Is my betta being picky?

[freshly]

Hey guys, so I'm a total newbie to betta care, and I've got a bit of a problem on my hands. I've got this gorgeous combtail named Poison, and he's super picky when it comes to food. I started him off on some cheaper pellets, and he loves 'em, but I've been trying to upgrade to better brands - I've got like five different types of food now, and he's just not having it. He spits out all the good stuff, and I'm stuck feeding him the cheap stuff he likes. I tried fasting him for two days, and he barely touched anything - just a flake or two and a single pellet. Any ideas on how to deal with a picky eater like Poison?

[coltin]

Hey freshly, welcome to the forum. I'm pretty sure I've been in your shoes before with my own finicky betta. I've found that sometimes they just need a little nudge in the right direction. Try giving Poison some live or frozen food - it can be a real game-changer. I've heard that if they're used to live foods at the breeder, they can be pretty stubborn about switching to dry food. Worth a shot, right?

[sSjey]

I've noticed that sometimes bettas can be quite particular about the texture of their food. The new pellets might be a bit harder than the ones Poison is used to, which could be putting him off. Have you considered soaking them in some tank water for a minute or two to soften them up a bit? You could try using a pipette to gently place the softened pellet on the water's surface.

It's not uncommon for bettas to be finicky eaters, and it might just take some time for Poison to get used to the new food. If you're determined to switch him over, you could try only offering the new pellets and removing any uneaten ones. It can take up to a couple of weeks for them to start eating a new food, but eventually, he'll come around rather than go hungry.

[freshly]

Hey freshly, welcome to the forum. I'm pretty sure I've been in your shoes before with my own finicky betta. I've found that sometimes they just need a little nudge in the right direction. Try giving Poison some live or frozen food - it can be a real game-changer. I've heard that if they're used to live foods at the breeder, they can be pretty stubborn about switching to dry food. Worth a shot, right?

Thanks for the advice, I'll definitely give that a shot.

essjay said:

Could the new pellets be harder than the first ones? I have had bettas that would only eat soggy pellets. Try soaking the new pellets in a bit of tank water for a couple of minutes, then use a pipette (the type of things that comes with a lot of fish medication) to lay the pellet carefully on the water surface.

But bettas can be picky eaters. You could try giving him only the new pellets, removing uneaten ones. It can take up to 2 weeks for them to start eating a new food. He will eventually eat them rather than starve.

I was thinking of trying to fast him again, do you think that's a good idea? What's the maximum amount of time he can safely go without food? I don't want to stress him out too much.

Thanks again for the response.

[coltin]

If you're using live bloodworms, I should warn you that they're not the best choice as a live food. They're the larvae of midges and have pretty hard heads, plus they can bite your fish internally. If you do decide to use them, make sure to cut off their heads before feeding the rest to your betta. On the other hand, if you have live blackworms, those are a different story. They're aquatic worms that come in black, brown, or red, and they're relatively safe for your fish. Just keep them in clean tap water for a day before feeding, and give them a good rinse to get rid of any bacteria.

You might also consider other live foods like mosquito larvae - you can find them in buckets of water outside. Just scoop them up with a fine mesh net, rinse them under tap water, and you're good to go. Aphids are another option, as well as small ants and ant eggs, tiny flies, moths, weevil larvae - basically any small, non-toxic insect. Just make sure they're free of chemicals.

If you're having trouble with live foods, you could try a few different types of dry food. If you go with freeze-dried food, just soak it in water for a few minutes before feeding.

[sSjey]

The thing with live foods is, once your betta gets a taste for them, he can be quite stubborn about eating anything else - I mean, they're like spoilt kids, refusing to eat their veggies. The problem is, feeding just one type of live food all the time isn't great nutritionally, so you do need to mix it up a bit.

It's unlikely your betta will starve himself to death, even if he doesn't eat for up to 2 weeks - he'll probably give in long before that.