# Ugh, female betta with food stuck in her mouth?



## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Okay, so usually I cut up a mealworm (head disposed of, not fed to the fish) into itty bitty pieces. All the fish love it... My one female however, unlike the others who nit-pick and/or shake the dead daylights of the fresh meat decided to swallow it whole... Her mouth is gaped wide (she did have it in her mouth, and she was unable to get it OUT....) and I don't think I can see the food anymore. It was a bit bigger than it probably should have been, but I didn't expect the slow poke to get that piece  None of my fish have ever had a problem, but like I said she attempted to eat it whole...

So, although she reacts and all, her mouth gapes, and she breaths heavier than she should be. Sometimes she'll look normal, then later she'll gape her mouth all over again.

Help? :-(

She isn't as active either, but she isn't swimming weird, her gills are not expanded, her mouth gapes and I don't think I see the piece of mealworm... but will it cause a problem??


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

There really isn't anything you can do. She'll spit it out. My Goldfish always eats rocks, but he does spit them out. Even after he swallows.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

BettaMiah said:


> There really isn't anything you can do. She'll spit it out. My Goldfish always eats rocks, but he does spit them out. Even after he swallows.


She tried spitting it out before, but she just couldn't. It's probably bigger than her tummy... would she be able to digest it anyways? She is not terribly bloated, I mean she has the "I was a piggy today" tummy but other than that...


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Bloating usually comes later. It could get worse. 

Do you think you could net her or something and try to get it out with like tweezers or something? If you are worried about it, that is what I would do.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I do not have pointed tweezers, plus I don't see it anymore D: Plus I'd be too scared to. She is one of the small females. And there is no one here who would know....


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Then I would give her a skinned pea cut up good and just forget about it. 

Its said and done.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

How does the pea help? o.o I know it's good for bloating, or swimmer's bladder...

here is the little trouble maker BEFORE she nommed on that piece of food...


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

HEY I can see the piece of food!!! but I don't have tweezers or anything. I hope she can actually dislodge it...


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## MistersMom (Aug 9, 2011)

*Now my female ALWAYS get her little food bits stuck in her mouth even tho they r supposed 2 b made perfect for her(bettas)...she lets it soak then spits it out then eats half of it, she hasnt forsay "choked" yet.... i wuld gt some tweezers or a bobby pen and get it in there... or if neccesary 1 of the spikes of a fork cld gt it maybe? im sorry and i wish u luck... im only 15 i don't know much! but i hope this helps...good luck!!*


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

I would wait on trying to get it out to see if she can dislodge it. As for feeding a pea, it's not worth it. If she's already going to be extremely bloated from the meal worm, why put more in? Just leave her as is or cup for the night and hopefully she'll spit it up.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Well, she had gotten it up to her mouth once again, then today it is lodged in her throat area. Luckily, the mealworm is a hollow piece, but she is not very active. Either she is laying on the bottom, or she has hr mouth to the top of the water and just...sits there.

I do know her mouth is very broad, which now that I have tweezers if I see that piece come up I will try getting it out. Can I fill a shallow pan with water, net her, put her in that and get it with the tweezers?


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I have her in the breeder's net in the tank so she won't be bullied and doesn't have to make a long trip up to the surface... but she doesn't look any better 

the employee at the pet store said that eventually it should break down. does that actually happen? and will it be before she dies from it??? She's pretty stressed out, inactive and -obviously- wont eat.


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

I'd say if there's a chunk sticking out of her mouth and you have a pair of soft rubber tweezers, see if she'll let you near enough to very gently coax it out. I know the meal worm shells take a while to get really soft.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Well I no longer see it and she is just laying on the bottom of the breeder's net awkwardly, breathing from her mouth  I tried yesterday, and got her into a shallow "pan" with aquarium water and she was good enough to let me get to her mouth with tweezers, but she had it further down then x.x so there was no chance.

Is there a way to "de-shell" mealworm? Usually my fish make a mess of it and spit out the shells


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

I have the dried meal worms, so I soak them and squeeze out the guts. My girls never really seem to interested in meal worm though. Ratchet enjoys it, but I leave the shell on for him because he likes to shake and shred.

I'd just continue with small chunks like you were since the other girls seem to be able to handle themselves a little better than this girl. You could try soaking them too, but I don't think it would do much.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Yeah they are live mealworms o.o head chopped off and disposed of, the rest pulverized into itty bitty pieces, (or so I thought!) and everyone tears it apart, or eats the meat and leaves the shell. she swallowed it whole >< silly thing... I could squeeze out the guts I guess....

