Puffer jaws and diet

[pufferdaddy]

Has anyone had any experience with a dogface whos jaws seem to be locked. I have a 7 inch stars and stripes that wants to eat but can't seem to take in the food. He's been on mostly frozen skin on shrimp and freeze dried krill, some squid. Anything you can do with this?? All water tests are where they should be. Currently treating with coppersafe but not his first time. Could that be the cause?? He got a slight ich prob but I caught it early and visual signs are gone. It's been about a week. Anyone had this and gotten over it? What did you do if anything?

 

[pufferlover]

Trey as usual has said about all there is to say. I would only add that this is a problem as he mentioned when you feed a Puff too much of one or two foods. I did read a article about a public aquarium that did have to have its large Puffer given a dental filing of its teeth and it was quite a procedure to do and was done out of water. I had one valentini that devloped what I called Dracula teeth after about 4 years and it did pass on in time. My big Puffs seem to be fine and I do give them hard tetra min tablets to chew on plus they like to chew their coral substrate.

 

[pufferdaddy]

This puffers teeth aren't that big, but his mouth doesn't open very far... ever. Like Trey said his mouth was always moving and he ate like a horse. I would add that this happened within one days time too which doesn't seem right either. He had live rock and hard dead coral decorations to chew on(before copper) but never has. He still eats but I have to break the pieces up and he doesn't eat as much. Would a slight ammonia spike(.50 ppm) over one days time have caused this?? I have an Emperor Angel that was fine through it.

 

[pufferlover]

I think what you have to consider (I will let Trey do the offical post on this) is that you can have one of two problems the teeth and then what is like a jaw locking problem from lack of muscle use in eating food. I read a long discussion on this by a vet a while back and the 2 things were considered to be 2 different problems but with the same cause associated for each. I would think a Puffer could still have pearly whites but have the jaw problem if I read the article right.

 

[pufferdaddy]

There are no signs of swelling or anything. Now that you mention it though this fish is a spaz. He sometimes goes crazy and flies all over the place running in to every thing. He very well could have injured himself that way. I have a shirt with a huge Taco Bell chiuaua (how do you spell that?)dog picture on the front that he hates. Any time he gets a little spooked he does this. Seems more like an injury to me like you mentioned Trey. I'll wait a few days and see what happens.
What hard foods can I feed this guy? He has no interest in LR or coral.

 

[pufferlover]

A couple of things my Puffs like to chew on are actually freshwater foods but they don't know that and like them. Tetra Min Tablets and Wardleys Shrimp Pellets. The Tablets I just drop in and they like to chew them up (be warned tho they spit a bit back out but the other fish eat it- Lord that is gross sounding isn't it). Some advocate geting them a clam from a market to chew on but I never tried that. They also will chew on snails if they are small enough. Say a couple of turbo grazers to start.