Help!!! Can't get my Finicky Betta 2 Eat!

[outdoorzgirl]

I am having trouble getting my betta, "Charlie", to eat anything but live blackworms. He doesn't want to eat betta bites..he just looks at them. He spits flakes out. Floating food, sinking food. He doesn't like any of it. He absolutely will not eat it. But he will literally jump out of the water for a live blackworm. He is healthy and happy. He lives in a 10 gallon by himself. He even lets me pet him (I think because he thinks I am going to give him a blackworm). I know this cannot be good for him. What are my options? I haven't feed him any blackworms going on 2 days and he hasn't ate anything. He gets such an attitude when I put any other kind of food in there. Please someone help me. I have another betta "Frank" that is in a 55 gallon that will eat anything . In fact , He eats too much. He looks like a football player because he is so stocky . Hard to control what he eats when he has the run of a 55 gallon snapping up all the other fishes food . Please help !! I don't want my betta to starve!

 

[gadazobe]

Charlie sounds like he's spoiled rotten I'm sure that if he gets really hungry he'll eat whatever he's given. Try not feeding him for a day or two - don't worry, he won't starve - then give him something other than bloodworm. I bet he eats it all coz he'll be so hungry he won't mind

 

[Mollymomma]

Yep spoiled boy that Charlie.
As gad said just try to give him the pellets..sooner or later he will eat.. I'm surprised that your other betta eats the flakes too...never seen a betta eat flakes..Have you tried the bio gold pellets? I've had alot of luck with those.

my guys tried to overindulge on frozen bloodworms had to put a stop to that pretty quick so they now only get them at tank cleaning day (once a week)

These fish can be very stubborn
Have ya ever seen one pout? I swear mine do lol
Good luck

 

[outdoorzgirl]

Thank you, I am going to try "despoiling" him. I should have never got him started on the blackworms to begin with. I probably wouldn't be having this problem now. I have not tried the Gold pellets, but I am going to buy some my next trip out. As far as "Frank" goes..the betta who lives in my 55 gallon, He isn't the least bit picky. He will literally eat anything. He is quite the fatso. I need to put him on a diet Last week I ordered about 40 bucks worth of fish food online. You name it , I got it. Earthworm flakes, veggie flakes (for my cichlids), brine shrimp flakes, vitamin flakes, etc . etc. I was hoping that surely out of all that Charlie will have to like something. He will like it or lump it And I definitely agree with the pouting. Bettas are so funny. You gotta luv em

 

[LiquidLife]

Flakes may be the problem. I don't think my fish even recognize flakes as possible food, just as flotsam on their water.

If your guy is still finicky after trying pellets, try weaning him off worms by introducing other foods like (and this sounds weird, and I seriously only recommend this in desperation) boiled chicken (no spices, no sauces--just as plain as you can make it), raw beef heart or liver--smooshed up as small as you can get it (try a garlic press maybe). Do one day of pellets, then the next day with some meat food (including the worms). He needs his palate and visual concept of what is good to eat expanded. Once he figures out there are other good things to eat, he'll probably accept, grudgingly, dry food (although mine ignore all flakes and these guys will eat just about anything I put in the tank, including my fingers during cleaning). As I said, I don't recommend human food usually but my fish seem to LOVE a sliver of chicken to tear apart now and then, and they regularly (at least once a week) get beef heart or liver (but clean the tank by the next day of any residue food).

 

[outdoorzgirl]

Thank you for all the suggestions. I am happy to report that I have finally found something Charlie likes to eat besides bloodworms. I tryed the Betta Bio-gold. He doesn't really seem to like that BUT he does like Betta Micro-pellet Food by Aqua Culture. I think he likes it because the floating pieces are so tiny. I am also going to try the livers and chickensto give him variety.