# Do Bettas Recognize Us?



## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

So I had a friend over once, and she's interested enough to actually talk about my gang. I told her that Seren is very friendly and almost puppy-like, and that she's tolerant of fingers. In response to that, my friend dipped her finger in, and to my surprise Seren was like NOPE - as in swimming away avoiding the finger like a plague. But she still doesn't mind me touching her after my friend left. So... Does that mean she recognizes me/my finger?

Also: is it a bad idea to occasionally let guests pet your friendliest Bettas? I wouldn't let the same person touch Willow, for example, as that girl has different temperaments. Is it even a good idea to touch your fish at all? I find it funny how Seren just acts as if my finger is not there, but I do wonder if there's any chance of disease transmission. Or if it's just unsanitary in general. Please note: I haven't done any readings in this topic. Literally just came up in my head one second ago.


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## Tealight03 (Nov 15, 2014)

They definitely recognize us. I had left my mom in charge for a few days for a work trip and we were practicing feeding. Phil would not take a pellet from my mom. He went and hid behind a plant. I got in front and he came out and ate. The funny part was he was always happy to come out and talk to mom. Just didn't trust her to feed him I guess.


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## VeeDubs (Dec 17, 2015)

I think bettas recognize you as their meal ticket, your fish might recognize as something thats not going to eat them, but are wary of others.
I wouldn't suggest touching your fish (any fish). Even with clean hands. Obviously sometimes you have to touch them. I prefer to pick them up vs using a net. But you are rubbing their slime coat off, which isn't good for them, every time you touch them.


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

Aw  Okay. Didn't think of that somehow.


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## Aquastar (Jul 17, 2015)

I don't have 100% proof for this but after leaving my mom to feed my fish for a week (like 20 pellets a day) the fat grumpy foster was nicer after that...


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

I think they just see a blob moving across the room and go "foodfoodfood!!!" People are always commenting how the betta goes crazy when they walk into the room or come up close to the tank in "response to seeing their human." I have my tank in my room and after vegging for a couple hours on my bed and get up, my sleeping betta perks up at seeing movement in the room. I really don't think they can recognize you. Their processes are less sophisticated than higher order animals that can differentiate one human from another.


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## OUOhYeah2016 (Dec 9, 2015)

I definitely think they recognize us. When my boyfriend and his parents took care of Fawkes for a month or so he definitely behaved differently even though they became the people who were feeding him and doing his water changes. Fawkes never jumped in all the times I'd cupped him for a water change and when my boyfriend was doing one Fawkes jumped and ended up in the garbage disposal. Didn't trust him in the slightest I guess. I don't think they notice who is in the room specifically but I think closer contact things do have some recognition of who is caring for them.


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## RMKelly (Jan 17, 2016)

I think they do recognize us. Simply because Kaname would always love to come up to me, not just for food but to also play with. I used to pet Kaname when he was sick and he seemed to enjoy it, like it was comforting him. He had a thing in for my partner even though he did feed Kaname, Kaname would still flare at him and wouldn't want anything to do with him. 

Kirito is the same way, but he'll hide when my partner goes near the tank even though he feeds Kirito during lunch time as well.


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## NickAu (Sep 28, 2015)

> I wouldn't suggest touching your fish (any fish). Even with clean hands.


Tell that to this fish.
Video not my work


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

VeeDubs said:


> I think bettas recognize you as their meal ticket, your fish might recognize as something thats not going to eat them, but are wary of others.
> I wouldn't suggest touching your fish (any fish). Even with clean hands. Obviously sometimes you have to touch them. I prefer to pick them up vs using a net. But you are rubbing their slime coat off, which isn't good for them, every time you touch them.


I don't touch my bettas simply because I have no reason to, but handling fish is very common in the goldfish community! Not just for transport (which I do do with my bare hands) but also for photography and show. As a breeder I pick up my goldfish every day for photo purposes to track growth/development. As long as your hands are thoroughly moistened I see no problems with it.


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## kitkat67 (Mar 10, 2015)

Lol, I had parrots about a decade ago. They were cute little buggers. One of them would swim into our hands and be rocked near the surface of the water like a little baby. But fish can probably sense the changes, the little differences of someone else caring for them and a disruption in their routine probably disturbs them enough to make it seem like they are "missing" their owners. Especially if they are with people who aren't familiar with fish.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

My husband's betta female, Chiyome, lets my husband pet her and finger wiggle in front of her glass.. if i put my finger to her tank she will semi fare at me. She also knows that I give my husband the food he feeds her so she harasses me from the nearest point n her tank to my desk at feeding time (darts out and 'sasses'(moth open closing rapidly) me impatiently. She also knows when my husband is by my desk looking at my bettas and she gets noticeably grumpy-glares at him then won't respond to him when he comes back to her tank.
I had a boy that recently had to be put down, Magnus, that even though I was the one who fed him.. he preferred my husband's interactions more than me (that traitor!).
I have another boy, Alastor, who's tank is by the rocking chairs where guests usually sit when they visit. He doesn't care for finger wiggles on the glass from anyone but likes faces (and smooches) from everyone. He will try to get guests attention to get them to look at him, its quite cute.

