Betta fish seems sick

Question
Hi, I hope you can help me, as I've become very attached to my fish. I have a female, who used to be very spunky. She would be very excited when I came around, and would eat as soon as I fed her. I know I've overfed her a bit, from reading on some other forums. She gets fed once a day, probably about 5-6 pellets. All of a sudden, she has stopped eating completely. The water was WAY too cold, so now I have a lamp warming it, but she's still not eating. Her skin is starting to peel, but it doesn't look good, it's white and in some areas looks raw and red. I don't know what to do. I usually change her water weekly, but lately have been doing it more. I never see her move much, she just sits under the light, and stays there. She's in a regular sized fish bowl, that's probably about 44 ounces (just a guess) and I use "Clear Water" drops and after she starting getting sick I've started using "Bettafix Remedy"

PS, I just looked at her, and there is a chunk missing from her side...

Please help me!

Answer
Hello,
I'm afraid there isn't much you can do for her now.  Maybe the Betta fix will help, but I doubt it.  She would need antibiotic, which is almost impossible to calculate in such little water.  A lamp to heat the water is not a good idea as sometimes it heats the water too much, or the water temperature starts to fluctuate, and this is never good for fish.  Bettas do not like light on all day, and night, it stresses them, and adds to there sickness. Feeding her 5-6 pellets at once surely helped in makeing her sick.

Here is how a Betta should be cared for:


A betta needs 5 gallons of water to be healthy, and happy.  
In his habitat the betta may live in shallow waters, but he has lots of room to swim.  
Keeping Bettas in small bowls, containers, vases etc, is cruel.  The Betta is one of the most mistreated fish on the market.
He needs a heated tank,  Temperature should be 78-80 degrees.  He is a tropical fish, and is cold under this temperature.  Cold bettas get sick, are miserable, and live unhappy lives. ( Always remember that when heating a tank, do this very very slowly..1 degree every two days, as bringing up the temperature too fast could kill your Betta.)  The temperature should always be stable.  Fluctuating temperature is very bad for bettas, and any other fish.  
Add a teaspoon of diluted aquarium salt to five gallons of water. They should have a silk plant in their tanks, so that they can rest on the leaves  They also need a little tunnel or some knick knack that they can go through.   You may add 1 teaspoon of aquarium salt in his water which has been diluted before adding to his tank.  1 teaspoon to 5 gallons of water.
Aquarium salt helps them with stress.
He needs a varied diet. This is very important.  Betta pellets one day, Betta Flakes the next, Daphnia the next, and bloodworms should be given once a week as a treat.
He should be given one frozen cooked pea a week, and on the day you give him the pea, he should fast.  
Cook a frozen pea until it is well cooked and tender.  Remove the outer layer, and cut into tiny pieces.  
Feed your Betta one piece at a time making sure it doesn't fall to the bottom of the tank.  This helps to clean out his system.
A betta is prone to constipation, and constipation leads to Swim Bladder Disease.
He should have 2-3 small meals a day, and not one big meal.  We must remember that his tummy is the size of his eye.
Example:  2 pellets for one meal.
Water changes are very important.  Water changes must be made every week without fail with a good water conditioner such as Aqua Safe or Stress Coat.  There is also a conditioner made especially for bettas.   Never put two bettas in the same tank, they will kill each other...male or female.  The Betta male is a loner.  Females can be kept together in a big enough tank.
When treated well, a betta can live up to 8 years, if you buy him when he is very young.  (Unfortunately we do not know their age when we buy them at the Pet Store which is why some bettas die two or three years after we have bought them.
He's an intelligent little fish, and should be treated with kindness.
Too many vendors know nothing about the betta, and don't care...so don't give good information on how to keep them.
They are there to sell, and will say anything just to make a buck.  They send you home with your bought betta, telling you a small bowl is perfect, and bloodworms!  The poor customer thinks he has everything he/she needs, and then the fish gets sick, money is spent to cure him, and eventually the fish dies.   
This turns my stomach over.  Unfortunately there are no laws to protect fish.  
Bettas kept in small bowls, one gallon tanks, and vases, will get sick, and are very hard to cure in such little water.  They end up dying, and
that hurts the person who has grown so attached to them.  They don't deserve to be treated this way.
This is how a Betta should be treated.  If treated this way, you will have your friend for a long long time.  I have bred them, love them, and know what is good for them.
I'm sorry for your betta, but I cannot help you more.
I hope this helps, and if you have more questions, please write me again.
Lynda