[BarefootPixie]

So my Oberon recently had a looooong bout with constipation, he is better now but has lost a significant amount of weight. I'm currently feeding him 2 Aqueon color-enhancing pellets and the occasional frozen brine shrimp or small bit of fish once a day, but he doesn't seem to be gaining back any weight. He's very active and always begs to be fed, but I'm scared to up his feeding because he is VERY prone to bloating. Today I started feeding him 4 times, once every several hours, with the smallest pellets I could find so none got backed up in his little tummy. So far there is no bloat, but I'm still a little paranoid. Am I doing this right? Is there a specific food you guys like that would minimize bloating? This has been a long-term struggle for my little guy.

 

[veggiegirl]

Hey there,

Regular small feeds is definitely the way to go, Also supplementing his diet with live/frozen foods is bound to help. Have you tried feeding him small pieces of peas before? I have heard it can help, someone said it could cause problems but I have fed peas many times, the bettas seem to love them and I have never experienced any ill effects. Maybe offer some pea once or twice a week. Goodluck with your little guy, also check the packet of your pellets and it should tell you how much fat and protein they contain, some of the better quality pellets contain higher fat and protein contents than the cheaper foods so keep an eye out for that too.

 

[BarefootPixie]

Hey there,

Regular small feeds is definitely the way to go, Also supplementing his diet with live/frozen foods is bound to help. Have you tried feeding him small pieces of peas before? I have heard it can help, someone said it could cause problems but I have fed peas many times, the bettas seem to love them and I have never experienced any ill effects. Maybe offer some pea once or twice a week. Goodluck with your little guy, also check the packet of your pellets and it should tell you how much fat and protein they contain, some of the better quality pellets contain higher fat and protein contents than the cheaper foods so keep an eye out for that too.

I tried the pea when he was still constipated, after fasting for about 4 days. It didn't work the first time and after he ate about 1/4 of it his little belly looked like it would explode, so I fasted him for another 5 days and tried it again, still no poop. After that I started adding a little epsom salt to his water and continued fasting him, still no poop after a few days so I put him in an epsom salt bath and he finally pooped, hasn't been constipated again. It was so grueling for the poor little guy that I'm worried that if it happens again he won't make it. Lately he's been fine but before the big constipation incident he would get bloated after every feeding, no matter how little I gave him. I'm thinking about switching him to the New Life Spectrum, everyone on here says it's great so hopefully it will be easier on his stomach. I used to give him live daphnia a couple times a week, but my culture crashed a couple months ago and I haven't restarted it yet.

 

[bryzy]

About 1 or 2 larger pellets every for hours should help. Do this about 3-4 times a day. Do this twice in a row then skip for 1 day then do the two days again.