Page 268 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

240 Box B12 Species‐specioic onsiderations eith Aquatics

Many fish are trained to some degree with-
VetBooks.ir out the aquarists involved in their care even particularly in deeper tanks. For example, I
worked with a honeycomb whiptailed ray
realising it. This happens simply through
being scatter fed on the bottom of a relatively
feeding a particular individual or species at a (Himantura undulata) which was used to
certain area, and over time, they learn to shallow (2 m) tank during her time in quar-
associate food with a certain area of their antine (see Figure B12.2). However, she was
enclosure. Some even appear to react when being moved into a mixed species exhibit
they see the colour of staff uniform, despite that was 4.5 m deep so scatter feeding was no
being fed from a public area where there are longer an option. In order to keep control
many different people around; so likely learn- over her diet, the staff fashioned a feeding
ing to discriminate between familiar and pole for her to come to. Unfortunately, for
unfamiliar people. one reason or another, she did not feed well
As aquarium tanks generally house a few in the main exhibit, so she was moved into an
different species, with differing behaviours adjoining acclimation tank (~1.5 m deep). In
and appetite levels, training can help with this acclimation tank, the ray was fed next to
general daily husbandry. For example, in a a target which was gradually moved up the
tank with larger predatory (faster) fish such side of the tank wall, so that she learnt to sur-
as golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus) face for her food. The second time she was
or crevalle jacks (Caranx hippos), they can moved into the mixed species tank, the aqua-
locate and eat food more quickly than their rists were able to successfully feed the ray
tankmates. An aquarist may decide to train and a much more positive outcome was
the predatory fish to come to a particular accomplished.
area of their tank for their food, freeing up an It is possible in many cases to carry out a
area of the tank for the slower fish to feed training session using a proportion of the fish’s
without competition. Alternatively, the daily food allowance and then feed the remain-
slower fish can be trained to approach the ing food as normal. However, in my personal
aquarist for hand feeding (see Figure B12.1). experience, training in an aquarium generally
Benthic (or bottom dwelling) creatures can involves the use of all the fish’s diet for that day.
also prove challenging to training attempts, The training session and feeding time becomes

Figure B12.1 Many different fish species can be trained to support husbandry systems, for example this
stonebass Polyprion americanus was trained by offering food rewards on the surface of the water at the
National Marine Aquarium. Source: Oliver Reed.