but at 3", he may be a bit small, so a helping hand won't hurt.
Pami.