Anyone else have a blind betta?

[AyalaCookiejar]

I have recently discovered that my betta has gone blind after stressing for so long about why he wasn't eating or swimming around as much. He's a CT and I've had him for a month and he was quite smaller than my current VT when I got him. His vision seems to have slowly gone rather than suddenly.

I don't know if this is genetic or what? He's in a five gallon with silk plants and a few caves and the water parameters are great and I've kept up with water changes and everything. I just don't understand why he wasn't blind when I got him a month ago but now he is...

To feed him I have to use a wooden skewer and move the food in front of his face. Sometimes on the first try the pellet will sink and I have to try again, but he seems to be getting a little better at finding his food.

But anyways, haha, has anyone else had a blind betta? I'm just curious.

[veggiegirl]

Hey there,

I am so glad that your blind betta is learning to eat but I am afraid I have no idea what could have sent him blind. I have had several blind bettas and all of them were dragons. I have found that the thick dragon metallic coat on the scales tends to spread across their eyes as they get older. Most of my bettas that went blind died except for two who learnt to rise to the surface for food when I wriggled my finger gently in the water, when they came up I would drop the pellet right above their mouth and they would eat it. They also learnt where the objects in their tanks were and could swim around without bumping in to things which I thought was quite amazing. Good luck with your little guy

[AyalaCookiejar]

Thanks! Did they seem more lethargic than a normal betta?

I try to stimulate him when I am home. He sits at the bottom or top a lot but I have noticed that occasionally he will swim around on his own but he bumps into things. He wasn't blind when I got him and I haven't moved his decorations. He moves towards my finger when I tap the tank gently or tickle the water. He also doesn't seem to have a problem finding the water surface and getting air, but he does rest at the bottom occasionally.

His appetite is totally normal but he just has trouble finding his food so I have to aid him with that. I was wondering how normal it is for a blind betta to not swim around as much? I'm afraid that if he ever gets sick I may confuse lethargy caused by a disease with the fact that he is blind and just isn't really that stimulated.

Edit: I am also afraid that he may pass away due to this. I've only had him for a month and he is absolutely gorgeous and I want to give him the best life I can regardless of his inability to see.

[bryanacute]

Originally Posted by veggiegirl

Hey there,

I am so glad that your blind betta is learning to eat but I am afraid I have no idea what could have sent him blind. I have had several blind bettas and all of them were dragons. I have found that the thick dragon metallic coat on the scales tends to spread across their eyes as they get older. Most of my bettas that went blind died except for two who learnt to rise to the surface for food when I wriggled my finger gently in the water, when they came up I would drop the pellet right above their mouth and they would eat it. They also learnt where the objects in their tanks were and could swim around without bumping in to things which I thought was quite amazing. Good luck with your little guy

DARN!!! My 2 favorites are dragons.... nuts.
But anyway, I'm sorry to hear he went blind, but at least he is still alive. Eventually h will learn to adapt.

[AyalaCookiejar]

Originally Posted by bryanacute

DARN!!! My 2 favorites are dragons.... nuts.
But anyway, I'm sorry to hear he went blind, but at least he is still alive. Eventually h will learn to adapt.

Thanks! I love him to death. He used to play "peek-a-boo" with me but he can't now that he can no longer see me! :(
I hope he adapts quickly and perks up.

[veggiegirl]

Hey there,

Yes it will be normal for him to be less active than a normal betta, mine were to and it took a lot of time before they could swim without bumping into things, he is probably still adjusting. Getting him to eat is the biggest obstacle and once you have achieved this I can see no other reason why he can't live a good long happy life.

If he is not that active it may be difficult to tell if he becomes ill like you said but I find that with almost all diseases that the first symptoms my bettas got was going off their food so maybe you could use that as an indicator to his health. Some diseases with also have obvious signs such as fin damage/bloating/growths ect. I wouldn't be too concerned if he is not all that active.

Goodluck with him

[AyalaCookiejar]

He's a little bloated right now... But I think that is just because I just finally got him to eat yesterday after not eating for weeks.
I misread him a bit. I thought he was ignoring the food, when in reality, he was trying to snap at it but could not find it. I haven't had a single problem feeding him since I started using a skewer to move the food in front of him. Today, he found his food even easier than yesterday. I think he will slowly learn to find it without me having to use the skewer, but if not, I don't have a problem helping him out.

Right now, looking across the room at his tank, he's just chilling at the top, not moving unless he tilts his head up for air. Occasionally when I look over he's at the bottom, but usually he's by the top. At least I know he's still hungry and he can still find himself some air!

[veggiegirl]

I am sure he will be just fine only be sure to use the blunt end of the skewer as you don't want him scratch himself on the point. You probably do anyway but thought I would mention it

[Phaydra]

I wouldn't worry about you boy to much. Red still has his spunk, responds to feeding time as the best part of his day, and still leads a happy life imo. One thing I haven't managed to get Red to do since he's gone blind is flare but he leads a pretty stress free life for a betta. I have a feeling once your boy gets all settled in to his new way of getting around his tank he will become a bit more active.

[AyalaCookiejar]

Oh my, the blunt end is way too big. I use the pointier end but the skewer is so large that the pointy end isn't really pointy, lol. It's blunt but it kind of tapers off. I also don't actually touch him with it, I just nudge the pellets around with it. I think that moving them in front of him and also the water movement helps him a lot.

I also just saw him make a complete nose-dive into the gravel about 2 seconds ago.