I did it!! with clove oil :D

[hellohefalump]

Philip (Collomessus Asselus 1 and a half inches long) really needs his teeth trimming, they're starting to effect his eating (he's still eating but not as well as before). I know that people on here who've done it say use clove oil as an anaesthetic, but my lfs, who are normally quite knowledgeable ('Aquatic Design Centre' London) say that they trim their puffers' teeth without clove oil.

I'm scared to use clove oil in case I use too much and kill him accidentally, but I'm scared to not use clove oil because he might thrash about or puff in my hand while I'm trying to trim his teeth.

more questions...
Do you have to hold him under the water while trimming the teeth or is it alright to lift him out and do it and then put him straight back in? Don't puffers not go well in contact with air??

HOW MUCH CLOVE OIL?!?!

What do I do if he puffs?

 

[SirMinion]

There's a step-by-step guide with pictures here
Good luck!

 

[hellohefalump]

Sir Minion, thankyou so much for the site it told me everything I needed to know!

OMG... that was the scariest thing ever! I got the clove oil, I worked out a 'cup' is half a pint, so I used half a pint of tankwater and one drop clove oil. It seemed to work very quickly...

A question... Are Philip's gills still meant to be moving when he's under?? When I took him out of the water his gills moved more rapidly (like you'd expect of a fish out of water)... is this normal for when he's meant to be unconscious?? He didn't struggle, I was just wondering if he was properly 'out' or not...?

Anyway, I got him out and tried to trim the teeth but I was shaking too much and was trying to do it 'gently' and didn't squeeze the cuticle clippers hard enough to cut the teeth... so I didn't manage it and then I panicked and chucked him back into the fresh tankwater container. He came round very quickly and is back in the main tank now, swimming about exactly the same as before. He's been back a couple of hours now and looks better every time I check on him.

So... I didn't manage to trim his teeth and I'm gonna have to try again. Should I try again tommorow, or would that be too traumatic for him and should I wait a week or so?

 

[SirMinion]

Yes his gills should still be moving when he's sedated, he continues to breath when asleep, just like we do!

I'd leave it a couple of days and make sure he's eating ok before trying again to give him time to regenerate his slimecoat and forget about the stress.

 

[hellohefalump]

Good idea, I'll do that, thanks for all your help!

 

[SirMinion]

Good idea, I'll do that, thanks for all your help!

You're very welcome, glad to help.