# My betta hates snails...



## Angiemw (Feb 19, 2013)

So I just bought a snail for my huge betta bowl and my betta keeps attacking it. I'm kinda sad about it. 
Every time the snail comes out to move, my betta nips at him shoving it back in its shell. 
I guess he just doesn't want anything else in his tank with him. 
I'm glad I didn't get an African dwarf frog, as that was my original idea before I saw the snails lol. 
If he eats the snail, it wont make him sick.. will it?


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## Nicci Lu (Jan 7, 2013)

It won't make him sick, but it might make him fat. lol Give it some time, though. Sounds like your snail is quick enough to avoid being a snack, and your betta might lose interest after awhile. Sometimes once the novelty wears off, bettas get used to their companions. Then again, maybe yours just can't resist escargot, but don't give up hope just yet.


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## Angiemw (Feb 19, 2013)

Lol, I think it might take a while for my betta to lose interest, hes having fun plucking it off of the walls. I think at the very least, if the snail dies, I might get another one just so I can watch my betta pick on it lol does that sound mean? I almost feel bad for the snail, but I have to admit, it is kind of fun to watch my betta attack it. he only goes for it when the snail sticks out its enteni ( cant spell ) ill put a video of it on my Aquarium so everyone can see him ...


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## Aoicat (Nov 30, 2012)

I don't think it's that mean, that's just nature sometimes. Like buying feeder goldfish for a bigger fish to eat. If you want a snail to live though, maybe consider getting a big snail for in your tank if you can find one. I have a mystery snail in my tank that's bigger than my betta, so he'd be pretty safe if Walter was of a mind to pester him. Thankfully nobody in the tank bothers the snail except when he's trying to eat an algae wafer.


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## Nicci Lu (Jan 7, 2013)

When I got a baby ramshorn as a hitchhiker, I couldn't bear to just kill it. So, I put him in my betta's tank fully expecting that he would become a betta treat. It's part of the natural cycle, and it seems a good thing to let bettas exercise their hunting instincts. Probably not so good for the snail, though. 

Strangely enough, my betta totally ignored the snail. I see him pop up from time to time.

I got some oto cats four days ago, and I got a kick out of watching my betta chase them around. For their part, the otos seem completely unconcerned. In fact, they seem to like to swim near him as if they're taunting him. Perhaps they know they're too fast for the big blue lumbering predator in their tank... My betta hardly chases them now, though. He likes to casually sidle up to them, all innocent-like. _Who me, a predator?_


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

He doesn't hate snails---he loves them....FOR DINNER :mrgreen:


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## Laki (Aug 24, 2011)

What kind of snail is it?? I found my bettas will attack snails that are small (ramshorn and pond snails) but my nerite has such small antennae and moves so slow they don't bother her at all. Don't even know she's there. 

I do have a single pond snail which I find every water change. Somehow my gravel vacuuming doesn't squat and kill it. There is not enough food for it to make babies though. 

If you're worried about the snail (in case the betta picks off its eyes/antennae) then return it to the store for full refund or move it to another tank. Good luck!


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## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

weird thing about my veiltale betta. i bought 2 mystery snails. my betta nips the golden mystery snail but wont touch the blue mystery snail. the blue is slightly bigger but not by much. he hates malaysian trumpet snails too but my halfmoon double tail male is ok with both, but hates oto catfish (the veil is fine with them), so u just gotta mix and match and see who theyre compatible with.


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## redSunny806 (Jun 8, 2013)

Laki, when you said your nerite snail moves so slow, what kind of snail do you mean? I have a tiger nerite snail and it moves soo fast around my betta tank. And my betta Sunny keeps on attacking the snail just like what Angiemw said. One day, I found a white snail at a lake and took it home to put it in my tank. The funny thing is, my betta completely ignores the new white snail,he doesn't even look at the white snail even if it's bigger than my small tiger nerite snail.I had the nerite for a month now and still, Sunny always goes to the tiger nerite, he flares, nibbles on it, and beat his fins really fast for some reason. I'm sorta having the same problem too.


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## marblethebettasowner (Nov 28, 2017)

Hi, I'm having a small problem, I just put in two snails, both mystery, one blue, one black, and my poor betta just seems annoyed and agitated now. Does anyone know why?


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