luna

I know I say it a LOT! After every meal (or when she knows mealtime is coming up, or when I open the top of betta Kappa House for something else), she just gives me this...look.

THE look. You know the one. The "Mommy (or Daddy), you forgot to feed me! Look how skinny (and cute) I am...I'm going to wither away to nothing! You KNOW you want to give me food!" look.

So, inevitably, I look back at that little lipsticky pout and say - repeatedly - "Stop begging, I already fed you!" Greedy (but cute) little piggie-fish!

Shawnie

mines not a betta, mines ocars n dempseys...oh boy do they beg..they even go up to the tank when the dogs walk by hoping they throw them a bone or two

Phishies Inn

My betta hugs his nose against the glass right underneath the little door for feeding no matter what time of day :P He's a pig!

COBettaCouple

LOL.. The mighty hunters are always hungry! After every meal, they look right at me with the "you forgot to feed me" look.

Blub

MagpieTear

Rusty my Betta and Mr. Jones (my Pleco in the 55) are like that both. I have to chase Mr. Jones away from the surface so the other fish have a chance at reaching the flakes

Allie

Between the betta, African cichlids and our cats the begging is ovewhelming at times.

COBettaCouple

LOL.. yea, you've got lots of happy little beggars there.

luna

You know, I gotta say...I think the two people who've voted "my betta doesn't beg" don't have bettas, are fibbing, or they've hidden them in the back of their closets so they never see the tanks!

That was my "joke" option...come on, these are betta-piggies and food we're talking about!

COBettaCouple

Could be new Betta owners who are still acclimating their Bettas to the tank.

luna

KonaBoy

Surprisingly, neither Zaboo or Poe seem(ed) to beg for food.

chickadee

Betta owners rejoice!! I have an answer to those of you who would like at least once in a while, to find a meal where you do not come away from the tank with guilt feelings. I realize that bettas have the fine art of making most of us feel like inhumane monsters over the decision that " you have had enough!" BUT now there is a food that they can have a couple times a week or even one time a day that there is not a limit on. You can let them eat to their hearts content. It is good for them, it will not constipate them in fact it can be used INSTEAD of pea treats if you do not happen to have a fish who likes peas. It is also a great food for sick bettas as it works well with medication. It seems that if you have medicated water where you have the fish the medication will be easily absorbed into the food and provide the fish with internal meds as well as external. You will be feeding medicated food. MY bettas all love the idea of getting to "PIG OUT" (there I said it) once in a while and it even stops the serious guilt trips for a bit.

The name of the food is: FREEZE-DRIED DAPHNIA. I would imagine the Frozen Daphnia would work as well in the same type of way but I have not tried it.

This is the form I have purchased it in:

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...79&pcatid=4279

The use of it started in my home when Marty (the original) absolutely refused to eat peas and it has continued since. The bettas get their peas but love the idea of getting to eat this stuff for a change and it does the digestive tract good and they can truly make PIGS of themselves.

Rose

luna

Actually, Rose, I really like giving Kappa daphnia meals, for a few reasons.

1. It makes her eat slower.
2. She gets to "hunt" for the particles that have drifted away, which is both stimulation and slows her eating. She seems to like hunting for her food, and it's fun to watch her do it.
3. I don't get that "but mommy, I'm still hungry" look for a while.

The daphnia being nutritious and a substitute for peas (which she also likes...not picky at all, this one) are just added perks. As much as I don't want to overfeed her, I DO have fun at mealtime. Cute little piggie-fish!

chickadee

Yes I do love the "hunting" too and they get to practice their natural skills. I do love them to be able to play with their food. I like the handfeeding too but one or two times a week or so, they need to know that they still can find the food and chase it down "in the wild".

Rose

COBettaCouple

Rose got us to try that daphnia and it became a quick favorite. We need to order a new container of it on our next fish order.

chickadee

It is on sale now at DFS. They have gone up on their regular prices for it so I ordered in a supply on all the foods to last for the whole year this month. It stays as long as it is not opened and it is SO much cheaper right now than it will be and I heard that the cost of shipping and handling is going up again too before long so that decided me.

This gasoline thing is really beginning to make it hard for those of us who have no choice but to do the online ordering. Shipping and handling is getting to be outrageous and so I wait until I can make a huge order and order enough to last a long time. I have a huge pharmacy right now for them and it makes me so upset as I realize that most of it will probably go to waste going out of date but I would not like to be caught without it if they needed it so I guess this is all I can do. There is nowhere for 40 miles to get any supplies here and I do not drive. If they got sick I would never make it to order and wait for meds online.

Rose

luna

LetDiceFly

I have only had Flash about a week and he already has my number. Before this I would never believed a fish could recognize when they have eye contact. But I will look up from my desk, about 5 feet from his tank and see him staring at me. As soon as he sees that I am looking he starts wiggling around trying to get attention. It's like having a puppy underwater.

COBettaCouple

LOL.. Isn't it great?

luna

...and THAT, my friends, is why I lose count! The much loved, infrequently rewarded Feed Me Dance. Kappa sees me looking at her tank and sprints to the front, under the hood door, and does her dance.

I'm glad I have the daphnia, for those weak moments!

COBettaCouple

How true!!!!

pamd

That's so totally believable. Try telling the story to someone who has never known a betta, though.

MinxMermaid

Yep! its that OH GOSH MOM, Look at ME, I'm so hungry Look, that has gotten me in trouble with Mr. Rick for overfeeding

i looked for the Daphnia the other day at petsmart, but they didn't have it, so i'l have to order it onlineMom

pinkfloydpuffer

Lol, my boys love to dance for me when they see me. Especially Winter! He loves to stuff himself!

But if you can't handle the bettas begging, don't even try puffers! LOL! They beg and beg even when their stomachs are bulging so much it looks like they're gonna explode!

Phinny12

They know they have us trained.

Red1313

My boys only started doing it recently, luckily my little girl hasn't... but Ray's the worst, he does a dace, Coolie just hover's under the corner that I feed him in and waits expectantly.

Angelwhispers

LOL! I totally know that feeling. My cats especially are little piggies!

In the Aquarium, the begging is done mostly by my neons. They are such pigs. Every time I sit (or kneel) in front of the tank, they're right there at the surface as if to say "Yay, you're finally feeding us!"