Why is my betta fish avoiding me?
One of the common reasons behind the unusual behavior of the betta fish is that they have a health problem.
Why is my betta fish avoiding me? Fish start reacting to their surroundings when they feel unsafe. Betta fish need lots of hiding places to keep them calm. Fish would try avoiding you when they are afraid of something.
Table of Contents
- Why is my betta afraid of me?
- How do I get my betta to like me?
- Here are some of the tips to make your betta fish like you
- Do betta fish get mad at their owners?
- Why is my betta scared of my finger?
Why is my betta afraid of me?
Betta fish try to find a secure place in the water. Unavailability of safe sites such as plants, rocks, and other naturally found hiding places in the tank would make them anxious about the surrounding.
Moreover, in their natural habitat, betta fish are easy targets for predators in the open water. Hence, the fish try to avoid being in the open water.
In the tank, they cannot go beyond the limited place provided in the tank. If the tank doesn’t have a good hiding place, the betta fish will generate stress and anxiety. They will feel predators can detect them and eat them in the open water.
The unusual behavior can be detectable when you keep the fish in the tank. The most common activity that you will observe in the betta fish is they start swimming very fast. Also, react immediately when they hear any sound or see any person moving in front of the tank’s glass.
Stress Bettas
Another reason is something in the water causing them to stress out. Betta has developed a fear of everything happening around them. Because of that, they react unusually to their owner’s activities as well.
When you try to reach them out for feeding them or even try to show a friendly gesture, they will react to it as something will happen to them. Observe the change in the water, check the pH level, control the temperatures, and try to see if the fish has gone through any health problems.
When the fish is in pain, they become more conscious about the surrounding. This is because they feel pain in their bodies, focusing on their health instead of everything else. As a result, the fish will ignore you and even stop eating the food.
How do I get my betta to like me?
Betta fish are known for their long colorful tail and friendly nature. The fish keeper will develop a close bond with the betta fish as the days pass. Betta fish show their empathy to the person who feeds them regularly.
It will have a sense of reality when the person comes close to the tank and offer them delicious food. The trust the fish will build with the person who feeds them will last longer.
Fish are very loyal to their caretaker, and they will respond to your activities. Fish also develop awareness about the activities happening around them. As you start interacting with the betta fish, they will recognize a pattern and follow the repeated actions as you perform them.
Betta fish react to natural signs
That’s why when you feed the betta fish, and they will recognize how you put the food inside the tank, your hand movement, and any vibration or sound you make while pouring the food into the tank is noticed by the fish.
So next time you reach the fish tank to feed your fish, they will immediately come to the place where they generally get the food.
Like any other living species globally, the betta fish also react to natural signs such as hand movement, eye contact, sound, light, and vibration. Therefore, if you are willing to build a strong connection between the betta fish, you can use gestures to communicate with the betta fish.
Here are some of the tips to make your betta fish like you
1) Place the fish tank near your working area or the desktop pc. Give direct visibility to fish so that they can see you all the time.
2) Use hand movement such as touching the fingers on the fish tank glass and making your betta fish follow it. Every time the fish follow the instructions, feed them their favorite food. The food will become a motivation for the betta fish.
3) Create the hiding place for the betta in the different areas in the tank and allow the betta to use them to hide. Betta love to find a hiding place where they can stay secure.
Therefore, ensure that you change the hiding place, so they will have a chance to see them in the other corner of the tank.
4) Use the vibration to alert the betta about your presence. You can either use the finger to create a vibration on the tank. Then, repeat the vibration in the standard pattern.
Betta fish are smart in detecting the patterns in the vibration. Follow the process for a few weeks until the fish become aware of the vibration pattern and react.
Do betta fish get mad at their owners?
Betta fish are not like the pet you have in the home, such as cats and dogs. They might have a sense of your presence, but they might not be emotionally bond with you like the pets.
However, the fish will bond with the owner over time as they recognize the person taking care of their needs and feed them regularly.
So the betta fish is always neutral when it comes to getting happy or mad at their owners. They react to the water condition and develop stress.
Why is my betta scared of my finger?
Betta fish which is not familiar with the environment would have trouble knowing what is happening around them. The betta fish find the fingers as the predator and react to it instantly.
They might feel afraid of the finger and start moving away until they become comfortable with their owners.
The fish may take a few days or weeks to know their owners. So when you see the fish try to avoid you or run away when they visit, use the food as the motivation to get them near you.
Sprinkle some food near your finger and let the fish develop a friendly gesture that makes them comfortable. Please do not make any noise when you feed them. Let the fish see you as the caretaker. Betta fish will appreciate your efforts and build a strong bond with you.
Related Article :-
https://www.tinyfishtank.com/can-rainbowfish-live-with-a-betta/
https://www.tinyfishtank.com/are-0-nitrates-okay-for-a-betta-fish/
https://www.tinyfishtank.com/why-is-male-betta-not-building-a-nest/
https://www.tinyfishtank.com/why-is-my-betta-fry-growing-so-slow/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938407003125
