Porcupine puffer will only eat freshwater snails.

[JimmyToque]

New to the forums. So I’ve had my puffer for 6 months or so and he has mainly eaten frozen baby shrimp for most of his life. He has been in copper quarantine for ick for the past few weeks and seemed to have trouble eating his shrimp. I threw in one of my ram horn snails from my freshwater tank and he loved it. Unfortunately it’s the only thing he will eat now. He refuses to eat anything frozen he has never liked frozen clam on a half shell or oysters. I’m worried that freshwater ram horn snails are not a sustainable diet for him. Anyone have some ideas for feeding him?

 

[Sosuke]

Fresh clams from the grocery store, feeder shrimp, and saltwater snails

 

[JimmyToque]

Thanks. Any idea where to get feeder shrimp or snails? The clams from grocery are a bit too big for him to eat.

 

[Birdbrains?]

Did the puffer seem stressed when you put it back in your DT, I mean stressed enough to refuse to eat because of it?
Try looking around for something online that can ship SW snails to you locally. You can also try squid if you can get some fresh squid somewhere.

 

[Birdbrains?]

And welcome to the forums

 

[JimmyToque]

Thank you! In the quarantine he would chew the shrimp for a while and then spit it out. It may have been stress. His first day out of quarantine was today and I actually got him to eat some krill. Hopefully I can find something salty with a hard shell he will eat as well.