I'm sad

[xst3ph90x]

Ok, I've had my betta for about 6 months now and I love him to death, I treat him really well, I change his water all of the time, I got him a big tank, I got him a live plant, I get him new toys all of the time, and I've been doing a lot of research on how to make him happier.

My beloved Sushi (that's his name), seems to hate me.

He swims away from my hand when I put it near the outside of his tank, and he won't come and nibble my finger when I put it in the tank. He swims as far away from me as possible.

Does he hate me? Or is this just his way of showing love?

[okiemavis]

He's just scared- don't worry about it. Just keep feeding him and eventually he'll come to realize that you're the one who feeds him :)

How often/how much do you change his water?

[xst3ph90x]

I do 25% water changes once every 2 days. I have a one gallon tank. I was actually keeping him in a tiny tank, but then I realized that he needed space. I would have gotten a 10 gallon, but I'm in college and with limited room in a dorm room, I couldn't get anything bigger. He seems to be loving it though.

[okiemavis]

Could you change your font color? It's very hard to read...

Ah, so did you just move to your dorm room? A recent move would definitely explain the shyness. Also, perhaps your dorm mates are taunting the betta, or the constant movement in the room is causing stress? Perhaps it will be good to give him some full "night time"- for part of the same time every day cover the tank with a towel or something else opaque.

It may sound counterintuitive, but the more hiding spots, the friendlier he will be. If he feels like he can always quickly dart into a safe place, he's more likely to take risks.[/i]

[tmz]

he's prolly just shy and skittish =)
i doubt he hates you.

[xst3ph90x]

I moved into my dorm room almost 2 weeks ago, so I doubt that it's because of the move. Also, he acted this way before I moved here anyway.

My roommates hate me and they're neat freaks, so they stay as far away from my corner of the room as possible. I seriously doubt that it's their fault unless they're taunting him out of spite.

I DO give him night time, everynight when I go to sleep, I turn off the lights in the room and I turn off the light in his tank. So he usually has dark for about 7-10 hours.

And lastly, he has a live plant in the tank that take up about half the space, so I'm pretty sure he has hiding places.

He's always been this way. Maybe its just his personality. Maybe the personality of the betta matches the personality of the owner, which would make sense because I'm shy too. So maybe he's reflecting my personality?

[Meatpuppet]

he doesnt know what you are. to him your a big giant that comes up to his teritory and sticks his fingers in the bowl. likly thinking its some kind of predetor or threat.

mine does that all the time. he wont even eat food from my fingers unless i drop it.

[xst3ph90x]

HE LOVES ME NOW!!!!

I think anyway.

Today I stuck my finger in his bowl, like I always do and he started attacking it and biting at it!

I'm not sure if this is love or hate, but he seems less hostile to me now.

[craig+pearl]

yeah he should of started being brave towards you but hell keep doing that unless you dont make him happy