The Puffer Forum

My puffer is about 3 years old and is about 5 inches long. he's always been a great eater and since this isn't a water cond. problem i'll skip the parameters, etc.

He has a huge air pocked on the left side right behind the side fin. I've read on how to burp them and have tried around 10-12 seperate times to burp him, head up holding on to his body with one hand and using the other hand to "push" the air pocket up. I did get a little air to come out but it's not nearly enough. He's floating at the top of the tank most of the time with the air pocket "floating" at the top. I've gotten pretty aggressive on squeezing him and am afraid if I do it any harder, i'm going to hurt him. He won't eat and doesn't even put up a fight when I grab him. he just lets me grab him and if something isn't done very, very soon, he's going to die.

Thanks in advance for ANY help or ideas.

P.S. I know this sounds very stupid, but has anybody (please don't flame me for this) used a syringe and tried to extract the air that way? I am trying to think of anything to save his life.


Shawn

i put a post on here the other day about a dogface with an air pocket. and someone replied to hold them head up and shake it, you could try that. i must admit when my husband grabbed the dogface it puffed and when it deflated it pushed out all the air. sorry i couldn't be of more help.
Lis

I even tried shaking him, I wish I could get him to puff up and try that but this pocket is just stuck. What is bad is that he won't even try to fight me when I grab him.

Here is the article on burping a puffer. I hope it helps.

library/hospital/help-my-puffer-is-air-filled/

i don't know if a syringe would work. If they use there stomach to puff with then i would try a syringe but it might be a different chamber in there body. If it isn't a different chamber then a syringe with the top off so its more of just a funnel might be better. You wouldn't wanna start pulling back on the syringe and suck any intenstines up; that would be instantly bad. Just keep the top of the open syringe above the water and the air might just escape through that.
I don't know for certain on any of that info but trying to suck air out just sounds like it could end in a more serious problem.
good luck

How did he get the air pocket? Did you move him out of the tank? If he didn't puff above the water are you sure its even air? It could be something else if thats the case and you might be going in the wrong direction. Maybe a pic would help with ideas as well.

I'm sorry you're having so much trouble with this. Maybe you aren't shaking hard enough? I think you really need to get him to puff with water & then he can expel the air with the water.

How is your puffer?

i've tried to take a couple pictures but you can't really see too good. I went and bought some batteries for my good camera and will try to get a few up tonight. He's still alive but won't eat and doesn't float all the time, most of the time now he's been staying close to the bottom, but the pocket of air is still there, it just doesn't look as big as before.

How are the parameters?

Hi,

Ive had my puffer for a few months now and hes been really happy, yesterday i noticed he was in a cave with his bum in the air as if he was trying to swim down or rather holding himself down. Ive noticed today that it looks like he has a big bubble of air as described earlier in thread, behind his fin on the left side., ive netted him and tried to hold him up and shake but ive had no luck, how do i get him to puff ?

He`s not been out of the tank so i have no idea how it has happened, below is rubbish pic you can just see what i mean.



Any help on what to do will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
James

Ive just had him in my hand completely puffed up and i could see food moving around but the air is stuck in his bum. Will he poo it out or like trump?

He is well stressed now and probably wont be my friend for weeks.

Pufferpoison, how is yours?

PP is this somewhat common? Its seems odd to me that a puffer who hasn't been out of the water can get an air bubble. Could it be something else?

Could it be that he has jumped out of the water and taken a deep breath? The odd thing is that the air is definatley not in his stomach.

Puffers can get air in their stomach by eating freeze dried food that hasn't been soaked before served. Freeze dried food contains much air, and that can give puffers this trouble.