The Puffer Forum

Tomorrow is the day of my first attempt at puffer dentistry…eeek! I’ve fully read the instructions in the puffer library but still have a couple of questions. Firstly, it says “For puffers under 4″, fill two, one-quart containers with 3 cups of tank water. Put 3 drops of clove oil in 1 container” What is a one quart container and how big should the cup size of water be? I just don’t want to OD the poor little puff on clove oil!
And secondly I was just wondering if anyone has ever lost a puffer through doing this before. I can either see this going really well, or really really bad!!
Any help would be great. Thanks in advance!

4 cups in a quart, 4 quarts in a gallon, one gallon is about 3.78 liters.

Yes, I've lost several to dental work.

Oh no Did they just not wake up after? The thing is I have 2 and their teeth are about the same length. They can still eat but their teeth just look so long so thought it would be best to do it now rather than leave it until the last minute. I've tried them with hard foods but they don't have any of it! So looks like I have no choice but to do the dentistry...

I have done this countless times & lost 1 puffer due to the fact that it was already weak from starvation form not being able to eat for so long. I should have done it sooner.

I suspect there was something else wrong with the ones I lost. I also had to put one to sleep recently whose teeth I didn't do soon enough and he was starving too death. By the time I tried to do them, it was too late. So I'm a firm believer in doing it sooner rather than later.

Well I just did the first one...! She was in the water with clove oil for about 2 minutes and nothing happened so I put her in the container with tank water and then she started to go. But she didn't roll on her back, she just lay on the bottom motionless. I put my hand in the net and picked her up, and carefully cut her teeth. She then seemed to take a gulp, so I immediately put her in the tank water as I didn't want her to inhale any air. She was dozy for a while but now seems to be swimming about quite actively in the container. Now I am really scared to attempt the others teeth

I have done most of mine without clove oil.

While they're awake? How do you manage that?

I've just done the second one with a bit more success than the first. Although, he's taking a while to come round. He is breathing though so hopefully he'll be ok

puff_ball wrote:While they're awake? How do you manage that?

I've just done the second one with a bit more success than the first. Although, he's taking a while to come round. He is breathing though so hopefully he'll be ok

I only need to it regular with the SAP's. I just scoop them out with a net. hold them with the net and clip the teeth. Put them straight back in.Whole thing takes around 10 -20 secs.

It's good to move them back & forth in the fresh water, getting 02 across their gills.

I think next time I may try to do it while they're awake as I was so scared about sedating the poor little things!! But hopefully they should be ok for another 3 or 4 months now