Are Your Bettas Hand Fed?

[GuppyGoddess]

When I brought home my first betta, I decided to try hand feeding him, so I'd wet my finger and then stuck a pelet to the tip and place it right at the water line. Immediately he took the food. Now I put my finger about 1/8" above the water and he'll jump for it. Often he will miss, but then the pelet falls into the water and I point to it and he finds it.

My second betta (the female) was too small at the time to feed pelets, so I'd crush them into smaller pieces and stick those to my finger and immediately she became confident enough to eat from my finger, as well.

My third betta was SO shy when I first got him. When I put my finger near the tank, he'd flinch and run away. He wasn't feeling 100% when I brought him home, but after some care (aquarium salt, Quick Cure, and a heater), he's feeling wonderful. Now he also eats from my fingers.

Seems all three fish are in instinctual "hunting" mode and love the chase of attacking for the food.

All three are adorable. As I had mentioned in a thread a while back, it came as a surprise to me that when I was adding in decorations into the females tank that she kept nipping at my arm! lol I'm pretty sure she would eat me if I fit into her mouth!

Anyway, does anyone else hand feed their bettas?

 

[jasminekiddell]

My first ever betta my boy shimmer (Rip) was hand fed, he wasnt shy and was the best betta ive had because of his personalitly! Now i ahve another boy Alphie, and hes quite shy and doesnt do hand feeding. My girls are quite shy aswellb tu when i feed a bloodowrm cube i hold it and they all come pulling on it so, i guess there sort of hand fed. But with pellets and anything else they can get it there selves.
Your bettas sound interesting, like they've really gaiend your trust

 

[aly_starh]

When i go up to the tank, they always think i have food, its funnt
I just drop the pellets into the water as they come up and they eat them like nobody's business!

 

[shane87]

my fighte fish is lazy and if its not right infront of him and not been hld by anything he wont touch it....i had more luck handfeedin my angel fish

 

[ellena]

I tried hand feeding once and it scared me to death! I haven't tried again Doesn't it make it difficult to put your hand in the tank for any other reason?

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I tried hand feeding once and it scared me to death! I haven't tried again Doesn't it make it difficult to put your hand in the tank for any other reason?

Handfeeding them scared me at first, too. I actually JUMPED away the first few times my first betta leaped up at my finger tip. . .actually it took me a week to get use to it. . ..Yes, I'm more afraid of a 2.5" long fish than he is of me - an adult woman! lol And, yes, every time I put my hand in the tank, I risk being nipped. My fish are so curious. They have NO fear! Ugh, I've created monsters.

 

[Winterlily]

I handfeed most stuff, but not all. With pellets, I'll drag them across the surface so they chase, then drop it and they pounce. With everything else (bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, peas, etc) I feed one at a time and hold it in my fingers. They always come right up and get it. Some are gentler than others, but they never hurt!

Ellena - for me anyhow, I find that they know the difference between feeding time and hands in the tank for other stuff. Maybe because I feed at the surface only and anything else I do is actually in the tank. I dunno!

 

[GuppyGoddess]

I handfeed most stuff, but not all. With pellets, I'll drag them across the surface so they chase, then drop it and they pounce. With everything else (bloodworms, tubifex, brine shrimp, peas, etc) I feed one at a time and hold it in my fingers. They always come right up and get it. Some are gentler than others, but they never hurt!

Ellena - for me anyhow, I find that they know the difference between feeding time and hands in the tank for other stuff. Maybe because I feed at the surface only and anything else I do is actually in the tank. I dunno!

Mine may know the difference. . .I just think they're possibly a bit moody at times. lol

 

[Just_Another_One]

I'd love to hand feed my bettas but I cant help but be grossed out by the fact I'd have to touch those stinky slimey gross frozen bloodworms.

I haven't tried to hand feed a pellet. Im not sure how it would work because they are so small the bettas probly would just bite my fingers instead of pellet.

 

[Winterlily]

I'd love to hand feed my bettas but I cant help but be grossed out by the fact I'd have to touch those stinky slimey gross frozen bloodworms.

Definitely do not get tubifex worms then. They are seriously gross.

 

[razer121]

i can hand feed cloud, he cant get enough of jumping out the water for food!!

 

[Oscar Betta]

When i go up to the tank, they always think i have food, its funnt <img src="http/www.fishforums.net/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
I just drop the pellets into the water as they come up and they eat them like nobody's business! <img src="http/www.fishforums.net/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />

Same, lol.

 

[Assaye]

Most of mine will handfeed, but I'mm too lazy to do it most of the time. Since the girls died, Aurora has been really down in the dumps and not very sociable, so she's not been feeding from my hands.

 

[-Rob-]

my crown tail betta amazes me, ive had him 2 days , and he is roughly 3.5cm

he loves to feed off my finger, he also likes to jump up for food too. and follows my finger around , after i stop messin with him he seams to wait around at the surface asif he wants me to do more lol

the female in my other tank is a little shy tho.

heres lil vid , excuse the missis talkin in the back ground and poor video quality