Dwarf puffer issues

[Reygan2]

Hi all. I have recently acquired 2 DP's and I have a concern about their diet. It is my first attempt at keeping them and I'm hoping someone with experience can help. One of them is in a 10g that is packed with snails. Trouble is that's all he'll eat. I can't get him to even try shrimp, and he spits out the bloodworms. The other one is in my 3g cube with no snails yet. He will eat bloodworms but nothing else. What else should I offer both of them? Are snails enough?

 

[SKB]

To get them to eat other things, let them go a feeding here and there or a day without feeding and then they might accept the other food.

Other than that I don't have experience with these guys. But I looked into them because I wanted them, and they do mostly eat snails from what I read.

 

[armymp327]

snails should be fine, its their main diet in the wild and needed to grind down their teeth, otherwise they would grow too big not allowing them to eat and eventually die.

 

[Laser]

Were the bloodworms frozen or freeze dried? My DP sucks up as much frozen as i'll give him.

 

[Reygan2]

Were the bloodworms frozen or freeze dried? My DP sucks up as much frozen as i'll give him.

Frozen. Do you offer anything else?

 

[Brandon K.A]

snails should be fine, its their main diet in the wild and needed to grind down their teeth, otherwise they would grow too big not allowing them to eat and eventually die.

From what I learned, DP's don't have this beak.

 

[Brandon K.A]

Try live food maybe? or brine shrimp frozen?

 

[Fresh N Salt guy]

Feed them what they are eating. Once they are eating that consistently don't feed them for a day or 2 then will probably devour whatever touched the tank next. They are new so make sure they are good sand healthy before starving for a couple days

 

[waterfaller1]

DP's have no teeth, as they are not a true puffer. That is a false belief perpetuated in this hobby. Just cut the bloodworms into small pieces. You might try hatching some brine shrimp. A few snails now and then are ok, but I prefer feeding them the bloodworms. Get good quality frozen ones.

 

[Reygan2]

From what I learned, DP's don't have this beak.

You're right, they don't. Mine don't even eat the shells. They are scattered around the tank.

 

[Reygan2]

DP's have no teeth, as they are not a true puffer. That is a false belief perpetuated in this hobby. Just cut the bloodworms into small pieces. You might try hatching some brine shrimp. A few snails now and then are ok, but I prefer feeding them the bloodworms. Get good quality frozen ones.

Thanks. I know they won't try frozen brine or mysis shrimp, but maybe live shrimp would work. I feed Hikari Bio Pure bloodworms. They are really small so no need to cut them up. I'd like to try hatching my own shrimp.

 

[dragonfisher33]

Thanks. I know they won't try frozen brine or mysis shrimp, but maybe live shrimp would work. I feed Hikari Bio Pure bloodworms. They are really small so no need to cut them up. I'd like to try hatching my own shrimp.

I have been able to keep dwarf puffers in the last 6 months and this is my experience: the fact that one would only eat snails and the other would only eat the other type of food is just to show that each one of them has their own personality. with that been said, if you want to feed them snails only you can start by starving them for 1 or 2 days. Then to induce the puffer that normally doesn't eat snails, put him in a breeder box and then add some live snails. As soon as he/she gets comfortable in the breeder box, you crush one or two of the live snails and if you time it right, you will pick its interest in the gooey fleshy "meat". When i say "time it right", i mean the fact that you need to let him/her starve for a proper amount of time. As for the other puffer that only eats snails and nothing else. Do the same thing but this time use frozen bloodworm or live blackworm or whatever is it that you want to feed it with. Dwarf puffers will start to eat shrimps when they're babies. They will not touch shrimps that are as big as they are unless you have a small community of dwarf puffers with at least 2,3 males.

 

[Reygan2]

I have been able to keep dwarf puffers in the last 6 months and this is my experience: the fact that one would only eat snails and the other would only eat the other type of food is just to show that each one of them has their own personality. with that been said, if you want to feed them snails only you can start by starving them for 1 or 2 days. Then to induce the puffer that normally doesn't eat snails, put him in a breeder box and then add some live snails. As soon as he/she gets comfortable in the breeder box, you crush one or two of the live snails and if you time it right, you will pick its interest in the gooey fleshy "meat". When i say "time it right", i mean the fact that you need to let him/her starve for a proper amount of time. As for the other puffer that only eats snails and nothing else. Do the same thing but this time use frozen bloodworm or live blackworm or whatever is it that you want to feed it with. Dwarf puffers will start to eat shrimps when they're babies. They will not touch shrimps that are as big as they are unless you have a small community of dwarf puffers with at least 2,3 males.

Thanks for the input. Ideally I'd like them to get a varied diet. I'm going to try hatching my own shrimp. Like you mentioned, they'd be more likely to try something new if they were super hungry. I'm thinking they'd be more tempted to try live food also, so hopefully the shrimp will work. If not, then I'm sure my less picky angels and other fish would be more than happy to indulge!

 

[dragonfisher33]

Thanks for the input. Ideally I'd like them to get a varied diet. I'm going to try hatching my own shrimp. Like you mentioned, they'd be more likely to try something new if they were super hungry. I'm thinking they'd be more tempted to try live food also, so hopefully the shrimp will work. If not, then I'm sure my less picky angels and other fish would be more than happy to indulge!

oh, don't get me wrong, i feed them a variety of food. I have snails, frozen bloodworms, live blackworms, and recently i bought some live daphnia. i was just sharing with you my experience of conditioning them to different kind of food. Good luck with the puffers

 

[Reygan2]

oh, don't get me wrong, i feed them a variety of food. I have snails, frozen bloodworms, live blackworms, and recently i bought some live daphnia. i was just sharing with you my experience of conditioning them to different kind of food. Good luck with the puffers

I tried frozen daphnia and neither one would touch it. I'd like to look into live daphnia and blackworms as well. Do you order them online or get them from your lfs?

 

[dragonfisher33]

I tried frozen daphnia and neither one would touch it. I'd like to look into live daphnia and blackworms as well. Do you order them online or get them from your lfs?

i get my blackworms from a lfs, but of course they have it online. and the live daphnia i have is from eBay

 

[Reygan2]

i get my blackworms from a lfs, but of course they have it online. and the live daphnia i have is from eBay

Nice, thanks!

 

[Reygan2]

I'm almost convinced I may have a sick puffer rather than a super picky one. I can't believe a healthy one would refuse everything, including snails. It is getting so small and weak and I have no idea what to do. I'm having a hard time finding black worms. It seems to be searching for food, but won't try anything! I offered shrimp again and it let them float right by.

 

[dragonfisher33]

I'm almost convinced I may have a sick puffer rather than a super picky one. I can't believe a healthy one would refuse everything, including snails. It is getting so small and weak and I have no idea what to do. I'm having a hard time finding black worms. It seems to be searching for food, but won't try anything! I offered shrimp again and it let them float right by.

did you get some daphnia?

 

[Reygan2]

did you get some daphnia?

Yes. Found her dead this morning.