Problems Feeding My Girl...

[flautist]

Well, she's eating just fine, which is good. Problem is, she is SOOO tiny. Too small for the baby pellets even. Definitely too small for bloodworms. So, I got her some flaked food that has a few freeze-dried brine shrimp mixed in. She found a brine shrimp in it once, and now she won't even touch the flakes! She picks out the brine shrimp and leaves the rest. So, I want to start feeding her just brine shrimp. There's a problem with this, though... I know they shouldn't have just freeze-dried foods, but I am terribly allergic to the frozen brine shrimp. What should I do?

 

[WILDER]

You could try baby brime strimp, frozen daphnia, and some shelled peas mush up, she will need them to keep her going to the toilet, bless her.

 

[flautist]

ooh, I didn't even think of daphnia! Thanks!

I'm still trying to figure out how to feed pea to her... For my boys I just put a bit on the end of my finger and then drop it into the tank... they have learned that now and they jump at my finger! But, little Lawan, bless her heart, she is scared of my finger! When she sees my finger on top of the water, she hides, and the pea just sinks to the bottom, uneaten.

 

[Miss Dib Dabs]

Awww bless. If she's frightened of the nasty finger try putting the pea on the end of a cocktail stick and dangling it in the water to see if she'll take it. Also live food, if you can get it, always excellent.
I have a girl who went blind shortly after I was given her for free by my lfs (she had popeye and was very ill) who I feed every day by hand. She knows who's near her tank and when I'm feeding her. She doesn't like strangers but she's also exceptionally clever at finding missed food in her tank. She uses her ventrals as feelers along the substrate and her chin too. She stops dead in the water to feel for any movement in the water (say from a live brine shrimp or bloodworm, or even my fingers) and can home in on it in a flash. The one brief time she had a female visitor she started a fight with her and had no intention of losing!! Neither was hurt I hasten to add!
I love my girls.
Hugs,
P.

 

[starrynightxxi]

i have a really small one too. the betta pellets i have are too big for her mouth, even when i break them up. the other bettas gulp them in, but she'll usually swim up, grab a pellet and hold it until it softens up enough to chew. daphnia ought to work for yours. they're tiny

 

[liz2]

my 2 smallest are very finicky. when I feed them I make have to make sure they eat the food or it fouls the water. I use a syringe to get uneaten food out and I also dont have anything at all on the bottom of their tanks or I cant see what is going on. I have tried everything with them but they will eat a tiny bit of flake and bloodworms but not the pellets. good luck