Picky Fish?

[NeonNeptune]

I just got my first half moon betta! And he decided that he would not eat his betta bites . I was so worried but I finally got him to to eat after I cut the betta bite in half and after he spit it out a lot. Has anyone else had picky fish and what did you do to get it to eat?

 

[brianhart]

i would first check for any signs of illness as fish tend not to eat when they are sick and plagued with a disease. if you dont find its sick, it could just be because they dont eat very and it just may be as simple as its not that hungry. their stomach is only about the size of their eye. if you want to see if you can try to get it to eat in general, give it a pea. de-shell a frozen pea (must be fresh; no preservatives that are found in canned) and see if it will eat that. if it doesnt it might be a sign that he is sick. hope the little guys gets well!

 

[thereverendturtle]

Personal experience, betta bites are a bit large for most Bettas, until they are full grown. There is also the problem that most are raised on live worms prior to getting to the pet store. Give him a few days and try again. If he doesn't eat it try a couple of small flakes and see if its just a size thing.

 

[NeonNeptune]

The betta was not sick, he tried to eat them but spit them out. I think he just did not like the taste of them because he would swallo them but spit them out. He did the same thing when I cut them in half, but he eventually got to eating them.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Hi there congrats on your new boy Bettas often go off their food for a week or so when you first get them, they just need time to settle in. They will taste things and spit them back out again, it's nothing to worry about. Just keep trying to feed him as usual and remove anything that he doesn't eat. As a rule for any fish, I always soak any type of pellet food in tank water (I use a shot glass) for about 15 mintues to soften it up and reduce the chance of problems with bloat.

Also, for the future, be sure and feed him a variety of foods. Maybe get him some flake food to alternate with. You could feed him (defrosted) frozen bloodworm once a week, deshelled and thawed peas once a week as well. It's just good to give them variety. Many betta keepers also don't feed their fish for one day a week to make sure thier system gets a change to clear out