Emergency - Betta Stuck In Small Hole

My Betta is stuck, trying to figure out how to push him back or pull him out. Since taking the photos, he has one of his front fins through, too. Any suggestions?

 

Goodness!

I would try to be as careful as I can, and not harm him. Can you try using your fingers to lightly pull him out?
You may also find that putting the object back into the water and tipping him over would help him fall back out.
Just don't be too rough with your hands, it can smash him.

What is this object he's lodged into?

 

Could you possibly break the container he is in? Maybe gently tap it with a hammer or something?

 

What kind of decoration is that? Is there an opening on top or there only one entrance? What is it made out of? Can you try breaking it with a hammer and chisel? Or whatever you have lying around? That is causing him a lot of stress and he will be in shock for a few days.

 

I personally don't recommend the hammer, too many possibilities of something going wrong.
Banging on the container will also stress him out more.
Don't leave him out of the water for long, if ever.

 

He managed to squeeze himself out, but there now seems to be a scrape or small dent in his back near the top fin.
The decoration was an unused Candle holder, and yes there was only one entrance.
We didn't want to use the hammer or chisel, since the hole was too small and way too close to his body, plus the entire thing is made of either a hard rock or hardened ceramic.
I'm going to leave decorations out of the tank unless they are big enough to keep him from getting stuck/getting hurt.
Poor thing used to be all feisty, and now he looks petrified and flared up/exhausted. The thing that scares me most is I have no idea how long he was stuck in there.

I did immediately take him to get air once I realized what happened, and made sure he had the choose of getting air later. For now I want to figure out what to do about his new sore area.

Thank you guys so much for the suggestions!! I honestly have no idea what we would have had to do he you guys not responded so fast, or if he didn't squeeze himself out. (He's my youngest, smallest, and most colorful of the two. Plus the worst part was my Dragon scale was suffering from fin rot, so i'm already treating for that too.) Anyway, i'm extremely grateful, and honestly can't stop shaking Thank you guys again!!

 

He managed to squeeze himself out, but there now seems to be a scrape or small dent in his back near the top fin.
The decoration was an unused Candle holder, and yes there was only one entrance.
We didn't want to use the hammer or chisel, since the hole was too small and way too close to his body, plus the entire thing is made of either a hard rock or hardened ceramic.
I'm going to leave decorations out of the tank unless they are big enough to keep him from getting stuck/getting hurt.
Poor thing used to be all feisty, and now he looks petrified and flared up/exhausted. The thing that scares me most is I have no idea how long he was stuck in there.

I did immediately take him to get air once I realized what happened, and made sure he had the choose of getting air later. For now I want to figure out what to do about his new sore area.

Thank you guys so much for the suggestions!! I honestly have no idea what we would have had to do he you guys not responded so fast, or if he didn't squeeze himself out. (He's my youngest, smallest, and most colorful of the two. Plus the worst part was my Dragon scale was suffering from fin rot, so i'm already treating for that too.) Anyway, i'm extremely grateful, and honestly can't stop shaking Thank you guys again!!

I would remove that, and not use it.
For the injured fin, a daily water change routine will help him, you should also treat with StressCoat+ for fixing his slime coat back again.
If it's that severe, I would recommend MGreen or MBlue baths for the next few days, but that probably isn't the case.

 

I would remove that, and not use it.
For the injured fin, a daily water change routine will help him, you should also treat with StressCoat+ for fixing his slime coat back again.
If it's that severe, I would recommend MGreen or MBlue baths for the next few days, but that probably isn't the case.

Alright, very helpful. Again, thank you guys so much.

 

You could try making your own decor, that way you can make the entrance as big as you need.

 

You could try making your own decor, that way you can make the entrance as big as you need.

I'll have to look into that more. Thing is, he's in a Quarantine tank currently, and I have to upgrade him to a 5 gallon soon. So not too much space for now. I think I'll let him roam, or maybe put like, a small resting spot so he doesn't have to always swim to the top for air.

