The Puffer Forum

for dwarf puffers would frozen or freeze dried shrimp be good enough to wear down their teeth i want a dwarf puffer some sites they need to wear down their teeth some say they dont like http://www.dwarfpuffers.com

Dwarf puffers don't need to have their teeth worn down. Unlike other types of puffers, they don't suffer from overgrown teeth.

I am not too sure on that. I have had dwarf die for no apparent reason. The only thing I could put it down to on a few were their teeth. Although I cannot be positive on this I would not recommend ruling it out. The teeth on the DP's were overgrown to a stste where it kept their mouth open.

I think it would better to be proactive, rather than fix a problem later on...a few small snails, and shell on shrimp weekly could go a long way...think of it as preventative maintenance

Interesting. The general consensus I've seen indicates otherwise. Guess we can learn something new everyday, eh?

Rocker, I had to euthanize one who was starving to death because it couldn't eat. Its mouth couldn't be closed either, but his teeth weren't overgrown and he was still a baby. I attributed it to lockjaw. He'd poke at the food but couldn't eat it.

It is so hard to tell exactly what happens due to their size. These particular ones used to go for food but have it just bounce off them. At the time I couldn't tell exactly what was really happening. After they died I tried to open their mouths myself but couldn't. The teeth did look to occuppy the whole of the mouth area.
i am still not positive on the idea but I have not ruled it out and ensure the snail diet is increased now.

Oh, I always give mine snails too, but think of it more as snack food than dental care.

My little Cobra was eating food at first, but then he started to have more and more problems with it. He'd pounce on a piece of frozen bloodworm but couldn't seem to suck it into his mouth like before. After a few days, I noticed that his mouth never moved like the other DPs do when breathing normally. He got real lethargic, sitting on the gravel, and his body got real thin and looked like he'd been pinched. So I euthanized him rather than have him continue to die a slow death.

so would frozen shrimp do the job and how often because my mom will not allow live food and personaly i do not like giving live food either