OK to Pet my Goldfish???

[hockeyref88]

This is Hockey Ref WIFEY here...

i have a cool goldfish tank.

i'm very attached to my fishies, especially Cocoa my bubbly brown and orange fish. she has the most amazing personality and wiggles like crazy when ever i put my finger up to the tank glass.

one day i stuck my finger tip into the water and she swam right up and i touched her. she was soooo soft!! like velvet.

now every time right before i feed them, i put the tip of my finger in the water and she rushes over and i pet her bit. now some of the other fishes come over to and let me touch them too.

is it OK to do this? i don't want to hurt them. i try to make sure my hands are clean and just gently touch them on their sides.

i think cocoa particularly likes me cuz i saved her life. one morning her little fat head was stuck behind the filter. i unsnapped it from the back wall and set her free. she had a pretty bad injury on the side of her head and her flipper was smashed, and her little jaw is still a little purple almost 2 weeks later. but she's doing much better and her flipper is working again and she seems so happy and energetic. i just couldn't resist.:1luvu:

[Arkie]

i dont see any problems, as you said your hands are clean and your very gentle and if they swim over to you what are you going to do???? lol my red and white gold fish has been doing the same thing to my finger for the last month or two. odd things are gold fish and entirely misunderstood. :19:

[Fishalicious]

Excessively it can damage the slimecoat a little on a fish....I have quite a few handtame fish as well that I stroke ... usually during feeding. As long as you are not doing it more than once a day I cannot see it being a problem :19:

[Billythefish]

I dont think its a good idea you could damage the fishes slime coat and risc infection

[angelcakes]

its fine to put fingers in,but becareful of there body slime,do it as fishalicious suggested and there wont be a problem:19:

[Halelorf]

As long as you are gentle and your hands are clean and free of chemicals like soap there isn't a problem. I handle my goldfish all the time as they get very big and using your hands at that point is actually more gentle than a net. Be very careful around the eyes and gills and for fancy varieties if they have a wen it is usually very sensitive and you shouldn't touch it. Hope that helps!

[Ghostknife]

Would the human body not be alot warmer than that of a coldwater fish? Could this not hurt the fish a little, & of course, as everyone said above, about not touching frequently.

Also, although we must look after our fish, we must also look after ourselves. You would have to make sure you did not infect yourself, if you have a a cut of any type, & also about spreading germs from the fish to you, through food, kitchen utensils, etc.

In saying this, & me being a hypocrite, I often let my goldfish, when I had them, come up and nibble my fingers!

[travie]

You could always add Slime Coat, or anything that helps build it up, to make you feel better and to make sure your goldfish don't lose any of their slime coat.

[cocoa_pleco]

as long as its not a hard pet and you add stress coat after its okay

[MelonMan]

i know when handling koi you have to make sure your hands are wet to protect thier slime coating, just a thought

[Billythefish]

I just dont get this thread its like you guys think its ok to touch your fish as long as you add stress coat! Thats crazy
I maybe ranting but i just cant understand why you guys would risk harming your fish slime coat and maybe risk bringing toxics in to the water im sorry guys for going on but hand on your haert is it worth the risk?

[Ghostknife]

I am with BillytheFish!! But I am also very surprised nobody has mentioned their own personal health.
Mental

[Halelorf]

The alternative is to net the fish which, given the size of the particular fish, can damage the slime coat far more when the fish thrashes than you hand. You should always be well washed before and after putting your hands into a fish tank anyways, so the toxins should be very minimal. Most professional goldfish breeders in China and Japan use their hands to move and get a closer look at their fish and have been doing so for centuries. Some goldfish even seek out the touch of humans, like coming up to nibble fingers and in the extreme case Punch the oranda. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUhgGhi7Wfw Handling a goldfish is a personal choice but as long as you are careful it is far from detrimental to the fish's health.

[Demi ^_^]

Hey guys, I think it'll be fine, I pet my betta daily and he is as healthy and happy. My Angelfish also nibble on my fingers, same with my Gourami....

[jbeining75]

I hand feed my Oscars and pet them. Well at least Carl. Jarvis doesn't like the idea yet. I just throw in some stress coat to heal any slimecoat I may have removed in the process. I clean my hands very well though and make sure no soap residue is on them before I stick my hands in my tank at all.

[Billythefish]

I am with BillytheFish!! But I am also very surprised nobody has mentioned their own personal health.
Mental
Thats a good point you made there say you had a cut or somthing

[Halelorf]

Thats a good point you made there say you had a cut or somthing

The risks of infection or getting TB from fish are very real. However if you are readily sticking your hands into a fish tank or any untreated body of water with open wounds then you are naive.

[Kayla-Bug]

I agree. It does damage their slime coat a little, but as long as you don't do it a whole lot it would be fine. I have a female betta that lets me pet her, and I love it!!! I actually prefer catching my fish by hand then trying to catch them with a net because with a net I can't really tell if I am squishing them or what I'm doing. Plus I think it is less stressful. Do you think that is bad? Should I use a net more often?