How do you get a betta to eat?

[JLove]

I got a betta almost a week ago, and have been feeding him one or two pellets once or twice a day. After a couple of days he started eating a pellet or two, but would spit it back out. The last day or two, he simply doesn't eat.

I feed him any of three different types of betta food--Tetra O Betta Min Tropical Medley, Aqueon Betta Food Pellets, or Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta Bits.

I did about a 50% water change the other day, and will do another 50% when I get back to the house. I'll wait a couple more days to do a complete change. I use Top Fin Betta Water Conditioner.

Is it possible that he's too scared to eat? He spends most of his time inside the log I got him from PetSmart. Although I did notice him outside of it when I got up this morning, he darted immediately back inside. Don't know why he'd be afraid of me, hee hee.

[ShanePike]

I hope someone has an answer for this. I'm in almost exactly the same situation. We've had 3 bettas from PetSmart die in just a few days each already, and our 4th has made it 5 days (the longest yet) but isn't eating either. He's tried the food a few times, but now doesn't even acknowledge it.

If we lose a 4th fish, our daughter is going to be devastated.

[chrissylee13]

my guess is he is still adjusting to his new home. it will take a while for him to warm up to seeing you. my HM betta didn't like to eat pellets. but i noticed he would spit them out because they were too hard. so i soak his in garlic water. he seems to eat them more quickly and easier that way. and the garlic is good for them and also supposed to entice them to eat. (garlic trick is a tip i learned on here!) also, if you can get a hold of frozen brine shrimp or blood worms those are really great. my boys didn't give those a chance to even fall before they snatched them up!

[chrissylee13]

Originally Posted by ShanePike

I hope someone has an answer for this. I'm in almost exactly the same situation. We've had 3 bettas from PetSmart die in just a few days each already, and our 4th has made it 5 days (the longest yet) but isn't eating either. He's tried the food a few times, but now doesn't even acknowledge it.

If we lose a 4th fish, our daughter is going to be devastated.

what kind of housing are you using?
are you acclimating them to the water before you put them in?
is it heated/filtered?
are you using any water conditioner?

[HatsuneMiku]

feeding guide .. 2nd post .. on the bottom

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=81220

[aqua001]

Try to encourage him with some live/frozen/freeze dried food. [i]f he is bloated, it means that you were over feeding. it is normal for bettas to not eat for a certain period of time but if they starve themselves to death, something is wrong. he might be trying to get used to is new home also.

ShanePike, have you tested your betta's water? look for signs of sickness because sometimes, when they're sick, ey just diecid not to eat. Hope your not eatng betta eats again soon!

[cp6445]

I'm a novice compared to the above posters... but my betta is extremely picky and does the same thing with pellets. At first he tried and spit them out 5 times. Now he wants nothing to do with them. (though i will have to try soaking them, that's a good idea).

Try a variety of food. Mine loves freeze-dried bood worms (I use them as a treat, but if that's all he would eat then whatever). Or freeze-dried brine shrimp. He will do small flake food but balks at large. Size matters:) I have to break the blood worms up for him or they are too big and he spits them out.

If nothing else you could try live food (blood worms, shrimp).

He may just be adapting to new home. Make sure the water quality is ok. good luck!

[dsgems]

Originally Posted by ShanePike

I hope someone has an answer for this. I'm in almost exactly the same situation. We've had 3 bettas from PetSmart die in just a few days each already, and our 4th has made it 5 days (the longest yet) but isn't eating either. He's tried the food a few times, but now doesn't even acknowledge it.

If we lose a 4th fish, our daughter is going to be devastated.

Try a tiny piece of shrimp. I keep a frozen shrimp just for occasions when my betta gets picky. After that his regular eating resumes. Good luck!!!

[Sakura8]

JLove, it's possible your betta is still very shy. I had a girl who was like that. I was afraid she'd drown because she was so shy she wouldn't come to the surface to breathe if I was too close to the tank. o.O

Another issue may be the food itself. The three types of food you have don't have very much nutrition, unfortunately. If you look at them, you'll see that the 2nd ingredient is probably wheat meal. Although I think the Top Fin pellets are a little better. You may want to consider getting Omega One Betta Buffet pellets or New Life Spectrum Betta formula.

One way to encourage your shy betta to eat is to soak the pellets in garlic juice. You can use the garlic juice out of a jar of minced garlic or you can crush up fresh garlic and mix it with a bit of tank water. Soak the pellets for a few moments and then try feeding them.

If you think the problem is your new guy is still really timid, you can try putting the food in the tank and stepping back across the room so you aren't hovering over the tank. Come back in maybe 10 minutes and if the food is still there, remove it and try again later.

Also, consider getting some frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp to shake things up.

Hope this helps. :)

[JLove]

Thanks, Sakura8, for the ideas. I am seeing him outside a little more. And I'll try to find the brands you mentioned, along with the freeze-dried stufff that was mentioned.