# compresiceps wont close his mouth..



## bigsloe (Nov 16, 2006)

i went away on a trip and came home to one of my comps in the top corner swimming with his mouth open....its like he cant shut it. is there anything i can do? is this common? [/b]*PLEASE RESPOND QUICK SO I CAN SAVE HIM IF POSSIBLE!! *Thanks a lot in advance


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## newby23 (Dec 25, 2009)

A few weeks ago i had this same issue. my yellow comp kept his mouth open and would not close it. My thought was it was maybe having a breathing issue and it became extremely agressive. Fortunately, my comp snapped out of it and its alot better now.There may be nothing you can do honestly. I'd say to continue to monitor its progress. Make sure it's eating & check your water parameters just to be on the safe side. *** only been keeping comps for a short time so I'm not sure if this behavior is natural. hope this helps. :thumb:


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## bigsloe (Nov 16, 2006)

ITS LIKE HIS JAW IS DISLOCATED...HE EATS BUT SEEMS TIMID.. ANYONE ELSE EVER SEE THIS...ILL TRY TO POST A PIC


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## SlawDawg (Feb 25, 2009)

Although its never happened to me, it seems that this happens fairly often with comps and calvus.

Is he still eating? If so he can probably live with it stuck like that. Although the fact that he is in the top corner is not a good sign.

His jaw may go back to normal by itself, or you can scoop him out and gently push his jaw back into position. Once this happens once, I think it makes them prone to this happening over and over, but I don't think it will be fatal.

good luck!

*EDIT*
I missed your second post in which you said he is eating. Thats a good sign.


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## Longstocking (Aug 26, 2003)

This is very common. Try and pop it back into place gently with your hand.

As long as he is still eating he will probably live... but it is a good possibility that it might stay stuck open.


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## bigsloe (Nov 16, 2006)

[/img]

this is how hes looking.....about popping it back??? what do i have to do..he is eating. any help here?


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## Dook (May 13, 2009)

way I'd look at it is you try and pop it back into place and it goes well... great... if it doesn't, you probably would have lost it anyhow.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If he is swimming in the top corner, he is probably being rejected by the other comps in the tank. You may need to remove him permanently, watch for other signs of damage.


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## Razzo (Oct 17, 2007)

There is a bone or cartiledge that is out of socket (likely torn). It is on the top of his mouth and it is supposed to go back into the head, kinda like a switch blade. You can gently press it down and try to get it to slide back in. Usually, it is a permanent condition.

They can adapt and do fine. One of my orange fins comps has that condition (horse mouth).

Best wishes,
Russ


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## BioG (Oct 12, 2008)

"Horse mouth" I like that. We ought to make that official. I second what Razzo says. As I have said in other threads I have done everything from popping it back in to a bit of experimental surgery.

It's important, like razzo said that you gently push the tendon (It's basically the bridge of his nose.) down before attempting to get his mouth back together. It may not work, and if it does, he'll be prone to the condition.

Surgery is the only permanent fix because the upper jaw must be sewn to his nose to allow time for healing. But it's not worth it.!


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