Betta Spitting Out Food?

[blue16]

I recently bought a betta at the local fish store... he seems to be in good health and is very active. He's my first betta but I made sure to research on what he needs and such, so I don't think the problem has to do with the tank size (he's got a 4.5 gallon tank with a couple of live plants in there), water quality etc...
I've read on many forums that bettas can be picky eaters, so at first I thought I just had to vary the food choices and see which one he liked. He practically ignores flakes (I've tried several types), and the betta pellets I gave him just sank to the bottom and made the water messy. When I give him food he always comes to investigate but just doesn't seem interested. On the few occasions that he does bite, he just spits the food back out again (which makes keeping the tank clean a nightmare). Unfortunately where I live it's impossible to obtain live foods such as bloodworms, but the shop I got him from didn't feed him live food, so i don't think he's that picky or anything. I have ordered dried brine shrimp, so I have yet to see if that works. I also tried giving him frozen peas, because I read on several sites that this can help clear their digestive system. Oddly enough, he seems to love the peas- he even jumps out of the water for them sometimes, but no matter how small or mushy i make the pieces he keeps spitting out those as well! He managed to keep a few bits of pea down the other day, but when i tried to trick him by giving him a pellet he just ignored it.
I know that sometimes it takes time for a fish to settle into a new environment and refusing food is normal, but this betta does go for the food, he just can't seem to stop spitting it out... is it normal for bettas? It's been four days now and I'm starting to get worried- how long can bettas go without food? Has anyone else ever had this problem? Also, I read that bettas were carnivores, but my fish has only shown interest in the frozen peas, which is odd. Please, please help! Are there any other foods I can try that i can easily obtain? I think I read somewhere to try giving him live ants, but I'm not sure if I want to try that. What do you think? Any help is appreciated!
Also, I hope I put this in the right section! Sorry if I didn't!
Blue16

 

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

The food pellets might be too big for him as my girls got them; then spit them out so I have to grind them down for them.

What pellets are you feeding; all of mine have taken to Halkari betta pellets (e-bay). Also try bribing him with blood worms. You can get frozen ones where you just defrost a cube at a time (you can even cut it in half) and see if he likes them. All of mine love blood worms (my male however will not eat brine shrimp where as my girls love it).

 

[keithp]

It could be the pellets are too big, try crushing them first, I had that issue before the betta was small and couldnt eat a whole pellet. After crushing them for a week he eventually learned to eat the pellets whole. and I also use Hikari betta pellets. You could see if they sell frozen bloodworms and brine shrimp, frozen food is just as good as live, if not better.

Is your betta showing any other odd signs, like stringy poo, clamped fins, energy loss, white specks on body? A picture might help.

 

[blue16]

I was using Tetra-betta pellets which I bought online because a friend recommended them, and I've tried crushing them like you said, but it seems he just doesn't like the taste? I'll see if its possible to order bloodworms (I don't live in the US so they're sort of hard to find), and I ordered dried brine shrimp the other day. So I'll see whether those two work. Thanks both of you for the advice! Maybe I'll try getting some of those Hikari pellets to see if he likes them.

In the meantime, I have managed to make him eat something, but I'm not sure if it's right for him: mosquito larvae? I read online that one of the natural foods bettas eat in the wild is mosquito larvae, so the other day I popped one in and he gobbled it up! But I don't want to give him more unless I'm sure it's ok for him, so what do you think? Mosquito larvae are fairly easy to get since I can breed them myself, and as long as the water they were in is clean they shouldn't carry any diseases or anything, right?

I also gave him tiny pieces of frozen shrimp (not brine shrimp, just normal shrimp like the ones you eat) and he ate those as well. But again, I don't want to give him any more of it until I have someone's opinion. Out of all the foods I tried these two are the only ones he accepted, or maybe he's just getting desperate after a week or so?

I'll try to get a picture for you, but I haven't seen any of the signs you mentioned (stringy poo, clamped fins etc) and he seems very active. He swims around a lot and flares a couple of times a day when I put the mirror next to his tank. I've tried experimenting with different foods, so please tell me what you think about the ones I mentioned. Again, thanks for the help!

 

[awilson360]

I was using Tetra-betta pellets which I bought online because a friend recommended them, and I've tried crushing them like you said, but it seems he just doesn't like the taste? I'll see if its possible to order bloodworms (I don't live in the US so they're sort of hard to find), and I ordered dried brine shrimp the other day. So I'll see whether those two work. Thanks both of you for the advice! Maybe I'll try getting some of those Hikari pellets to see if he likes them.

In the meantime, I have managed to make him eat something, but I'm not sure if it's right for him: mosquito larvae? I read online that one of the natural foods bettas eat in the wild is mosquito larvae, so the other day I popped one in and he gobbled it up! But I don't want to give him more unless I'm sure it's ok for him, so what do you think? Mosquito larvae are fairly easy to get since I can breed them myself, and as long as the water they were in is clean they shouldn't carry any diseases or anything, right?

I also gave him tiny pieces of frozen shrimp (not brine shrimp, just normal shrimp like the ones you eat) and he ate those as well. But again, I don't want to give him any more of it until I have someone's opinion. Out of all the foods I tried these two are the only ones he accepted, or maybe he's just getting desperate after a week or so?

I'll try to get a picture for you, but I haven't seen any of the signs you mentioned (stringy poo, clamped fins etc) and he seems very active. He swims around a lot and flares a couple of times a day when I put the mirror next to his tank. I've tried experimenting with different foods, so please tell me what you think about the ones I mentioned. Again, thanks for the help!

Try the Hikari Bio-Gold Betta Pellets. They come in 2.5g packets and are small enough for even tiny bettas to eat straight away. Mine loves them.
Try some freeze dried bloodworm as a once a week supplement and also try not feeding him one day a week.

AW

 

[loraxchick]

mosquito larvea are just fine to feed him. and correct-they are a natural food for them. you *could* breed them yourself, but i wouldnt recommend doing so indoors. youd have mosquitoes in your home in no time but if you have a nice supply of them, certainly will not hurt to feed these.
cheers