Betta bloated-

Question
 I have a betta that I bought in 02-06..I've never had any problems, always healthy  and eating..he's in a 1 gal tank, alone..Thursday, after I changed his water, he was gasping for air, and I noticed that he looked bloated.his breathing has quieted down, but he just comes up for air, and nothing else..after looking on different sites, I think he is constipated..didn't give him food yesterday, but now I don't know when to feed again, and what else I can do to help him..his name is spooky!  Please help to bring him back to normal, hopefully.  his norman diet is those small pellets-five a day..  

Answer
Hi Marjorie,
If Spooky is constipated you can sometimes help him out by giving him a small piece of cooked green pea. Slightly heat it and peel it. Then take a small piece and either feed it to him on the end of a toothpick or if that doesn't work just drop a small piece in his tank. Look for any  poop and notice if he seems to not be quite as bloated. If he has improved then only feed him lightly and not as much as you have in the past so he can recover. Sometimes bettas can get constipated from eating either too much of the wrong foods or just eating too much in general. Supposedly, their stomachs are the size of their eye which means they really can't afford to eat too much without causing a problem. Try the pea and see how he does the next few days. If there is no improvement then maybe there is some other problem.  Also, be sure to keep his tank really clean and warm especially now when he isn't feeling well.
Hope this helps,
Karen