# Deformed Mouths



## mikenc (Jul 28, 2008)

I bought this guy a couple of months ago. It took a few days to realize he had a deformed mouth but i already like him so i dindnt return him
Heres a pic. How common is this disorder?


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## why_spyder (Mar 2, 2006)

I wouldn't say its common - unless its a deformity resulting from overcrowding of fry in a female's mouth. Sometimes females have too big of spawns for their mouth, and a few fry will come out deformed from it.

I can't say whether or not this is one of those cases.


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

Awww it is cute. I hope it can eat ok.


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## mikenc (Jul 28, 2008)

yea *** grown quite attached. I crumble up crisps for him and he seems to handle those alright. But he still goes for the bigger peices that he cant seem to fit in his mouth.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

It looks like a little Bolivian ram face! 

I would remove this one from the breeding pool, just in case, but there are many external factors that could have caused the deformity rather than genetics.

It's a shame, too...That little one has really nice colouration!


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

i have a lab that has a kind of off center mouth thing going on...i assumed it was due to being squashed at an early age ...but he is proving to be one of the most adapatable and characteristic fishes of the bunch.....maybe its down to life expreience. :wink:


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## mikenc (Jul 28, 2008)

here are my other two labs.
















is it unusuall for the one not to have any coloring? i assume its a female?


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

all my labs have the black streak on the back but i did notice that some are more yellow than others and the really yellow ones have the fake egg thing going on...i can only assume they might be the males.


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

mikenc, that last pic isn't a pure lab, which would make me suspicious about the others if they came from the same source. The last pic is likely one of the all too common crosses between Yellow labs and red zebras.

If the other two came from the same source, I would return them all and try to find some from a reputable breeder.

All yellow labs should have black on the dorsal. :thumb:


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## mikenc (Jul 28, 2008)

hmmm that sucks. 
Thanks for the tip. I bought them a few months ago though from petsmart. I guess that explains it. I dont have a reciept anymore i dont think. Do you think i can return them still?


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

You won't be able to return them, I don't think.

If you don't have any intentions of breeding or distributing fry, just keep them. By doing that, you can insure that another unsuspecting hobbyist won't purchase them and breed them.


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

Do labs usually have the blue specs on their fins. I dont think *** seen pictures like that before either


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## cichlidaholic (Dec 7, 2005)

bac3492 said:


> Do labs usually have the blue specs on their fins. I dont think I've seen pictures like that before either


No, but estherae do!


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## bac3492 (Jul 25, 2008)

So these are the red zebra/ yellow lab hybrids then. That sucks, i hear they are overly mean


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## css virginia (Jan 29, 2007)

I have 1 Yellow Lab. with a deformed mouth. I haven't had many deformities occuring with my fish -just once in awhile..The suggestion from ...cichlidaholic...to remove it from the breeding pool is good advice. Good point...I will remove mine also.


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