Instructions for a betta sitter

[LizzyP]

For the holiday I'll be going out of town from Wednesday afternoon until Saturday evening. My mom will be taking care of my fish until I get home. I'm just very..very worried about the feeding situation. I normally wouldn't have anyone feed them but since Dumbledore has gotten into this habit of chewing his tail when he doesn't get some kind of interaction for a few days, I figured it's probably best she feeds them. But every time I feed them I come home to a bloated, unhappy betta. I can't tell you how many times I tell her only 3 or less pellets per feeding or 1 blood worm to make things simple. Should I only have her feed them twice? I'll be able to feed them Wednesday morning and a snack before we leave and Saturday when I get home. So maybe Thursday and Friday morning? That way if she does over feed them then they'll have time to digest it all...

UGH. I'm so worried! Last time I went away my fish got sucked up in the filter. I've since fixed that, but what if another emergency happens while I'm away? Anyone have any tips to give yourself some peace of mind while on vacation?

Thanks,
Lizzy

[Hershey]

Instead of just telling her, write your feeding schedule down.
If there is emergency, call her, or write down to call you if there looks like there's something wrong.
Physically show her how you feed your fish, then she'll see. Also write down your water-changing schedule.
You can tell her to call you every two days or so if you're that worried.

Also, you can use pantyhose over the filter (unless you already did.)

If you think none of that will work, you can write down to use a pencil eraser for 5 minutes each day for flaring/exercise to avoid feeding.

[Hershey]

Oops sorry, saw your sentence. ^^;

[LizzyP]

Both my tanks are cycled, so I don't need her to do a WC. I'll do one tonight or tomorrow and do one again when I get home.

Filter is already fixed :P

I'll call her just to periodically check up on everyone. I do have a rabbit that she's taking care of, too. But Opal is really a no brainer...Rabbit food, hay and water, lol. I'll just write down some instructions for her and have her watch me feed them Tuesday and watch her do it Tuesday night so I know she's capable of doing it.

Never knew leaving for 4 days would be such a hassle. :(

[Fin Fancier]

Might seem a bit extreme, but maybe you could pre-bag/cup pellets if she doesn't like to measure them out herself, then just leave them on a piece of paper with the feeding dates (skipping the blood worms)? That way there's little room for error.

[paloverde]

Originally Posted by Fin Fancier

Might seem a bit extreme, but maybe you could pre-bag/cup pellets if she doesn't like to measure them out herself, then just leave them on a piece of paper with the feeding dates (skipping the blood worms)? That way there's little room for error.

Agree!

[LizzyP]

I could, I do have a pill box, but I have 2 bettas.

I think I'm just going to give her very specific instructions. If she isn't sure, I'll just tell her not to feed them. Rather them be a little hungry then bloated.

[Bcake86]

Only leave her enough food for 1 or two feedings. Then she can't mess up too badly