The Puffer Forum

Hi everyone,
My DP used to be a snail killing machine, but now he's lost interest in them. I feed mostly live blackworms with the occasional snail. He gobbles up the worms like there's no tomorrow but isn't that enthused about the snails. Seeing how DPs don't have dental issues, can I just quit with the snails? Maybe introduce frozen bloodworms in their place to keep him on a varied diet?

Thanks a bunch,
Jess

You don't have to feed them snails but I'd still vary their diet with small pieces of shrimp. freeze-dried plankton, frozen mysis shrimp, etc.

Thanks PP, I think that's what I'll do.

As PP said, variation in diet is very valuable. No single food is adequate. Variety is important, and if it is not available, you need to very certain that your staple is highly nutritious, and you cannot be certain with things you do not feed yourself.

Beyond that, puffers,even DPs (which are the smallest hunter-predators) need hunting behavior for exercise and stimulation. I would not cut snail out myself,and they would raised and fed by me.

But if his puffer isn't interested in them?

He's just spoiled on live blackworms. Let him get hungrier, and he will start munching snails again.

The funny thing is that he used to be way more into snails than the worms. He used to hunt and circle the snail and do the whole wait and snatch thing. Now he just swims up to it and begins biting at it without even waiting for it to come out of the shell all the way. If he doesn't get it out right away, he just swims off. Eventually he will come back and finish it, but he just doesn't seem that into it anymore. I know he needs a varied diet, and I would of course put something, maybe even two new things in the snail's place. I just honestly don't want to take care of the snails if he doesn't really care for them anymore.

Yup, sounds spoiled. Won't even bother to hunt/work for food. And shy should he?

But he does come back to it, he is still showing hunting behavior and getting exercise. Don't overfeed the blackworms (staple DP food for me too), feed those evenings, and after lights-out drop in snails if the population is depleted. Then he can hunt during the day hours and eat if hungry. Worms for dinner.