xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 So after my last beautiful betta died I gave it a good year and some. Recently got a female. She is displaying the eagerness to interact with me. I've heard of people training bettas, seen a couple videos in the past. Anyone here have any personal experience? Is there a trick that's easy to train? Good tools to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.K.Luterman Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Not the same fish, but I trained my Blood Parrot to go through a hoop. I'm sure it would be similar to train a betta to do the same, just with a scaled down hoop. I documented the process in this thread: 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Streetwise Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 I moved my female Betta into a community tank, and she spots me from across the room! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 (edited) @Streetwise well and that's some of the behavior mine displays, she seems to always know where I am. Comes immediately to the front of the tank when I come over. She has ZERO fear of my fingers- she comes right up and dances around them. I can already finger feed her. Was no need to train her on her feeding ring. Today I was toothbrushing the sides of her tank and she happily followed the toothbrush. So @H.K.Luterman First of all your Igor is adorable. What a cutie. I don't think I'm going to have ANY issues training my girl Spark- I'm going to make one of those hoops. One video I watched had a betta pushing a small floating ball. Where the heck does one get one of those? Any ideas of floating household ball items? Edited June 19, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.K.Luterman Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 On 6/19/2021 at 6:29 PM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: So @H.K.Luterman First of all your Igor is adorable. What a cutie. I don't think I'm going to have ANY issues traing my girl Spark- I'm going to make one of those hoops. One video I watched had a betta pushing a small floating ball. Where the heck does one get one of those? Any ideas of floating household ball items? Thanks. X3 I'm not sure of any common household things, but a ping pong ball might float. Until you find a ball that would float, you could just work on training them to touch an object for a treat, like a popsicle stick or a pen. It's all pretty much the same method, just shaping behavior with rewards. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 19, 2021 Author Share Posted June 19, 2021 Yea she's already touching her toothbrush so I might use the end of that for treating. I don't think she'd be afraid of a ping pong ball but it's awful big- I'll have to make a trip to the craft store and see what I can find. I actually do have ping pong ballls since they make great cat toys. She is seriously FEARLESS. This is her day one in her feeding ring, figured it out in under 10 seconds. Probably didn't help that the big box store likely starved her. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrozenFins Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 A few things: Please update this thread as you go along your betta training There is this awesome kit on amazon called "betta school" or something like that. It has instructions to train the betta, and various toys for the betta to train with. I beleive theres a soccer net and it teaches you how to play soccer with your betta. Its a kit I've been wanting for a while but have never managed to buy it. Heres the link: https://www.amazon.com/R2-Fish-School-Complete-Training/dp/B00168A6DQ/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=betta+school&qid=1624148184&sr=8-1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) @James Black I will absolutely update. Hopefully I can embed a google video as I haven't nor do I want to start a youtube feed. 🙂 I have seen that fish kit before and I have been tempted as well in the past! If she does well I may get it. I think I remember the treat stick being exceptionally cool- it has some sort of trigger to release the treat. The sports fields might be too big for her 3 gallon tank but the balls and hoops should still come in handy. We'll see how this plays out. Edited June 20, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaRanchik Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Sometimes when I feed flakes I make my betta exercise and jump for it (about 0.5 inch) out of the water to get it. She became really good at it quickly, so I'm sure yours can too, AND you could hold a hoop for her to jump through! 😁 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 @BaRanchik that's very cool! I saw a youtube video that had a mix of tricks and that was one of them. Doesn't the jumping make you nervous? I have no doubt that I could probably train her- but I don't want her to make a habit out of jumping and I was actully going to skip that trick. She has a very secure heavy glass lid but I could see a nightmare of her jumping out when I have it off for maintenance and her trying that business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaRanchik Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 On 6/20/2021 at 4:50 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: @BaRanchik that's very cool! I saw a youtube video that had a mix of tricks and that was one of them. Doesn't the jumping make you nervous? I have no doubt that I could probably train her- but I don't want her to make a habit out of jumping and I was actully going to skip that trick. She has a very secure heavy glass lid but I could see a nightmare of her jumping out when I have it off for maintenance and her trying that business. The water level is about an inch lower than the top of the glass, and it's 95% covered with an acrylic lid, so I'd be very surprised if she somehow managed to jump out of the tank. If your water level is close to the top I'd definitely skip it, but as far as I can tell bettas can't jump higher than and inch plus whatever is needed for them to actually get above the top (I think I saw a video about that some time ago, maybe they have more information about that). