Here's How to Teach Your KOI to Eat From Your
Hand!
Hand Feeding your Koi
One of the most rewarding and entertaining things about having a
Koi pond is
when your fish finally start eating out of your hand. There is
no better way to
learn each fishes' personality and temperament than to have them
nuzzle your
fingers when they are hungry.
The key to training your Koi to eat from your hand is patience
and
conditioning. Like any wild animal Koi have a natural distrust
for anything
that they think can hurt them, and you're plenty big enough to
do that as far
as they are concerned.
If your goal is hand feeding then you need to start training
from the very
first time that you feed a new fish. Of course, it's not too
late to start
training your existing fish, but it's easier if you start out
that way.
If you have been feeding your fish by simply broadcasting the
food on top of
the water then stop doing that immediately. Instead, bring your
feed bag next
to the pond and kneel down. Then, place a few pellets in your
hand, submerge
your hand, and let the pellets slowly fall out.
Don't worry if your fish seem to not be paying attention. They
know that your
hand is in the water and they know that pellets just appeared
out of nowhere.
Eventually one or two will swim up and eat. When that happens,
the rest of them
will follow. Continue slowly dropping pellets from your hand
until you have fed
your normal amount. Repeat that process for about a week.
The following week, set up as you did last week, but this time
submerge your
hand and hold the pellets in your slightly cupped palm. Hold
your hand steady
and don't make any movements. Eventually at least one fish
should come over and
eat from your hand. It is essential that you do not make any
quick movements
while this is happening. Remove your empty hand and repeat the
process. If the
fish will not approach your hand to feed, then do not feed them
that day. They
won't starve to death, believe me, and they will be a little bit
more likely to
eat form your hand the next time that you offer them food.
Once you have them to the point that they will eat form your
palm, it is time
to teach them to take the food directly from your finger tips.
Simply grasp a
pellet, submerge your hand, and wait until the boldest fish
approaches. Once he
eats the others will follow. If they don't you know what do to.
Just feed the
ones that will eat from your hand and let the others miss a
meal. Hunger is a
great motivator for Koi.
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Once you have your Koi eating out of your hands
you can alternate between
normal feeding and hand feeding for those times when you're in a
rush and just
can't sit down and enjoy your fish.
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Hand Feeding Your KOI
