Patting fish....

[tyl089]

my yellow labs always let me pet them. i could touch the big males entire body without him freaking out. really cool but i try to not do it too much because i worry also about getting them sick. any one else?

 

[Nova 8]

I pat my O's, BGk my chocolate Cichlid is getting use to me and believe it or not, so is one of my Silver Dollars it eats out of my hand, the other three get about 4" away. When I bought them I was told they were extremely skittish and don't approch the tank quickly and never exspect them to change, Mine never spook.

 

[pacu mom]

We spent many hours a week vacuuming out the 55 gallon tank our rescued fish came in. It was so crowded, the fish became used to our hands in their tank. Our pacu would literally swim in place for petting. They are very dog-like in behavior and would actually push each other out of the way to receive maximum attention. Since we don't vacuum their current tank, in the last year the pacu have forgotten how they loved to be petted, and have grown a little shy. I'm a little shy about petting them, too. About a year ago, I was showing off and petting them. I have to stand on a step ladder to get my hand in our 300 gallon tank. One of the pacu had been bullied and badgered by the other one, so was staying on one side of the tank out of the other's way. I moved the step ladder to the far side of the tank to pet Adonis in front of my audience and was waggling my fingers in front of his face when he decided to taste my middle finger. It was quite embarrassing, and since I was undergoing chemotherapy and had a very compromised immune system, it would have been really bad if the bite had become infected. It's in my oncology record that my fish bit me! I didn't stick my hand in the tank until my cancer treatment was over, and by that time the pacu had become shy to petting. BTW, they have extremely tough muscular bodies--they feel like hard tire rubber--they're not at all like the oscars who seem so light, delicate and fragile in comparison.

 

[Oddball]

Don't think I'd want to give it a try.

 

[benzjamin13]

My Clown Knife lets me from time to time, but the Pbass stay away unless it's feeding time.

 

[MrHarris]

I love patting all my fish

 

[MrHarris]

oddball i wouldn't pet that fish either.

 

[awk]

I would if I could

 

[Steve737]

I tried to pet my O a few weeks ago. He didn't like it very much. He saw the hand was coming, and stayed where he was, but as soon as I touched him, ZOOM!! Into the intake on one of my filters.

Scared to pet my one Jack Dempsey. He looks ferocious.

 

[-Asianguy-]

i used to pet my arrow too. but sometimes i see how people pet their fish and wonder bout the protective slim.