I had this problem several years in the past, and wondered if anyone knows what I could have done differently.
Instead of buying a box-store questionable betta - I threw in to purchase a red-dragon rose-tail off Aquabid from Thailand, and have it shipped to me in the Virginia hills. I fell in love when I opened the box! He was large, spunky, and beautiful - a living jewel! Once settled in his new home, I discovered he rejected any dry feed I offered. Purchased several āproā betta diets and he IDed every one as inedible. I took to taking a net, a jar of fresh water, and a filtered-funnel on another jar - and skimming mosquito and midge larvae out of my livestocksā water-trough. Iād wait for them to surface, scoop them with the net, filter them out if the trough-water, and dump them in the fresh-water jar. Feeding these he ate voraciously. I kept trying to trick him with the dry-food - but he still refused. This kept on until cold weather set in. Iād had him 9 months by then. In Thailand one can scoop water-larvae all year round - but not up here when the bugs quit for Winter. Even when it came to where there was nothing else to eat but dry - he starved himself instead of caving to what was available. By 11 months he expired. I had maybe 5 weeks before it warmed up outside.
We used to have a wonderful aquatics store in the city, and I could have got live feed there - but the owner passed away and the store closed. The box-store was no help - everything is dry or dead & frozen - and if it wasnāt animated heād reject it.
Has anyone transitioned a stubborn live-only eater - to dry feed?? The Thailanders grow some awesome bettas - but has any of the farmers raised fry to learn to eat either/or? Weaned them from one to the other? I donāt know how to ask any of them.
Iāve been looking for about 2 years now - get attracted to a fish thatās awesome - find out heās hatched in his native country and hesitate, afraid Iāll end up with another ālive onlyā eater. I hate to get emotionally captivated and then lose āem.
Footnote: Live-only ball python infant I got, switched to thawed-frozen rats without a hitch. Seemed to be just the betta that was lethally stubborn.
Instead of buying a box-store questionable betta - I threw in to purchase a red-dragon rose-tail off Aquabid from Thailand, and have it shipped to me in the Virginia hills. I fell in love when I opened the box! He was large, spunky, and beautiful - a living jewel! Once settled in his new home, I discovered he rejected any dry feed I offered. Purchased several āproā betta diets and he IDed every one as inedible. I took to taking a net, a jar of fresh water, and a filtered-funnel on another jar - and skimming mosquito and midge larvae out of my livestocksā water-trough. Iād wait for them to surface, scoop them with the net, filter them out if the trough-water, and dump them in the fresh-water jar. Feeding these he ate voraciously. I kept trying to trick him with the dry-food - but he still refused. This kept on until cold weather set in. Iād had him 9 months by then. In Thailand one can scoop water-larvae all year round - but not up here when the bugs quit for Winter. Even when it came to where there was nothing else to eat but dry - he starved himself instead of caving to what was available. By 11 months he expired. I had maybe 5 weeks before it warmed up outside.
We used to have a wonderful aquatics store in the city, and I could have got live feed there - but the owner passed away and the store closed. The box-store was no help - everything is dry or dead & frozen - and if it wasnāt animated heād reject it.
Has anyone transitioned a stubborn live-only eater - to dry feed?? The Thailanders grow some awesome bettas - but has any of the farmers raised fry to learn to eat either/or? Weaned them from one to the other? I donāt know how to ask any of them.
Iāve been looking for about 2 years now - get attracted to a fish thatās awesome - find out heās hatched in his native country and hesitate, afraid Iāll end up with another ālive onlyā eater. I hate to get emotionally captivated and then lose āem.
Footnote: Live-only ball python infant I got, switched to thawed-frozen rats without a hitch. Seemed to be just the betta that was lethally stubborn.