My Fish isnt eating

Question
Hi Brit;

I have bought a Betta Fish from the fish store, i brought him home and immediately put him into his 1/2 gallon tank. I fed him Betta Fish Pellets, and he immediately put one in his mouth but then spit it out almost instantly. Ive kept trying to feed the fish, but he hasn't eaten at all since that first situation. I've had him for 6 days now and he has not eaten. Why is he not eating? Could he be just adapting to his new environment? or Could he be eating the food that has dropped to the bottom of the tank?

Answer
Hello Liam,
Well, first of all you want to make sure that you are not overfeeding him, especially in such a small tank.
The best thing to do is get him a larger tank - I recommend two gallons at least for any fish - and watch how much you feed him. When you put in pellets, stick around and watch to see if he is eating or not. If you notice that your fish is visibly thinner, chances are he has not been eating.
Try crushing his pellets into smaller pieces before feeding, and see if he will eat those. You might also try to coax him into eating by feeding him a few bloodworms.
It can take a little while for him to get used to his new home, so he may be shy for a while.