My New Betta Is Spitting Out Pellets

[resh2rei]

Hello guys!
Some of you might remember me talking about my old betta and asking why it died. Well, I got the guts to get a new one! I acclimatized him properly and Firecracker (because he has a really feisty personality) is doing perfectly fine today, getting used to his new home. He comes up to feed and the first time he ate, he ate the 2 pellets I gave him. Then a couple hours later he came up again so I gave him 3. He ate them and spit them out after 2 seconds, and repeated that 5 times (going after the spit-out pellets). I was hoping he'd keep some down, and he kept one.

Then, (remember, he didnt really have anything but 3 pellets) I just happened to pass a glance at the bowl just now, and he spit out ALL 3 PELLETS, inside this goblet decoration (secretly... this guy, I tell ya...). This was over 4 hours after the last time I gave him food, and maybe 6 HOURS since the very first time. Every time, I would just feed him one pellet at a time, so I would know exactly how much he ate.

How did it not digest by that point? Is he choking on it or something?

I feed him Betta Bio-Gold pellets, which are 38% crude protein, and I figured when he was done that I'd get him something over 40% (now that I know better).

What do I do if this continues and he just doesnt eat? Should I fast him tomorrow so he eats it?

Thanks everyone!

[Myates]

Sometimes it can take a while (even a couple of weeks+) for a new fish to eat once he gets home. I just picked up two new ones yesterday and they have yet to eat. So don't worry about it too much right now.

Since he is trying to eat, that is a good sign - but other than being new, there could be a couple of other reasons. One is the pellets could be too large for him, so you can try cutting in half (easier for me to use my thumbnail, but a thin sharp knife could work if you are very careful). Or, he could just not like the taste of that particular food. Sometimes it's just not appealing to them.
I recommend breaking them up a bit and try that for a day or two.. and if still a no go then try a different brand. Omega One Betta Buffet is popular among picky eaters. And if that doesn't work then just give him time. Offer him 1 pellet at a time twice a day and see... remove any uneaten pellets within an hour after attempting to prevent it from fouling up the water.

[aokashi]

you really should only feed the little guy twice a day about 2-3 pellets per feeding :) I know it's tempting, but dont over feed!

[Perseusmom]

Great advise but that doesnt work you can soak the pellets in some garlic juice which Betta seem to love. Good luck !

[BETTACHKALOVE]

Try to remove uneaten food because it will contaminate the water if you live it there more than 72 hours. How big is your tank ?

[resh2rei]

Hi guys, thanks for the advice!

I just posted a thread about possible fin rot. He ate one pellet today, which is good, but it remains to be seen whether or not he'll spit it out in a couple hours :S. He did not like the garlic water pellets AT ALL! I tried leaving them in for a couple seconds, and the ate it and immediately spit out the broken up pieces, and then I put another and he didnt even go after it. I tried cutting it in half, same thing. He'll only go after it if it's bobbing on the top so I tried just dunking the pellet in the garlic water and he didnt like that either :(.

I'm going to get some different pellets and see if that helps.

My tank is 2.5 gallons.

[Shirleythebetta]

try crushing them with the lid. That always worked for me. Not so fine that its dust just lightly crush them.