The Puffer Forum

I've had a dwarf puffer for over 3 years now. 2 weeks ago, when I was cleaning the tank behind some plants the tube got clogged. I knocked the debris out in the sink and it was my puffer. He was not moving, I assumed he was dead but threw him back in the tank anyway.

He was not dead. And now he won't stop eating. He used to beg for food maybe 2x a week. I'd load him up on worms and then not see him again. Now he begs multiple times a day, no matter how much I feed him it's never enough. I thought the first few days it was to heal the injury (I can't see anything wrong with him), but it hasn't stopped.

Is this the new normal? Why won't he stop eating? Is it a sign of pain?

In case anyone else runs into this: he's down to begging and eating every other day - still more than before the accident, but not non-stop. I think maybe he was in pain and needed a lot of food to heal, and now he's just learned that begging will get him food every time so does it more.

So glad he's better!

He’s stress eating, I bet. Don’t give in and overfeed.