How to feed a juvenile valentini puffer?

[eag]

Hello. I have a very small valentini puffer that I bought from my LFS. She's quite a bit less than an inch long.

When I first got her, she was eating mysis and similar frozen foods, but was refusing pellets. After having her for 2-3 weeks, I went on vacation for 1 week with an auto feeder set up with pellets. She seemed fine when I got back, but now she doesn't seem to be eating mysis anymore. I'm worried.

She seems very interested in the snails. I don't have any small ones, so I bought some of the smallest snails from reef cleaners, the zig zag snails. I got them today and put them in, and she is very interested in them, but they still seem too big for her tiny mouth. She instead tries to pick at the mantle from the bottom.

I was hoping to find some really tiny snails that she could eat shell and all. What do folks do to feed tiny puffers like this? I searched around a bit, but couldn't find anything really definitive. Is there a micro snail dealer or something? Thanks in advance ;Happy

 

[eag]

Update: I took a tape measure out, she's about one inch long ... but her mouth is so so small!

 

[eag]

Beep... anything? Should I have dropped this in a different forum?

 

[346700984]

Have you tried bumblebee snails or krill? I have a small blue spotted puffer and it picks at the snail mantles as well. It likes eating little freeze dried krill off of the feeder tongs and it likes picking at defrosted raw cocktail shrimp chunks off of the tongs. You could also try ghost shrimp. When we add ghost shrimp to our predator tank they are fine living in the saltwater until they’re eaten.

 

[eag]

Have you tried bumblebee snails

I haven't, but I think that the Zig Zags are generally smaller?

I have a small blue spotted puffer and it picks at the snail mantles as well

I see... I guess I was hoping there was something she could eat shell and all. Maybe she's just too small for that

freeze dried krill off of the feeder tongs

Ok cool, I will try this!

When we add ghost shrimp to our predator tank they are fine living in the saltwater until they’re eaten.

This is also interesting. Thanks for the tip

 

[346700984]

I haven't, but I think that the Zig Zags are generally smaller?



I see... I guess I was hoping there was something she could eat shell and all. Maybe she's just too small for that



Ok cool, I will try this!



This is also interesting. Thanks for the tip

Mine goes nuts over the freeze dried krill and raw cocktail shrimp. You can hear it crunching loudly when it’s eating the krill. It has a small mouth so it takes small bites.