Urgent help needed Dog faced puffer teeth too long?

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GrahamM

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Hey guys

This guy is new, got it yesterday. I am struggling to get him to eat and I'm worried his teeth are overgrown that he actually can't eat. I managed to get him to eat some blood worms yesterday but nothing else after that.

Please can you look at the pics and tell me if his teeth are possibly causing him trouble ?

I'm quite a puffer enthusiast and this looks like it's overgrown to me, looking for second opinions before trying to find the best way to resolve this.

Thanks

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Definitely too long. You can give it some dental care using a dremel tool.
 
You may have to sedate it. I remember reading a few articles on this somewhere on the Internet some time ago when a friend of mine had the same issue with his puffer. He managed to get a vet who was big into fish to do it for him. Just Google it. Remember their teeth keep on growing. You will have to adjust it's diet.
 
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NJH said:
You can give it some dental care using a dremel tool.
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Wow, I never knew that. I just googled "puffer fish teeth trimming" and there's quite a few photo's and videos about it.

@GrahamM, would love to hear more about this if you do decide to resolve it.
 
I think they use clove oil to sedate the puffer. I cannot remember the dosage. Like I said just Google it. Even better, see if you can find a knowledgeable vet to do it.
 
NJH said:
You may have to sedate it. I remember reading a few articles on this somewhere on the Internet some time ago when a friend of mine had the same issue with his puffer. He managed to get a vet who was big into fish to do it for him. Just Google it. Remember their teeth keep on growing. You will have to adjust it's diet.
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Yeah I've been keeping green spotted puffers for a while and know their diet needs sheeled foods etc, never had to trim in years... But like I said, this guy just arrived yesterday, so these munchers are not my doiing lol

I feel more confident now that I got someone else's opinion.

Thanks for the input guys
 
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viper357 said:
Wow, I never knew that. I just googled "puffer fish teeth trimming" and there's quite a few photo's and videos about it.

@GrahamM, would love to hear more about this if you do decide to resolve it.
Click to expand...

Yup, will have to resolve it as in tomorrow, because he's def not eating like a puffer should
 
GrahamM said:
Yeah I've been keeping green spotted puffers for a while and know their diet needs sheeled foods etc, never had to trim in years... But like I said, this guy just arrived yesterday, so these munchers are not my doiing lol

I feel more confident now that I got someone else's opinion. Can you perhaps advise me where you get clove oil, a pharmacy or dischem I guess? I watched a Youtube video similar size dog faced for 3 drops per liter...

If I don't have a dremel, can I use a tong-type nail clipper? Like this:
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Thanks for the input guys
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You should get clove oil at clicks I think. Depending on the size of the puffer and the teeth the clippers could work. I am sure there will be some video's on the net to assist you. Like I said, my mate got a vet to do it so I do not have first hand experience.
 
Good luck! Let us know how it goes. Just be careful with the clove oil. If you use too much you will kill the puffer.
 
NJH said:
You should get clove oil at clicks I think. Depending on the size of the puffer and the teeth the clippers could work. I am sure there will be some video's on the net to assist you. Like I said, my mate got a vet to do it so I do not have first hand experience.
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NJH said:
Good luck! Let us know how it goes. Just be careful with the clove oil. If you use too much you will kill the puffer.
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Thanks, I'll go see if I can get all the stuff tomorrow (public holiday), and use a light dose of clove maybe rather 2 drops per liter and attempt to do this. I'll let you know how it went and show his teeth after the dental work :p
 
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Years ago, I used to sedate Koi with knock out drops I got from the Koi shop that worked on litres and size of fish. Once you put the Koi in that bowl it went to sleep, you wrapped it in a wet towel and did what you needed. You then put it back into the pond, supported it and it woke up again and swam happily after. Not sure if that will work?
 
So I done it. And by far one of the most stressful things I had to do in this hobby lol

The fish was lights out in 10 seconds, opposed to the 4 minutes mentioned by other forums and such on doing this. I didn't have a dremel and bought two nail clippers small and medium. I was getting really worried because I made a lighter dosage clove oil than suggestions and he was out so fast. I trimmed the point of the tooth and then started to get too nervous to do any more tweaking. I think I managed to clip the worst and I trust he will be able to chow. I've got a bag full of in shell closed clams waiting for he's teeth to gnaw on lol, try wear it down more natures way I guess.

Here's the pics... See that sharp point is gone

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Wow, well done, honestly don't think I would have had the guts to do that. How long did he take to recover? Did you just put him back into the tank for him to recover?
 
Thanks guys, I appreciate your interest in my doggy :p

I got this Clove oil from M-Kem (24h place)

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I got a 3ml syringe:
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And surgical gloves (non powdered)
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What I done was took a 1L measuring jug, and measured 5 liters of tank water, poured in a bucket - using the syringe I sipped up some clove oil into it, and dripped into the bucket 10 - 12 drops. Mixed it nicely and left it a bit while I prepped my recovery container, which was about 10cm deep tank water with a wooden airstone.

Put the puffer in the clove oil bucket, saw he isn't fighting much anymore and when I felt he was going to start going on his side, took him out and trimmed. Got worried, layed him in my hand in the fresh water, checked his gills were moving, took him out again and done some last trimming. When I was done I put him and held him in the tank water recovery bowl and then I just every now and again put him over the airstone then moved him away, took like 2 minutes for him to recover, maybe sooner, hell, the longest time of my life lol, 1 second waiting for your fish to wake up is like 1 minute... So yeah, not too long after showing some movement he wanted to go into the tank, jugged him with that 1 liter, drained it a little till he's barely in water and put him in the tank.

That's about as in detail as I can describe what I did :p
 
Damn this is awesome. Got goosebumps from reading your success. Followed the thread since yesterday. Well done, 100 000 000 brownie points for you.
 
Hopefully my post helps someone in future, because these American threads are all gallons and quarts and what ever else, products we don't find here used for baby teething pain etc.

At least now people know what to look for and what's available in chemists here in SA and how to use it properly. P.S I wouldn't wait till the fish shows its belly up in the air though, clove oil can kill a fish... you'll know when he starts losing balance, thats when to take it out and do the job.

AND also, feed puffers shells and hard stuff, because you shouldnt be using clove oil on your fish more than once a year...

(unfortunately in my years of puffers I had not needed to do this, apparently this guy was too lazy to eat hard stuff in the sea before he came to me, I sentence him to life with shelled foods!)

THIS PUFFER IS AROUND 15cm! DO NOT FOLLOW MY DIRECTIONS FOR YOUR GREEN SPOTTED PUFFER OF 4CM! ... I USED 2 DROPS CLOVE OIL PER LITER. I'LL SUGGEST 1 DROP PER 2 LITERS (so 2 drops for my 5 liters i described earlier if youre following my directions). OVERDOSAGE = DEAD PUFFER!
 
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