Betta cant flair

Question
My Betta, Big Red can only flair on the left side. His right flair (don't know what that fin is called) seems to be jammed in his jaw--it never comes out. It used to but it hasn't come out in months now. Is there anything I can do?

Answer
Hi Paula,
I'm sorry for the delay. The best I can figure out about Big Red is he might have injured his right gill cover sometime in the past. How does his non-working gill cover look? Does it look injured or in anyway different from the other normal gill cover? It's best to have as much info as possible because as you know, without actually seeing Big Red, this makes it very difficult to diagnose or identify a illness or problem.

What kind of ornaments does Big Red have in his bowl/tank? How often is the water changed? How big is his bowl/tank? Has he ever been living with other fish?

I am with you completely on this in trying to figure out Big Red's problem. If you could answer those questions, it will further help narrow down any possible causes to his flaring problem.

Again, thank you so much for your patience and I really am looking forword to hearing from you again soon!

Karen~
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Dear Paula,
I have seen other bettas that can only flare on one side. I have yet to find out what causes this but I will be researching it as much as possible. My best guess is perhaps some genetic deformity..But I'm not sure.

I will try my best to help you and Big Red. I'll get back to you ASAP.
Thanks for your patience!

Best wishes,
Karen~