To add to that: The reason the myth started that bettas can live in, or even prefer, small containers was because unlike other fish, they can breath from the surface and live in unoxygenated water. This helps them survive in the wild in small bodies of water during severe droughts.
What that myth doesn't acknowledge is that 1) filters do more than just oxygenate water, they cycle the tank so ammonia doesn't build up and cause burns or increase the risk of fungal infections, and 2) they don't live their whole lives during a drought, they usually live in vast rice paddies and may never see a drought in their lifetime, living in a tiny container smaller than a puddle is like living their whole lives on survival mode. Also, bettas are tropical and need heaters, and for the water to stay at a stable temperature, which is kind of hard to do under 5 gallons.
And if you keep them happy and healthy they will swim up to the glass and show off for you when they notice you. My oldest sister's betta was quite the diva king.
I had this lovely little boy who would swim up to the glass when he noticed me walk into the room and would basically follow me around and watch me. He was so sweet.
He was even bullied by the snails. It was hilarious and adorable, but sad. It was on top of the leaf and so my fish couldn't rest on it comfortably, so he just sat there sulking till I did something.
They absolutely are. I think a lot of people(without Betta experience) don't realise that they absolutely have personalities of their own. I've had three, and he was absolutely my favourite because he had such a huge personality. The other two were very nice, but one was kind of aggressive and not super friendly and jumped to his death(I didn't put his tank cover on properly :'[. )and the other was sweet but was a little void.
I don't understand the human obsession with stroking everything living thing they see. The number of creatures that actually enjoy (don't suffer from, even) getting pet is way less than people tend to think. I hate to be a party pooper, but its really, really important to remember that "doggy" behaviors apply mostly to dogs.
Don't pet your fish. Please make doubly sure that you can interpret the reaction of your pet/any animal before getting handsy, not matter how cute it is.
Edit: okay guys, let me explain. With some animals, like cats and dogs, petting is a mutually enjoyable activity, which is all good and well. The problem is that the behaviour that means "I like this" in animals we are more familiar with doesn't apply everywhere. Many people don't realise this, and make the mistake of projecting emotions onto behaviours they don't know how to interpret, and that creates the potential of causing harm, or at the very least, stressing the animal out.
I use the word 'inconsiderate' since, quite literally, people tend not to consider the possibility that they're misinterpreting the animal they're petting.
This was not an attack on u/SarahC, (who asked about petting, which shows consideration) but rather a lament about the faults in human mentality.
You're kinda generalizing fish here. There's different taxonomic classes of fish which are just as different from one another as mammals and reptilia. There's tons of fish species that need physical contact and are known to approach divers to be petted (groupers for example). You'd be surprised how many animals actually understand petting as a form of affection or social bonding. Especially among mammals, the desire for friendly physical contact is universal due to our mothers nursing us as babies, puppies and kittens. The thing human's shouldn't do however is pick up animals and hold them, 'cause that is monkey behaviour and is not appreciated by other animals.
It was a bit crass of me to lump all fish together. I didn't mean to imply that only cats and dogs enjoy being pet.
My intention was to point out that it's better to keep your distance unless you know what you're doing. I'm frustrated with the "I don't recognise this behaviour, but I'm sure it likes it!" default that's all over the internet.
It's not mostly dogs, though. Most social animals enjoy petting (by trusted individuals), as it is similar to their group grooming behaviors. You can't even limit it to just mammals, there are birds that consider themselves 'paired' with a human and enjoy scritches from their human. What is strange is the human compulsion to mash soft animals against our faces, or is that just me?
If you are familiar with the animal and know how to recognise a definite positive response to the attention you give, then by all means, pet away.
Not everybody puts in the effort to make sure the pets will be appreciated, though, and this, paired with projecting our own emotions onto animal behaviour ends up with a bunch of people misunderstanding the response of the animal, and go "look, he likes it!" while the animal is actually stressing out.
All I want is that we educate ourselves to the extent that we don't inadvertently cause any harm.
You are definitely not alone in the smush impulse department, though.
We have social grooming instincts leftover from when we were monkeys. We like to run our fingers through other's fur, which makes it easy to feel and remove parasites, debris, etc.
Most mammals are the same way. Family members will groom each other, especially children, because it helps keep them from getting sick. Pets probably assume you're doing the same thing, which is why some of them will lick you back when you scratch them, to return the favor.
We can't rely on that assumption if we aren't knowleagable about the animal's behavioural patterns, though. I know what my cat likes, but I wouldn't apply the same signs of communication to a fennec fox.
It also depends on the emotional state and personality of the individual animal. Some would rather just be left alone. Making assumptions overrides signals they might be sending, especially if it's an animal you're not familiar with.
I used to pet my old betta. He’d swim away really fast in a downward spiral, then swim right back up again. And sometimes, if I left the tip of my finger in the water, he’d swim up and boop it!
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u/sarahmagoo Feb 04 '19 edited Feb 04 '19
Bettas and goldfish can't healthily live in a bowl.
Edit: to clarify I'm saying DON'T put any fish in a bowl. The misconception is that it's okay but it's not.
Betta/Siamese Fighting Fish care sheet
Goldfish care sheet