How do I encourage my betta fish to eat healthy food?

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buick

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I've had a betta fish for a couple weeks now and I found out only a few days ago that they shouldn't be eating a steady diet of blood worms.

I'm putting proper betta fish pellets in there now, but he's refusing to eat them. I put blood worms in once a day just so he'll eat *something*. I'm hesitant to stop them entirely, as I'm not really sure he'll actually go to the pellets once hungry enough.

Any experts out there? Will he eventually eat them if hungry enough?

Please no advice about his environment. I've already done all the research on that and have set him up appropriately.

thanks!
bonus question: If I end up failing entirely at getting him to eat the pellets (or whatever alternative food you suggest), just how bad is it to have a steady diet of blood worms?
 
Stop the blood worms for now. Put in just a couple pellets and if they aren't eaten within 5 min net them back out. The best alternative to this would be a high quality flake food specified as a staple beta diet. Do the same with the flakes if you choose to use them. The fish WILL eat the pellets or flakes when he gets hungry enough. Then you can use the pellets/flakes as the staple diet (recommended) and use blood worms, brine shrimp, etc. as supplemental treats.
 
Well, it's good that you've done research on Beta fish, and hopefully are properly housing him in the right tank environment.

Your Beta fish should be eating his tropical pellets, as well as flakes. Buy both of those, as well as Beta flakes and Beta pellets. You can switch up his diet and put a small slice on cucumber, avocado or zucchini attached to a weight on the bottom of his tank to encourage him to eat something new.

However, Beta's are very picky eaters. Don't worry, Beta fish can go about a week and a half without eating before they begin to get sick and die. Keep the flakes/pellets in there but if they are still untouched, remove them after they start getting fuzzy at the bottom of the tank, just because you don't want them to contaminate your tank.

You could also switch it up and start feeding him frozen or live brine shrimp or meal worms. He'll start eating the pellets/flakes eventually.
 
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