# Picky eater. ONLY eats bloodworms.



## Blue Eternity (Jul 24, 2009)

My new betta is a very picky eater, and I don't know what to do. 

He will not eat the pellets that Mr. Big willingly gobbles up. So I tried flakes (there are red flakes and off white chunk things in them) and he will only eat the off white chunk things. Sometimes it appears like hes eating the red flakes, but he'll spit them out after about a second.

At first I thought it was just because he was adjusting and not hungry, but still two days later he will not eat the pellets or most of the flakes. 

The only thing I can get him to eat is freeze-dried bloodworms. He gobbles those up as soon as he sees them. However I know they are not exactly nutritious and I do not want to give him more than about 1-2 a week. 

Anyone else have picky eaters? What do you do?


----------



## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

Let him fast a few days. Offer food daily, but scoop it out if he does not eat it. He will eventually get hungry and eat what is offered.

have you tried freeze dried brine shrimp or freeze dried daphnia?


----------



## Blue Eternity (Jul 24, 2009)

I'm going shopping very soon today, and I can look for some when I go. Are those things I can feed daily if he ends up not eating anything else? How many a day?


----------



## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

yeah daily is fine,what ever he eats within a minute. they will be small like powder.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Maybe try slipping in a pellet with the brine shrimp or daphnia to see if he'll munch that up with the daphnia or shrimp.


----------



## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

I had two like this. I tried a different brand of Pellets and I figured out, they like them better sometimes if you crush them into a powder. IDK why!


----------



## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

Mine refused to eat anything but bloodworms for a week. I had to just continue trying different brands of pellets till he ate. He finally decided to eat the Hikari Bio-gold.


----------



## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Blue Bonnet wouldn't eat bio gold, then I switched her to flakes, which she ate but half of them would sink to the bottom. So I got some Wardleys and she liked it so I started mixing Wardleys with bio gold. She eats both now.


----------



## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

All my bettas love Wardleys. Well some didnt' at first. But I did what Neenjar said and fasted them and they eventually got hungry and ate the pellets I gave them. They give me no problem now and gobble them up. For Aqua and Ember I figured out that some pellets were too big so I have to pick out the smaller ones for them.


----------



## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

My girl Gabriel was my picky eater. I didn't know if she was going to eat. After about a week of trying to get to get her to eat the Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets, she finally did. I guess she realized I'm not giving her anything else and she needs to eat!
Good luck!


----------



## Blue Eternity (Jul 24, 2009)

He ate two pellets last night! I'm so relieved. I was going to go buy every type of food I could find, but I don't have to anymore. (which is good, because I've already had to dip into my NYC trip funds lol. Totally worth it though ^^)

And I picked up some shrimp... he ate half of one but wouldn't eat the other half.

(And, on another good note, he made a bubble nest over night. I think he just had to get used to everything :])


----------



## TianTian (Apr 14, 2009)

Good to hear things are okay.  

Ah, Tian-Tian was picky when I first got him. I switched him to Wardley and I haven't had any trouble since. The Top-Fin (that he wouldn't eat) now feeds Taco (though both of them enjoy Wardley...)

I was recommended Hikari but the price for it here is more than I'm willing to pay.  So whatevs on that.


----------



## RoseyD (Jul 12, 2009)

I had problems with my betta girls eating when I first got them - they too, only liked the worms. I did a day of fasting, then tried adding wardley flakes - which I crushed smaller - they ate some... 

I have noticed so far they don't like the bio-gold, but will now eat the hikari micro pellets. They won't touch the dried brine shrimp either, unless I crush it... 

They ignore any large pellet foods. I've tried the shrimp pellets. 

Well - I'm happy they'll eat the flakes and shrimp now - because I too really worried about the lack of nutrients in a diet solely of worms. 

So now I can treat the bloodworms as a treat day instead of as an every day event.


----------



## Krys (Jul 28, 2009)

I've recently switched Horizon and Amir to three feedings a day.
Advanced pellets in the morning, freeze dried blood worms in the afternoon, and betta bites pellets before bed.


----------



## dr2b (May 31, 2009)

I'm glad he finally decided to eat


----------

