My porcupine can't eat

[jefftse]

Hi all,

 

This has been going on for almost 2 weeks now. When I feed every day, he "tried" to eat but it's like he can't open his mouth. He's still very active and chase the food, but he can't eat any. Has anyone experience anything like that? Please help.....

 

Jeff

[Ryan S]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1573300

 

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f16/porcupine-puffer-cant-eat-85058.html

[Coral Hind]

Puffers like other large meat eaters such as groupers and lionfish are prone to getting lockjaw. From what I have read it is a diet issue. Most have claimed it was feeding to much krill not enough of a varied diet. What have you been feeding it?

[jefftse]

Krill.... that's all he wanted to eat.... what do I need to do now?

[Coral Hind]

Hand or force feeding it is the only thing I have tried. I used brine shrimp because it is a smaller size and soaked it in selcon. Took about a month of almost daily small feedings.

[jefftse]

I tried mysis. but it doesn't seem to be interested. but I will try it.

 

So sad.. this fish specially means a lot to us...

[Coral Hind]

You have to actually force feed it as in manually push the food in the mouth or squirt it in depending on how locked closed the jaw is. I use a short piece of airline tubing on a syringe.

 

Besides the lockjaw it could also be that the dental plates or beak has not been ground down and have grown shut.

 

[jefftse]

Holy sh*t... I don't know if I can do that!!! that's pretty crazy!

[Coral Hind]

Do the teeth look really big or overgrown? If not then it might just be the krill issue of lockjaw. Keep us updated.

[jefftse]

I believe it's lockjaw.. I tried to force feed and put food in front of his mouth. I can see he is trying but he's still not eating. I will keep trying

[Der ABT]

its not putting food in front of his mouth, its actually putting food into his mount, as in insert the tubing in to his mouth (side of the jaw etc

use airline tubing and one of the syringes from a test kit or something along those lines

along the lines of this

[jefftse]

I'm surprised that puffer did not puff up.. I will try but I'm sure mine will puff up like a size of softball

[Der ABT]

that will make him easier to catch (at the top)

[Coral Hind]

After a minute or two it will relax and deflate. After a few days of the feeding it should relax and stop puffing, actually looking for the tube to be fed.

 

At least you don't have to force feed something like a lionfish. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCsJwY7hMc4

[countryboy]

Very intersting..... I have a dogface puffer and the only thing he will eat are chopped up shrimp

[Jan]

What do they eat in the wild that help keep them from getting lockjaw and their teeth trimmed?

[smallreef]

They chew on corals keeps their beaks ground down and they eat a very VARIED meaty diet... shrimp, clams, krill, small squid and cuttel fish (sp.)

[Jan]

Ah, like parrot fish. Makes sense. I had a parrot fish over 20 years ago. It would pulverize dead coral. Will they chomp on dead corals or just live?

 

They chew on corals keeps their beaks ground down and they eat a very VARIED meaty diet... shrimp, clams, krill, small squid and cuttel fish (sp.)

[smallreef]

Im not sure... ive only witnessed them chewing on live corals... but i wonder in the ocean if they are indiscriminate....

[Coral Hind]

Very intersting..... I have a dogface puffer and the only thing he will eat are chopped up shrimp

It seems regular shrimp is not the issue but that a diet of mainly krill is what causes it. If you can leave the shell on the shrimp it helps with the teeth wear.

[Coral Hind]

Will they chomp on dead corals or just live?

If the dead coral is covered in algae they will chew on it but mainly I think they go after live tissue. If you have a coral that might not be doing well or an ugly brown coral, it might help the health of these types of fish to place it in their tank as a small monthly treat.

[jefftse]

We performed the first force feed last night.. It was something else! At first, he was spitting out water. We had to pet him until he calmed down a bit.. then we forced food (chopped mussel) down in his mouth. We got about 4-5 small pieces in, then let him out. I didn't think he liked it at all. We will have to do this over again tonight... Fun!

[epleeds]

We need a video of that.

[jefftse]

We actually do. I'm not sure my fiancee would release it since she was talking to the fish the whole time. LOL I will certainly ask her tonight!

[Coral Hind]

Did it puff up? Did it keep the food in fine? Did you soak the food in vitamins at all?