need help porcupine puffer

[olivazo77]

He will not eat no frozen krill all he wants to eat is live fish goppies. I don't want be feeding him just fw goppies cuz I know its bad for their liver is there any thing else I could give him.
Thanks

 

[TimmyVoo]

I had the same problem with mine with feeding him clams when I first got him so I gave him a little of what he didn't like with the food he does like and eventually he got used to the clam taste. Keep working on feeding the krill or try clam or even silversides occasionally they get very hungry so he may see that's his only food and start eating it

 

[olivazo77]

I've tried clam he does not want it I've tried dipping the krill in garlic and still does not want it. Im going to try silver sides and see if he like it today

 

[TimmyVoo]

He isn't taking it or is he putting it in his mouth and spitting it back out? And if he does like the silversides make sure you cute pieces small and try avoiding it everyday I find them filled with like fat and oils that aren't good for their stomachs. The garlic is excellent for the puffer and all fish keep trying it

 

[olivazo77]

He isn't taking it or is he putting it in his mouth and spitting it back out? And if he does like the silversides make sure you cute pieces small and try avoiding it everyday I find them filled with like fat and oils that aren't good for their stomachs. The garlic is excellent for the puffer and all fish keep trying it

He gets close to it and looks like he is smelling it, but then backs offs he will sometime bit it and spit out. but i put a live guppies he will chase it and eat it.

 

[austinsdad]

Have you tried holding out and letting him get real hungry? Wondering if he was anything like my 20yr old when he was two. The doctor told me not to give in with the things he liked to eat. After a couple of days of starving, he'd eventually eat the darned spinach and meatloaf.

Anyway, he still doesn't do spinach since his mom wouldn't let me starve him back then.

 

[TimmyVoo]

I find that if you persist with it he'll eventually eat it. I found mine chewing the clam and spitting it back out so I gave smaller pieces and he just ate it in one bite, try that. I imagine that he's 4 inches or so?

 

[olivazo77]

I'll try that and yes he is about 4 to 5 inches I'm just afraid that if I starve him he will try to eat my damsels

 

[TimmyVoo]

With my experiences on puffers at this size eating other fish was the fish that he ate was either dead or not moving for a long time. Mine ate a sleeper goby and a dead royal gramma. I had 4 damsels the time I got him at around 4 inches and he didn't touch the damsels and one is still alive and he doesn't even go after him. On your case where he likes live foods i don't think he'll go after them simply the fact that I think their to fast for him. They hide in small caves that the puffer is to big for at night and during the day puffers arent that hungry and the damsels are always swimming and swimming faster than ur puffer. I wouldn't worry about losing ur damsels I'd concentrate on switching him to frozen krill and clam. A method I always found great for these small puffers was small pieces of food don't through in a large krill and expect him to chase it to the bottom

 

[olivazo77]

I just fed him ghost shrimp and liked them its that ok for them?

 

[TimmyVoo]

Yes just make sure to mix up his diet and try to get him to eat the clams and krill and the ghost shrimp and if u want once in a while feed him the live one. A mixed diet is greatest

 

[doogle]

i got a spotted puffer, s/he wont eat flakes or pellets or any veggie type stuff. he will eat feeder fish.once he ate half a earthworm before(should cut one in half and see if that works better) and recently dead ghost shrimp were gobbled up pretty quick. frozen bloodworms work and he LOVES nuisance snails. i ask petsmart to gather up the little suckers from all their tanks, they are happy to get rid of them for free. have alot more to try like frozen mullusks and brine/mysis shrimp, beefheart maybe? i like getting the free snails and put em in a seperate tank to multiply, that way i always have a free, never ending supply of food for one of my cutest (but mean to other) fish. hope you have the best of times with your puffer !>)

 

[Dylan5359]

Have you tried holding out and letting him get real hungry? Wondering if he was anything like my 20yr old when he was two. The doctor told me not to give in with the things he liked to eat. After a couple of days of starving, he'd eventually eat the darned spinach and meatloaf.

Anyway, he still doesn't do spinach since his mom wouldn't let me starve him back then.

this is a good idea. puffers wont starve themselves. let them get hungry and offer him the food of your choice. He should eat it.

-Dylan

 

[doogle]

certain animals have certain diets. if you dont feed them what they are SUPPOSED TO eat. they will certainly be unhealthy, unhappy,and yes they can starve to death or die from the bloat or constipaton.no matter how much of the wrong food you put in. how many fish does it take to learn this. one in my case. maybe their are exceptions, but my spotted peacock eel would not eat, and it wouldnt eat bloodworms either, i dunno why. but i wont keep buying fish i know have a diet that im not willing or able to provide. sorry, not trying to be mean or anything.it happens to all of us. good luck, thanks for caring about your fish!

 

[austinsdad]

Of course, one would only try to starve them up until common sense tells you there's a problem with the starvation or someone's getting sick.

 

[doogle]

maybe i shouldnt let one incident keep me from getting another peacock eel... i really liked it, but i dont want anything like that to happen again, you know?

 

[SteveFishman]

Have you ever tried snails??

 

[olivazo77]

What kind of snails?

 

[SteveFishman]

Pretty much any kind of fresh or saltwater snail.. They also eat crabs (live).