Page 1 of 1
My GSP lost a tooth :(
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 1:46 pm
by eccen
Awkward enough, I found my GSP missing a front tooth (left one).
He is about 1.25'' long and I've had him for a little less than a year now. His teeth were getting too long for him but I never expected seeing a missing tooth!
He is still small and it is hard to tell if it is broken or completely fallen off (which I hope not)
What should I do about it? and what are my options for his right tooth? which is getting long..
Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 3:09 pm
by OraLacerta
What could he have tried to eat that would have cracked his tooth? Malaysian trumpet snails have been known to do this, have you been feeding the cone-shaped snails? Maybe you should observe him to see if he's biting decorations in the tank or trying to eat scraps off of a rock in the tank which possibly could have cracked the tooth as well.
I would read this article on trimming puffer teeth, after you've figured out what may have caused his tooth to break as his teeth are vital for him to be able to ingest food and it wouldn't be good if he broke another.
http://www.thepufferforum.com/forum/lib ... dentistry/
Read the article on puffer dentistry. It will explain how to use clove oil to temporarily knock the fish out so you can better inspect his broken tooth. I would trim the bottom set and the right tooth if they are too long (again, reference the article for pictures of over-grown puffer teeth so you know if he needs trimming). Hopefully it is just broken and will grow back to normal.
Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2007 10:18 pm
by Nick
Puffers with too long a breaks are much more likely to break a tooth, the leverage is much more extreem. As long as he has a top and bottom that can meet I think he will be able to continue eating, but as Michelle says, getting his other teeth in proper shape is very important.