# Female Betta Likes Cucumber...



## Arowan (Sep 2, 2010)

I recently acquired some Otocinclus' for my sorority/community tank, and have quickly run out of algae for them to eat. While I'm making my photo period longer, it will still take some time for more algae to start growing, so I've been supplementing theirs (and my cories') diet with green veggies: lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, green beans, etc. Whatever I can get a hold of.

I thought it was a nice way to feed my cories, too, since I figured my bettas would hardly be interested in green veggies!

But... I was watching my new cellophane female picking off pieces of the cucumber slice that I added the other day. And she is constantly picking at it, and eating the fleshy part of the cucumber. She is starting to get fat, too. 

Should I be concerned about her odd eating preferences? I know peas are bad for bettas, but are cucumbers bad too? >_<


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## Arowan (Sep 2, 2010)

Uploaded a few photos of the cellophane, Odette, with her cucumber...

Most of the holes in it are from the cories and otos eating it, but she likes to pick bits off too.


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

I'd like an answer too - I think my betta boy is eating more of the zucchini then my oto's are *sigh*


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## Arowan (Sep 2, 2010)

None of my other bettas seem interested in it, either.

Guess I can try to do more lettuce and spinach instead of cucumbers, lol xD


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Aside from how insanely cute that first picture is, I'll just say that I've been told over and over that bettas are carnivores and don't eat herbivorous matter. Your girl is clearly proving them wrong. I can only guess that bettas who eat vegetables are instinctively doing so to correct a possible vitamin deficiency, much the same way humans can crave dirt if they are low in iron or chalk if they are low in phosphorous (no really, it's true). I don't think eating the vegetable matter is bad per se (or they wouldn't eat them), but eating a lot of it IS. Arowan, I would QT your girl and fast her until she regains her normal size and after that feed lettuce or other green veggies that she has no interest in. If she continues to eat them, maybe switch her diet around like change to a new pellet with more vitamins. ForbiddenSecrets, I would suggest the same thing: try feeding lettuce or other vegetables that your betta may not be interested in.


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

Ha ha the problem with that is the Oto's are picky and seem to ignore most of the food given to them except the Zuch though I could always try again. I'm going to admit to being surprised if he is lacking vitamins in his diet however since New Life Spectrum seems to cover it rather well as well as his frozen treats.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Yeah, that's true, New Life is one of the best out there. Maybe we're all wrong about bettas being strictly carnivorous. Maybe in the wild they resort to vegetation if insects are in short supply? Although, I know that our bettas are basically a man-made variation so what wild bettas do and what our bettas do are different. So maybe our man-made bettas eat vegetation and the wild ones don't? Ugh, I'm making my head hurt.


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## ForbiddenSecrets (Aug 15, 2010)

Maybe they just get curious when they see others eating it and try it out for themselves. As long as they don't do it too much it can't be too harmful for them.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

I agree. It's like cats are carnivorous but they eat grass. Maybe the veggies are helping the bettas with digestion, just like the grass is supposed to help cats.


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## Arowan (Sep 2, 2010)

If it was a vitamin deficiency though, wouldn't my other bettas be eating it, too?

And considering how often this particular girl also steals my corydora's granules, I think she just likes to follow them around for food. 

I've been keeping an eye on her weight, also, but so far I think she's just made up for her skinny condition in the Petsmart. And I'll try to use more green leaves... xD The cories really like their lettuce. 

They all hate greenbeans, though, still can't get them to eat those...


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## CoverMeInClay (Jul 12, 2011)

Arowan,
This is off topic, but like Sakura said, that first picture is insainley cute. You should submit it for next months picture contest. Mmm Hmm Mmm Hmm.


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## Sakura8 (May 12, 2011)

Is she a newer girl? Maybe she developed a vitamin deficiency at Petsmart. But I do tend to agree, she probably likes to just eat a lot and realizes that if the cories are eating, then she can eat too.

Greenbeans were never a real favorite of mine either, haha.


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## Arowan (Sep 2, 2010)

xD

I made a thread in the pictures forum with better photos of my other girls, have a spectacular one of one eating a piece of gravel. That one I'd consider submitting.

The cucumber-photo just seems awfully blurry... Suppose I could photoshop it a bit and see if I could clear it up.


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## CoverMeInClay (Jul 12, 2011)

She just looks so cute in it. Like she's either thinking, what? I didn't do nuthin, or she 's guarding it, no, don't take my cucubmer!! ^_^


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## Arowan (Sep 2, 2010)

She's constantly near the cucumber, actually. Or was, it was finally fully eaten during the night. 

I still have a few slices of cucumber to finish, then I'll try to switch to more leafy veggies.


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## Betta Archer (Jan 25, 2014)

I heard that cucumbers enhance a Betta's color.


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## TheAnimaLover (Jun 8, 2014)

My guess is that it is doing what it does to gain the nutrition the pellets can't offer if it only eating a tiny portion it'll be fine


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## jadaBlu (Feb 14, 2013)

I don't know if cucumber is good or bad for her. However, they do seem to learn from each other. One my females has learned to follow the cories in her tank around to find more food and has become terribly fat.Alteratively, one of the cories has learned she feeds at the top near the sponge filter and has learned to check the filter for any food she may have missed. Also the picture is really cute. It definitely gave a me a good giggle.


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## kevinap2 (Apr 3, 2014)

Betta Archer said:


> I heard that cucumbers enhance a Betta's color.


This thread is extremely old. Please don't bump up old threads like this.


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