# New betta likes being pet?



## Wed (Jun 3, 2009)

My mom just discovered yesturday that my new betta Triton likes to be pet. He goes to the top of the vase(treating him for fin rot) and for some reason my mom started petting him lol and he let her! he jus stays still while u pet him and sometimes even pushes against ur finger. lol 

while my new red one literally jumps out the water for his food. it scares me sometimes! lol anyone else have that problem? we tried petting him and my other red betta Ren but they didnt like to be pet lol


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

I wouldn't touch the fish often at all. You can rub off the slimy coat that protects them.
As far as the jumping, they jump! They can actually jump out of their tanks if you aren't careful.
You should put something that is breathable over the top to prevent the jumping.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Some will jump if you hold your hand over the water, especially if you are holding food. Some of mine do that.


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## Wed (Jun 3, 2009)

well i dont like touching them..it doesnt gross me out but it feels weird so i rather not haha and yeah whenever im getting ready to throw his pellets in is when he jumps.


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## fishyinpa (Dec 25, 2008)

Near the end Randy let me pet him. I didnt intentionally wanna pet him,but i put my finger in to see if he would move any and he floated towards my finger. My poor Randy.


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## Jazattackk (Jul 20, 2009)

My betta always goes to my hand and rubs against it when I'm cleaning the tank or something.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I think they will touch us because they are curious.


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

One of mine bites me. :-D It actually hurts! I don't try and let him bite me, but sometimes I'm cleaning his tank and he comes and hangs on my finger with his mouth!!


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## Vikki81207 (May 27, 2009)

Yeah I agree with Drama. Blue used to let me touch him. That's why he became my boyfriends favorite. lol. But he doesn't anymore. He flares at your fingers now because he's next to Aqua. Its cute.


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## Wed (Jun 3, 2009)

yea! my Ren bit me once thinking my finger was food! lol i was SO shocked it felt so funny. didnt really hurt i jus felt pressure and now i wont dare put my finger in his water lol


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## Blue Eternity (Jul 24, 2009)

Mr. Big jumps to get food and follows my finger. :] Osiris is starting to follow my finger around, but hes more of a loner haha.

My sister's betta bites if you have you hand over the water and there isn't food. Hes feisty!


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## Cerulean02 (Jul 12, 2009)

Yeah I was moving something in Noels tank and he ran into my hand haha so I accidentally pet him. I use a cheap paper coffee filter and a rubber band to cover my 1gallon vase, to keep them from jumping and to keep my cats from drinking his water. It's breathable and cheap to replace.


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## Wed (Jun 3, 2009)

he only jumps when he sees im getting ready to feed him tho. i think he recognizes the tupperware i keep it in haha.


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## Ilovemyshiny (Jun 14, 2009)

most of mine will jump for food and my guppies like to touch me. when im cleaning or rearagning the tank they lay on my hands, i have like 40 so they like swarm me. its soo cute.


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## Krys (Jul 28, 2009)

Horizon likes to be petted too, lol.


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## KP0707 (Jul 28, 2009)

you shouldnt put your hand in the water if it isnt clean you have acids and chemicals in your hand which can be harmful to the fish


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## neenjar (Jun 19, 2009)

Zeus like to bite my arm hairs when I'm rummaging around replanting plants I have uprooted during the vacuuming.


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## TianTian (Apr 14, 2009)

Tian-Tian isn't much of a nipper, but Taco will jump and nip any chance he gets!


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## Jynx (Jul 25, 2009)

When I had a male betta in a big critter keeper- I used to swirl the water at the top a little bit before mealtimes and he'd 'hunt' the moving food - hiding under his plant and sneaking up on it.


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## TRISHIESfishie (Nov 17, 2010)

There have been a few times I needed to put my hand in King's tank. King is savabge when it comes to his food so it scares me to be in the same water as him. My mom stands on the opposite side of the tank to where I am standing and moves the canister of pellets over the top on the tank (it's closed and no food is able to come our. Kings stalks the container and while he is stalking his dinner, I quickly do what I have to in the tank and then quickly back out again.


