Never had a picky eater before...

[Friendlyfishies]

My new guy will only eat freeze dried bloodworms. Ive tried 2 diff kinds of pellets and flakes...what do I do? Can they live off these if thats all he will eat? Is there a way I can make other food tasty or is there some other tasty options like the blood worms that might give him more variety? I tried placing the blood worm in beside the pellet to kind of trick him...he started for the pellet then gave it a dirty look went around and gobbled up the blood worm like he was starving then ignored the pellet completely. Im not sure what they feed at the breeders before the pet store but this is my third attempt at feeding and im glad hes finally comfy enough to eat but a little concerned about how picky he is. I like my bettas to be fat and healthy of course. My other betta isnt picky at all, he eats flakes, pellets and bloodworms all the time, no complaints, he even ate first day first hour in the tank. I dont think this new guy plans on changing his fancy taste anytime soon and im assuming this has always been "him" in the sense that he really seems to loathe the pellets and looks appalled that I even attempt to offer them haha. Hes a bit of a snob. Thoughts?

[DragonFish]

Hey there Friendlyfishies :)

The great, and sometimes most frustrating, thing about bettas is that they're all individuals. They each have their own little personalities and quirks and preferences.....and some are a little pickier and take a little more time to settle into their new homes and eat then others. ;)

How many days have you had him exactly? It can take two weeks for your betta to get used to things and start eating his pellets, especially if he wasn't fed pellets before(I always have trouble with fish my local Petco, who I'm positive feeds mostly bloodworms).
What pellet brands have you tried? I find the more fussy bettas tend to reject the not so great brands like Tetra or Warldeys. Have you tried Omega One or New Life Spectrum? Those are the two best brands, most fish should go for them.
Are the pellets possibly too large for him? You can try crushing them up and see if he eats them then.
Another option to make the pellets a little more enticing is soaking them in fresh garlic juice. I've never had to do this personally, but I've heard its a great way to get a picky betta interested in his pellets.

Also, I would advise you ditch the freeze-dried foods all together....from what I understand, they have very little to no nutritional value and they have a history of causing SBD/bloating problems. Instead, to add a little variety a couple of times a week, pick up some frozen bloodworms and/or brine shrimp.
Flakes really aren't the best of foods either....its difficult to dole out a proper amount and they can become rather messy....but so long as your fishes staple diet is a good pellet brand, the flakes are made for bettas, and you're careful when feeding them then you can use them to add a little variety if you like.

The important thing when trying to get your betta used to pellets is to stay strong, remember you're not starving him(he can go up to three weeks without food), and keep offering him nothing else but the pellets until he eats them. He will eventually. ;) Good luck!