How Can I Keep My Betta From Being Bored?

This is going to be a long story before the question. So, I have my betta in a 5.5 gallon fish tank. It has a plant and some moss balls in it, and decorations in it for her to explore. I have a cat, and I put a cat toy that has feathers on it next to my fish tank. My betta started flaring at the feathers thinking it was another betta Anyways, this is the first fish I’ve had that I feel a real connection with, and I truly love her. My username is named after her, and my profile picture is a picture of her. I looked up how to keep a betta happy and entertained, and I found a video on training your betta to follow your finger. I was trying to train her to follow my finger, but she seems scared of it. How can I help her?

 

I make plastic mesh tunnels, caves, and enrichment toys for bettas to play with

 

A laser pointer. It’ll keep you entertained too lol.

 

My kids were shining a laser at my goldfish years ago and it burned a hole in her. She died the next day. Of course, that was 15 years ago and I’m sure lazers are different now.

 

Geez, that sounds like a weapon lol. I’m just talking about the ones they sell for cats.

 

You can buy some new decorations and add them into her tank and take them out, switch them around when doing water changes. I also place newspaper around the tank so my bettas can "read" them. They can just look at the colours and have fun looking outside their tanks. You can add in that cool tank decoration of a chest powered by a air pump that opens when too many bubbles fill it, have a fake robotic fish swim with her (maybe. I don't know what effect it might have since it's powered by batteries). There's many things to keep her entertained.

 

You could also go to any pond, lake, or natural bodies of water and net some daphnia and let him chase them.

 

You can buy some new decorations and add them into her tank and take them out, switch them around when doing water changes. I also place newspaper around the tank so my bettas can "read" them. They can just look at the colours and have fun looking outside their tanks. You can add in that cool tank decoration of a chest powered by a air pump that opens when too many bubbles fill it. Have a fake robotic fish swim with her (maybe. I don't know what effect it might have since it's powered by batteries) there's many things to keep her entertained.

I wish I had suggestions for you. Mine has taken up tail biting as a hobby!

 

Bettas like to sit and chill so a little cave thing would be good, a hollow log decoration or large cholla wood, also they like a little resting spot near the top while making a bubble nest or getting some air, you can use an almond leaf and stick it to the side of the tank near the top as a little leaf bed. Live plants, maybe get a mystery snail.

 

Live food! Anything they have to hunt and catch is awesome enrichment for them.

 

Live food is a good suggestion. I feed my betta FD blackworms quite frequently, and when I do, I hold the worm with a small clipper, move it around the surface and make him chase it. Sometimes way across the tank, lol

 

My kids were shining a laser at my goldfish years ago and it burned a hole in her. She died the next day. Of course, that was 15 years ago and I’m sure lazers are different now.

Live food is a good suggestion. I feed my betta FD blackworms quite frequently, and when I do, I hold the worm with a small clipper, move it around the surface and make him chase it. Sometimes way across the tank, lol

I’m going to try to get some live food today

A laser pointer. It’ll keep you entertained too lol.

Tried it! Thanks! I’ll post a new topic showing the video!

 

I have a chalk marker that I use to label my tanks, and I'll draw dots in different places in the glass. They get really curious and feisty when they see something in front of their tank they're not used to.

 

I know people will disagree with me here but tank mates can really help keeping a betta active and entertained too. 5.5g may be a bit small for a tankmate tho but a couple of snails/shrimp could work.

 

I know people will disagree with me here but tank mates can really help keeping a betta active and entertained too. 5.5g may be a bit small for a tankmate tho but a couple of snails/shrimp could work.

Thanks! I might get a snail. I also have another betta that’s in a community tank, and he’s pretty happy.