The Puffer Forum

Could someone tell me what the signs/symptoms of old age in puffers - specifically dwarf puffers - are? Thanks.

Probably as in most animals--loss of appetite/strength, swimminfg erraticallly, getting thinner, hiding more.

I think Pig may be on his way out then... He isn't as tough as he always was, has erratic swimming most of the time. Every now and then he seems to regain his youthful vigor and sucks down a mass of worms or snails, but it's less and less the more time passes. He was a big fatty when I got him, older that most of my DPs, but his minimal growth and current condition seems like he's just getting quite old - thin in the face, but fat in the belly when he eats well. If he's on his way out, he will have the best possible care in his seniority and eventual exit. He's showing like this the past several months.

How old is Pig?

3ish and then a bit, I think, supposing he was under a year when I got him. Certainly not ancient, but no young fish either.

How long do DPs last, on average? *checks that James Bond and Thumbelina aren't looking*

Varies a lot, as it often does with fish that can easily breed at under a year old. 2-3 is sometimes all you get, but 5-8 does happen sometimes, too.

Okay, thanks.

It's always sad to see our pets on the way out. One of the reasons I usually buy my fish as juvies. Except for the 19 year old elephant noses I got from a customer 2 years ago.

Yea, might well be out of DP's soon. Not that Shakespeare or Jilly are showing any signs of going anywhere anytime soon.