HI i have 2 RTC (about three feet each), 2 TSN (about two feet each) and 2 clown knifefish (about 2.5 feet each) all in a pond. they have been eating huge reject carps for basically all their lives that i buy wholesale from a supplier in malaysia but im trying to cut down on live food due to risk of disease, convinience and cruelty (cause my mum is buddhist :s) i tried to train them to eat dead fish meat and pellets in the past but only the RTC would eat them cause they r pigs. the TSN and knifefish are so fussy and simply refused to eat for three months! i gave in and fed them live food again. does anybody have an effective method to train adult carnivours???
Train RTC, TSN and Knifefish to eat DEAD FOOD
- Thread starter TLkmDN
- Start date
Hmmmm, tried shrimp? Also my big hybrid was reluctant to eat dead food for a while, but I tried feeding him whole fish, and it worked great. I leave the heads and everything on them. I shake the fish in the water as if it's alive and wham. He attacks them like no other. He's currently pushing 3'. I reared all my tsn on dead food. They will (if I can help it) never have more than an ocassional live treat, and that will be mostly worms.
Probably you have to stimulate their natural hunting instinct by trying fishing methods (but without a hook 
).
Pulling the dead Fish through the water could evoke a positiv reaction.
I think after you trained the fishes once to take dead fish that way it is just a small step to get them taking the food more easily.
But I am also still looking for the perfect way
).Pulling the dead Fish through the water could evoke a positiv reaction.
I think after you trained the fishes once to take dead fish that way it is just a small step to get them taking the food more easily.
But I am also still looking for the perfect way
My TSN's used to be the same way. Eventually they get hungry enough to eat the "dead" fish. Thing is I feed the cats fish fillets from the store and bluegill cought in my sisters spring fed pond. I feed them all by hand. It took the new commer about a month to come around..... They will not starve them selves to death....
I usually run the fish under hot water then cold which kills them rather quickly, then hold the fish by it's tail and they eat from my hand. I'd start by feeding them dead (freshly killed) reject carp so it atleast looks familiar to them... Try and explain to your mom that it's going to take a while....
I usually run the fish under hot water then cold which kills them rather quickly, then hold the fish by it's tail and they eat from my hand. I'd start by feeding them dead (freshly killed) reject carp so it atleast looks familiar to them... Try and explain to your mom that it's going to take a while....