Why doesn't my fish open its mouth to feed?

Answer 1

your fish does open its mouth that's how it breaths. it may not open its mouth for a little but it does open its mouth. or its opening it a little and you cant see it but no matter what it opens its mouth

hoped it helped you my best friend <3

Answer 2

...no, you're stupid about fish... the real problem is either a fungal infection sealing its mouth or something similar things to try to help fix: --->you can try using anti-fungal medicine such as Fungus Eliminator as recommended on this site Veterinarian Help & Pet Health Questions > Our Goldfish seems that the mouth is sealed shut with some ... > Goldfish

----other more crude and not recommended way is to very carefully, probably by a vet, surgicly open the mouth with a procedure found at: Goldfish

... for those without the time to search the page, here is the excerpt

7. Fused Mouth!! Yes sometimes a) a fungus, or b) eating too much hard food (which will scrape the skin on a goldfish's mouth) will cause the fish's mouth to fuse -- partially or FULLY shut !! It will easily cause death, because the fish cannot breathe! (they bring the water through their mouths and it filters oxygen through the gills that's how they breathe. If their mouths are fused shut, they die). This is what I have done to save them and it must be done CAREFULLY and respectfully. Sterilize and then wash off an exacto or small sharp knife, get some salt (table, kosher or aquarium). Take the afflicted fish out of the water, secure it gently and carefully with gloved hands or something just as gentle, and cut open its mouth (to its original, natural size) along the natural mouth lines. You can determine the natural mouth lines by gently squeezing its jaws to open the mouth if it is capable of opening, even a little bit. Then when you have cut open the mouth to its natural size, rub some salt on it, to keep the cut from healing. If you are lucky, you will be able to do this on the first try. Once you finish this operation, observe the fish carefully for the next 24 to 48 hours sometimes the mouth closes up again, and you have to re-cut and re-salt it. Ugh! This is the only thing I find that works. I was hurting, the fish were hurting, but it had to be done (or they would die) Once they totally healed from this, their lives were saved and their little mouths were able to open fully again! Miss Moustache, and Mr Bee all had to go through this, sometimes more than once, when they were very small fish. So, if you keep the hard food away from your fish, they will run less risk of fused mouth.

Answer 3

Oscar fish open their mouths wide when they engage in the act of mouth fighting. Although this is most common among two males, a male and female often do this before mating. If there are no other fish in the tank with your Oscar (which is common because they often kill one another), he may be hungry or just waiting for food. There is also the possibility that your Oscar got something stuck in his mouth or has a sore inside - which can happen when they are busy moving rocks and pebbles around in the tank. Consult your aquarium specialist or vet if you suspect it is due to injury.

Answer 4

yes because they can just breathe with their stomach

Answer 5

The fish, entirely has a big change. that make him traumatic. I hope your fish will "recover fast", check the suitable temperature to suitable strain.

good luck ; )

Answer 6

Perhaps it has a fungal infection that doesn't allow it to open...or something similar. Just a suggestion.

Answer 7

They're allowing water through the mouth and out the gills to extract oxygen.

Answer 8

Its simply breathing