i want to teach my 3 inch red tail to be hand fed and petted. How do I do it? How big do they have to be for it to work?
red tailed cats? training them?
- Thread starter RumpThumper33
- Start date
Be very, very careful with this, but you should start with them as young as possible. The best book with training tips which I have found is, oddly enough, "The Guide to Owning Oscars," by Dick Stratton. It's a $7.95 book found at most (chain) LFS, and has a great section on trick training which may be of some use to you in your future with your red-tail cat. It is fun to have fish engage in non-piscine activities (my Betta allows himself to be pet) and, with such a long-lived pet, you will (hopefully) enjoy it for years to come.
okay thanx, but um, couldnt you just tell me what those methods are instead of sending me out lookin for a book? Did you write it or something? If you need cash I'm sure you can a find a friend or family member who can help you out....
Very poorly put. I am NOT Dick Stratton, nor do I pretend to be, nor have I met him, nor do I receive money from him or from T.F.H. Publications. Your reply, though uncouth, will, however, elicit one from me. Let me see if I can explain the methods in my next post to this thread...I just wanted to let you know that, despite your lack of patience, a reply is forthcoming.
Remember that your fish lacks a cerebral cortex, so it may be a one-trick pony, and will only be able to do simple ones at best.
Keep in mind the behavior you want to encourage and decide how you wish to encourage it.
As in Pavlov's experiment, use a bell or clicker each time you feed your fish. It is easier to reward behavior with a signal rather than with food.
(With hand-feeding, you need not do this first part, as your RTC will eventually recognize you as the "keeper of kibbles" and just move your hand closer by the day when you feed him, being careful not to scare him.)
Most people will gradually get their fish used to being stroked. You can acci-purpose-dentally brush against him when you clean the tank, or you can touch him deliberately.
Or, this could be an outgrowth of handfeeding your fish...feed, then brush. That's how "Mo" became tame...he associated my hands with food and then tolerated them a little better.
Do it gently, though, and don't spook your fish, or else it will be a long road back to those behaviors which you want to encourage.
Have patience and it will most likely work well for you.
I apologize for not posting this earlier. I am a college student, with a lot of references on my shelf, and studying and class come first...I try to help some people with commonly available references, because they are cheap and somewhat easy to find...I merely wanted to steer you in the right direction, not earn a few extra bucks for Mr. Stratton and TFH, Inc, with whom, again, I have no connection whatsoever.
Keep in mind the behavior you want to encourage and decide how you wish to encourage it.
As in Pavlov's experiment, use a bell or clicker each time you feed your fish. It is easier to reward behavior with a signal rather than with food.
(With hand-feeding, you need not do this first part, as your RTC will eventually recognize you as the "keeper of kibbles" and just move your hand closer by the day when you feed him, being careful not to scare him.)
Most people will gradually get their fish used to being stroked. You can acci-purpose-dentally brush against him when you clean the tank, or you can touch him deliberately.
Or, this could be an outgrowth of handfeeding your fish...feed, then brush. That's how "Mo" became tame...he associated my hands with food and then tolerated them a little better.
Do it gently, though, and don't spook your fish, or else it will be a long road back to those behaviors which you want to encourage.
Have patience and it will most likely work well for you.
I apologize for not posting this earlier. I am a college student, with a lot of references on my shelf, and studying and class come first...I try to help some people with commonly available references, because they are cheap and somewhat easy to find...I merely wanted to steer you in the right direction, not earn a few extra bucks for Mr. Stratton and TFH, Inc, with whom, again, I have no connection whatsoever.