# Baby Betta Bent Spine



## sincerelyanna (Oct 5, 2012)

So I had purchased a baby betta from petco, I just felt too bad for them D:

but it turns out poor little thing has a bent spine and can hardly swim.
Because of this, I have to keep him in a small bowl just so he can get to the top to breath and eat. 
He has a heater, etc. It's all set up.
Any tips? Will he even make it? 

Well, I also wanted a healthy baby betta. So I went back and purchased another one.
So far it looks like a male, unsure of tail type. He just grew in some colors and so far he has light purple and salmon colors. I'm so excited! I can't wait to see what he grows into. Name suggestions? He might be a delta tail.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

I had a female that had a physical problem & she did amazingly well. I lost her a few weeks back due to an unrelated Problem. She was in a 10g & learned to swim from plant to plant & had no problem eating. I think I made the mistake when I put her into the 46g, it was just too big for her, had i kept her in the 10g she probably would've lived longer, i had her about a year. In any case, if your little one is eating well & otherwise healthy he will probably improve & figure out how to get around. If you provide him with something close to the surface to rest on he can probably go into a bigger tank.


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## sincerelyanna (Oct 5, 2012)

shellieca said:


> I had a female that had a physical problem & she did amazingly well. I lost her a few weeks back due to an unrelated Problem. She was in a 10g & learned to swim from plant to plant & had no problem eating. I think I made the mistake when I put her into the 46g, it was just too big for her, had i kept her in the 10g she probably would've lived longer, i had her about a year. In any case, if your little one is eating well & otherwise healthy he will probably improve & figure out how to get around. If you provide him with something close to the surface to rest on he can probably go into a bigger tank.


I had a leaf hammock at the top for him, but he still just laid in the rocks at the bottom, swimming slowly.
He is healthy, it seems. He is eating, even chasing after little brine shrimp and bloodworms! 
He is showing a sky blue tint in his fins.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

He might surprise you & improve considerably with healthy water & good food. Would love to keep updated on him. Can you post a pic?


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## sincerelyanna (Oct 5, 2012)

shellieca said:


> He might surprise you & improve considerably with healthy water & good food. Would love to keep updated on him. Can you post a pic?


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Why don't we rule out TB? I know its just a baby, but I mean... petco. 

Does the baby have any skin lesions? Do you have any pictures? Is it eating and swimming normally?


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

If the spine is permanently bent like this, it's up to you to decide whether your fish has an acceptable quality of life. Responsible breeders cull fry with bent spines because often the quality of life for these fish ends up being very poor. If you are willing to put in the work required to keep him in a shallow dish (daily water changes, at least) and you don't think he's suffering, then he could do alright.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

^oh, lol theres a pic


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

If you do not believe in killing, I can always take in ANY fish, especially bettas. Only ask me if it is a last resort, though, I have bettas waiting in lined to be rehomed, or have a tank setup for them.


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## sincerelyanna (Oct 5, 2012)

babystarz said:


> If the spine is permanently bent like this, it's up to you to decide whether your fish has an acceptable quality of life. Responsible breeders cull fry with bent spines because often the quality of life for these fish ends up being very poor. If you are willing to put in the work required to keep him in a shallow dish (daily water changes, at least) and you don't think he's suffering, then he could do alright.


I take excellent care of my fish 
I don't mind taking in another little guy.
The spine is permanently bent, just as the picture, yes.
It's pretty sad, all he does is lay at the bottom of the bowl inbetween rocks and than when I open the lid or give him so food (I've been giving him brine shrimp), he swims up and eats happily and plays around abit.
Than he goes back to the bottom


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Well he could be getting used to his new home.


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

sincerelyanna said:


> I take excellent care of my fish
> I don't mind taking in another little guy.
> The spine is permanently bent, just as the picture, yes.
> It's pretty sad, all he does is lay at the bottom of the bowl inbetween rocks and than when I open the lid or give him so food (I've been giving him brine shrimp), he swims up and eats happily and plays around abit.
> Than he goes back to the bottom


It's possible that with his spine deformity, his organs aren't properly sized. If his swim bladder is smaller than normal, staying afloat or swimming in place could be much more difficult for him. I'd say try to make the bottom of his bowl interesting to look at so he doesn't feel bored, and do what you can to encourage him to exercise and move around as much as possible to build up his strength.


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## sincerelyanna (Oct 5, 2012)

babystarz said:


> It's possible that with his spine deformity, his organs aren't properly sized. If his swim bladder is smaller than normal, staying afloat or swimming in place could be much more difficult for him. I'd say try to make the bottom of his bowl interesting to look at so he doesn't feel bored, and do what you can to encourage him to exercise and move around as much as possible to build up his strength.



Any ideas on how to entertain him?
He's growing a little, and he is showing a sky blue on his fins. I can't tell if it's a female or male yet.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Def. Also, this may sound strange, but I have experimented with therapy, putting a fish in a small jar with an obstacle in the middle with barely enough room for them to turn around, so they have to move in a circle, and it helps with minor spine probems and muscular issues, and I used it on a fish who was blind in one eye to keep her spine from bending.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Lettign him flare at a mirror, rearragning his decorations an dgettign new ones regularly, plants with flowy leaves that wave around, and live foods are all good ways to keep your betta intrested.


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## shellieca (Jul 12, 2012)

What a cutie. If its just a deformity I think with the extra swimming room he'll probably build up some muscle & learn how to get around pretty well. One suggestion, I would be very careful about how much you feed since he's not as active he won't be burning as many calories as a "normal" Betta would & his digestive system might not be as well "oiled", for lack of a better term. Does that make sense, it did in my head. LOL


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## skepkat (Aug 23, 2012)

Good luck. Your little one is a cutie.

I was in the same situation. I had one baby with a curved spine and one that was normal (separate tanks). Unfortunately, the baby with a curved spine died a week ago (normal one is still fine). I'd recently moved both to slightly bigger tanks, so maybe I should have left it in the small tank. They just looked like they were growing and needed more space. Hard to say with these little ones: bigger space for exercise vs difficulty reaching the surface. 

The single bit of advice I have, is that I found a plant with a massive tangle of roots and the little one loved it. The roots provided dozens of perches at all levels of the tank. And it could hide amid the roots.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

Don't worry about calories, he will be working harder to swim anyways.


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