Is There Anything I Can Do For Her?

[FishEnthusiast]

Hi all,

I have a female betta that appeared to be extremely egg bound for the last few days. Either last night or today her side literally ruptured open and there is a sac that is full of eggs sticking out. There are hundreds of eggs all over the bottom of her tank, and everytime she moves more eggs fall out of her side. She is still eating and swimming, but she does look extremely uncomfortable.

She appears to have dropsy as all of her scales are pineconing and her face is extremely swollen. I am not sure if the dropsy resulted from her being eggbound or not.

Anyway, is there anything I can do for her or is euthanization the most humane way to go? In the way of meds I have Melafix, Rid Ich + and capsulated antibotics. I can't remember the name of the antibiotic offhand, but I got it for my angel that had HITH.

Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[i_ganjaman]

poor thing,i would personaly put her out of her misery,i would have thought theres not much you can do for her.i would think its a matter of time before she gets bacteria in the wound and have a terrible death.but this is just my personal opinion.hopfully someone can give you better advice.

 

[RandomWiktor]

If she has split open, the injury may be too severe to ever heal; opting for euthanasia may be best. I suggest the following method, as it seems to be quick and painless - though there is some debate about it.

- In a small sealable container, scoop up some tank water and throughly mix in a large quantity of clove oil. While only a few drops are technically needed, the fish seem to go down faster the higher the quantity. Make sure you shake it thoroughly until the water is a milky, cloudy mixture, as this suggests the clove oil is dispersed throughout and not just resting on the surface.
- In another container, scoop up the female gently with a small amount of water, so she does not need to rub her wounds on a net. You could euthanize her in the tank, but the clove oil tends to stick to everything badly, which can make the ornaments and tank unsafe for other fish.
- Either pour the female into the clove oil, or the clove oil in with the female (depending on which container will hold the full volume of water). The fish will dart for a moment or two, then rapidly slow down, tilt on its side, and stop breathing.
- DO NOT remove the fish yet! She is probably stunned/anesthetized, not killed. I suggest leaving the fish in the clove oil for at least 1 hour, but I prefer waiting until the eyes are clouded, the color is gone, and the slime coat is shedding, as this fish is definately dead.
- If desired, you may ensure a definate cull by destroying the brain. However, when done properly, the clove oil alone should kill the fish.

So sorry this happened to your girl =(

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

put in a newpaper take a hammer and smash till you hear a crack or hit a lump. bad method but heard its the least painful for the fish.

 

[Jonz]

I read this way to put fish out of their misery.

Put them in a cup like the one you get them in at a store . Fill it with 1/2 water and half vodka.

I have a few bottles I got for presents at parties and such and dont drink the stuff.

Theyll get drunk and fall asleep. Pour in more vodka and theyll die.

Ive done this a few times. Never had to do it on a Betta but have with other fish. It only takes a few minutes.

Sorry to hear about your Betta

 

[FishEnthusiast]

Thanks everyone, I figured she was probably too far gone and I would have to euthanize her . Kinda sucks though, I have had her for almost 2 years and she has always been my favourite girl.

I dont have the heart to smash her brain, and submersing a fish in alcohol is cruel IMO, so I think I will use the clove oil method. It has been so long since I euthanized a fish, I am not sure I have any on hand, but I will look for it tomorrow. If I can't find any I will use the rapid immersion in cold water that I have read about on here somewhere.

 

[Jonz]

"and submersing a fish in alcohol is cruel IMO"

I thought it would be as well. I was looking for a way to put a fish out of its misery without squashing it or flushing it alive and found that on a website.

Bettas are pretty sturdy fish, more so than other tropical fish who are very fragile, and they make resist this better than other fish. I dont know becuase Ive never had to do it on a Betta.

Ive done it on catfish and they were gone very quickly. Theyre so small they prob get drunk very quickly and pass out. Like I said its 1/2 and 1/2 and theyre breathing slows down right away. Adding more alcohol does them in.

Ive done the hot and cold treatment as well and didnt liek them. Ive never and will nevr do the freezer method.

Above is the first Ive ever heard of the clove oil.

Good Luck.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Alchohol is not considered a humane method; they used to suggest mixing it with clove oil for the clove oil method, but it is now frowned upon. It may look peaceful, much like freezing, but anyone who has ever gotten alcohol in a cut knows how much it burns - just imagine it in the gills! The fish are not so much drunk as simply being exposed to an immense amount of toxins all at once, resulting in a quick, but probably extremely painful, death.
Clove oil has a chemical known to be a natural anesthetic. This chemical exists in the same drugs used to knock fish out for surgeries, and is used by humans to numb tooth pain. Though not enough research has been done to conclusively prove that it is a painless method, it seems pretty likely to be, and when done properly the fish are gone in an instant.
As for the smashing method, I believe you're only supposed to use blunt trauma when directed in one swift, killing blow to the head, not just blind smashing at a fish wrapped in newspaper. Cold blooded animals have a nasty tendancy to die slowly from injuries, so either immediate destruction of the brain, or an OD of anesthesia are the best methods.

 

[OohFeeshy]

If push comes to shove though, quick and possibly painful is better than slow and painful... I've heard of people putting the fish in household ammonia, that must be pretty painful but apparently they go almost instantly. Having watched several go very slowly from diseases that coyldn't be cured and with no access to clove oil or anything else like that, it's not a nice experience.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Oh, def. agreed; I'm just suggesting what would be least painful if available. I've had to euthanize sick/injured feeder mice and rats at the zoo when the gass tank (also pretty nasty, really) wasn't working, and methods I'd normally never use became acceptable, because they were fast and lethal, even if messy and painful.

 

[Jonz]

Thanks for the clove oil info.

 

[33moths]

Why do egg bound females seem to have trouble like this? Is it common for eggs to rupture the skin or remain inside and infect the fish if not expelled?

 

[JaminRat]

ice cubes in water , when it is v cold , put the fish in , instant painless death , much kinder than any other methods mentioned here

from louiserat using hubbys log in name xx