Two questions.

First, do bettas have teeth? Parents bought pellets when they bought Ruby, but they were for Sapphire and I've always fed Kaiba and Goku with bettamin, so when I saw Sapphire "chewing" (or, at least, it looked like he was) and I even heard a small crunching sound! Is that normal or does it mean the pellets are too hard and I need to soak them, or something? They absorb the water as soon as they touch it, I noticed, because first it sits on top of the water then it sinks to barely floating. I'm not sure if they'd sink, but Sapphire loves them so much he eats them before I get a chance to see. O_o (Unlike Kaiba. He just pouted at me.)

Secondly, how large is the betta digestive system? Sapphire's the size of a typical pet store fish (now, he'll grow), and since I found out that the butthole (for lack of betta word - sorry, horrible pun!) is actually near the front of his body (I thought his intestines were coming out, but he was acting perfectly normal, unlike most people who get holes in their stomachs) I'm wondering whether I'm overfeeding him. I feed him three balance pellets a day, (about two millimetres or something long), so I'm wondering whether that's a bit much, or if it's too little, because he attacks the pellets as if he's starving. O_o Then he crunches.

Thanks.

A betta's stomach is about the size of his eye. I give my big betta 2 pellets 2 times a day, my tiny guy gets 1 pellet 2 times a day.

I *think* bettas are like goldfish in that they have teeth in their throat... but I am not 100% sure.

Seems like they do have teeth...I just found this....

Every time I look closely at a betta’s face, I think of bulldogs. Of course bettas are prettier, but still, their jaw is proportionally just as impressive. The lower jaw is powerful and will shred any live worms, mosquito larva, brine shrimp, etc… The mouth is perfectly designed and positioned to devour as well as to blow bubbles, which, as you all know by now, is two of Mr. Betta’s favorite pass times. Bettas are voracious and if you ever try to stick your whole arm in a 60 gal tank filled with adult bettas, you will know just what I mean. AOUTCH!!!! Those guys keep biting the inside of my arm and it hurts! Like needles. Used to make it hard for me to care for my live plants. I have nicknamed them “my little piranhas” hehehehe. The same jaws can do wonders on another betta’s fins. One of my females once SHREDDED a gorgeous DT male to the point where he had no fins left. He looked like a female!! I was told by the Animal Planet crew that proprotionally, bettas had bigger and stronger jaws than... JAWS himself. Watch out great white sharks, here comes the bettas! It's a good thing bettas are small, cause on a larger scale they would be quite a handful! The might is lined with pointy teeth that work kinda like a paper shredder: CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP. When bettas latch on to each other's fins they do not let go. Actually the fins will tear and the aggressor usually leaves the scene with a nice chunk of fin in his mouth, which he then proceeds to promptly gobble up (remember what I said? Fighting and eating are their favorite pass times LOL).

But there is more to the mouth than meet the eyes. Beyond that intimidating row of sharp teeth, lays a warm, safe place for the fry. For the bettas will carry their young inside that same mouth formerly used to chew up their food and rivals. How such an aggressive fighter can be such a gentle parent is always a sort of amazement to me. How can a male catch his falling fry in his mouth and then gently take them back to the nest and spit them out, alive and well, without harming them? Ahhhhh... The wonders of mother nature. What's most, how come the fry don't get stuck between his teeth? I always wondered about that, until the day I caught a betta (late at night) discretely flossing ;P. Because bettas floss on a regular basis, they never get cavities. Hence you will not have to worry about ever having to take your betta to the dentist LOL. So bettas are a low maintenance pet. (I think I need a vacation)...


Betta Talk

Wow that was really interesting!!!

Flossing?? What do you mean?

Kissy,I didn't write that...just found it Check out the link!

Ohhhh... The last sentence:

"OK so maybe the part about flossing was not exactly true, but everything else up and until that point is. I promise ."

Silly Faith :rolleyes She had me goin' there for a minute!

You mean your bettas have never bitten you?

I get bitten every day. My mad plakat girls even jump out of the tank to bite my fingers! It doesn't really hurt tho. More like sandpaper scratches.

Orchard's my first betta that bites. It tickles more than anything really. My tetras jump out of the water and bite my fingers too..but they have much littler mouths

The bettas we have had have never bitten us. Sure, Goku flared up at me when I had a towel on my head and Kaiba would when he made a bubble nest, but that's the limit with these guys.

Their stomachs are as big as their eyes? The pellets are as big as Sapphire's eyes! And I give him three a day, all at the same time! O_o

Would one every morning and afternoon be OK?

haha.. funneh story.. i was looking in to sids tank from above just to see how clear the water was (as the tanks so scratched up it always looks cloudy) and i was just looking at the water not taking much notice of sid.... and he jumped out the water and bit my nose .. it hurt

lol! Lucy!

HA! That is too funny Lucy!

PitchBlack - I would slowly reduce the amount of food you give him. Give him 2 for a couple days, then 1 in the AM and 1 in the PM. Don't want him to get grumpy from missing food! LOL!

I gave him just two a few days ago - 1 in the AM and 1 in the PM - and he devoured them so fast. O_o

He's really fond of those pellets.

He doesn't get grumpy either.

I gave him a toy dolphin that I put just beside his tank, and he hides behind it. O_o I think I should buy him a big enough ornament to use as a hiding-place.

Yeah bettas love to hide. A floppy silk plant would be just fine, you don't need something gigantic.

Thanks! ^.^