Betta Enjoys Being Touched

[scampi]

I don't know whether this is wise or not, please advise me if it's not.

I've found my Betta loves being touched - he'll swim up to my fingers & let me stroke his fins - he even leans on my fingers .

I always ensure I wash my hands before putting my hand in the water - but I'm just worried in case I'm harming the fish. Does anyone else do this??

 

[xhan]

My betta is the same, though I very rarely do it. As long as your not rough on him and let him do the moving I imagine it should be ok?

It might be worth getting some stress zyme for him to make sure his scales don't get damaged?

 

[Lacuna]

I think touching them too much isn't good for their slimecoat. I'd try not to do it too often. It does sound cute though, one of the few drawbacks of having fish is that you can't be tactile with them like you can with most other pets.

 

[scampi]

I know - he's so hard to resist looking at me through the glass. I don't literally stroke him, I just let him swim against my finger.

How would I use the StressZyme xhan ?

 

[ReMz]

Absolutely fine. Just ensure you are rinsing your hands under the sink with tap water for a couple of minutes if you are using soap. The soap can be fatal to any fish.

Excessive touching can wear down their slime coat and cause slight abrasions or an area for infection. However, unless you are doing this several times a day, there is no harm.

 

[scampi]

No I don't touch him every day, just when he looks a little lonely or bored (only a Betta owner would know the signs) the I can't resist. Thank you.