The Puffer Forum

Hello! We are new to the group and thanks for letting us join. (Myself and my son)
We are beginning to see that our puffers beaks are getting to long and need something more then shrimp to wear them down and they are not taking snails that are offered.
We are also going to try to find some of the rocks that were mentioned earlier and honeycomb but in the meantime I had heard that they could be given a cuttle bone. Now is that true and would it be a cuttle bone like you buy for a bird? If so would that not melt in the water?
We have had them more then a year now and they have been eating mostly tiny shrimp and blood worms both bought from Walmart and are in small bottles. Some snails from time to time into the tank with them.
Now they are swiming aroud lively but seems they can not get ahold of the food as they did before.
Any help would be great! Thanks, Diane

PS We have always fed them freeze dried blood worms, tiny dried shrimp and some small live snails.

What kind of puffers?
library/hospital/dentistry/
library/category/feeding/

welcome to the forum!!

Dentistry is one of the more difficult aspects of keeping puffers.

But with the right feeding program, dentistry is only very rarely needed,

Thanks! &I added a picture of 2 of them and a PS about what they have been eating.
I am still hoping someone knows about the cutle bone I mentioned in my first post here.

they are green spotted puffers you have
i dont know if puffers will actually use a cuttlefish to keep teeth down
food like cockle in shell, mussells and snails will keep teeth down,
my gsp used to love the snails!
try ramshorn snails if you can get them, if they have stopped eating the pest variety

reading the link PP gave you about feeding will help alot as well!

A frontal view of their teeth would have been better. Crunchy foods are to prevent long teeth. As per my article, there is no way to shorten overgrown teeth by foods. Only by hand-trimming.

Thanks!

You need to get some Finquel and hand trim their teeth. It's also called MS-222. Some people say it's ok to use Clove Oil but a lot of talk has been going around that it is not good for the Puffer after a long period of time. So personally I would not use it. Fosters and Smith usually has MS-222. Then you just need to get some sterile clippers and you're ready. Just make sure their teeth get shortened somehow because they can starve to death if it's not taken care of. GOOD LUCK!