Why Oh Why won't my betta eat?

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Papillon

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#1
Jun 15, 2003
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WHY OH WHY WON'T MY BETTA EAT>>>

I am SO frustrated. My new fish Fiji will not eat.... No matter what I offer him. brine shrimp and Betta pellets.... He swims slowly in "slow motion" looks at it and then swims by as if too snobby to eat the stuff... He stays at the bottom of his tank in his rock and there we are..

I have tried everything, from putting him in a QUIET place in my bedroom where no-one (cats and dog) can't get him, I cooled his water yesterday because it was in my opinion too warm (85). I just got him on Monday, he is in a clean 3 gallon tank.. I put a background on the back and sides, so he wouldn't see his reflection and freak out... I have turned his light off so he doesn't get too warm etc etc..

I want to scream:mad: I am so frustrated... What do I do now?? He doesn't "appear" sick.. No Ick, velvet, fungus etc etc...

Why oh why won't he eat? And why can't he be more like Lancelot? Strong and vibrant and swimming ALL day, eats like a horse and is happy....

Marie
 

Coyote

Coyote

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Nov 22, 2002
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85 degree should be ok with betta. If you still think it's too hot for him, turn on a fan or AC and avoid dumping cold water and ice to the tank. It may stress the fish because of the sudden change in temp.
 

Iggy

Iggy

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Jun 25, 2003
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Hold tight Papillon, just keep a close eye on Fuji and keep him company. My first betta is a lot different than my second in behavior, including eating habits and activity level. It has only been a few days, and Fiji was in a small cup and likely being fed something else, so he will be a little fussy with food. Bettas are programmed to survive, so he will eat sooner or later.

From all your posts, I know you have a great love for your bettas, so I can understand you are really concerned about Fiji's health and well-being. Something else that is in the back of my mind when reading about Fiji.. sometimes it best to have the store clerk put a betta you want to buy into a larger container and observe their behaviour. We did that when we got Finchy so I could have a better idea if the fish was health and active in a bigger environment. I know this is a little out of place, but a good lesson none the less, because I sense a lot of your frustration is due to disappoinment that Fiji is not like Lancelot. Sometimes we want to take pity on the beautiful betta in the LFS cup, however, we cannot always expect them to change to suit our expectations once we 'free' them and put them in a bigger tank.

My wife felt the same way about Finchy, who is less active than Robin. But now that he has been with us, through his illness and struggle to survive fungus, we have all really fallen in love him.

Give Fiji (and yourself) time to get used to each other. I am sure he will turn out to be a great pet.
 

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Papillon

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#7
Jun 15, 2003
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Thanks for your answers they are much appreciated..... Iggy you hit the nail on the head... I do wish he was more like Lancelot, for some reason we made "friends" immediately.. He is just so amusing... I hope you are right about him eating sooner or later... He is such a cute fish much smaller and quite pretty, once his fins grow a bit and he fills out he will also be a beauty.... I do sit on my bed and stay with him from time to time... I should do this more often I guess...

Leopardess, I will try your suggestions this evening and see what happens, I hope he will snap out of this.... Othewise I may lose him, and I certainly don't want that to happen..

I love animals so much, and it's getting worse in my old age.. Even though I was married I never had any children, so my animals (2 cats and a dog) get all of my maternal instinct and it is quite strong.. Fish are no different and they need it just as much!

Marie
 

ducksarefun

ducksarefun

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#8
Jun 22, 2003
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Have you tried bloodworms? I bought my newest betta those pellets, but he wouldn't eat those at first, so I bought bloodworms (which is the only thing I fed my other betta) and he loved those! Now he eats both. (and I might add, he eats from my hands, its so cute!)

As for personality, they really do seem to all be different. Mowgli, my first betta was a snot. He wouldn't look at you or acknowledge you. Mufasa, my new betta is great though, and spends most of his time on the side of the bowl where people are. :)

Good luck! And I really do suggest trying bloodworms.
 

Angelfish

Angelfish

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Apr 14, 2003
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I give fish like that 7 days, if it hasnt eaten by then I return them, because I have had so many fish that havent eaten and on day 8 or 9 they have died. Having saying this I have only ever seen my gohst cat eat twice in months, so I'm thinking I just dont see him eat. Maybe its the same thing for your betta.
I also have a pictus cat that refuses to eat while I'm watching, I can drop a pelet in right infront of him and watch for 10 minuets, in which time he will not eat it. Then I leave for 30 seconds and hes eaten it! Its crazy!
Anyway the point of my stories was that maybe Fiji has eaten and you just havent seen.
 

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Papillon

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#10
Jun 15, 2003
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Unfortunately it isn't the case, because I see the pellets in the filter, the amount is the same as I put in... Tonight I put in some tropical fish flakes that came with my Eclipse and again not interested in it.... Tomorrow morning I will go the egg route and see what happens..

He seems to be swimming more though... Is this a good sign?

Marie
 

shearonlynn

shearonlynn

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#14
Jul 2, 2003
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Papillon: I was visiting this site on the invitation of one of your members and I saw your post about Fiji.

I, too, am owned by bettas. I have had bettas go on hunger strikes and not eat for as long as two weeks, just because they were sulking!

A sure-fire way to tempt Fiji to eat is mosquito larvae...live if you have it, if not, dried will work as well. The secret to feeding a picky betta is to 'swirl' the water a bit when you drop in their food. This gives the food that 'alive' look and the little darlings like to strike at and kill their food.

Very few bettas like flakes; however most of them love the Hikari bio-gold if you can find that.

Good luck
 

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Papillon

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#15
Jun 15, 2003
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Montclair, NJ
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That is the food i have... He won't touch the stuff... I am not able to get the mosquito larvae, as they don't have any in the pet stores near me..

I have been turning off the filter when I feed them, should I leave it on. I am worried that he won't find the food in the current... I also turn it off for Lancelot, but he as we all know by now, is happy as a clam and eats like a horse.... No worries there!!!:)
 

Iggy

Iggy

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#17
Jun 25, 2003
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#17
Give Petco a call and ask them what they feed their betta's. You might also describe what is happening with Fiji and see what they suggest.

Also, you can try stimulating Fiji a little with a mirror, get the blood flowing. Let him feel like he is defending his turf. The exercise could not hurt.

Also, just read that most fish can easily last a week without eating... so it is not critical yet!
 

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