My first picky eater!!!! Ideas guys!!

Dear little Maramalade!!!!!! I can tell he is hungry but just spits everything out bar Tetra betta flakes and even them he picks at! This is a new thing, when he first arrived he'd eat anything BUT has learnt that he can chose!!!

This is a list of everything in my store cupboard for my bettas that he now looks at and then back at me saying 'you are kidding right?!?!'

HikarI betta bio gold pellets
freezedried bloodworms
freezedried daphnia
Aqua one betta pellets
Tetra betta flakes
Garlic guard
frozen pellets ( can think of name)
peas!

He will take one chunk of pea and that's it. Soaking stuff in Garlic guard doesn't work either. Anyone ever used Attisons stuff? Any ideas? I hate to see he is hungry. I will try missing a meals in the hope that next mealtime he will eat more!! Nope!!

ideas? Don't really wanna go down the live food road but he needs a better diet!

 

I'm sorry to hear your dilemma I have yet to experience this as mine are all just piggies!
Good luck and do keep us up to date on this ok.

 

HI Taz...
SOoooo you have a picky eater eh? lol... Yep... they can be like that sometimes! lol...
When I brought Midas home, he wouldnt eat the HikarI Betta bio gold. Which was a surprise since my other four never had a problem with that product.
So I ended up feeding him some daphinia and at least he ate that. Then I tried him on the New Life Spectrum tiny pellets that I had, and he actually gobbled them up. Eventually I will start feeding him the Bio Gold and see if he will take it, but now I'm feeding them all the New Life, since it is a great product.
Have you tried Daphinia yet? I think when I fed it to Midas, it got his appetite going..

 

Frozen blood worm is usually a hit with any fussy fishy.

 

We have had 1 picky eater, Sora.. he would eat: thawed HikarI frozen bloodworms, HikarI freeze dried daphnia, peas and that was about it.

 

I would suggest frozen bloodworms as well. That's the only thing Ianto would ever eat.

 

Freezed dried daphnia is a hit with any fish that I have owned even if they would not eat anything else. I do not feed frozen foods so do not know about them. They may go for the bloodworms but I do not know about the availability where you are and the off brands do carry a risk of disease. HikarI is the only brand or Omega One that I would trust with their processing. If you cannot get them I would pass on the frozen foods.

Rose

 

Capekate, daphnia gets spat out!! he is so rude!!

Dave I do remember Sora being a fussy eater, it made me chuckle at the time BUT not now I have the same problem!!!

Bless little Sora, I miss all our moved on bettas, i've asked my Nana to look after them for us until we get there!!

 

The PetCo here carries HikarI frozen bloodworms, but I don't know if you have PetCo in the UK.

How big are the chunks of pea you're giving him? Ianto was my picky eater but he would eat a piece of pea if it was really tiny. The bigger pieces didn't interest him though.

 

my platy is doing exactly the same thing... now the only thing he is eating is freeze dried minI Krill...

 

The PetCo here carries HikarI frozen bloodworms, but I don't know if you have PetCo in the UK.

How big are the chunks of pea you're giving him? Ianto was my picky eater but he would eat a piece of pea if it was really tiny. The bigger pieces didn't interest him though.

I only give him TINY chunks! I have been on this site for some time and have giggled at the trouble some betta have caused at meal times!!! oh my word!! it has come back to bite me on the bottom!!!! oh well he was meant to be my mums as was Sky BUT I look after them both!!!!

 

Michelle,.,,,,,,,,,,so don't you hate it when things come back and bite you on the bottom??

I use only Attisons Betta Food, it is very tiny, all of my boys have loved it. I always have good luck with freeze dried Daphnia as well, for all my fish, not just bettas, they love it. Chance isn't too keen on freeze dried blood worms, but will pick at them. Shy-Lo...well, unfortunately, he will eat anything, I think he would eat steak if it was getting served to someone else.


So, if you can get Attisons, give it a try. He is just trying your patience...I am sure you did that to your mom?? I will ask her...

Marmalade, Auntie Val is sending the naughty chair your way, please shimmy your fins into it until you decide to eat. I am sending a hug you get when you are in the chair.

Val

PS: Mommy..Michelle, I find wine always helps when I am serving food also.

 

haha great post Val but he said 'whatever!!!!' he is way to much like me as I too am a picky eater!!!!! Even though I have lots of flab!!!

I have started to put food in and say well eat it or starve your choice!!! I feel dreadful doing that but he is still fit so must be eating it!!!

Considering 4/5 years ago fish were my biggest phobia in the world it's mad to think that it's 4am and i'm up keeping an eye on the new babies and fretting about what one will eat!!!!!

 

You ask your mom, it is always different when you are the mommy. LOL

He will eat when he gets hungry they always do. But if you get really concerned and this ALWAYS works, call the place where you got him and ask what they were feeding them and try that. It may not sound good to you but it usually always is the thing they will eat. It is just what they have gotten used to. Naughty chair, Val? Does it work for you? I must borrow it sometime for mine.

But seriously I know how worrisome it can be as I have a very sick one right now and may be less a child soon.

Rose

 

Oh no!! sending your little sick one as much love as I can!!!

 

Rose, I have just read your post to Michelle. Good idea to ask the lfs what they fed the betta.

Sorry to hear you are having problems at the moment. Love and hugs are being sent in the hope that they might work.

Jacquitaz

 

They like to make life interesting, don't they?

 

That's funny cuz Othello won't touch blood worms...only the gold for him....Just keep trying to feed him eventually he will eat..like small children who only want to eat sugar if you deny them the sugar they will get hungry to the point that they will eat what you put on their plate..sounds a lil cruel but it should work

 

Michelle has been staying at a friends this weekend and left me the task of trying to feed Marmalade. What a little demon. Put flake in, no. Pellets, no. Daphnia, no, blood worms both with and without garlic, no. Just tried a small piece of pea. Ate the first bit but then turned up his nose. Told him he will have to go hungry and need not stare at me with those big eyes. Back to Michelle when she returns. It is worse than trying to feed a child who is picky (I know I had one, he! he!)

 

try the freeze dried minI krill crushed mixed with flakes... it is the only way to make my picky platy eat!

 

When I had a betta I fed him dehydrated tubiflex worms. Just a pinch or two off the corner of the cube.

I'm using tubiflex again with my African Butterfly fish because it floats so well.

Maybe he's a slow eater. Maybe the food sinks too fast.

 

try the freeze dried minI krill crushed mixed with flakes... it is the only way to make my picky platy eat!

I think the flakes I have have added krill now you mention it but I will certainly double check and try that! Ty

He DID eat 2 frozen bloodworms tonight that we bought him today, they all did.

Yes I am a picky eater, always have been always will be!!!!

 

aww see you two have a connection

 

Are you sure that he's not one of the rare chocolate-eating Bettas?