# Finicky betta won't eat pellets



## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Hi, all. My betta, Sam, will not eat pellets at all. He simply spits them out. I have been feeding him a mix of dried brine shrimp and dried bloodworms. I have some betta flakes, which he'll eat a little bit of (not much), but they make a mess. What do I need to add to his diet to keep him healthy if he won't eat pellets?


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## tekkguy (Jan 28, 2013)

The freeze-dried food is sort of like candy ... stop feeding it. Fast him for a day or two, and he'll probably eat the pellets fine. 

If he still spits out the pellets, you might soak them in a bit of tank water or garlic juice first to soften them, though they'll sink faster if you do that so keep an eye on them. 

It's not likely he has a problem eating them, it's more likely that he knows if he doesn't eat them, you'll give him candy. My kids try that, too!


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## ryancalif (Mar 10, 2013)

What kind of pellets are you using?

I tried the Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta pellets and my fish spit them right out... she would never eat them.

I then tried the Betta Buffet pellets and she went nuts of them.


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## Xeek (Sep 28, 2012)

How long did you wait until you decided he wouldn't eat pellets? All the bettas I bring home (from Petco, didn't have this problem from the boys I got at PetSmart) will not eat pellets. I put it in the tank anyway and when I come back after a days work they're gone. After at least 2 days they start eating them like it's all they've known. It takes days though for me to get them to that point. If you feed them something else before that then you're enabling them to not try the pellets. They'll eat them but it takes a few times before they remember that that is food.

Don't worry they won't starve, they can go quite a long time without food. It's water they can't go long without, so make sure he gets plenty of fluids!


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## shushcat (Feb 16, 2013)

How long have you had Sam?

Eris would only eat flakes at first, but I got him to eat pellets regularly within a week and a half. For the Kraken, however, he would only take...one pellet a week and snub everything else. Still super active but just refused to eat until he finally took blood worms. He's still my problem child with eating, but at least he's eating pellets more regularly haha.

In any case, it may take a while, so try not to worry!


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## Taeanna (Apr 2, 2013)

Kaida had been fed flakes at the pet store and wasn't too sure on pellets at first. I don't think he was used to chewing because at first he let them soak for a while, now he refuses to eat them unless fresh and crunchy.
When I gave him frozen bloodworms for the first time was a treat. He had no idea what they were, I suspect he had never been fed them. He stared at them for a long time before finally snapping at one...and went crazy. Now his 'thawing spoon' is the best thing on earth, when I pop that next to the tank with his portion on it to thaw he stays right next to it until it is ready.
I make a point to keep his feeding schedule semi random so that frozen food days (I have two kinds) and pellet/flake/freeze dried food days are always a suprise. The look of hope at his feeding hole is priceless, also if he eats all his boring food I sometimes give him a tiny treat to reward his manners

of course fasting day is not his favorite day...


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

I love the betta who watches his frozen dinner thawing...LOL!

As others have said, he will probably eventually eat the pellets if nothing else is provided. For my finicky guys, I started the New Life Spectrum pellets, and they *love* those. (There's a fair amount of garlic in them, which bettas love.)

That being said, I have one elderly guy who has had some health problems, and he just doesn't eat pellets. He'll half-heartedly go after them, but it's just not worth it to him. So, for him, I feed him a wide variety of **frozen** (not freeze-dried, thaw it out first though) foods: blood worms, glass worms (mosquito larvae), daphnia, beef heart, a "vegetable medley", brine shrimp, brine shrimp with spirulina algae, just about any of the betta/carnivore/omnivore frozen foods that are out there.  It's definitely more expensive, but he's old, and he's worth it.  

If you end up feeding something other than a high-quality pellet, you have to be careful though to make sure that they get the nutrients they need. The pellets are formulated to include the majority of these nutrients, whereas with the frozen foods they have to have a variety to make sure that all their bases are covered nutritionally. You can also use a product called Vitachem as a vitamin/mineral supplement to the water to make extra sure. 

I hope this helps!!


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## Deanna01 (Apr 22, 2013)

Thanks, all! Blue Fish, I just ordered some of those New Life Spectrum pellets yesterday! I wondered if he simply didn't like the brand I'd bought. I'll give him these for several days and see if he takes them.


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