Oto stuck in net

[TurbosMom]

Hi there everyone..

One of my Oto's got stuck in the net when i was transporting it to a new tank.

I tried for a bit to gently unhook it but i was just making it more panicked and stressed..(and so was i lol) ....so i decided the best thing was to cut a piece out of the net so it can swim freely.

I was hoping that it would dislodge on it's own but it hasn't and it's been since yesterday afternoon (a little less then 12 hours)

How long can my little guy have this net attached to it's nose and how do i go about removing it without putting into shock.

any suggestions or ideas would be welcomed because i'm stumped.

 

[Angellove78]

He's most likely stressed out pretty good already. Poor little guy. I'd just keep trying the best I could. He'll feel better the faster he's out. Good luck!

 

[TurbosMom]

To make matters worse he was moved into a new tank (hence why he was in the net) - so not only is he trying to acclimate to the new tank- he has a green piece of net stuck to his nose.

Breaks my heart every time i see it.

I hope someone has a suggestion as to how to help him get it off.

 

[FinsandFeathers]

It may require "micro surgery" with a small pair if scissors. We sometimes have to remove pieces of thread or dog hair that becomes wrapped around the legs of a finch, and that's the fastest way: a tiny pair of scissors, being very careful. Hopefully, you can do it in a few seconds. It will stress the poor little guy even more, but he'll feel better once it's removed.

 

[TurbosMom]

I came home from work and the piece of net is gone... Yay.

It's behaving as it normally does so I think it's OK.

 

[Autumnsky]

Glad to hear.

They keep the barbs out when they are stressed - when the fish relaxes they seem to disappear, and net falls off!