Puffer Not Eating

wickedwes

Member
Bought my first fish last wednesday, a porcupine puffer & he has not eaten yet. the lfs told me that this would be normal for some puffers not to eat for a week or so. i have been trying to feed him some raw shrimp soaked in zoe. i put the shrimp on a skewer and dangle it in the tank. he definitely looks at it and acts like he is going to bite it but then swims away. should i keep trying to feed him this shrimp on a skewer or should i try something else? thanks.
 

goofieones

Member
You can try something else, maybe this will start him eating. Some lfs sell live ghost shrimp which I think would be good. Also try krill, or silverslides.
 

sunnyspony

Member
I have a porcupine puffer, I feed him frozen krill. The first few weeks I had him I noticed he was very shy with eating If I was standing near the tank. It seems like it takes them awhile to warm-up to thier new enviroment. I would suggest just dropping the food in the tank, and let him take on his own terms. Once he gets comfortable with his new enviroment he will eat, I had mine for about 6 months now, he's a very big pig. Good luck
 

pufferlover

Active Member
sunny; Hope you are not feeding your Pork just Krill-why you ask?- If you feed only Krill a Puffers jaws can lock up and they can not eat-why you ask?- normally when eating krill they just sort of inhale it and do not use their jaw muscles. I feed mine the following in alternatite days. Krill, Squid, Formulsa one cubes cut up a bit and Formula 2 cubes, and once in a while people shrimp (a bit to fatty for constant use tho).
To start my new Puffers out I do find Krill does the trick the best, once they get the idea they will eat anything and everything. When small they like blackworms and live brine but when bigger they turn their nose up at that (to small to waste their valuable eating time on).
 

blueberryboomer

Active Member
When we got our new Pork Puffer he would not eat. I have always dropped a goldfish or rosie into the tank about once a week for our eel and niger trigger to hunt and added a little something different to thier diet, I did that one night and the pork puff tore into it, niger and snowflake had no chance. I think that the lfs that we bought him from must have been feeding him goldfish, so he was being picky. He will know eat just about anything I offer. Maybe that is why yours will not eat, did you ask what they we're feeding him? Could be they we're feeding him live food, and you may half to ween him to other forms of food...Good luck! Later Lisa
 

wickedwes

Member
thanks again. i think that they were feeding him frozen shrimp at the lfs. i will try something different tonite.
 

pufferlover

Active Member
wicked: stay away from live tho once they get the idea they will eat anything that moves and will fit in their mouth. I have had Porks eat clowns (not by my choice) and cleaner wrasses (again not by my choice). I have never had one turn down frozen krill once they tasted it then they go for anything you might give them. Remember vary their diet to prevent jaw problems.
 
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