Peas, why'd it have to be peas?

[Racoon]

See how pretty my boy is?

Okay, it's not that my boy, Beta-1, is sick, but I was reading up about health issues just to learn about it.

I read that for constipation, you should feed him a bit of a cooked pea for a while.

Does it have to be peas? I hate peas. (Though, oddly, I do like Anderson's Split Pea Soup...) And as much as I love my boy, I just can't see buying a whole bag of peas just for him.

How about something we can both enjoy?

Is it bad to give him something else?

Romane? Finely chopped carrot? Corn? Edemame (soy beans)?

I was thinking about supplimenting his diet with Edemame to help prevent constipation and to add variety.

What do you all think?

[Rachel - old]

That's too bad that you hate peas! lol
While they are typically what is recommended, it is basically just for their fiber.
I would think perhaps you would want to go with another vegetable rich in fiber if you decide to take a different approach. I am not recommending a different course of action necessarily, but I know of some people that feed their bettas strange foods with no negative effects. I would just make sure whatever you choose is not too hard that the betta would not be able to digest it. That is why cooked peas are recommended because they are quite soft and won't expand too much more than they already are once they are eaten. Carrots and corn aren't especially packed full of fiber (that I'm aware of at least), so I might not try those.

I guess I don't really know what I would recommend, but I suppose you could give it a try if you'd like. I like to stick with the normal foods for fear that I would give my betta constipation from weird human food. Especially if you were trying to treat for constipation it may work against you. Just my opinion.. Let us know if you try anything.

[starlight]

Peas usually work if the betta will eat them. Not every betta will eat them but some seem to like them. There's a better chance of a betta eating a pea than a carrot. I buy a can of peas for .79, cut the skin off a few peas and put the rest in a baggie and freeze it until I need to use it.

Here's how I use them. Take pea, wash off salt and water. Place on paper plate and surgically remove skin with knife. Using a sharp knife, cut the pea into betta-sized bites. Don't make the pieces too big because if he misses it or doesn't like it...the pea will spoil the water quality faster than you can say. I hate peas. I let the betta-sized pea bits sit on the paper plate for a few minutes to absorb a little moisture; the pea stays together better. Gently drop in water, anything he doesn't eat including tiny pieces must be siphoned out immediately. I feed 2-3 small bites even if the betta wants more. Return to the scene of the crime and usually there's a present for you.

[Rielle]

Though I've never tried it myself, I heard that Avacoto does the same thing as peas. But before trying that I'd check with someone who knows more than I do.

[Jenny]

I haven't heard of using avocado, but it doesn't sound like it would be a good idea to me. Avocadoes are quite high in fat and very rich, and it seems that rich foods are one of the causes of constipation. Also I'd think they'd leave a nasty film on the surface of the water. I have used peas before and found they worked pretty well. I'm also not a huge fan of peas so what I did is take some out of a chinese stirfry, and kept them to use. I was a little worried that there might have been some seasoning in them, so I rinsed them really well, and also only used the very center of the pea. Now you've heard it all, a betta as an excuse to go out to a chinese food buffet.

Forgot to mention that I think your guy is really pretty. I love his colors.

[Racoon]

Thank you, I like his colors too!

I had a thought, but haven't had time to try it out.

At my local Whole Foods (an organic/health food super market) they have these snacks called "Just Peas".

And that's exactly what they are, freeze dried, organicly grown, peas. (Nothing added, hense the name.) So they'll probably keep nigh unto forever.

I'm thinking that I could crush one and drop apropreate size "pea crumbs" in at meal time.

They re-hidrate pretty quickly, and they don't seem to expand much when they do re-hidrate.

Can anybody think of a reason not to use them?

www.justtomatoes.com/html/product/peas1.html

Beta-1 is looking a little puffy, so I'm going to drop his meals to once a day and feed him "Just Peas". I'll post the results.

[Jenny]

I think these would be fine to feed your bettas. However, I would hydrate them in water first, not put them in the tank dry.

[Racoon]

Yeah, I wouldn't want them to expand in his little betta tummy and make him 'spode like a pigon at a wedding...



Beta-1 seems to like them quite a lot. But then he has yet not to eat what I put in his tank.

You still have to remove the skin, but all in all, I'd say it works.

[Rachel - old]

Glad to hear you came up with a solution!