He so smart!!!

[Cheart99]

My new betta I got is so smart. He knows when he is going to be feed. He comes up to the glass and does this little wiggle dance with his head. Then he stares at me until i feed him. Also when i do he then waits in the same spot until i give him the next pellet. Also he follows my hand up to where i am going to drop the pellet. He even keeps starting at the surface of the water thining im going to keep feeding him. Even hours after i feed him he keeps checking the area that i feed him for food. This guy is so spunky, alive and healthy it was so worth the $10.43 for him from that pet store. He has even started to build a bubble nest right in the middle of the tank.

[Rachel]

They're fun once you start getting a feel for their personality, aren't they? My guys do the feed me dance all the time as well, with one of them devoting most of his day to it. He'll do it for a while to try to get my attention, then every once in a while he'll stop and turn his head to look up at the surface to see if it's working. It's really cute.

I'm glad to hear your new guy seems to be doing well.

[Splashes]

Mine does the feed-me-dance too! Aren't they cute? I'm so glad your new fish is healthy and happy.

[Cheart99]

What kind of dance does your betta do?

[Splashes]

When he sees me, he does a dance where he flips his head side to side, kind of curling himself into a C one way then the next. Silly guy! Yesterday and today, he's been working on his biggest bubble nest ever! I feel bad because I need to do a water change...I don't want to ruin his big nest.

[Cheart99]

That is the same thing that mine does. Head goes back and forth across the whole tank. HUm i wondering if that is the "feed me dance" that all bettas do?

[Ally]

he sounds exactly like my guy. he was only $3 tho - maybe that's what's wrong with him? lol...

[athene121]

My do the same thing too!!
They learned the sound that I made before I gave them the pellet.

[Bettaman]

That dance you are all describing can also be associated with him/her being happy to see you or wanting to play with you. My Bettas play with me so much that two of them are more into playing than eating and it creates a problem because they'd rather play with me than eat so the only way I can get them to eat is to feed them and walk away. Those two have no interest in food when I'm around because all they want to do is play with me.

[finnigan]

how do you play with your bettas???
I'm curious because mine sits there and stares at me...I swear he's looking at me like "how you doin"...ha ha. My co workers think I'm crazy...because they'll catch me staring back at him, or looking at him from the top of his tank...

[Bettaman]

All of my Bettas have a different way of interacting and playing with me. The playing thing takes about 6 months to develop with them but if you give them daily quality time (more than just a 10 minute visit to the tank) they will get comfortable enough with you to let you touch them, play tag with your fingers, and swim around your hand. One of my females will let me twirl her around in circles. Another female named Little Tracy will swim right into my hand and lie in my hand as I keep my hand in the water at the top of the tank. She is amazing as she will actually let me stroke the entire length of her body like you would pet a dog. She even comes when I call her though she usually comes running to me as soon as she sees me so it's hard to say she is responding to the calling. A few males like when I touch their tail or underbelly and then they get very excited when I do that and usually do a sorta swim dance (it may be a mating type of thing) and then rush back to my hand for me to repeat the touching thing. One male (he's gone now) named BABY would always want to play tag back and forth at the front of the tank having me chase him the legnth of the tank and then after I touch him he would chase me. BABY let me touch him and twirl him around from the first day I got him. He was an amazingly loving fish like Little Tracy. BABY would not go to bed at night unless he got to give me a good night interface where he would swim to me and wait for me to "touch him goodnight". Then he would immediately swim to his favorite sleep place and I would cover his tank with a towel to prevent room light from disturbing his sleep. My Betta Raggy would actually stare at me while I sit in the other room watching TV and as soon as he saw me get up from the recliner he would rush to the corner of the tank where we always play hoping I was coming to his tank to play with him. I call all of this stuff playing with me. One problem I have that hinders the bonding process is I have about seven 10 gallon tanks of which I usually have at least 5 active with a Betta in them and believe it or not they to compete for my time as though they get jealous when I'm at another Betta's tank instead of theirs.

It is important that you wash your hands each time before you ever touch your Bettas and don't use soap unless you can rinse it off completely. Bettas like quality time. By that I mean go and spend at least a 20 minute or longer session with your Betta each day. I have found that they tend to resent the quick 10 minute or less sessions with them because by then they are just getting really into the play session and loving it when suddenly you stop and walk away. I assure you they hate that. The longer sessions is how you really BOND with your Betta and once that bond is established he will love you and trust you totally and most but not all will then like the touching stuff. I must say that not all of my Bettas have got to the point where they are comforatable with me touching them to the point they look forward to it. But I'd say that 70% of them have reached this point. These pets are like any others in that the more attention you give them, the more they want it and the more they will trust you. Another important thing is repetition. If you go through the same routine every day they will learn it, expect it, and anticipate it. My Bettas will go to their favorite sleep place as soon as they see me with a towel in my hand because they know I'm about to cover their tank. So have fun with your Bettas and give them lots of love because they will return that love 10 fold.

[kimberly]

Bettaman,
Its sounds like you have so much fun with your bettas! I have one question though. How are you putting your hands in the water with a heater running? Im guessing yours is not submersible. I would love to be able to play with my little guy like that but I dont want albert einstein hair. LOL

[Bettaman]

It's safe to put your hand in the water with a submersable heater or any heater that goes in the tank so long as the glass of the heater is not cracked. Anything that would harm a human from a defective or damaged heater would do twice as much harm to a fish. I even stick my hand in the tank and adjust the heater position while it is on. It won't hurt you so dig in and have some fun. The important thing is ALWAYS wash your hands before you stick them in the tank. You could carry germs that a fish is not designed to fight.

[spyker]

Rachel said:

They're fun once you start getting a feel for their personality, aren't they? My guys do the feed me dance all the time as well, with one of them devoting most of his day to it. He'll do it for a while to try to get my attention, then every once in a while he'll stop and turn his head to look up at the surface to see if it's working. It's really cute.

I'm glad to hear your new guy seems to be doing well.

hehe... my CT does the same as well.
a little dancing, prancing & twisting... then look up.
often, he would also flare @ me & do a couple of mouth snaps. as tho' he's telling me: "where's my food? gimme gimme!!".

wat an amusing guy. ;D

[dorei]

My Betta I have had now for 2 months, and he always looks at me and then swimms in circles around his tank as fast as he can. its really cute.