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## CrankyFish84 (Nov 5, 2010)

ALL my females nip me to no end lol Especially the blind one because she thinks I'm a giant bug...I try not 
to touch them bc of the slime coat buuttt sometimes they rub on me lol 
My hardest biter is DEXTER (named after a serial killer so it fits lol)...YES it definitely smarts & I try to drop his pellets as fast as I can!!! :twisted:


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## DazzleKitty (Nov 9, 2010)

I read at another forum I visit a while back that some bettas do like being petted. None of mine are brave enough to let me touch them. Only one of them is bold enough to nip my finger, but that's pretty rare too.


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## vaygirl (Sep 10, 2009)

Tango likes to bite me and he likes to rub on me too. I pet him now and then.

I put my hands in all my tanks all the time. I rinse them really well with plain water first most of the time but not always. If you have planted tanks, or pre-filter sponges/bags, you're always having to stick your hands in your tank. Plus when vacuuming, my hand goes in then too because my vacuum is short. Of course, I don't use moisturizer or anything like that. Just organic soap.


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## FuulieQ (Jan 10, 2010)

My fish avoids touching my hands if I have them in the water cleaning or moving things, but my frogs always swarm me and nip at my fingers.


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## Juneii (Nov 29, 2010)

Neptune jumps for his food (I keep the pellet on my finger with a bit of water) and he usually jumps and eats it from my finger. Sometimes when he's really angry he bites my finger, usually when I disturb him or when he's really hungry. Neptune doesn't mind being petted either, I pretend to chase him around his bowl and he swims circles around it before getting closer so I can pet him 
My friend's betta fishes are less jumpy and hides if a finger gets too close to them.


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

Slimy Coat - Fish secrete a mucoprotein protective slime coat that covers the scales and skin. This slime coat acts as a defense against invasion by bacterial, parasitic, and fungal pathogens. 

The slime coating contains enzymes and antibodies to fight infection. The slime coating acts as a shield against disease causing organisms in the fish's external environment. It also acts as a barrier to prevent loss of internal electrolytes and body fluids. 

*When even a small portion of the slime coating is removed, the fish will bleed electrolytes from its body into the surrounding water. 
*http://www.arkansasstripers.com/fish-slime-coat.htm

_If your mom wishes to stay interactive with your fish, just have her place her finger "still" and let the betta initiate whatever it feels like doing, nipping at her finger etc. As others have stated alongside the article above, do not "pet" the betta_


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

I don't remove my boys from the tanks unless I'm doing a 100% water change, so they are always very curious when I put my hands in the tanks to move things around. All of them but one try to twine between my fingers. Once Bravo swam into my curled fingers when I was lifting a plant and he rode my hand to the top of the water before swimming on out of the tunnel. It was like a hang 10 - wish I could have filmed that!


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## LikeDiscoSuperfly (Oct 18, 2010)

My betta doesnt want to be touched at all, but I had an oscar that LOVED to be pet, but only by me. He would rub all over my hand when I cleaned his tank.


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## ohstephyy (Aug 30, 2010)

Fred liked to be petted, I'm uploading a video of me petting him..I'll link when it's done.


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

I actually invite my Betta's to jump..I make them jump sometimes before I give them there food, cause they never jump. I sometime's leave the lid's off my tanks..the thing's are filled to the brink..and they do not jump.
My old Betta's did not jump also..I take that as a compliment cause I read somewhere that if they like where they live they will not jump.

In the wild a reason for them to jump is to go find better living conditions.

But all my Betta's past and present hate to be touched and I try not to touch them too much, except through the glass and even then some get scared.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

How come you revived an old thread...


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

Oh sorry..it was old?
If u mean me..soo sorry, I just went on this random thing and I didn't know.


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

Haha, it's fine, it happens to alot of us


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## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

u had me scared for a minute, I imagine I did something terribly bad *lol*
Thankx for forgiving me!!


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