# Playing with your betta



## Hirelena (Jun 19, 2009)

'ello everyone! 

I just want to say I love this community, everyone here seem so passionate about their little fishy friends and it just makes me so happy to read the posts ^^.

I have a little blue/black male betta named Aya who seems to like watching House lol. He has a pillow bottle top, and a small floating ring floating in his tank, and a couple of plants and a hiding place for him. I want to do more though to entertain him, so I was hoping to get some new ideas. 

So I wanted to ask a simple question, how do you play with your betta?


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## mfskarphedin (May 19, 2010)

My betta amuses himself with his pond snails, and I just watch. He flares at them, picks at them, and plays "snailsketball" with them on the surface. He also eats the eggs and babies - multipurpose little critters.


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## Hirelena (Jun 19, 2009)

Thats adorable <3

LOL except of course eating babies, but thats normal for bettas I guess. Hehe well sadly I dont have snails for him. But Im glad he amuses himself ^^


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## CodeRed (Jun 11, 2009)

FINGER CHASE! It is the game of the GODS. Every single one of my bettas love a good chase around the tank xD
Pingpong balls were suggested, but ending up being a dud. I like to set up multiple markers around the tank, so they're never bored with the colors xD Drives them nuts xD They mostly amuse themselves, though. Only two don't have a neighbor, so the rest just flare at each other all day long xD Good exercise. And it amuses me, too xD Little demon fish trying to get each other, blissfully unaware that in able to reach each other they'll need to transport through two walls of plastic and two lids xD Silly boys.


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## Beethoven (May 19, 2010)

I like to play finger chase of course, sometimes I chase him some times he chases me. I like to get real close to the bowl and see if he'll flare at me. If he does, I back off a little and then come back a few minutes later. It makes him feel like he's defended his territory. Sometimes he just runs to his plant though. He likes to play hide and seek. I'll turn the bowl around and he'll swim to the other side of his plants. haha. We have lots of fun. Sometimes he just watches me while I type a paper or something. He's on my desk so I guess we spend a lot of time together. =)


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## Hirelena (Jun 19, 2009)

Aw you guys all have nice little bonding methods ^^. 

I had another his wife next to him in a different tank, but I guess I put too much water in it, and she loved to jump and one day she jumped out *sad face*

So he cant 'flex' and flirt for her anymore, but I think thats about the time he started watching House with me. Lol but Ill keep doing the finger chases, because yes, he seems to love it. 

Hehe Ill also find some little scraps of color paper to tape to the outside of the tank and maybe Ill get a rise out of him. Thanks for the idea!


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## metalbetta (May 17, 2010)

Finger chase... Oh good times. 
Mine normally find ways to entertain themselves. Winston just got a new tank, with all new decor and everything, and spent most of last night flaring at every single brightly colored thing in there. I set up a bunch of shells. They were apparently invading his territory.

Nina has a big shell she plays hide-and-seek in... Sometimes when she's hanging out in her little hiding spot I'll go up to the tank, she'll notice the shadow and poke her little head out to see what's going on. and it'll be a back and forth thing for a while!

I haven't found out what my (newly found out) male PK likes to do, but I've got plenty of time to figure it out. For now, finger chase seems to work. As far as I've seen, flaring at anything and everything that moves makes him happy. He's an aggressive little guy!


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## Betta Slave (Dec 8, 2009)

My bettas love to play finger chase too <3 They are absolutely adorable!
My female has snails in her tank and likes to pry them off the glass and then carry them over to the other side of the tank and drop them. You can hear the snails slide across the glass when she pushes them! 
Also my bettas get really excited when I come in the room and start jumping out of the water. 
They also loved being stroked.


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## Jayy (Dec 23, 2009)

My bettas like to flare and chase pencils and my ones in the past loved buttons!!!!!


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## rachel1811 (Mar 13, 2010)

Po our new boy loves circuit training around his tank. Twists n turns thru the plants.......under the 1 by his caves.....in n out all 3 caves in succession......then lays on top of the filter n starts again. 

He doesnt flare at me but mum came to see our new addition n he doesnt like her much lol

Rx


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## TianTian (Apr 14, 2009)

Cinder is not too fond of finger chase. He tires of the game rather quickly and instead will play "hide-and-flare". 

1. See me coming
2. Run and hide behind his large leaves, behind the grassy plant, castle, etc. 
3. Wait two seconds, then DART OUT and FLARE at my finger
4. Repeat endlessly (or until I walk away).
5. Once game is finished, either strut around the tank or resume adding to bubblenest


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## cmndrJOE (May 8, 2010)

Seoul will chase my finger every once in a while, he does follow me around the tank tho.
Patch will wait for the focus flash on my camera, and when I actually snap the pic he'll hide.
Peel just blows bubbles and adds to his bubblenest all the time. He seems to get real excited when I walk up to the tank to check it out.... altho I think he just thinks I'm gonna feed him, cuz he's a pig.
My nameless boy uproots all of his live plants and pushes them around his tank
My nameless girl plays hide and go seek, but she doesn't have many places to hide, as i 've got the nameless couple in 1 gal critter keepers lol.


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## sjones (Apr 28, 2010)

Hirelena said:


> 'ello everyone!
> 
> I just want to say I love this community, everyone here seem so passionate about their little fishy friends and it just makes me so happy to read the posts ^^.
> 
> ...


What is the pillow bottle top????

I have noticed Clampy really likes to rest on things near the surface of the water, I got a great silk petco plant that is like a banana plant and has water lily type flat leaves that float near the surface, he loves to lie on these.

Also I am teaching him to jump for bloodworms.

I made him a cave but he never went in it so i got rid of it.

He does seem to like swimming through things though he swim through the heater that's stuck to the side.


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## a123andpoof (Apr 10, 2010)

My fish mostly entertain themselves. Haruna just swims around and checks out all her stuff, Keiichi is making a bubble nest first time yay! But he always comes to the front of his tank when he hears me coming, and Ryo I don't know about yet...


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## tumtum (May 10, 2010)

I didnt know Bettas liked finger chase haha I always feel a bit guilty when i do that, but now that I know......hhehe Im coming fishies!


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