Hand feeding a peacock eel

[Josh505]

Does anyone know how i can get my peacock eel to hand feed? He is pretty shy. I've tried with him before and he doesnt do anything. I am currently feeding him with a turkey baster. When i feed him i put it right in his face but ive never actually seen him eat it. I've had him for about a month now. Is there anything i could do to stop him from being so shy?

 

[Fishfur]

He needs time to adjust. They are usually very, very shy at first. If he does not have something to hide in, he's going to stay shy. PVC pipe, soft substrate he can bury himself in, and dense plant cover are going to make him feel safer.

He's going to want live food as he would get in the wild, worms, fly larvae or other larvae, brine shrimp, other small crustaceans. Live food will also help entice him to hunt it. I think sticking the baster in his face at this point is just going to bother him. Put the food close by, then let him get on with it at his own pace.

Patience is the key here. If he has plenty of hiding places, little current, soft substrate and dense plant cover, he will eventually feel safe and with any luck become fairly friendly.

 

[Josh505]

Okay well i did put plenty of hiding spaces like soft substrate, pvc pipe, cork wood, etc. im feeding him brine shimp and blood worms. so it sounds like im doing the right thing. i guess i just need to wait for him to come out of his shell like you said. thank you for your help!

 

[Fishfur]

Sounds like you have it right, hope he settles in and comes out to say hi sooner rather than later. But animals have their own timetables and rarely consult us about them .