Unable To Eat?

[Mugen]

My new betta, Carl, seems to be having issues with eating the pellets commonly given for feeding bettas. It's almost as if his mouth is too small. He responds really well when I drop the food in there, he just struggles to swallow it. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions as far as taking care of this. Is there a good flake brand that anyone knows of, or maybe I can mash up some brine shrimp for him?

By the way, here are the guys. Orange is Carl, purple is Mugen.

 

[afireinside]

Yes, sometimes pellets are to big for some bettas, one of mine almost choked on one cause it was to big , so either make the pellet nice and moist, easy to eat or feed him brine shrimp, bloodworms, etc.

 

[Durbkat]

How many gallons is the tank? What brand of pellets is the food? Could you post a picture of the tank so I could see how big the tank is?

 

[Mugen]

How many gallons is the tank? What brand of pellets is the food? Could you post a picture of the tank so I could see how big the tank is?

At the moment I am home from school so the tank is a smaller, travel-sized one. There was no info on the box about how big it is, but I'd say it's about a gallon, meaning they have .5 gallons per side. Just as added, helpful info, I tried some flakes on Carl to see if he was maybe just not happy, but he attacked them and gobbled them like there was no tomorrow. Maybe he's picky?

Also, since I forgot, the food brand is Hikari Bio Betta Gold

 

[Durbkat]

Could you post a tank shot so I can see the whole tank? Also it is very bad to move a fish from one place to another all the time so my advice is to either leave it at school or at home.

 

[Mugen]

Could you post a tank shot so I can see the whole tank? Also it is very bad to move a fish from one place to another all the time so my advice is to either leave it at school or at home.

Perhaps I would have left it at school if I weren't going to be gone for four weeks, but unfortunately, I had no choce. They were fine while I was there, but at the school, the heat and electricity in the dorms are shut off during break. As well as the fact that thanks to Christmas, I don't have funding for another automatic feeder. (I left my ten gallon with a goldfish back at school much to my own dismay.) Also, I have sworn off of the time release feeding bricks because they mess with water params and make the water filthy. Also, this is the first time I've moved these fish in four months. I'm not running back and forth between home and school.

As I said, the tank is travel sized and I understand that you should usually keep one male betta per gallon. As I mentioned before, it's an unfortunate circumstance due to school that they have to hang out there for another week and a half.

 

[thelastbetta]

Carl is adorable.

You could try and soak the pellets in some water before putting it into his tank so they're softer and easier to chew.

 

[Mugen]

Carl is adorable.

You could try and soak the pellets in some water before putting it into his tank so they're softer and easier to chew.

Thanks! That is a good idea.. that way I might be able to break them into bitty pieces too.

 

[soritan]

Frozen bloodworms are also easy to eat, they suck them down like noodles. Freeze dried bloodworms are about the same, you just have to presoak them before you feed them.

1 can of Hikari blend vitamin enriched bloodworms cost me about $12, and one small flat of frozen bloodworms cost me $8 (the frozen kind would last me about 2 months, and I have 4 mouths to feed), and each of my bettas can only eat 3 blood worms at a time, before their belly is distended. It'd be an easy way to vary their diet, I think.

 

[sukie]

I have a betta vt- Snowball that has a hard time eating but he still eats them. .. it's like he tries to wrestle w/ the pellet or something.

If your lil guys still eating then I'd just let him be. . . .

 

[JoLtNbolt]

It's almost as if his mouth is too small.

I had this problem with the baby I got from Synirr. The hikari pellets were a bit too big, so I switched to Betta Bites made by HBH. The betta bites are smaller granules that are easy for bettas to eat. The only problem is that they sometimes leave a film on the top of the water.

 

[Joby]

As you have already got the Hikari pellets, why not just "crack" them between two teaspoons and it should go into managable pieces for them. Its what I do with juvies that haven't quite good big enough mouths

Nice looking bettas

 

[Durbkat]

Sorry Mugen I thought you meant that everyday you took the fish to and from school with you. You should also get the bettas a 2.5 minibow tank and get some plastic canvas from walmart which is where you can get the minibow 2.5 gallon tank and put the canvas in the slots of the tank that way both bettas gets more room and it saves room for you on the desk you have them on.