Female crowntail betta?

[pipman23]

Hi, I just got a female crowntail about 3 weeks ago, and the only thing she will eat are blanched peas, I know this is not good because they are carnivores. I give my bettas blanched peas once a week to prevent constipation (all my bettas love blanched peas), but it's all she will eat. She spits the pellets out, I've even tried bloodworms and brine shrimp, she ignores them or spits them out, what should I do? I tried fasting her for 3 days and she still wants peas, I'm about to give up and just feed her peas, so she won't be so skinny, please help or give me advise, thanks!

[BettaLu&Meg]

the variety your giving is good. variety of betta foods also prevents swimbladder disorder. But she has to get the nurtition from the other foods! Bettas can go without eating for up to a month so don't worry about them not eating for a little while! Another thing is that you also need to purchase flakes for them. Betta flakes and pellets are essentials for giving them all the nutrition bettas need, from color enhancers to protien.
Now pellets should be pre-soaked before giving it to them! pellets are naturally hard and are hard to chew for the bettas so softening them is a good thing to do. It also puts hydration back in the pellets and isn't harsh in there stomachs as it would be it they were still hard! hikari is a good brand to use, breeders like myself use it and swear by it! hikariusa.com is a good site to research it. Now you should fast for female for a little bit and feed the flakes, don't worry she will eventually eat the right food, Keep in your head, that they would rather eat then not, so keep trying and STAY AWAY FROM SAME FOOD FEEDING!
Now remember any food that they don't eat after 5 minutes remove, leaving food in thats not consumed can lead to bacteria blooms, poor water quality, over feeding.
3-4pellets each feeding, and a pinch of flake food. 2x a day they should be feed and one or the other.
Also Bloodworms, brine shrimp, krill etc. are snacks for your betta and are not set food diets for them! these should be given once and while! and not regularly!

[bettalvr]

HI Pipman, like Luis said, they would rather eat than not eat so be patient and keep offering different foods. I don't know where you purchased your betta, but pet shops very often do not feed their fish (it helps reduce cleaning!!! Lazy jerks!) and if they do it's probably inferior food for these guys. I have seen bettas come in from suppliers so hungry they would have eaten my fingers had I left them in the tank with the fish! LOL On the other hand, I have seen them so stressed that they would not eat for a long time. When ours first come in (all our tanks are treated weekly with preventative meds - usually Melafix or Bettafix) and lighting is very low for new arrivals to reduce stress. Good luck with your girl and keep us posted.

[BettaLu&Meg]

Definitly keep us posted!