So yes I believe they learn to recognize different people and will act differently around them (varying with each fish). As for if its ok to let guests pet/interact with fish, as long as their hands are clean and they are supervised I think its fine.


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## Kaxen (Mar 3, 2013)

Can't say my current bettas have particularly good visual acuity. >_<

I think they respond more to me flashing the lights on for breakfast than me in particular.


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## Engel (Jan 27, 2016)

My betta tanks are all by my computer, so I spend a large amount of time by them when I'm home. My newest boy hasn't warmed up to me too much, just enough for me to feed him, but the other two get excited and do their fish dance when I'm near them. If they notice me looking at them, they look back and dance around. Mostly just begging for food, but it's still nice lol.


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## SilviaAndScales (Jan 14, 2016)

Oh yeah I think they do. My favorite boy hardly ever flares at me but when my mom walks by he gets so angry at her. I have no clue why does this but I like to pretend he's being protective of me even if I know that's probably not the case.


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## trahana (Dec 28, 2015)

They recognize faces, my love me, no matter what color of clothes I wear. The don't mind my mom, are wary of my dad, and a few of them just hide from strangers. 
My baby betta and my king betta are both stranger friendly, but my two other adults are all 'stranger danger'.


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## Darius359au (Apr 12, 2014)

Pretty sure they can tell the difference between their human servants;-)
Bernard ,my old veiltail would spot me across our lounge room and come to the end of his tank closest to me and wiggle ,and when I moved across the room he'd follow - we tested it once ,I did the walk across the room and he followed ,we then swapped and the wife did it while I stayed out of sight and nada! but as soon as I appeared "boom" and full wiggle:lol::lol:

Pretty much the same with Spud my EE ,I have to pat him after I feed him and during the day or he'd spend the entire time wiggling at the front of his tank non-stop:shock: ,Wife try's to pat him and he swims away..


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

Fish actually have amazing eyesight so they don't just see "blobs" or just colors, they see everything. Their eyesight is way more advanced than ours. They can see clear across the room as well and all the details as well


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## Olivia27 (Nov 26, 2015)

That's a great info Lil! I'm writing a little story from Merah's point of view currently XD so every little detail helps to make the story more realistic. The project is pending now that the main character hasn't lived through any more events to be written about, but I'm excited to see the finished product.


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## lilnaugrim (Mar 27, 2013)

You can also look on Wikipedia and read about the color cones in their eyes (I believe they have four cones and we only have three IIRC) and see what colors they can see (I believe they have the addition of the ultraviolet light too).


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## Lilypad (Oct 15, 2014)

I totally believe they recognize people! My fish reacts similarly to me and another lady in the office (who feeds him whenever I'm on vacation) but reacts completely differently to other people in the office. He sees me and comes swimming to his "feeding spot" but hides behind a rock when other people come up.


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## VillagerSparky (Dec 1, 2015)

It took my boy a few weeks to a month to warm up to a friend of mine, who has agreed to look after him should I have an extended stay in hospital. I do find it amazing just how well a Betta, or most fish in fact can easily tell if there is something/someone new around.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

trahana said:


> My baby betta and my king betta are both stranger friendly, but my two other adults are all *'stranger danger'.*


That made me laugh, also reminded me of a story a friend told several years ago. They were at a semi fancy restaurant and a boy at the table next to them (maybe 4-6 years old) had to go to the bathroom. No-one from his table would take him so he finally went on his own after getting very wiggly. The path to the bathroom was by the front door. A man was coming in as the boy was heading past the front door to the bathroom, but he looked a little confused about getting there. The man was concerned about a kid running round on its own and said "Here there are you lost?" (or something similar). The child shouted at the top of his lungs (breaking the rather silent atmosphere) "Stranger danger!" and punched the man right in the genitals! Then ran for the bathroom. My friend burst out laughing but the family of the child was mortified.


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## Polkadot (Feb 10, 2013)

I definitely think they recognise us.All my bettas know me and come to the front when they see me and they do the wiggle dance,they all also react to whistling and clapping and seem to like it,as they act even more excited.

My bettas flare at my brother too (but not at me) so I am convinced they can recognise and tell the difference between people. They see me all the time and my family only occassionally,and I can see a difference between how much more outgoing they are with me than with my family members who aren't around them as much.


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## Tuck2012 (Mar 18, 2015)

Mine is interested in anybody who pays him attention, he is not a shy betta at all, I am certain however that he does know the difference between myself and my husband. He recognises I am to one to give him food and dances for my attention far more than he does for my husband who has never fed him.


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