# What do betta eat? Do betta eat cricket?



## Nuttawet (Aug 18, 2009)

What do betta eat? Do betta eat cricket?


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## RandyTheBettaFish (Jul 11, 2012)

Bettas don't eat crickets!! They eat bloodworms, betta flakes and betta pellets, just to name a few. Betta fry can eat microworms or baby brine shrimp.


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## fishchick6485 (Aug 17, 2012)

They CANNOT eat crickets, it's very very bad for them because crickets can have diseases (even from pet stores) and can pose as a life threat for your betta, they will eat them cause they eat anything, but most of those things are life-threatening for them, they can eat betta fish food, like betta bits which they sell in petsmart and petco, and also other places if you bought your betta somewhere where its not petco or petsmart, they can also eat bloodworms, but only freezed or freezed-dried bloodworms because live ones can have diseases, they can also eat live baby brine shrimp, but its alot of care for them... so yeah, Hope I Helped! -FishChick6485


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## Nuttawet (Aug 18, 2009)

The smallest cricket is what i'm talking about, can betta eat smallest cricket?


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## RandyTheBettaFish (Jul 11, 2012)

NO! Don't even risk it, the fish might choke on the cricket.


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## Destinystar (May 26, 2012)

No way dont try or risk it !


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

In the wild they would eat bugs right? I don't see a problem with feeding a pin head, except where you get it from...

I wouldn't feed crickets just because of the conditions they are kept in, usually there are tons of dead crickets in the place they are kept, hunting at bad care, malnutrition, and disease. If you were to breed them I don't see a problem.


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## Nuttawet (Aug 18, 2009)

I get them from Petco.


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## fishchick6485 (Aug 17, 2012)

Who cares if you get them from petco- not to be rude, but crickets are NOT for bettas, they would be for 10+ inches of fish, a bettas stomach is the size of their eye, and a small cricket would be 2 or 3 times more then their eye! Their for bigger fish like black knife fish all grown out or a catfish that gets to 14 inches, but I forget the catfishes name... just for example.... so anyway, as I have said, if you buy them at petco, then they DO have pellet-food for betta fish or bloodworms! just no crickets, cause crickets are for reptiles and HUGE fish, so don't think about it. Not to be a know-it-all, im just sayin' the truth!


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

I have a Leopard Gecko, and when she was younger and ate the smaller crickets they used to get out a lot. Once one ended up in one of my fish tanks, and by the time I noticed my little Delta boy had eaten about half of it and was then carrying it around in his mouth, spitting it out, picking it back up...and kinda playing with it and picking it apart. And nothing negative came from the experience...when he got bored I picked out what was left of the cricket and that was that. The cricket was a little large, your standard small size, but no one died, lol. 

I don't see a problem with feeding Pinhead crickets if you can find them; they actually are about the size of a bettas eye if I recall, very very tiny.....such a pain to unload on shipment day too, lol. I even considered picking some up myself a few times, but since I moved I can't seem to find any pinheads at Petco or Petsmart around here. If your Petco has pinheads, I don't see any issues, but if they just have your standard 'small' size those are sadly a little too large. 
Of course, you shouldn't feed even pinheads as a staple...the base of a good betta diet should be a good pellet, but I really don't think it'd be the end of the world if you feed your betta a pinhead cricket or two every once in a while as a treat.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

Cleo just last night ate a full grown cherry shrimp about the length of her head. First she dismembered it. Then she paraded around with the tail in her mouth for half an hour, looking very pleased with herself. Then she ate it. 

These fish evolved to eat all kind of bugs and critters, so I don't see a problem really with feeding them small bugs that might very well fall in water outdoors and be eaten by fish. Mine have eaten spiders, craneflies, mozzies and larvae, small moths and yuck - the odd housefly - all by chance fallen in the tank. To date, there's no ill effects at all.

Except -- yes, I have seen a lot of mold and nasty crap in those cricket tubs - I used to buy pinheads for my frogs, and had a heck of a time finding a LPS who kept clean crickets. In the end, we had to go to a specialty reptile store. 

Sadly, I'm nowhere near there now, so I won't buy crickets in case of mold and disease from unclean conditions. 

Try some wingless fruit flies or raising your own mosquitos - or if you're set on pinhead crickets, at least find a good reptile store that is concerned with pet health and keeps them spotless and regularly replaced (ie, NOT most chain store pet supply places) and then keep them as cleanly as you can. That way you can control how clean they are when they hit the tank.

Oh yeah, and get some high protein betta pellets. These are a complete diet, and mixed with lots of live food are the best chance of good nutrition for your fish.


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