JD stopped eating pellets???

[seedubs1]

I don't get it. He's about 6-7" long, so not a juvenile.

I had been feeding him mainly on Omega One cichlid pellets. He'd eat about 10 or so a day. He never had any problem with them before.

I was giving him a freeze dried krill or frozen bloodworms every day or every other day for some treats.

All of a sudden he stops swallowing pellets. He takes them, leaves them in his mouth for a while.....Then spits them out.

He'll eat bloodworms and krill no problem. Crushes those. Goes nuts for them.

Did he just decide he doesn't like the pellets as much, so he doesnt eat them? I don't get it. Anyone else have this happen?

 

[knifegill]

Yes. He's outsmarted you. He knows he'll get the treats if he refuses to eat the pellets. Starve him completely for two or three days, then offer a pellet. If he eats it, you win. If not, try one pellet every day until he figures out. Whatever you do, avoid the treats until he's been eating pellets on a regular basis again. And even then, feed the good stuff only about once a week, and never with the pellets. JD's have extremely slow metabolisms and you can easily withhold food for two to three weeks without a problem.

 

[seedubs1]

Outsmarted by a fish.....I feel dumb.

You sound right, though. I was feeding him a few pellets and then feeding a shrimp or bloodworms as treats after when I decided to give him a treat. He must have figured out he can skip the pellets and just get the good stuff.