Caring for Betta Fish while on Vacation

We will be going away for a week and do not have anyone who can feed our Betta. Any suggestions? We have thought about automatic feeders, etc. but have not found anything that we think would work. We asked several Pet stores. One said the Betta could last much longer without food. Another said he would not leave the Betta more than 3 or 4 days without food.

Thanks for the help!

I've left my fish for two weeks before and they were fine. I feed them a couple of times a day for about a week before I leave to give them a little extra fat reserve. (When books talk about overfeeding, they are talking about large amounts at one time that leaves uneaten food on the bottom to rot.)
Since you are talking about only one fish, I'm wondering what kind of container you are keeping it in. A lot of people keep one fish in a small goldfish bowl or large goblet. Even though bettas can "breath" some air, they still need oxygen in the water. If the container is too small they will use up the oxygen. I would worry about that more than the lack of food.
You could always use a vacation feeder. It's a large tablet like object that slowly dissolves to expose food. They also have week end feeders which are supposed to last three days and may suit your needs better.

I buy a long term feeder and break a piece off of it and put it in our beta tank, and it does fine. When I return home though, I change the water as it gunks up the water a bit.

Thanks!

We really do want to take care of the little guy. He has so much personality.
Thanks for the input!

I cannot believe that no one will take care of your fish for you while you are away! How hard is it to feed a fish??? Maybe clean the bowl once or twice? If ya live in Jersey, I'll take care of him for ya

Ditto to what Arlene said. We live in CT and each of my daughters have a beta. They are so easy to care for...you should be able to just bring the bowl over to a neighbor's...but if you live near me, bring it on over!

Sharon

O.K., you have New Jersey & Conn. on the list, I will add my feeding service on Long Island.

OK, I'll round out the tri-state area also, as I live in Dutchess Cty, NY, so if you are close to me, bring the little fellow over and I'll care for him.

Thanks for the offers!

Sorry, but you all are a little too far away from North Carolina. I appreciate the offers anyway.

My daughter is in Wilmington NC & she just got into the fish scene & loves it. Let me know if she is near you. She would surely do it because of the personality thing. She has a blue that hides behind a rock until she comes in & calls him & then he comes right to the top. Of course Pavlov Dog theory, He does get fed right after that.

Seriously, we've dropped our beta in his bowl with a neighbor....and it doesn't even have to be a really "close" neighbor. The buggers are no trouble!

No weekend feeders will work with a beta. They are picky eaters. You can get an automatic feeder at Walmart for about $10 and try it out at the lowest setting, but it will probably be too much food for one beta. They dump food in every 12 hours, but the amount of food can vary.

When I had betas, I left them at home in separate 10 gallon or larger aquariums and my sister came to feed them daily. In a bowl, you'll need someone to do water changes and feedings.

I've seen people take their betas to work and ask someone there to care for their beta while they were gone on vacation.

Whatever you do, there is always chance that your beta will die while you are gone so you have to be ready for that. If it's just a $2.99 beta from the local pet store, then it won't be hard to replace. Good luck with your fish.