# How long does it take for a Betta to eat after it gets home??



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

Hey all...I bought my Betta Lily on Saturday and i fed her yesterday but she didn't eat anything, I tried to feed her again today but she didn't seem interested is that normal? Or is it that she doesn't like flakes?:-?:-(


----------



## redbettagirl (Jan 29, 2011)

Many bettas are hesitant to eat when they're put in new surroundings. It took my Archimedes two or three days after bringing him home before he became interested in food. Now he can't get enough! Most bettas don't seem to like flakes. I would get Lily some betta pellets.


----------



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks! Will get her some asap! =)


----------



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

Wich brand of betta pellets is best?


----------



## BettasForever (Jan 18, 2011)

I think Top Fins products are excellent so of course I would suggest Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta Bits, they are filled with all the things your betta needs and they improve my betta's color. I would also considering getting the Top Fin freeze dried blood worms because they need a varitey (not just pellets and flakes)and because many people's bettas love them including mine.


----------



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks BettasForever....I will go and buy some and give it a try =)


----------



## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

it depends on the betta. i've had some eat the day they got home, some didn't care for a day or two. give her time. :3 females are a bit more skittish about new things, i've noticed.


----------



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

Perhaps I'm over worrying, she does seem quite active and curious about everything except food...I'm going to buy some pellets and see if she prefers those..and give her more time to settle down before fully panicking! lol!


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I find if you wiggle something (I use frozen bloodworms or brine shrimp) around with some tweezers near their head, it usually gets their attention enough to snap at it. Once they have had a taste, it's usually enough for them to realise what you're doing.

My fish-in-a-jar nearly had a heart attack when I gave him some live food about an hour after he was introduced into his new tank. I was surprised how instinctive hunting is in them. He chased down that mosquito larvae and had snapped it up in about a second flat.


----------



## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Little Betta Fish, that is an awesome idea, thank you. My betta still hasn't wanted to eat much and I'm pretty sure the pellet he nommed was an accident, lol. Though the other one I brought home yesterday keeps giving me the "Food?" face. Neither of them pay any attention to flakes though.


----------



## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

Mine are all very much into their food :lol: It takes me 10-15 minutes to feed everyone in the morning before work, but heaven forbid I'm in too much of a hurry. I think they're worse than my goldfish. They kind of float there looking mournful, but my bettas work themselves into some kind of pre-feeding frenzy.


----------



## Slipstitch (Feb 19, 2011)

Aries is so freakin spunky, lol. And he loves his pellets. He doesn't seem to find much interest in the freeze dried blood worms though...


----------



## sylvia1572 (Oct 19, 2010)

I got my new betta crowntail about 10 day ago. He didn't eat for 3-4 days and I was getting quite concerned. I had 3 different brands of pellets which I tried all to no avail. Then found a betta flake food and he ate that. Never had a betta before that liked flakes! He is rather small and though I tried feeding him the smallest of the pellets they still seemed rather large for him to gulp down so maybe the flakes are easier for him to eat. Either way......I'm happy that he's chowing down now.


----------



## redbettagirl (Jan 29, 2011)

BettasForever said:


> I think Top Fins products are excellent so of course I would suggest Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta Bits, they are filled with all the things your betta needs and they improve my betta's color. I would also considering getting the Top Fin freeze dried blood worms because they need a varitey (not just pellets and flakes)and because many people's bettas love them including mine.



I also use Top Fin Color Enhancing Betta Bits. Archimedes loves them! His absolute favorite is freeze-dried bloodworms. (I only use these as an occasional treat.)


----------



## BettasForever (Jan 18, 2011)

Keep offering food, don't give up. ^.^


----------



## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

Hehehehe I know a time when Betta's will actually refuse food..it's at 5:30 in the morning.
I wake up sometime's at that time to go to work, and one time I decided that I'd trie feeding my guy's before I leave. Well it didn't turn out as planned, they didn't even go for the food, just watched it sick to the bottom.


----------



## mynameiskcdc (Jan 26, 2011)

If the Top Fin pellets don't work, try Aqueon Betta Food pellets. These and freeze dried blood worms (tetra) are the only foods my bettas will eat. The pellets are very cheap, too


----------



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

So I went out and bought the top fin pellets and freeze dried bloodworms, and Lily was far too busy swimming around. She at one point did touch the pellet but seemed to decide she didn't want to eat it after all and swam away. Tried feeding the flake again and she didn't pay any attention to it, dried a worm too and she looked at it and for a second thought she was going to take a bite and she just took a breath of air right next to it....

I don't know if its the food or whether she's still adjusting or doesn't realize she's supposed to eat it...I'm so confused =(


----------



## mynameiskcdc (Jan 26, 2011)

It takes a while for a fish to adjust sometimes. My Philson wouldn't eat for a good four days when I first brought him home. Betta's are also picky eaters. For instance, my veil tail will only eat his pellets if I sink them first so he can chase after them. You might try this with your girl. It would be unusual if this works, but it's worth a shot. Put the pellet on the water and prod it around with some tweezers so it gets your girl's attention. Then see if that alone will get her to eat it. If not, keep messing with the pellet until it sinks and see if she chases after it. Top Fin pellets are much harder to sink than aqueon pellets, but they will sink eventually. Also, if she is a young betta, the pellets/blood worms may be too big for her. I have to tear the blood worms in half so they are small enough for Phil to eat. He couldn't swallow the top fin pellets at first either. Just keep trying things, and remember, bettas can go a pretty long time without food. She is probably still getting used to her surroundings. Good Luck!


----------



## BettaMama11 (Feb 20, 2011)

I will give it a try, I tried to get her attention by waving the flake around just above her, then pushing the pellet about in the water or trying to get her attention with my finger, and she just kept swimming around and around...she is pretty small..I'd say little over an inch, so perhaps the flakes are the easiest for her right now..but she just isn't interested  not even when it sank  

Will see how it goes over the next couple of days...thanks for the advice! She kind of reminds me of Dori from Finding Nemo lol


----------

