The Koi lack fear when it comes to humans, and this serves as one of their best features. Once your koi sees you as the one who gives and feeds them food and the one who’s not going to harm them in anyway, they are likely to eat right out of your hand (provided with the proper training). The reality is that nourishing koi can be one of the most entertaining and funniest experiences that you’re going to get into.
These koi are non-aggressive by nature. You don’t have to worry about getting bitten if ever you decide in attempting to feed them with the use of your hand as they have no teeth. This activity of nourishing koi will also attract smaller kids, as they will be delighted and entertained by the gentle nature and beautiful patterns and colors of your koi . Like any wild animal out there, they will initially fear you. Now, their own instincts tell them to fear you, and this is what keeps them alive in the wild. Build up trust with your koi , and this will take a certain amount of patience in your part. Keep in mind that nourishing koi with your hand can’t be achieved over night!
Being an omnivorous species, they eat both meat and plants. This brings versatility in their diets. They’ll eat almost everything that you give them, whether it’s good for them or not. And since they can’t judge what’s good or bad for them, you should be the one to control their diet. Overfeeding is another problem that should be taken care of, as your koi might get overweight from eating non-nutritious food. The healthiest treats for them there is are the natural ones, such as tadpoles and earthworms. Bread, lettuce, veggies and fruit are also great for them. Be careful when feeding them with beans, corn and grapes, because they have outer casings which will be harmful for your koi if not properly digested. Remove the outer casings before feeding them.
Now, the trick here is to start slow in feeding your pet. Don’t make any sudden movements, as this will scare them away. Start hand training your koi right from the moment you get them. You can start by placing few of the snacks or pellets in your hand and then put your hand under the pond’s water. Slowly allow the food to fall from your hand. Now, what you’ll observe is that it may look like your koi may not seem to pay any attention, but they are really aware of your hand (which gives them food). You can do this within two days.This will help you gain the interest of your koi . Then let the koi remove the food from your hand. Now, if your koi will refuse to take food from your hand, don’t feed them on that day. They’ll have the notion that they must get the food from your hand if they want to eat. Doing this on a daily basis will make them comfortable with you.
So once you have the koi feeding out of your hand, you can then start feeding them from your fingers. Also, if they’re not going to feed from your fingers, don’t feed them on that day. Remember that food will be your motivator when it comes to feeding, and no fish will simply stare itself just because it is not sure of the situation. In nourishing koi, once you have successfully made your koi feed from your hand, you can then alternate the routine between the regular and hand feeding. There’s no reason in trying to take the time in hand feeding if you’re in such a hurry. And another important thing is that once you get your Koi to feed from your hand, always be careful in allowing your visitors to feed your pets. Supervise them (both the kids and the adults) in feeding your fish properly; no sudden movements and give your koi the right foods for them.

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