Now she is hanging out at the top of the water, mouth out of water.


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## Punki (Apr 30, 2011)

When i was worried about my fry oldfishlady once told me she had seen "bigger fry swimming around with the tail end of their sibling sticking out the mouth until the enzymes break the fish down enough so they can swallow it" So if it can break down a fish, maybe your girl would be okay, though she isnt sounding it =/


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Punki said:


> When i was worried about my fry oldfishlady once told me she had seen "bigger fry swimming around with the tail end of their sibling sticking out the mouth until the enzymes break the fish down enough so they can swallow it" So if it can break down a fish, maybe your girl would be okay, though she isnt sounding it =/


 
I know  she isn't sounding good. I have her separated so she is not bullied, and she can get to the surface okay. the piece is hollowed out, so she can breath technically, but you can tell she is very very very very stressed out

and I swear you can see Tina going "what's wrong with her??!!", because she tends to stick to the bottom of the breeder's net, watching her sister o.o;


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Fish can drown themselves if taking a too big of a bite of food and not being able to swallow/dislodge it. Seen it happen in the wild  If you can't get in there with soft tipped tweezers then all you can do is hope she can digest or dislodge it =( I'm sorry to hear this happened. Doesn't happen often, but it can sadly.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Well, like I said, she can breath but it's very uncomfortable for her  if I do see it however, in her mouth rather than throat I sure will be using tweezers to get it out. How do you get it out, however, without hurting her mouth?


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## cajunamy (Apr 28, 2011)

I have never heard of feeding mealworms to bettas, and this is probably why


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I have heard of it... just I was advised 1. cut off the head the head is still alive when cut off D: and 2. cut it into itty bitty pieces. And all of them absolutely love it.... just she was a bit of a doofus and tried swallowing it whole..
which by the way, has NEVER happened to me with any fishy o.o;;;

she does seem a little more active, however the food piece won't come up, and there is still the visible bulge where the piece is stuck.


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

I think she's just gonna have to work it through her system. Fast her until the problem resolves is my advice since she already had a big meal of that chunk of meal worm.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Well I came home from work and she got it up and out. She was kind of laying there going "whew" xD I let her back into the tank, her bellies a by bloated and her sister Tina keeps checking up on her LOL. well, she has air in her tummy and keeps putting huge bubbles at the surface (like a burp? Lol) so she's feeling better


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Yay! Glad to hear she was able to get it out, the little greedy piggy! =)


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I know right??? lol. now she has to be fasted as she really has a distended belly >< Silly thing... but she is active and back to her antics with her sister, bullying around Zebra >< lol. Right now I have Madame conditioning  so she isn't in there to bother anyone, inlcuidng Rose who I also put back in.


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

Good to hear she got it out, finally.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Ohh, I know >< I didn't want to lose her, really. And also, I continue feeding mealworms to my fish (not her, she isn't allowed food for a few days xD), but this time I squeeze the meat out of the shell and dispose of the shell  then there won't be any mishaps again!!


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

It's gross, but it's worth it to not go through this whole fiasco again.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I know lol. It really is gross... I think someone referred me to get butterworms? are those softer or something? lol all I know is 1. cutting worms is icky 2. squeezing their guts out is just as bad .... lol.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Why not just use bloodworms? Only washing required.. And you get them frozen too..


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## Pataflafla (Jun 2, 2011)

I think meal worms have a little higher fat and protein content, but I don't have my bottle to refer to right now.


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

I use: flakes, freeze-dried bloodworms, and a live worm. Our store doesn't carry frozen, or live brine shrimp or bloodworms  just, king worms, butterworms, mealworms and some other worm thing...


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

I heard that they like grindal worms but you have to culture those and they are gross when they rot..  I've never had the ones you mentioned sold here..


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Lol yeah my area is strange  the king worms are huge!!! Definitely wouldn't even touch those... Lol. Yeah we lack any culture starter here. Brine shrimp, worms... Nothing D:


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I wouldn't touch live worms with a 10 foot pole . YUCK!


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## Sena Hansler (Aug 24, 2011)

Trust me. I won't ever again I think LOL. Unless frozen, or small enough for them to swallow/tear apart themselves!!!!!! >< sooo nasty. and I feel bad oddly enough killing the worm... then seeing it still alive!


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