Female Betta gravid or bloated?

[RedSarah]

Hi!
I got my female betta about a week ago. She came home looking a little chubby but was super active. She is still very active and a voracious eater, but her belly looks bigger. Could she be gravid? She was in a bowl next to the male bettas in the LFS, and has had a prominent ovipositor since I brought her home. I've looked at similar questions about gravid/bloated fish on various forums, but it's hard to tell and I'd really appreciate another opinion. I'm also not sure how long it would take for her to reabsorb/dispell the eggs with no male around!

I primarily feed her a few NLS Thera-A pellets daily, along with frozen bloodworms as a treat and blanched spinach to avoid constipation. Her tankmates are three Amano shrimp and three nerite snails. Thank you!!

Tank size: 5.5 gallons. It has been established for about two years.
pH: 7.4
ammonia: 0
nitrite: 0
nitrate: 10
tank temp: 80 degrees (F)

Last weekend:


Today:

 

[Colin_T]

If the fish is still eating well and not having trouble swimming, then she is probably full of eggs.

Internal infections normally cause the fish to stop eating and quite often the scales around the belly will stick out sideways from the body.

Bettas don't normally expel eggs without a male. And they don't normally absorb the eggs if well fed.

 

[Demeter32]

She just has a lot of eggs. Females will always be on the plump side, when their tubby bellies start looking unusually round, their colors pale, and appetite diminishes they can be either egg bound or have dropsy (with scales sticking out).

If she's behaving as normal then don't worry too much, perhaps cut back a little on feeding and/or fast a day every now and then if you are worried about egg binding.

 

[RedSarah]

Thank you both so much for the info! I've pretty much only had male fish, so I'm a little new to eggs