puffer overgrown beak

[jeriabc]

Please help me find someone to file my puffers beak. It is very overgrown and I don't think he is eating much. Stays at the bottom of the tank alot. I live in the south suburbs of Chicago.

 

[beth]

I'm going to move this to the Aggression Forum. However, have you been feeding the fish hard shelled foods? What have you been feeding this fish. Puffers need hard foods so that this does not happen.
Lets see if the folks that commonly keep aggressive fish can't give you more advise.

 

[moto757]

don't got a puffer but you should feed him some shrimp with the shells on or some other shell fish with the shell on

 

[innsmouth]

I don't know what else is in your tank but sometimes I splurge and get emerald crabs and crayfish for mine. He's just loves chasing them down and busting them apart. No problems with his teeth yet.

 

[tikitorch]

U should buy it prawn or some cocktail shrimp to eat. Feed them the food with the shell on, and he will begin to wear his jaw down. It also helps to have a bunch of live rock, cuz they will chomp on it sometimes. Just try out the shell fsih for a while, and if u can get ahold of live crabs and crawfish, that outta work too. THey need some sort of shell for them to chow on to wear their beaks.

 

[squidd]

Whole Cockel in a shell...You should be able to get them at a well stockedLFS or orde them on line...
Place on on the bottom...after he eats the meaty part he'll gnaw on the shell like a dog on a bone...

 

[irenicus]

I second the cockles.
I like to feel clams and mussels with the shell open only a little, this makes them work for it.
If feeding a shrimp of sorts, leave the shell on.
My puffer will do his own dentistry of sorts. Once he busted the left half of his beak on something, a week later he bit on some Live Rock and "evened it out."

 

[jeriabc]

Thank you for all the great suggestions. My guy is still eating the frozen cubes. I added some turbo snails and he is ignoring those. I have pleny of live rock, but he never chews on those either. I have tried the shrimp and he hasn't liked that either! I'm afraid that the tooth is so big he can't bite these. I will definately try the clams/mussels/cockles if I can find them. I'll let you know

 

[irenicus]

Good Luck - Keep us posted.

 

[pufferman]

I'm afraid switching to hard-shelled food at this point will not file down your puffer's teeth. The only way is to surgically do so. Look for a local vet who might do this.

 

[irenicus]

Changing to hard shelled food however, will increase the possibility that the teeth will break, alleviating the problem.
I've only read of a couple vets around the country carrying the "Puffer Dental Plan."

 

[jeriabc]

Thanks for the posts. My original post was to find someone to file the tooth. I called several LFS, but no one knew of anyone, but I did hear about a regular dentist that filed his own puffers tooth. So..if it comes to that I will give him a call. In the meantime I'm hoping eating some of the other things will help.

 

[pufferman]

Also, the most effective way to help your puffer file down his teeth is to feed him small live crabs. Shrimps/Krills are not hard enough, and snail shells are so hard that most captive puffers will not even bother to touch them. BTW, what kind of puffer is yours?

 

[jeriabc]

He is a stars and stripes puffer. I have had him for 1 year.