Betta Not Eatting!

[adamwab130]

My betta has not touched his food for 1 and a half weeks! There is no Nitrite and the ph's is 6.8.

He lives in a 1 gallon bowl. At home he ate he ate his pellets but ever since he was moved to my classroom he hasn't touched his food. He usually looks at it for a second and then loses interest. He looks fine and always looks at us. As if he's healthy. Please tell me why!

 

[afireinside]

ooh, bad idea on there. bring him home from the classroom. fish can hanlde being transered from store to home, but at school? he's probably stressed out. schools can be loud. to many "ugly" (i dunno, i think fish think people are funny lookin) pressing their faces up against the glass. they could be harrassing him behind your back too. stickin their fingers in the water and chasing/ poking him. do him a favor and bring him back to your house.

 

[adamwab130]

The kids aren't that crazy. They are eleven you know.Anyways I sit right by him on the window sill. And he seems to enjoy company and always looks and everybody that walks by. And yet he doesn't look stressed at all. He's just ignoring the food.

 

[afireinside]

That is a sign of stress, kinda, in some cases. I had one betta, I moved him into a different section of the room. All of a sudden, he stopped eating and ended up dieing , man, he was my favorite.

 

[black angel]

Maybe try him with something that wiggles? bloodworm usually go down well. Is he cold do you think? I know classrooms can get hot but if hes next to a window then the cold nights *if you have any* wont be to his liking and his water might take longer than normal to heat up. Get a thermometer to check what his temperature is first thing in the morning and during the day as well.
Some kids can be mean to animals so i wouldnt rule out what oppositearmor has said.

 

[Durbkat]

11 year olds can be just as cruel. I read a story on here a long time ago about in his high school the kids were trying to flush it and they said one kid peed in the bowl and stuff so you can never know if other kids pick the tank up when your not there and shake the tank or tap on it or poke the betta or stick there dirty fingers in the tank. So I would advise you to take your betta home because no matter what you think is happening you could be completly wrong and he could be tortured or what not and you wouldn't know about it.

 

[OrkyBetta]

It's fine to keep fish in classrooms, in my opinion. It makes the classroom more enjoyable for the kids. But, you do need to make sure the fish is ok. Maybe upgrade his tank to something like a 2.5 gallon with a small heater? Classroom temperatures are brutal. Trust me, I a in one for 8 hours a day. Also, maybe keep the lights around him low, and put a background on the tank to help him feel secure. Live plants or silk plants and hiding spots? And I would try frozen or live food.

I am sure, as a teacher, you know your students, and if you trust them, I will take your word for that. But make sure you really do.

 

[Durbkat]

OrkyBetta this person is a student not a teacher.

 

[Sorrell]

You said he's by a window...maybe he's getting too cold? I'd say take him back home if it continues too long, but in the meantime, move him to a warmer location and try a variety of foods.

School temperatures can be very fluctuating as well. You might want to find out want the temperature at night is. He may be stressed out from a difference of day versus night.

 

[afireinside]

Dude, he is definately too cold. Look were he lives, Canada! Here in Minnesota, it's like 32 F out and I belive it is reasonably lower there!

 

[Durbkat]

Yeah and if this school is like mine (which I bet it is) they probably turn the heater off during the weekends and holidays and at night everyday. So I'm 95% sure he is getting to cold at night and on weekends etc. and is to stressed to eat and its probably even colder since he is by a window and almost every window has air seeping through it unless it was made last year then it would have tighter fighting windows.

 

[adamwab130]

Thanks. Wish I had the money to buy a 2.5 gallon aquarium. I've moved him down from the window and I can feel the water's warmer now. How long can Bettas live without food. Mines living wihtout it for 1 1/2 weeks! I will take him home over the holidays. That's why I asked. But I guess I should take him now shouldn't I? Oh ya, I am a student. And a pretty good one too.

 

[fishykisses]

Dude, he is definately too cold. Look were he lives, Canada! Here in Minnesota, it's like 32 F out and I belive it is reasonably lower there!

Nope - It is colder in Minnestota. We only get like 3 days of snow...A YEAR here in BC. It's a general misconception that canada is so cold, but especially here in BC as where this poster is from, it rarely ever goes below 32 degrees except at night it drops another couple degrees.
The lower 40's are about as cold as it gets during the day in the winter here.