Betta hasnt eaten in 11 days.....PLEASE HELP!

Question
I got a male betta from Walmart on July 7, 2006 and have had him for 11 days and I have never seen him eat. I got him the same food they were feeding him and he'd put it in his mouth and then spit it back out. Then I went and got him some freeze dried bloodworms and he does the same to those. He'll only try it once and then let his food fall to the bottom. He looks healthy and his color is still bright and he swims around alot, but he doesn't make bubbles other then to just go to the top to get air.

I keep him in a one gallon tank made for betta's and it has a air filter in it. I use only spring water and keep it at room temp since the tank isn't big enough for a heater. I change 20% of his water once a week and add 1/2 teaspoon of aquarium salt at each change.

Is it possible that he's eating the food off the gravel? How can I get him to eat? I'm worried that he's not eating and that I'll lose him soon. Any help you can give me would be great!


Thanks!

Answer
Hello Michelle-

Sounds like you're going to be a great betta mommy. You're doing everything right, no worries!

The thing about bettas is they are incredibly picky and very sensitive. If their habitat changes, they usually won't eat for a few weeks. But, in the wild, bettas can go a month without food, so your little one won't starve. At the end of the second week, your little guy should start swallowing some of the food. If you're really worried, you can try seasoning his food with garlic powder - this is an appetite stimulant for bettas.

Also, when he leaves leftovers on the gravel, you should pick them out as they will rot and cloud up the water. Not to mention create excess ammonia which may make him sick. You can use the old straw-suction trick kids do at fancy restaurants to lift it out and throw it away. :)

Hope this is useful!
-Amber Worman