What "toys" to give bettas?

[Loboto-Me]

My betta has his plant, and I use a mirror on him a few times a week, but he still seems bored at times.

Do bettas play? Do they play with anything else? What else do you guys do to keep your happy and occupied?

Mine shows his boredom by chasing his tail..... It will never heal if he keeps that up. I need more ideas.... ToysRUs fo bettas here I come! (I hope)

 

[White Whale]

A lava lamp next to his bowl.

 

[sandyd]

I give mine little caves and such to hide in, and peek out of. Some of mine also have bubble walls, and they play in the bubbles like a dog with a hose. LOL They act like puppies with bubbles, you can also get an adjustment valve so you can contol the bubbles.

Sandy

 

[juliethegr8t]

If you are able to have room.... they aren't really "toys", but one of my bettas adores playing with "his" cories. He swims around and practically turns upside down staring at them. They like him too, they swim up to his level and hang out on the plants while eyeing him.

Besides living toys, my bettas love to have little clay pots to hide in. They go in and peek out at me, and also some like to sleep in them. Very cute.

 

[DizBjOhN104]

i pretty much leave my betta in his jar but im planing on puttin him in a community tank so he can be tank mates with other fish

 

[bkk_group]

we have a number of 4 way divided tanks for our adults. i find that switching their neighbors every now and then livens them quite nicely. just put a new female next to the males and watch them come to life. also with our juveniles, when changing water in the jars we will put 5 or 6 males at a time into a plastic tub together while we wash out jars. they will flare and chase each other around but since they are only in there for a short time things never get too serious. to give them some exercise i will swirl the water in the tub around a bit like a whirl pool and they will naturally swim against the current for a bit (it's a proven conditioning technique for fighters but works well for regular ol' bettas too).

 

[Loboto-Me]

Wow everyone excellent ideas!

I'm going to rethink his living arrangement here.... I would LOVE to get some of everything everyone suggested for him. I'll see what I can implement.

 

[Nina7777]

ok everyone out there is gonna think i'm crazy, but i swear my bettas does this!!!

I have a 2 gallon hex for him, which I put up dolphin wallpaper as the background.
There are two dolphins on the background one on each side of his tank. He really likes one of them and actually swims near it and looks like he is playing with it, and the other dolphin he abslutely hates! He flares and starts attacking it!

It keeps him entertained for hours!

 

[Origami Gourami]

Oh dear Loboto-Me, still having trouble with your tail chasing puppy!

Mine (Jasper) seems to like swimming like hell into the current of the Fluval, then letting the wind get up his cassock Marylin Monroe style and sending him across the tank at a great rate of knots so he can start over!

Although recently he seemed to 'discover' there's a pesky betta on the other side of the glass at one end now, looking remarkably similar to himself. I think it's because it's a dark backed corner, so he can see his reflection clearer than elsewhere, but giving this imposter what for is the new number one past-time!

PS I saw him flare PROPERLY for the first time last night, when Marlon the grumpy Dwarf Gourami (long story, he lurks in a cave and comes into the light slowly like Brando in Apocalypse Now) dared to flail a feeler stick or two at him. Up until now he's let Marlon chase him around, but I was quite impressed, finding his feet now, that's my boy!

 

[Loboto-Me]

We've just got to love betta behaviour!

I'm going to be doing a 100% water change within the next hour and will put the UG filter back into his tank. I'm not doing it for the sake of the filtering (I doubt those do much filtering) but I'm doing it for the sake of the bubbler that comes with it.

I hope that will keep his mind off of his tail... the only problem is that it keeps the water cooler, but I think I'll turn off the "filter" during the night. I'll see how it goes with his new "toy".

I'm going to look around the house for a little "cave" for him as well.... hope I find something small enough and suitable for him.

Jasper is settling well then? I LOVE how your descriptive posts! A la Brando in Acopalypse Now WOW!

 

[Marty]

I have a friend who put a lilipad in her betas tank, and she came back to find that it had jumped right out of the water, and was sitting on it! She thought he was dead, but he was fine and does it regularly

 

[staredecisis]

and she came back to find that it had jumped right out of the water, and was sitting on it!

lol omg that is adorable, but is it safe??

Also if your bettas are bored, I agree with bkk, switch their neighbors around. Also, give them something really cool to build a bubble nest under, all my bettas do love their little nests... one of them practically had his tank overflowing with foam the other day.

 

[Olive]

I keep other fish with mine...............a few small tetras.......and a few guppies. I thought he would nip at them, or think that they were other bettas, but he really seems to enjoy the company and is always active.......he thanks me by constantly swimming and showing off.

 

[Marty]

lol omg that is adorable, but is it safe??

I dunno, but he survived with no troubles. Did it regularly to

 

[bettalady]

I have found my female bettas extremely curios..My husband put a piece of plastic see through tubing at the bottom of the tubes and sure enough I found them swimming through it!!also they just seem to check out everything..when I siphon the water she is right their seeing what I am doing..and You may not believe this one but we have a 2 year old female called Vi and when my husband calls for her she comes right to the top of the tank where his face is!!!!!amazing!!!!!!also he has her trained if he lightly taps the tank she is right out and right at his finger..I am just awestruck about these fish