Help!! Raspy Seems To Be Hurt!!

last night upon attempting to do a water change for my boyfriends pet Betta (Raspy) he jumped out of my hand while I was going to change him into a holding tank while I washed and cleaned his tank. When he landed on the ground there was a bit of blood on the ground. I quickly picked him up and put him back in the water. He seemed to be stunned and sank to the bottom and sat there for a good 30 minutes. He doesn’t seem to be injured externally.... did I just accidentally condemn poor raspy to an early grave?

 

Dont remove the fish when doing water changes. Its unnecessary, stressful and can lead to accidents. And if you HAVE to remove a fish for any reason, use a net or cup. Toughing a fish can wear off their slime coat which is basically their immune system, leading to possible sickness.

 

Dont remove the fish when doing water changes. Its unnecessary, stressful and can lead to accidents. And if you HAVE to remove a fish for any reason, use a net or cup. Toughing a fish can wear off their slime coat which is basically their immune system, leading to possible sickness.

My boyfriend has had him for over 2 years and instructed me to do so but now that I’m educating myself on how to give Raspy proper care I realize the mjstakes we’ve been making. I really concerned about the splatter of blood he left when he hit the floor... externally it doesn’t look like he has any injuries which makes me even more worried because what if I hurt his organs??

 

Hello! Welcome to Fishlore

Why did you think it was necessary to remove the fish during a water change?
You will not need to do that unless you were rearranging the entire tank, which wouldn’t need to be done every time.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to keep him healthy.
Watch for any signs lf swelling or discoloration anywhere on his body. I would keep the water at 80 degrees, and continue to clean the water more often to allow for easy healing. Assuming that you have a cycled tank, with a filter and a heater, those are my best instructions.

I have had bettas jump from me, but not out of my hand.
You shouldn’t ever touch your betta with your hand, that removes his slime coat and will encourage bad things to happen with his scales. Often times we have oils in our skin which are harmful to fish.

Follow those instructions, and you should be good to go.
Keep us updated with any changes!

 

Y

Hello! Welcome to Fishlore

Why did you think it was necessary to remove the fish during a water change?
You will not need to do that unless you were rearranging the entire tank, which wouldn’t need to be done every time.

Here’s what you’ll need to do to keep him healthy.
Watch for any signs lf swelling or discoloration anywhere on his body. I would keep the water at 80 degrees, and continue to clean the water more often to allow for easy healing. Assuming that you have a cycled tank, with a filter and a heater, those are my best instructions.

I have had bettas jump from me, but not out of my hand.
You shouldn’t ever touch your betta with your hand, that removes his slime coat and will encourage bad things to happen with his scales. Often times we have oils in our skin which are harmful to fish.

Follow those instructions, and you should be good to go.
Keep us updated with any changes!

Thank you!! Highly appreciated!

Well, my boyfriend has had Raspy for over two years and he instructed me to do so... I thought he knew what he was doing, but apparently not. I’ve been trying to get him a new cycled tank but my boyfriend refuses due to lack of space in his room. I noticed that Raspy is not as cheerful as he was before the fall do you think the fall caused trauma to his poor little organs?

 

Y
Thank you!! Highly appreciated!

Well, my boyfriend has had Raspy for over two years and he instructed me to do so... I thought he knew what he was doing, but apparently not. I’ve been trying to get him a new cycled tank but my boyfriend refuses due to lack of space in his room. I noticed that Raspy is not as cheerful as he was before the fall do you think the fall caused trauma to his poor little organs?

He’s most likely stressed out from the fall, and will take some time to return to normal.

 

He’s most likely stressed out from the fall, and will take some time to return to normal.

So he’s more than likely to not go to fishy heaven just yet, right??

 

Y
Thank you!! Highly appreciated!

Well, my boyfriend has had Raspy for over two years and he instructed me to do so... I thought he knew what he was doing, but apparently not. I’ve been trying to get him a new cycled tank but my boyfriend refuses due to lack of space in his room. I noticed that Raspy is not as cheerful as he was before the fall do you think the fall caused trauma to his poor little organs?

I am assuming from this post that Raspy lives in something other than a normal aquarium, without filter or heater. Please correct me if I am wrong. I am also assuming he is removed from this container for each water change. A water change that entails emptying out all of the water, washing everything, putting it back together and then putting raspy back in the cleaned container.

Please don't feel bad because so many folks think this is the way it is supposed to be done. Those stores selling the fish are not going to tell you how to care for your new water pet. It doesn't matter to them if this water pet suffers and then eventually dies. Most folks think a few months is the life expectancy of a fish so are not surprised when their fish dies.

If housed in a proper tank with a filter that can be cycled (there has to be a filter for the bacteria to grow on, that bacteria is the cycle), a heater to keep their water at a constant 79/80 degrees, and regular water changes to keep their water pristine a Betta can live a long healthy life.

You have come to the right place to learn everything you need to know to care for a Betta.

It is possible that Raspy will survive but since you saw blood he stands a good chance of having internal damage and if that is the case sadly it is probably just a matter of time before he passes under the rainbow bridge. I know that is not something one wants to hear and I hope I am wrong but I don't want to give you false hope.

 

Thank you for your help!! It’s much appropriated He has had him for 2 years and we’re hoping he’ll make it through.

 

Thank you for your help!! It’s much appropriated He has had him for 2 years and we’re hoping he’ll make it through.

I really hope so too.

 

I really hope so too.

How long till we know if he made it?

 

How long till we know if he made it?

Could you tell where the blood came from? As in eye, mouth, gills, vent?
Also do you use a water conditioner?

 

Could you tell where the blood came from? As in eye, mouth, gills, vent?
Also do you use a water conditioner?

I think it came from his mouth

 

I think it came from his mouth

That could be good. Just watch for swelling as stated before, redness or signs of infection. Keep us posted ok? Please?

 

That could be good. Just watch for swelling as stated before, redness or signs of infection. Keep us posted ok? Please?

Thank you! Boyfriend and I are going through a rut so I will probably lose contact with Raspy for a little while going to try to take him if we separate!!