Can Beta fish be mad a you?

[M]

Strange question I am sure, I know that some pets get upset when the
owner goes away for a while, or drops them off at the vets, do fish get
mad?

[[email protected]]

I just find that question funny.

But on the other hand, i had a betta that i had to return to the LFS
because it was really picky when it comes to dinner. Yah thats right,
it was really annoying because it wouldn't eat my flakes, pellets or
anything.

[Feral Boy]

My short finned male jumps out of the water and tries to bite my face, when
ever I lean over my tank when he has made a bubble nest. So I would say yes
they do get mad at you.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
>I just find that question funny.
>
> But on the other hand, i had a betta that i had to return to the LFS
> because it was really picky when it comes to dinner. Yah thats right,
> it was really annoying because it wouldn't eat my flakes, pellets or
> anything.
>

[Logic316]

M wrote:
> Strange question I am sure, I know that some pets get upset when the
> owner goes away for a while, or drops them off at the vets, do fish get
> mad?

I'm not sure about that, but my betta sometimes flares up at me, and
will jump and bite at my finger if I stick it in or near the water.

- Logic316



"Those who beat their swords into plowshares will plow for those who don't."

[NetMax]

"M" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Strange question I am sure, I know that some pets get upset when the
> owner goes away for a while, or drops them off at the vets, do fish get
> mad?


Absolutely!.. but the length of memory is relatively short, and varies by
species. Any fish which profits from learned experiences (ie: carnivores
hunting) tends to have a more persistent memory, as do larger omnivores.
I don't recall my Bettas have a particularly good memory (if it didn't
involve food ;~), but others here with more experience would be able to
comment more accurately.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[M]

Thanks for all the replies. I was wondering, ok so he is mad, why
doesnt he move around much any more? What is the life expentancy of a
beta?

[Koi-lo]

"M" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks for all the replies. I was wondering, ok so he is mad, why
> doesnt he move around much any more? What is the life expentancy of a
> beta?
=====================
Some days my bettas are more active than other days. They generally live
around 4 years if well cared for.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[NetMax]

"M" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Thanks for all the replies. I was wondering, ok so he is mad, why
> doesnt he move around much any more? What is the life expentancy of a
> beta?


Because they can get mad doesn't necessarily mean that it's so. I would
assume the problem was something else and go through the usual routine;
water tests, inspect for signs of disease, appetite etc. Life expectancy
in a heated tank is in the 5 to 6 year range (subtract one from before
you got him), and about 3 to 4 unheated (both figures as generally
reported, 7 years is also occasionally reported but more infrequent
lately). Genetics has a big influence, and I think shorter life
expectancies are becoming the norm.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[M]

Oh man, I hope he lives longer than 4 years. Thanks for the info though.

[Koi-lo]

"M" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Oh man, I hope he lives longer than 4 years. Thanks for the info though.
=================
Heated or unheated the longest any betta lived for me was 4 years plus a few
months. I have no idea how old he was when I bought him. I'll guess around
5 to 7 months old. Since most die around the 4 year point they're probably
actually about 4 1/2 years old at the time of their death.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[M]

How sad to be so young and croak. But I guess the thing is you are dead
a lot longer than you are alive. And you are old a lot longer than you
are young. Oh well. Thanks for the info.
M

[M]

How sad to be so young and croak. But I guess the thing is you are dead
a lot longer than you are alive. And you are old a lot longer than you
are young. Oh well. Thanks for the info.
M

[Tynk]

M wrote:
> Strange question I am sure, I know that some pets get upset when the
> owner goes away for a while, or drops them off at the vets, do fish get
> mad?

Not a strange question at all.
Bettas are aware of their surroundings.
They get to know who their keepers are. Who feeds them and changes
their water and who just lives near the tank. = )~

They do the wiggle dance for you when you walk into the room because
they are happy to see you. It's exciting to them to see you when you've
been gone.

Now, you asked if they can they be mad at you.
What is his behavior that lead you to ask this question.
Was his behavior listless, just hanging around on the bottom or
surface, not eating, etc, or was it something else. Even turning away
from you with his nosed turned up, hehe.
You know, snubbing you. Yes., they can be spoiled little brats.
Because Bettas are thinking fish, no they are not stupid like some
people think, there are reason for their behavior. It is up to the
keeper to realize what it means.
Bettas have body language that you can easily pick up, however this can
be seen more easily with a group of females.
Bettas live an average of 2-3 yrs, but many can live beyond that or
not even make to the 2 yr mark. Many things come into play when
figuring out life expectancy, so not knowing the line your Betta comes
from, only a guess of averages can be made.
Just a friendly FYI:
I noticed your misspelling of Betta to Beta. I asuume this is because a
mispronunciation (the most common reason for somebody to spell it
"beta"). It's pronounced "bet-uh" instead of "bay-tuh".
I've been a Betta fancier for nearly 28 yrs and bred them for 19 of
them.
Anything you need to know, just drop me an email directly or post here.
Either way is peachy. = )
I have several good links for proper Betta care if you'd like them.
A room temp bowl is not they way to go with these fish, and since you
didn't mention how you are keeping him, I thought I'd toss that in too.

It's the biggest mistake people make with these fish.

[IDzine01]

Aquarists (most humans for that matter) often anthropomorphize their
fish but it's important to distinguish that though your fish may act
aggressively he isn't "mad" in the human sense of the word.

[Koi-lo]

"IDzine01" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> Aquarists (most humans for that matter) often anthropomorphize their
> fish but it's important to distinguish that though your fish may act
> aggressively he isn't "mad" in the human sense of the word.
=====================
People will anthropomorphize every pet keep by human beings,... not just
fish! On some of the pet groups you'd think they were discussing their
children.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Tynk]

Koi-lo wrote:
> "IDzine01" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
> > Aquarists (most humans for that matter) often anthropomorphize their
> > fish but it's important to distinguish that though your fish may act
> > aggressively he isn't "mad" in the human sense of the word.
> =====================
> People will anthropomorphize every pet keep by human beings,... not just
> fish! On some of the pet groups you'd think they were discussing their
> children.
> --
>
> Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
> My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
> http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

> People will anthropomorphize every pet keep by human beings,... not just
> fish! On some of the pet groups you'd think they were discussing their
> children.
> --
I'd have to agree that yes, there are some people that see their pets
as if they were children. Most humans will do this to either dogs,cats
or even birds. Of course add in the oddball critter here and there, but
not so much fish.
When I talk about a Betta's personality and it acting "Happy to see
you", that behavior will be the fish swimming excitedly back and forth
and could be flaring or not..aka the wiggle dance. It's acting out with
excitment to see it's keeper. It reccognizes it's keeper and will act
differently towards them. This I translate into "it's happy to see
you".
I don't care what the title of that action is, but that fish is happy
to see that particular person. There's even diferent levels of "happy"
with that dance (Betta keepers are shaking their heads uh huh).
Sometimes that fish has seen you 20 times in a row and then you're out
of the room for an hour or two. When he sees you again he'll swim over
to greet you, fins will either be erect, not flaring though-or relaxed,
but not the all out wiggle dance.
The fish is still very interested in getting your attention and seeing
what you're doing outside if his tank, but it's nothing like the....
"Oh my goodness I thought you weren't ever coming back, oh my where
were you, did you know I was hungry, who was going to feed me, I
thought I was a gonner, did you buy any Bloodworms for me, oh I'm so
happy you came back, why were you gone so long...on and on and on.
Outside the tank this looks more like wiggle dance back and forth, open
and close mouth, open and close mouth, wiggle tail, get air, do it over
again....= )