Scared Betta Fish

So I have had this perfect girl betta for about 6 months/ Perky, waves to me all the time, gets super excited when she sees me and I talk to her...I taught her how to jump up and take her food from my finger..WELL, I
.... couldn't leave it alone and thought I would teach her another trick to jump thru a hoop/ Well I used a Glass bangle bracelet, it struck the tank hard~ she freaked out and I felt awful..NOW...she won't come and wave to me, is obviously terrified and several times a day I see her swimming fast and erratic in "squiggles" in her tank.( so fast and erratic I think she is going to jump right out)
.. she is also spending more time than usual hanging in the bottom of her tank~ Did I do irreparable damage to her? Did I ruin her nervous system? I am heartbroken as she really was such an adorable little girl~ I welcome all suggestions

 

Did you hit her or just the tank? How long ago was this?

 

The bracelet hit the tank ( but hard) it was Saturday morning~ And I am so very remorseful

 

The bracelet hit the tank ( but hard) it was Saturday morning~ And I am so very remorseful

Of course you are, but you made a mistake. These things happen unfortunately. Sometimes my mistakes result in a favorite fish's death, so that really stinks.
I've never seen what you describe happen to a fish, but she seems to respond like a puppy, so my advice is to treat her like a puppy. Spend a lot of time giving her some favorite treats from your finger (maybe thawed frozen bloodworms).

And move very slowly around her. Give her lots of places to hide too. Maybe keep the light off. My suspicion is that when she feels ultra safe, then her playful side will come back out. I think patience and treats are called for here.
Keep us posted!

 

thank you/ I actually removed everything from her tank but a soft squishy toy because she was darting around so quickly and erratically that I am sure she is hurting herself/ I will keep slowly approaching her with treats/ I know that these fish are very smart and feel that she is just still terrified of the "human" I just don't want to keep her alive (as terrible as that sounds) if she could be suffering~ and, Yes, she is still eating but I am dropping the food in the tank and not trying to have her eat of my hand as not to further traumatize her )

 

She'll probably do best if she has some places to hide and "recover." If she really was traumatized by this then she likely wants to hide and be able to relate some. Is there no other cover beyond the toy? If not I'd suggest adding some live plants to give her coverage. These will not harm her if she runs into them and will be a more natural hiding spot.

Adding some IAL may also help her calm down as it helps to make the aquarium resemble their natural habitats and the tannins are always very beneficial.

It's only been a few days so I wouldn't euthanize her personally, she doesn't seem beyond hope. She just seems a bit skittish and perhaps less trusting now. I'd just give her places to relax and time.

 

thank you/ I actually removed everything from her tank but a soft squishy toy because she was darting around so quickly and erratically that I am sure she is hurting herself/ I will keep slowly approaching her with treats/ I know that these fish are very smart and feel that she is just still terrified of the "human" I just don't want to keep her alive (as terrible as that sounds) if she could be suffering~ and, Yes, she is still eating but I am dropping the food in the tank and not trying to have her eat of my hand as not to further traumatize her )

Oh my goodness - please don’t euthanize her! Maybe if you could post a pic or even a video?
I agree with platylover suggestion of live plants, but if that is not possible right now, you could even cover the tank to make it dark.

BTW: If she Is approaching your food hand, that is a good sign that she’s coming to trust you again. There is scientific evidence showing that using positive reinforcement allows an animal to CHOOSE whether to interact or not and this helps to reduce stress. (If you want when I get home I can post the article). This means that your gentle offers of bloodworms - even from your hand- can help her decide to trust you thus helping her feel LESS stressed. And yes, I believe Betta fish have the cognitive ability to make choices.

EDIT: Here's a copy of the article: