Picky Eater (betta)

I've had my betta for just over two weeks, and so far all he'll eat is dehydrated bloodworms (I got Aqueon Betta Treat). I've tried a couple different types of pellets with him, and he either ignores them or just spits them out. I've heard that they do better with a variety of food so wanted to get him at least one other kind besides just the worms? Does anyone have any advice for a picky eater? And do you feed your betta a variety of things?

Also, the worm bottle does not give any advice on portion, how much should I be feeding him? I'm worried I'm over/under feeding him.

 

As I understand it, bloodworms alone won't provide your betta with proper nutrition- they're best used as a supplement to a more rounded diet.

My current betta was a little hesitant about pellets at first, but after a couple days he grew to love them. I feed all my fish New Life Spectrum. A little pricier than some other brands, but the ingredients are very high quality and my fish love it.

Keep in mind, a betta wouldn't necessarily eat every day in the wild - they can go a day without eating. You could try fasting yours for a day, then try the pellets.

 

I usually feed my bettas three bloodworms twice a day.

You could try soaking your betta's pellets in garlic water/Seachem Garlic Guard to make them more appealing.

I've also heard of something called Dial-A-Treat that has three different treats you could try to feet your betta.

 

I would keep trying to introduce your betta to the pellets, because one day he may decide that he lives them. Soaking them in garlic juice can also make them more appealing. If he insists on eating only bloodworms, I would recommend buying frozen ones as they have a lot more nutritional content. You can also try raising live foods for him to try, as they are always the healthiest and most natural diet.

 

I used to have a picky eater, I'll tell you exactly what the guy at the LFS told me. He might want to hunt a moving target. Get some brine shrimp and try those.

 

Do you have anywhere near by that sells frozen fish food? Chain pet stores will often have a little freezer near the fish and reptiles. My bettas love frozen brine shrimp and daphnia.

You can also try fasting him for a few days and then try the pellets again. Hunger makes the best sauce and all that. Soaking them in tank water first might help too, if you aren't already. They can be too hard for them to eat properly, and it's much easier on their digestion. You should soak the dried bloodworms first, too.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I am really interested in the possibility of live food, so I'll look into that. In the meantime, I'll try more pellets maybe with garlic water or fasting to talk him into it, and also check out what frozen food is at the LFS

A question about soaking food, I soaked pellets when I tried to get him to eat those and it was usually fine, but sometimes they would instantly sink when I moved them into the tank. Is that just soaking them too long?
Also, the only times he DID eat pellets was when they were not soaked. I haven't tried soaking the bloodworms yet

 

The reason we recommend soaking the pellets is to keep them from expanding in his stomach and causing bloat.

 

I understand, and I remember reading about that the other day too :^) The soaked ones are the ones he absolutely refuses though, whereas sometimes he would eat unsoaked ones. Perhaps garlic water and or fasting would remedy that though! Thanks for the info

 

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I am really interested in the possibility of live food, so I'll look into that. In the meantime, I'll try more pellets maybe with garlic water or fasting to talk him into it, and also check out what frozen food is at the LFS

A question about soaking food, I soaked pellets when I tried to get him to eat those and it was usually fine, but sometimes they would instantly sink when I moved them into the tank. Is that just soaking them too long?
Also, the only times he DID eat pellets was when they were not soaked. I haven't tried soaking the bloodworms yet

I've started to feed mine with a small pair of tweezers. They caught on pretty quick that tweezers=food so they happily come and snap at anything in them. I have to siphon the occasional pellet/insect/crustacean back up with a turkey baster when it gets away from me and they don't see it, but no where near as many as when I just toss them in. I've seen other people use eye droppers to the same effect, but that would probably work better with the frozen food. Pellets might get stuck.

You should soak any betta food that's dry. They are very prone to constipation, and dry foods can back them up pretty easily. If the food is falling apart you've soaked it too long, if not it's probably fine. I have a bad habit of setting them to soak and then getting distracted for 15-20 minutes, and they're still fine after.

Good luck finding something they your friend finds palatable!