Koi Feeding: How To Successfully Hand Feed Your Fish

The best thing about Koi is the fact that they lack fear when it comes to humans. Once they see you as someone who feeds them food and the one who takes care of them, they're likely to eat through your hand (provided with proper training). Hand feeding your fish can be one of the most funniest and entertaining experiences you're going to get into!

The Koi are non-aggressive fish. They don't have teeth, so you don't have to worry about getting bitten if ever you decide in attempting to feed them with the use of your hand. This activity will also attract smaller kids, as they will be delighted and entertained by the fish's gentle nature and beautiful patterns and colors. Like all of the other wild animals out there, they will have that fear of you in the start.

Their instincts are the ones that tell them to fear you, which keeps them alive and lets them survive in the wilderness. So, you have to build up trust with your fish, and this will take a certain amount of time and patience in your part. Keep in mind that hand feeding your Koi is not acheivable overnight!

They feed on both meat and plants, as they are an omnivorous species. Being omnivorous as they are, it brings adaptability in their diets. They'll eat almost anything they are given, not caring whether it's good for them or not. Since they don't have the ability to judge what's good or bad for them, you should control their diet.

Overfeeding is another problem, as they might get overweight from eating foods that are not nutritious for them. The healthiest treats for them are the natural ones, such as tadpoles and earthworms. Also, you can feed them with veggies, bread, lettuce and fruit. Be careful when feeding them with food like corn, beans, and grapes as they come with outer casings. These outer casings will be harmful for your fish if these are not properly digested by them. Make it a point that you remove the outer casings before feeding them.

Now, the trick here is to start slow in feeding your fish. Don't make any sudden movements, because this will scare them away (even the most trusting of your Koi). What you should do is start hand training your pet right from the moment you get them (which is also applicable for those that are in your current population). Start by placing few of the pellets or snacks in your hand and then put your hand under the water.

Then allow the food to fall from your hand slowly. Now, it may seem that your fish may not seem to pay any attention, but the reality is that they are aware of your hand (and that your hand is the ones giving them food). This can be done within a period of two days.

Doing this will help you gain the interest of your pets. Then as you have now gotten their interest, let the fish remove the food from your hand. Now, if your pet will refuse to take food from your hand, don't feed them on that day (and do not stare at them during this process). They will have the notion that they must get the food from your hand if they want to feed. Doing this everyday will be able to make your fish comfortable with you.

Once you have fed the fish out of your hand, you can start feeding them from your fingers. And the same thing applies here: if they're not going to feed from your fingers, don't feed them on that day. The food will serve as your motivator in feeding wild animals, guaranteeing that no Koi will simply stare itself as it isn't sure of the situation it's in.

And once you’re successful in making your Koi feed from your hand, you can then have an alternate routine between regular feeding and hand feeding. There is no reason in trying to take the time in hand feeding if your hurrying. And once you get your fish to feed from your hand, be careful always in allowing your visitors to feed them. Supervise the kids and adults as they feed your pets; there should be no sudden movements and give your fish the right treats for them.