betta still not eating anything but bloodworms

[Chazwick]

Hey there, Johnny Doinkle,
I, too have a male Betta, so congratulations on the purchase, they are well worth it and beautiful fishy pets.
I'll start by saying, as with the swimming, i wouldn't worry too much about that... unless the fish is swimming on it's side or oddly (which could mean Swim Bladder Disease, which you must catch early, otherwise it's incurable!), then you have nothing to worry about. Do you have a filter (which you should really, unless you do drastic water changes)? or an air pump? Strong currents in your tank water will lead your Betta to be 'sweapt' away, because as much as i hate to say it, and we all know it - Bettas are lousy swimmers! Hehe.
Back to the food, feeding your Betta a variety of different live foods should be ok - just feeding them Bloodworms ALL THE TIME, won't be! Bettas are known to prefer bloodworms and basically never go back. What i've learnt is that (and don't worry it isn't cruel) after a little while of feeding them bloodworms, don't feed your betta for a day or two, then slip in some flakes (which can be good for them) and i'm sure your Betta will gobble them up.. wait another day.. if your Betta still isn't eating the flakes, stick with live foods! Don't worry about starving the Betta, not feeding them for a day or two, won't do any harm. It's good to skip days of feeding now and again, because it helps there digestive system, and stops them getting 'tummy aches'
Hope this helps.

[Chazwick]

WOW! I'M LUCKY! I brought some nice soggy bloodworms today, my betta loved them... (and tetras) later on i got worried the little boi wouldn't eat flakes, i put a few in and she's still eating them!
I think the trick is (in most cases) don't introduce them to bloodworms, until they've been eating flakes for a fornight or more... that's what i did.

[Johnny Doinkle]

Can bettas feed off the bottom of a tank?

We're trying to get our Betta to eat anything other than bloodworms. He sniffs the pellets as they sink and circles them when they land on the bottom, but because he has an upturned mouth I was wondering if he can't feed off the bottom?

[Imbrium]

He can feed off the bottom, though he would prefer to eat off the top.

[Chazwick]

My Betta loves feeding from the bottom...
The top looks more confortable though, but the bettas aalways nosing about trying to find something nice to nibble on.

[lwstinkinsweet]

my betta hadnt eaten in a few days as i went out of town and was also trying to switch his food. my dad looked in on him and thought he didnt look good so he fed him like a million pellets. way too much. but the good news is my dad said he gave him a dirty look then ate some up like crazy. he didnt eat all of them thank god. my dad doesnt do fish, he was just trying to help me so i guess it is okay that he gave so many to him. but i am so glad that he at least ate some of the pellets. i had to do a full water change then because there was a ton of food at the bottom. thank goodness my dad grabbed the pellets not the bloodworms that were next to the pellets. or else i would be back where i started.

but he wonteat the pellets for me still. not one. i dont think i can keep up this starving thing. he goes five days before eating any pellets then he eats like five. i think only bloodworms would be healthier than this game he is playing.

[mlefev]

Lol maybe you should just leave the room and let your dad feed him...

[Imbrium]

Don't give him 5. Give him about 3. Only bloodworms is not healthy at all. He'll come around eventually.

[lwstinkinsweet]

i dont usually give him more than two or three for the main purpose of me not having to clean so much off the bottom because he REFUSES to eat any. the ONLY time he has eaten any was when my dad fed them to him. and my dad gave him way more than five. he still will not eat them for me. it has been four days since he has eaten anything. i cannot keep starving him he is gettin less and less active and his fins are folded up. he is getting DEPRESSED. i dont think this is better than him being active and eating bloodworms.

[prince'smom]

im glad to hear this cuz both mine will only eat bs and blood worms too no flakes or pellets i scoop them out after a while and give them what they will eat so i glad to hear that they will be aok

[L.c.]

I feed my betta just blood worms
before I put him in the communtiy tank thats all he would eat...but when he saw other fish he tried to eat their food before they could get it...but he still likes his blood worms best

[greenween]

This is kinda off topic as far as the question goes, but I was told to get a turkey baster, to suck poo and uneaten food off the bottom between changes. I was thinking this might help when you are trying to be quiet

[BettaMomma]

Hi! I had a little teeny betta girly that I found at WalMart.
Brought her home, and tried feeding her from the supermarket I call my fishfood cabinet. She would not touch a THING except frozen bloodworms. This, and cooked smooshed peas. So that's all she ate for about 6 months. She never grew, she remained a stunted little tiny thing the rest of her life. She was also kind of slow and sickly, and a few months ago she died. I'm convinced that smaller, growing, young bettas do need a balanced diet. Adult bettas might be fine with just bloodworms, however. She did eventually learn to eat pellets - after I plunked her into my female tank and she had no choice but to belly up with the rest of the girls and go for some pellets. I got a couple of new girls, added them to the tank, and viola - she miraculously started eating pellets. It was too little too late. But she did eventually start eating them. Maybe if you show your betta how the other fish eat pellets? like smoosh their tanks right next to each other, drop pellets into the other fish's tank and let him see? Dogs are like that, maybe bettas are too. lol

Anyhows.... for all of my bettas (I don't breed, I only keep them as pets, and I've had over 60 come thru my door, some have died but 42 of them are still going strong) they get a routine of pellets, frozen bloodworms, frozen brine shrimp, brine shripm pellets, cooked smooshed frozen peas and occasionally a pinch of freeze dried daphnia for my girls - just cuz they LOVE to chase it around the tank. I've never once had any issues with constipation in any of my fish, nor have I ever really had any problems that I ever attributed back to tummy troubles.