Can bettas be born blind?

[CrankyFish84]

I noticed my new cellophane female...She looks great & acts healthy, except I noticed she doesn't
run up for food ever, and runs into things in her tank when swimming normally (not in a scared way)...I watch my other betta's and she just moves "different"... I don't think it's a bad thing as long as she can find her pellets with smell...just curious...And I had the floating mirror in, never saw her react to it...

[metalbetta]

I'm pretty sure that anything with eyes can be born blind. I've never personally had a blind betta, but I'm sure it can happen from birth.

[LikeDiscoSuperfly]

I dont see why they couldnt be born blind -- I just dont think they would survive very long.

[Malvolti]

Like others have said, anything with eyes can be blind. With how inbred betta are I'm surprised there aren't more with problems like that.

I think it would be a bit of an honor to take care of a blind betta. Of course you would need to be extra diligent that she is eating and that she won't hurt herself if she bumps into things but I imagine it can be done.

[fleetfish]

If you suspect that she's definitely blind here are some tips:

~ Low light. Cover her tank with some dark fabric to minimise any light and keep her comfortable and less stressed.
~ No decor is actually good for blind bettas. It minimises injuries and keeps them safer. You can still have soft plants in there, just no sharp things like rocks or wood.
~ Consistant feeding schedule. Every day, in the same spot of the tank, at the same time. A blind betta will get accustomed to the smell of the food.
~ Shallow water. Keep the water a few inches so that they'll be able to find the surface better.
~ You might want to separate her from the other fish since she won't be able to fight back if things get rough.

I've had a two ocular albinos who unfortunately were blind. They fared quite well, and lived decent lives despite their blindness.

[CrankyFish84]

Good tips fleet... Thanks :)

WOW...she is blind no doubt...I put pellets right in front of her & she completely missed them,
then she bit my finger (hard! ouch lol) ... i splashed the water a bit and she was trying to find the food,
finally got 4 pellets when right in front of her face..

Glad I didn't plunk her in the sorority!!! she'd been so confused!! she'll have a lush, decor free 3 gallon eclipse now in a darker part of my room.

[fleetfish]

Poor girlie, at least she has spunk! I'm sure she'll be fine though. Bless you for taking care of her :)

[CrankyFish84]

Do you think she'd be able to catch BBS if I gave her some?
And if I put her in a divided 10G (glued divider) with a male, she'll freak out & "smell" him?

[dramaqueen]

I would keep her in her own container. Poor thing! I like Fleetfish's idea of feeding her at the same time every day and in the same place. This way she can be "trained" to know where her food is and when she's supposed to get it.

[TaylorW]

Aww, poor little girl! But I bet she's extra special though :) :)