Do Betta's eat their own tails?

[The Mominator]

I have a Betta who's over 5 years old. Angel's tail has started disappearing...looking like someone went behind him and bit half of it off...today, it's ALL gone...just some white stubby things sticking out of his "butt" like bones??

What in the world is going on?? He's having a hard time staying "upright"...tends to lay and float on his side and today he had a real hard time getting upright when I fed him.

He's still sweet and happy to see me, but I'm concerned...maybe it's old age, but I'm worried...

Any suggestions? Oh - he's in a 2-1/2 gallon freshwater tank - no filter, heater, etc...

Thanks!!

[Kim]

First and foremost, I would definitely recommend getting a heater. As your betta gets older, he will be even more at risk for disease caused by temperature fluctuations. As for his tail, if there are no signs of fin rot I would say that this may be self afflicted. Some bettas are known to bite their tails, and there is nothing that you can do about it except keep his water exceptionally clean to prevent infection. Just remember that it may be harder for your fish to come back from this due to his age. The loss of his tail is probably causing him to have trouble swimming and staying upright. That is it's purpose! Good luck, and I hope your fish is feeling better soon.

[JMeenen]

seems odd that he would start chewing his own tail after 5 years...he a pretty old guy..Im sure if you had him that long you know what your doing..have you changed anything latley, added any new decorations.used a different water scource or different declorinator, moved him...?

[The Mominator]

No, I haven't done anything new...he's in the same spot and in the same bowl...I feel terrible...he's the coolest, sweetest little guy

He's having a real hard time staying upright the last couple of days, but is still eating normally and when I got home today, his back end was floating but his head was under further. When he saw me though, he was able to upright himself and come say "hi"...

I'm going to have to do some reading on heaters, etc...I have no idea about any of that. Thanks for the tips!

[ErinBBC]

If you can't stop him from chewing his tail, I would think that all you can do is provide a heater to keep him safe from temp changes and a filter to help keep the water clean and prevent infection. Plus if the behavior is caused by some type of stress, a more 'comfy' environment couldn't hurt.

[JMeenen]

Have you actually seen him chewing his tail? Are there pieces of it in the bowl? Is the water heated?