How can I tell if the my Beta is hungry?

[dlscowboys]

This is my first pet (and I am freaking out). I want to make sure that he is happy and that I am giving him the best care possible.

How can I tell if my Beta is hungry (His name is Morgan Stanley)? What is the best food to give him (I am feeding him Brine Shrimp)? How often should he eat?

When I put the frozen shrimp (after thawing it in a glass) in the water, it seems to sink to the bottom between the rocks and I don't think he is eating any at all.

Can someone help me please?

[Cody]

You need to get him on a staple diet. Pellets work best. Dont feed him anything untill he accepts the pellets. Dont be surprised if he wont take it; bettas are very picky, and after a few days of not eating he will take anything. Frozen food should be a treat and should only be offered one-two times a week.

You should feed him once or twice a day; once in the morning, and once at night max. A few pellets (two, give or take) should be offered at one time.

Also, make sure to get any uneaten frozen food he has in tank out before it starts to rot; it will pollute the tank quickly.

Good luck! :)

[dlscowboys]

Thanks, I bought the pellets and after he wouldn't eat them I bought the brine shrimp.......I'll let you know how it went

[It'sJames]

Welcome to the forum!

Feeding him brine shrimp everyday is like eating potato chips for breakfast, lunch, & dinner - not a healthy diet. I usually feed my four bettas Hikari Betta Bio Gold pellets twice daily. They each get 3 pellets. I also feed them live or frozen bloodworms as a treat, but you shouldn't feed him things like this every day.

Good luck with your betta!!

[stephenmontero]

i agree with James while the brine shrimp make a great occasional treat there not a full diet you ar going to have to try other pellets and the like to get him a complete diet

[Neo]

When the bubbles form words like "FEED ME"

[eareyes]

That was a good one Neo! :P

[Flashygrrl]

Also, don't feed him every time he looks hungry because they are REALLY good at giving the puppy dog face once they realize who's doing the feeding.

[Kim]

Hi,
I usually give my betta a few flakes of bettamin (varies depending on size), and one or two bloodworms per day. You may want to try the flakes, I had one betta that would eat the pellets and not the flakes, and my current betta will eat the flakes and not the pellets. They are all different! You can also try freeze dried bloodworms, but just as a supplement to the staple food (flakes or pellets). Some people say not to give them bloodworms every day, but my betta seems to be happy and healthy with his current diet. He does get more of the flakes than the bloodworms though, because they provide more nutrition. Your betta is probably not eating the shrimp because it is sinking. They are top feeders and will not likely eat anything that begins to sink. Hope this helps.
Kim

[ErinBBC]

They are really good at giving you the 'I'm so hungry' look but make sure you don't overfeed him...they can get swim bladder or other icky problems if they are too fat. I feed Marley 3 Hikari Betta BioGold pellets twice a day and twice a week he gets a bloodworm for desert.