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) @BaRanchik ah, I'll have to do more research and think about that. Yeah, she's in a 3 gallon cube for now and 1 inch below the rim is too far for that kind of tank. However if she truly can't jump far then I might still consider it, BUT I bet you that the not being able to jump too high thing might apply more to the male bettas as they have much more cumbersome and heavy fins. This girl is pretty streamlined, she *might* hit the high jumps! 🙂 More research will be done.... Does your female have bigger fins? Edited June 20, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sassyhippo Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 I don’t, but my son has been training his betta to eat from his finger. Mostly it seems to take a lot of patience. From my understanding the next part is keeping the finger just outside the water and they’ll jump. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 @Sassyhippo see I've had other bettas that would be the case, patience and trying as they weren't quite as motivated so I never tried it much before. But I guess I started to pay attention more when on the 1st try she'd take food from my finger tip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaRanchik Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 On 6/20/2021 at 5:07 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: @BaRanchik ah, I'll have to do more research and think about that. Yeah, she's in a 3 gallon cube for now and 1 inch below the rim is too far for that kind of tank. However if she truly can't jump far then I might still consider it, BUT I bet you that the not being able to jump too high thing might apply more to the male bettas as they have much more cumbersome and heavy fins. This girl is pretty streamlined, she *might* hit the high jumps! 🙂 More research will be done.... Does your female have bigger fins? She's a wild mahachai betta, so short finned. Anyway, you said your water level is close to the top, so I'd definitely pass. Better a live betta than a dead one who knew tricks, haha. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 @BaRanchikIs that your betta girl as your profile pic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanoNano Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) PSA time- Summertime is a time when you *especially* want to make sure that your hands and forearms are absolutely clean before you put them in your tank or touch your creatures. Sunscreen, insect repellent, bug sprays, residues from gardening and "summer projects", plain old perspiration and dirt, etc. can leave behind harmful residues even after liberal washing with soap and water. Edited June 20, 2021 by NanoNano Spellchecker confused preparation for perspiration 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just a Pygmy Corydora Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 I looked at the betta school amazon link and it said by "Dr Dean"? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 (edited) @Catfish_Lover_Jane probably not associated with any Deans on this site but I could be wrong if that's what you might be implying. I remember commercials for it from many years ago. I looked it up it might have been introduced as long ago as 2008. Edited June 21, 2021 by xXInkedPhoenixX Typos are lame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 So today I fed Spark freeze dried Tubifex worms. As usual she comes right to the top front of the tank and dances around when I approach. I broke up a bunch of small pieces and fed her myself with my finger. Sometimes just dunking and leaving it, sometimes dunking and keeping my finger there until she got close then leaving it. 1 time I kept my finger in long enough that I felt her take the worms off the tip of my finger (didn't want to put her off of it so only tried it once so far). I work nights and an extra shift today so I didn't have much more time than that. Hopefully this week on my day off I'll have time to make a hoop of airline and start that process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xXInkedPhoenixX Posted June 22, 2021 Author Share Posted June 22, 2021 Ok kids, today we tried hoop training. Made a hoop out of airline and attached it to the side of her aquarium. Today's treat was thawed frozen bloodwoorms. Before I even started filming (sorry bout the kleenex nearby, it was just to clean up some water spots, silly me) she already swam through the hoop at least a couple of times without any incentives. I used the end of the toothbrush I clean her tank with as the guide. As you can see it didn't take much to motivate her. I'm hoping I can eventually get her to move through it 2 or more times at prompting eventually. This is my google link to it. I apologize, I am no vidographer- but you get the drift. https://photos.app.goo.gl/XSNWaciR5YA6GVQQ8 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H.K.Luterman Posted June 22, 2021 Share Posted June 22, 2021 On 6/22/2021 at 11:20 AM, xXInkedPhoenixX said: Ok kids, today we tried hoop training. Made a hoop out of airline and attached it to the side of her aquarium. Today's treat was thawed frozen bloodwoorms. Before I even started filming (sorry bout the kleenex nearby, it was just to clean up some water spots, silly me) she already swam through the hoop at least a couple of times without any incentives. I used the end of the toothbrush I clean her tank with as the guide. As you can see it didn't take much to motivate her. I'm hoping I can eventually get her to move through it 2 or more times at prompting eventually. This is my google link to it. I apologize, I am no vidographer- but you get the drift. https://photos.app.goo.gl/XSNWaciR5YA6GVQQ8 Adorable! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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