Old Dwarf Puffer...

[peeeet]

Hello everyone,
I'm having trouble with my dwarf puffer. He has been with me for about 4 1/2 years now! pretty old i think. but the last few weeks have been getting harder to get him to eat. I am pretty sure he doesnt see very well. He has always had his bloodworms from a pipette, usually attacking the hell out of it! he used to be able to catch them if I just put them in the water, but i thought the pipette gave some variety since i could get him to swim in the current from the filter, or get him to chase it a bit etc. and snails of course

Now it really seems he cant see it. i've only got him to feed a bit once in 4 days. i try waving it right by his face, he doesnt seem to react in any way. no fear. no interest. worms can be floating all around him and he doesnt move. he will flinch a little if they touch him.


I am really assuming it's cataracts or similar, and that he's going to starve. But I am hoping that someone can help my little guy get better.
I need a miracle cure!



to save all the questions, he's in a 2 foot tank that's been there for 5 years. there's lots of rock, wood and moss. he lives with a shrimp which is as old as he is, 2 hill stream loaches and 2 oto's. there used to be another puffer but he killed it within a few months, despite everything in the tank, because he would get it at feeding time and not stop. a proper b*stard. I kept him in a big net to stop this, but let him out after a few weeks, hoping he'd learn his lesson, but no! He's never been a problem to the other tankmates

all water is fine

Thanks
Pete

 

[jennybugs]

Aw It sounds like he's an OAP Pete. Does he look bucky toothed at all? I would be inclined to get his food soaked in garlic to see if that makes any difference to his appetite, but if he can't see anything at all it is unusual that he's not reacting when you put the worms right in front of him as I would have thought he would be able to 'smell' them in his vacinity.

I hope you can get him to start eating again I take it he looks healthy in every other way? Good colour, fat belly and not severely sunken in?

 

[peeeet]

thanks. i'll try a little garlic and keep my fingers crossed

he looks fine physically. good colour and he doesnt even look particularly thin despite the lack of food, and not tubby like he's just eaten. he just stays close to the walls of the tank and the large furniture


edit:
well the garlic seemed to excite him, but he still didnt see the food
i even managed to tickle his nose with a worm and he didnt see it!

Is 4 1/2 years very old for this species?

 

[divegirl]

Awww bless him! I was hoping Jens suggestion of garlic would work. Did he eat anything?
I'm not 100% on this, but I think around 5 years is a good age for them to reach in captivity.
Good luck with him.

Lisa x

 

[divegirl]

Just found this and it says 5 or more years.....

#90###/forum/ug.php/v/PufferPedia/Freshwater/C_Travancoricus/

Lisa x

Ok....it won't post the link.... It's on The Puffer Forum in the Pufferpedia section.

 

[iSnail]

Aww... really feel for you. I've had my old trio for nearly 4 years now and already dread seeing them getting old and weak

What do you feed him apart from bloodworms and snails? Some time ago, a couple of my DPs became anorexic and lost interest in all food, even live bloodworms that they used to love. After reading Neale Monks' Thiaminase thread (in the predatory fish section) I decided to give aquarium vitamin supplements a try and it seemed to have worked. They are eating like piggies again. Can't say if your DP is deficient in any way but maybe worth having a look into.

Hope your little puff improves soon

 

[jennybugs]

I lost one of my DPs to going skinny recently. I'll have to read Neale's article!

 

[peeeet]

Thanks for that article. I have always just fed him snails and bloodworms. I tried some other things at the start, artemia and daphnia live and frozen, but he was never interested. The odd flake and algae wafer parts go in there for his buddies, but i've never seen him eat them. You've made a very good point about vitamins. i'll head to the shop tomorrow and see what they have.


On the plus side, today he ate! a worm landed on a bright white fallen-to-the-bottom sucker thing and he saw & ate it! so i put some more on and he ate them too. It was just luck that he was next to that at the time...
It's not a great way to live, but hopefully it'll sustain him til i get to try the vitamin supplements.

I'm glad he's had a long-ish and hopefully nice life in there. Hopefully i've not been too bad at keeping him



edit//
the last week i've been able to see him eat about every other day. I have observed that he can recognise the pipette with a peripheral part of his left eye only. Seeing the pipette gets him excited, but when he turns to "kill it" he loses it by trying to look directly at it it's heartbreaking to watch really.
he still can spot worms on the white object, but only if he is close enough... within about 5cm.
A vitamin supplement is now being used, and my plan is to find some LARGE white thing to put worms on. Maybe i'll move him somewhere away from the bottom feeders who no doubt take food meant for him

he still looks fit and colourful, so my fingers are still crossed that the vitamins will help

 

[peeeet]

an update in case anyone is interested!:

My puffer is eating every day now.
We've both got used to the fact his eyesight isn't what it was, and he is smart enough to start looking at the bottom for his worms once he's lost the pipette a few times. Vitamin supplement is continuing and i'm hoping he will see some benifit in the near future!


I think i love these fish more than ever

 

[iSnail]

Awww.... bless him Glad that he's still eating and wants to eat.