INTRODUCTION: Bettas are portable pets. Just follow a few common sense rules and they should adjust to their new home fairly quickly. Even if it is hundreds of miles away.
Question: I'm from the Gulf Coast and will soon be relocating to North Dakota for my new job assignment. I'm planning to bring my true confidant with me. Nope it's not a girl or furry friend as you might have first thought, but a two and three quarters-inch dynamo. Who's got an unbelievable amount of chutzpah and more machismo crammed into the shimmering body of his than you could ever imagine. Which makes it hard not to admire him. Him being Prince, a stunning half-moon betta, who has been with me through thick and thin in the oil exploration business. Which is a good name for such a regal fish, don't you think?
Now I have to tell you that I kind of tend to kill everything - plants, hamsters, even sea monkeys. But not my buddy Prince. Still he has somewhat defied the odds as he unexpectedly found himself in the garbage disposal once when I was cleaning his bowel and he tried to jump for cover. My bad. But he shook that off and has enjoyed quite a robust and otherwise healthy life under my care.
Problem is it's going to be a really long drive. And I'm not sure if it's even safe to transport him for such long distance. Or if it is even reasonable to think I can and end up with him being alive and kicking at the other end. And if so, what do I have to do to make sure everything goes well. Should I feed him before we leave? Should I bring gallons of this water he's used to with us? Or will he die in a matter of hours inside the plastic bag? I don't want to lose Prince, but ready or not I'm leaving in a few weeks now. Help!
Answer: Wow that's quite a story of survival. With some good questions. So let's get you some answers. Because getting your little buddy ready for the long drive doesn't have to be massively stressful on Prince provided you take a few precautionary steps.
First, you don't have to over feed your fish before you leave. In fact you don't have to feed him any more at all. You see bettas can go for maybe two weeks without food. So your betta dying of hunger, literally, should be the least of your worries.
Next, call around and see if you can't find a local pet store that can pack him for travel for you. They will likely double bag him, fill it to the top with ater to cut down on sloshing, and shoot some extra oxygen in.
And it's not a bad idea to bring some of the water he's used to with you. But sooner or later he's going to have to adjust to local water conditions.
When you arrive set up his new home and float the bag like you would with any fish going into new surroundings. Expect him to be a bit shell shocked. And should you feed him and he doesn't attack his feast with gusto, no worries. Yeah, don't panic. Time is all Prince will need to adjust to his new surroundings.
Bottom line. You can take your fish with you. Just be sensible and don't let him roast or feeze and pretty much your betta should be fine. Nothing much to worry about really. Bettas are shipped around the world every day and land on the feet, errrr, fins most every time.
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