I also just noticed a few minutes ago that the red draping fins near his head are torn up from him struggling, and that his stomach is a bit swollen as well. He may have scarring later on, but as long as he gets better I don't care.

I didn't say this before, but I know for a fact when he's terrified, stressed or just overall uncomfortable. He's usually a midnight black with gorgeous red, blue, and black-laced fins. But when he get's stressed, his body turns into a cream and brown pinstripe and he cowers away. He's currently a mix between those colors, and is acting completely irregular, so i'm thinking he's still in a lot of shock, and won't act normal for several days.. We'll see, though.

 

I once had a bristlenose catfish stuck in a filter intake basket thing. It fell off and he puffed up in it- we managed to use some pliers and sharp slippers to break him out. His nose is still puffed up, it sort of blew up and never went down, like scarring. But he was fine after a few days. Just treat the wounds as normal, and he should be fine in a couple of weeks. Keep him quarantined until he's healed enough that you can't see any open wounds, make sure that water is as clean as possible. If you have a bit of aquarium salt, add just a tiny bit. Bettas may not be very salt tolerant but it'll help with his wounds.

 

I once had a bristlenose catfish stuck in a filter intake basket thing. It fell off and he puffed up in it- we managed to use some pliers and sharp slippers to break him out. His nose is still puffed up, it sort of blew up and never went down, like scarring. But he was fine after a few days. Just treat the wounds as normal, and he should be fine in a couple of weeks. Keep him quarantined until he's healed enough that you can't see any open wounds, make sure that water is as clean as possible. If you have a bit of aquarium salt, add just a tiny bit. Bettas may not be very salt tolerant but it'll help with his wounds.

Ah man, i'm sorry!! And Thank you! I do happen to have aquarium salt since i'm treating fin rot with it on the other male I have. (Been treating him literally every day, so it's not new to me any more) Wasn't sure if I should use it or not, but since i've got the go-ahead, I'll make sure to mix a small amount up. Again, thank you!

 

I’m pretty late, but how is he doing??

 

I’m pretty late, but how is he doing??

Ahh- It's alright to be late! And he's doing pretty good. His fins are very slowly starting to grow back with the help of Aquarium salt, but he does seem to be coming down with a very minor case of fin rot (Which will be treated by the Aquarium salt, so nothing to worry much on there.) Since he has nothing else in his tank after I took out the small 'house', I had to make him a structure out of legos (Yes, I know, it's kinda weird, but it lets him get air and rest while i'm asleep. It was a real pain to try and find a balance so it didn't float, though..). The scar atop his back/upper fin and side are starting to go away, but I don't doubt that it'd leave a small mark. Other than that, he's pretty skittish, and confused like normal.

 

Ahh- It's alright to be late! And he's doing pretty good. His fins are very slowly starting to grow back with the help of Aquarium salt, but he does seem to be coming down with a very minor case of fin rot (Which will be treated by the Aquarium salt, so nothing to worry much on there.) Since he has nothing else in his tank after I took out the small 'house', I had to make him a structure out of legos (Yes, I know, it's kinda weird, but it lets him get air and rest while i'm asleep. It was a real pain to try and find a balance so it didn't float, though..). The scar atop his back/upper fin and side are starting to go away, but I don't doubt that it'd leave a small mark. Other than that, he's pretty skittish, and confused like normal.

That is good that he is doing better! The lego idea sounds neat. Glad that he is having a safe recovery and thanks for responding.

 

That is good that he is doing better! The lego idea sounds neat. Glad that he is having a safe recovery and thanks for responding.

Sure doll! I always check to see if anyone has questions/needs help. It's also nice to get concern past the breaking point, so thank you as well for worrying!

 

I'm glad your betta made it out safely! I can tell you really care for the little guy. Keep a close eye on him as he recovers!

 

I'm glad your betta made it out safely! I can tell you really care for the little guy. Keep a close eye on him as he recovers!

Thank you for your concern! And I promise I will~ Currently waiting to set up for a Crested gecko until these guys are all better