Picky Betta

[lmw80]

I normally feed my betta freeze dried bloos worms and betta bits. Friday, I decided to see if he would like a little brine shrimp (the kind in the cube that you break apart and crumble), so I put a little bit in for him. I then watched him proceed to take bits into his mouth and spit them out! Not to make them smaller, cause then he wouldn't even eat them! He did this with almost every piece...taking them in and spitting them out. The water was so dirty after this, I had to do a change!

 

[Allivymar]

Heh I hear ya Imw. I bought a container of Omega One; heard it was awesome stuff. My guys eat ANYTHING so I figured I'd add it to their diet. Hah, I put it in the tank, they spit it out as soon as they get it in their mouths.

I'll keep trying LOL was expensive, but it definitely did NOT get the response I expected. I thought about fasting them for a day or 2 and then trying it but...I have SO much food for them and so many diff types LOL can't see a reason.

 

[Terry]

I don't know if i am right or wrong on this, but i think that when a fish takes food into it mouth and spits it out again it is tasteing it. There are some foods we like and some we don't so i think fish are probably the same. I get this alot in the store when people bring fish into me, and it can be a bit of a nightmare sometimes but i find if i leave the fish for a couple of days and then try and feed them they take it. It is a case of trial and error some times.

 

[TankGirl]

It quite often takes a number of days for fish to accept something new, especially when you have been feeding the same for a while. I had the same thing happen when I switched to Omega One (BTW, Bernie in TN has it CHEAP and even with shipping it is cheaper than I can get it locally, though I am trying to support my LFS in general by buying locally). My fish took a couple of days to get used to it but now they scarf it down. I fed it exclusively until they started taking it, then I resumed the rotation of culinary selections.

 

[Punkymom]

At least your betta eats the freeze dried ones. I have 2 bettas. One eats anything I put in his water. The other one will only eat betta flakes and frozen blood worms. Sheesh.

 

[lmw80]

Now I know how my mother felt when I was a kid....I was such a picky eater!

 

[Scott1980]

Frozen Blood Worms are absolutly the most disgusting thing I've ever seen my entire life. My roomate and I ran around the apartment screaming like little girls one time because of those things, lol. My first Betta died, not sure why, I fed him flakes for just 2 weeks when I got him. I tried switching him to the Hikari pellets. He didn't eat for 5 days. I couldn't take it anymore and fed him flakes again but then he wouldn't even eat those. He never ate again for the next month except for a little nibble if anything. During this time his color faded and he just sat on the bottom. I added medication for ick, parasites, changed the water but He died shortly after. I miss him so much. Anyway there's my sob story. My other two bettas are healthy as an ox, I'll never understand what when wrong with my first.

 

[yv1]

heh you got it easy! my betta is so picky that he wont stand for the little filter to be on, he fusses and hides a lot even though its not much of a current, and he refuses to eat anything that does not move.

i tried pellets, i tried flake, i tried frozen brine shrimp, i tried blood worms. and nothing worked....he would just come to the glass and stare at me.

then i got him live worms. success! and now hes even learning to take to the frozen brine shrimp,,IF i make them move by stirring up a current...otherwise hed stare at me like 'wheres the action?'

he likes stalking and hunting his food. talk about picky.

 

[lmw80]

I was considering live foods, but what's holding me back is that this is a betta I have at work. I don't think they'd appreciate that being in the fridge, lol, you know?

 

[William]

I was considering live foods, but what's holding me back is that this is a betta I have at work. I don't think they'd appreciate that being in the fridge, lol, you know?

Mark it as Haggis. I don't think anyone will touch it then

 

[Scott1980]

gross, lol. I think are frig at the office has a totally new world and civilization in it. No one uses it and everybodys to scared to clean it