One reason why people love Koi so much is because they can become utterly fearless around humans. They can learn to very tame, and if you are the one who is providing them with food, they’ll be willing to literally eat out of your hand! Hand feeding your Koi can be a fun and rewarding experience.
The nice thing about Koi is that not only are they non-aggressive, they also have no teeth. You are not going to get bitten, and as long as small children can be gentle, they can feed these fish as well. You can bet that they will love the colors and the gentleness of your Koi.
Remember that especially at the beginning, your Koi might be a little bit afraid of you. This is just their instinct, and you’ll find that overcoming it is quite rewarding. Take the time to get comfortable with your Koi and to let them become comfortable with you.
Look at the diet of the average Koi. They are omnivorous fish, which means that they are going to be able to eat plants and meat. They’ll eat just about everything that you put in their pond, and this means that you are responsible for making sure that only good things get in there. Don’t give them too many sweet snacks, and do not overfeed them. If you feed them too many fatty things, they can acquire weight issues. Look for foods that might occur naturally, like tadpoles and earthworms. Some lettuce, bread, fruits and vegetables won’t hurt you Koi, but make sure that you do not let them overindulge. Be careful of foods like grapes, beans and corn, because the outer coverings cannot be easily digested by your Koi fish. Always make sure that you remove these outer coverings before you give it to them. This can be instrumental in maintaining your Koi’s health. Take some time to make sure that stray food doesn’t sit in the pond as well.
When you want to learn to hand feed your Koi, remember t take it slow at the beginning. Don’t move suddenly. While it is easiest to train a new fish that you have just gotten, you can still train fish that you have had for a while as well. You can get started by cupping a few pellets of food in your hand and dipping it into the water. Then, very slowly, you will let the food fall out of your hand into the water. They may not look as though they are paying attention, but chances are good that they are. Continue this for at least a week, until they understand that your hand brings food.
After you have gotten their interest, and now that they know that your hand brings food, keep the food in your hand until the Koi come closer. You can move from this to refusing to give it to them until they have taken it from you. Be firm, and don’t drop the food until they are as close as you want them to be. Doing this over time can make them get much more comfortable with you and it will make them braver.
The next step after this is to see if they will take it from your fingers. Once again, now that they know that your hand brings food, they are going to be much easier to train. Remember that food is what is motivating them and be ready to out wait them. Don’t worry if a few days go by without them “biting” as it were!
It can be immensely rewarding to have a fish like a beautiful Koi eating out of your hand. Once you have them used to it, remember to alternate between doing this and just regular feeding. Remember that if you are introducing your Koi to adults or children that they should be supervised Monitor the food that they put in and caution them against making quick motions that will startle the fish.
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