The Puffer Forum

So Mickey has been blowing his food out for a while now, but eating some too...
Last night when I fed him, he was blowing as usual; but I noticed he kept baring his teeth(plates) when he tried to eat. His plates aren't visible when he's not eating and he looks all healthy(all chubby and blimp-like); but when he eats, pulls his lips back and bares his plates... Not sure if it's just because he was pulling his lips back, but they looked HUGE! (about 1/2cm long top and bottom)
...is this cause for concern?Does anyone else's ball of puff bare their teeth when they eat?!

What do you feed him?

I've noticed my two F8s blow food out when I give them frozen pre-mushed stuff but have never seen them so much as breathe when there's snails, bloodworms or cockles on the menu!

Maybe the baring of the teeth is another signal, maybe he's telling you he HAS teeth???

LOL wouldn't put it past him actually he is getting a little boisterous lately!
Last night was bloodowrms, but he actually blows out cockles/mussels more than worms!

Boisterous eh? ... and he smiles a lot ... what else is in the tank with him?

Seems like he is happy to see you, lol.

Take a good look at him when he's not 'smiling' (lol) at you...are you sure his teeth aren't overgrown?

You will notice that they are over grown when they are visible when the puff has its mouth close. I have done about 5 dentistry jobs on my puffs so far. 1 on each of my 2 GSP's and one on each of my figure 8's when I had got them.

Just him and some crazy (nocturnal) catfish (they don't mix... I think Mickey considers himself above the bottom feeders!)

Well I do like the idea of him "smiling"... thought it was a little more like a menacing growl at the time, but now I'm warming to it!

So last night I received some Java fern(which I had to ORDER online because noone stocks it here) and some bizarre plant I've never seen(let alone paid for) and Mickey was MAD! He was baring his teeth all over the shot and attacking the floating plants, pulling them down by their roots and pulling the java fern off the rocks I'd wrapped them around...

...I don't think he's smiling!

Can't see his teeth when he's just got normal facial expressions; just when he's attacking something, he pulls his lips back and shows them to the world...guessing, then that they just LOOK big because he's making them?

Sounds like a cool, happy, interactive Puffer to me!

Anything else would be like 'Fido' watching you throw a ball and turning his head to you with a deeply perplexed look on his face! You added some toys (plants, food etc) for him to play with .. what did you want him to do?

I know he's cool! Couldn't stop laughing at him getting all riled and pulling the plants down, getting all tangled in them and then panicking and darting off before coming to the front of the tank as if to make sure we were watching!...
...just was worried about his teeth being possibly overgrown...so we're looking at a general consensus of "no"?!

Hm, does consensus normally sound this quiet?
... maybe consensus could be a bit tricky?
... could you try tapping on the glass to see if they're still there?

Oh well, I'm off to watch K9 and Rover :25: I keep hearing this voice telling me to do water changes 24/7... must be going crazy, it can't have been a week already, or do you get the same thing?

You might want to add ghost shrimp to your tank. They will help your puffers 'hunting' senses.

You mean like this? All three of my ceylons do that before every feeding time.

lol that's soooo cute!!!

YESSSsssss!
EXACTLY like that!
Wow I can't believe someone else's does it too!...doesn't it make the plates look worryingly huge?!

I'm so relieved!