# entertaining your bettas?



## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

I'm not exactly sure where to put this topic. I was wondering something and maybe y'all can offer insight.

It's obvious to me that my betta boys are intelligent in some capacity - at least, they seem to be. They also seem to have wonderful personalities. I'm gone for long hours and I want to keep them from getting bored. I have 2 in a divided 10 gal and 1 in a 10 gal by himself.

Does anyone have any ideas for entertaining your bettas and keeping them busy? I don't know if I'm projecting human emotions or personalities onto them, but I am very attached and want them to stay happy and active. Thanks!


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## Cassandra90 (Aug 16, 2010)

Ping Pong balls, try different colors. I have found my male betta likes to push it around in his tank.


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## binumee (Sep 17, 2010)

Don't try anything new becoz - ur tank have already 2 bettas so no problem they will play and be happy.


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## wystearya (Sep 27, 2010)

Cassandra90 said:


> Ping Pong balls, try different colors. I have found my male betta likes to push it around in his tank.


 
What a neat idea! Once my boy is completely comfortable in his new home I'll have to try that. 

I've also read that a mirror up to the tank gives them something to do. But don't sit it there for a long time, like 5 minutes max.


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

Hee hee. Ping pong balls - that's a great idea!


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## DragonFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Lol, bettas are smart little buggers, and they do seem to like having something to keep them busy and enjoy a little interaction with their owners(I've found ;P). Aren't they such fun little guys? xD

None of mine ever took the the ping pong ball...xD I tried, they either freaked out or ignored it ;P Haha, perhaps I should try different colors...

You can also get some 'backup' decorations and plants...switch them out and around every week or so when you preform water changes, gives them something new to explore.  You can also place different little things around their tank for them to flare and stare at xD Its quite amusing. 
Oh! And theres always the little floating betta mirror and betta log....those are pretty neat


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

Hmm... very good ideas. I'm getting inspired!


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## Posaune (Sep 17, 2010)

I'll have to try that pingpong idea, though my betta's ignore the fake lilly pad floating on top. I have to agree completely that betta's are smarter than we think and they can have personality (per se)


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## Capricorn (Sep 4, 2010)

Nettle used to flare at his pingpong ball, but now he only follows it if I push it around his tank... such a bum. xD


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## ashleyy (Sep 10, 2010)

I feed my betta with a tooth pick and for a few minutes I'll dangle the tooth pick in the water and move it around for him to chase. Exercise I suppose. I read a study (I'll try to find it) where bettas who exercised lived on average 2 years longer than bettas that didnt have a form of exercise. I don't know. Can't hurt em.


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## JKfish (Apr 8, 2010)

Placing things around your tank is really fun, especially when they react to the oddest things. When Puffy was in his 1/2 gallon before the 10 gallon, I used to place things all around him... everything from toy dinosaurs to marbles. Of all the things I put next to his unacceptable tank, he decided to become infatuated by... get this... a linkin log. The most boringly shaped dull brown thing next to his tank led to hours of amusement. He would try to swim through the glass to get to it, and after a while would just sit buy it watching it. When I moved it to the other side of the tank, he would follow it and hang by it over there.  what can I say, bettas are.... interesting little fishies.


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## Posaune (Sep 17, 2010)

lol, that's funny! My betta loves his Buddha head and terrorizing the shrimps (since he can't get to the new guy, gotta take out his anger on SOMEthing)


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

I heard alot of people talking about how much their bettas loved a 'floating betta log' by Zoomed. So I bought one for Abacus, and he adores it! He is always playing with it and when he is doing something else he will look back at it loving to make sure it is still there. When I clean his tank and take it out he gets very upset. It costs like $8 but well worth it, I am saving up to by my other bettas one.


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## shinybetta (Jul 3, 2010)

My brothers male, who is now sick (read my other thread), loves hanging out behind the heater.


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## Feral (Sep 19, 2010)

I bought a 6" bubble stone to try in my senior Bettas oversize bowl and it just freaked him out. My new cello just thinks it's the neatest thing in the world when I turn it on though- he glides into the bubbles and stays there wriggling like crazy. I could swear I hear giggles :shock:


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

Abacus also loves to catch the bubbles that come from the filter when the water falls down, he first looks at them angerly then slowly stalks them and then pounces! He does that all the time, it is the cutest thing to watch.


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## BettaBuddi1221 (Jul 21, 2010)

I will somtimes put a bamboo stick in the water and he loves it I will malso wet the end and put some food flakes on it and he loves it.


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## Malvolti (Nov 15, 2010)

Funny story. For the past few days my betta has been driving me nuts, he keeps swimming in verticle circles at the back of his tank all day. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why he was doing it, just all day up and down in these circles. Every few minutes he'd stop and stare out the side of his tank and then he'd go back to his circles. It's been making me feel seasick.:roll: 

So anyway, I was reading this and how people's bettas were flirting with things outside their tanks and I looked at my boy when I notice a colorful bottle sitting right where he was stoping to stare. I also remembered it's been there about as long as he's been acting this way. On a hunch I took the bottle away and put one of his fake plants that isn't currently in the tank in the bottle's place. :hmm:

Now he's stopped the circles for the most part, he does the odd one and then goes to the side then swims all over the tank looking for his girlfriend. I don't have the heart to tell him it was a bottle of water conditioner. :lol:


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

I made a sort of 'Betta Kong' one day while I was playing with one of my boys. I stuck a tiny pinch of flakes to the inside of the container lid and let it float around in the tank. He spent a good hour underneath it trying to get all the flakes off. 

Sometimes I'll use the handle of my fish net for my fish to chase around, or chase them around with it. My boys don't really get riled up by being placed near each other. I got so excited because someone had built a bubble nest the other day but now he's decided it's not worth it. Even with a female in the divider over and a male in the tank next door. Lazy thing.


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## fredythefish (Nov 29, 2010)

I like to stick my face up to the glass (good or bad thing?) and make a funny face, he usually puffs up a little and then lets it go and I repeat that a couple times. Fredy sure does have an attitude though. If i get to close to the openning of the tank, he swims and hides under his colorful fake plant. And then pops back out.


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