How to Teach Your Koi to Eat from Your Hand

Owning a Koi pond is no doubt a source of entertainment and relaxation. You can further enhance that by spending time with the Koi in your pond.

Koi are incredibly social and like to be surrounded by those they are familiar with. The larger the group of Koi the more outgoing the fish will be. Koi will be glad to eat from your hand if you take the time to build a trustful friendship with them.

When training your Koi to eat from your hand there are a few things to keep in mind. One important key is to feed them from the same place each day. Slowly drop a little bit of food into the water and then watch and wait. The fish that are the most bold, or the hungriest, are likely to approach first, with the rest following.

You want the fish to be able to see you while they are eating, so be sure to stay at the side of the pond until they are finished. Skip feeding for one day if the fish will not eat in front of you. It should take approximately three to five days for the Koi to begin to recognize that your presence means they get to eat. You can encourage the fish to swim closer to you by sprinkling small amounts of food.

Your next step will be to place your hand in the water while the fish are eating. The fish will begin to recognize that it is your hand that delivers the food. Begin the process with just a couple of food pellets in your hand. The bold and the hungry fish will begin to nudge your hand to get fed. It won’t take long before your presence by the pond causes all the fish to come swimming rapidly toward you.

More available information to help you with your yard:
Outdoor and backyard ponds
Landscaping around your pond
Pond furniture for relaxation
Home pools
Animals and pets

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