username

Does it hurt when an oscar bites?

Gunnie

I've never been bitten by my oscars, but I'll bet it could hurt if they could get a good enough hold on your skin. I believe their teeth are farther back in their mouths.

robby270

it all depends on the mood its in, one of my dad's old Oscars would constantly nip at my hand and it never hurt but i'm guessing it was playing because i wouldd not doubt if they were really ed at something the could very well give a nasty bite.

Jim

I had a 10" Oscar that would occasionally bite my hand if he was grumpy. He didn't have teeth persay, but he's nip you one good!

Old Sloppy

If you don't jump, it does not hurt or bleed.
It does spook you big time & if you rip your finger out of his mouth then you will bleed , much like a cat scratch. hurts like a cat scratch too.
Once again, hold your finger still and he will shake his head back and forth then release with no hurt or blood.

JasmynJade

Ok...you guys tell me just WHY would you have your hands in there to begin with
I WAS gonna get an Oscar, but rethinking now.
When my puffers eat krill, I can hear them chew with the lid DOWN, I'm not puttin
my fingers in there! I DO feed them bloodworms from a plastic spoon, they come out of the water to get them!

Old Sloppy

Well, I like to play with my Oscars.
My Oscars are my pets. (I allso have a dog)
Much like one would play with a puppy.
Interaction with any pet can be fun.
I knew a guy that would play tug of war with his dog and an old towel.
Well with an Oscar you can use your finger in place of an old towel.

I actually trained my Oscar to not swim away from me. (long story)

Harry S.
P.S. I used to live in Cleveland.

JasmynJade

SO, not to be nosey, just curious...what kind of things do you do with your Oscar? And can they be done with Cichild's?
So I'm gathering you can touch them and it won't kill them? The reason I ask this...
is...2 yrs ago we bought some gold fish for a little pond outside...we had them in a 5 gallon bucket until we got the pond ready...which we were out there and working on it....my grand daughter stuck her hands in the bucket and was holding the fish one at at time, I didn't see any harm in it...I didn't know!!! WELL, 7 of them died....and my husband said that was the reason why. She wasn't mean to them, didn't squeeze them, just held them in her hand under the water!!!
What is your opinion?

darkwolf29a

I play with my Oscar too. I'm not afraid of him. I hand feed him, and he has nipped me, but not a big deal. He's small yet, 1.5 in, but he can put my little finger in his mouth. Honestly, I've been bitten harder by cats and dogs or my ex-wife's ferrets...Now those things can draw blood like no other.

I play with mine, and he comes brushes up against my arm when I'm cleaning his mess. LOL He likes to dig, so I'm constantly replanting plants.

He only bit me the first day too. I put his food on my finger and he bit in to it. I think he realized, very quickly, that the soft stuff wasn't food. LOL He has taken his food from that finger for a week now, and hasn't replayed that bite. He just comes up more carefully. I didn't scould him or anything, just said ow!!! he seemed to notice that, for some odd reason. *Shrugs*

I am reading a book about Oscars right now. They state you can train them to go through hoops and things. I'm just working on the whole touching thing, which they state takes awhile, as that's a sign of supreme trust from them.

JasmynJade

Hey,Thanks for the info....maybe I'll try and find that book, too.
On another subject someone sent me some videos on YouTube, I was AMAZED
at the HUGE Oscars...and people feeding them mice. I personally don't think they
should do that, but whatever, it's THEIR fish!!! I will stick with what they are supposed to eat. I'm just trying to collect info before bringing one home. Our tank has been cycling for 3 weeks today, not ready yet. I don't know if I'll EVER get
the nerve to put my hand in there to pet him/her. OH, can the pet store tell the difference between male & female? And if your just gonna have ONE, which would be best to get?? Is the male more aggresive??
darkwolf, thanks for your help!!!!!

darkwolf29a

I have yet to find anything really good on sexing of them, but I haven't finished the book either. I just got it yesterday.
It's an Animal Planet book. So far, it seems pretty good.

I wouldn't feed them mice, or anything close that big.

The book says insects, small fish, things of that nature, and veggies.

I'm planning on a 10 gallon tank, plus 2 5 gallons, of guppies. And I'm going to throw in some ghost shrimp into the 10 as well. The 5 s will be my breeders/fry tanks, and the 10 gallons will hold the females. Guppies are known to eat their fry.
I figure, if I can get those to grow and spawn then I should be good for treats. It's all about keeping Ody happy. Plus, I'd like to try my hand at breeding guppies, and the culls can, easily, become Ody food.

JasmynJade

Smart, saves money, and good hobby!!!
Way to go, I may do something similar, but not to that extent.
you mentioned that book was from "Animal Planet"....could I find it at
Barnes & Noble?
Thanks for sharing!

darkwolf29a

There's the book title for you.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/boo...93837625&itm=2

That might get directly there.

Honestly, I got my copy from Petco yesterday. So far, it's a good book.

I've read the parts about feeding and personality. Really just the first couple of chapters.

If you're going to own one, I think you should understand what you are getting yourself into. I enjoy my time with Ody, which is really all that matters, IMO.

JasmynJade

I totally agree. I bought the 1st 2 puffers not knowning anything about them....shame on me ONCE...I don't want to do that again...so, I will look for that book this weekend....
thanks so much for your help. You can get a book to read about a subject, but there is NOTHING like hearing first hand experience!!!!

darkwolf29a

Very true.

Just remember, that a lot of fish experience is based upon a limited number of fish.

For example, I can give you my insight for a week with Ody. But, it's only a week, for one. And even after a year, there will still be something that he might do, and I need to learn from.

That's why I like keeping fish, because they are always making me learn something new and watching for different behaviors.

JasmynJade

Thanks, and enjoy Ody...got a pic of the boy

darkwolf29a

I tried taking pictures last night. Honestly, between my movement of the camera and his movement in tha tank, nothing came out but a blur.

I'm going to grab the tripod tonight, and try it again.

Why is it so hard to get a fish sit still? LOL

Jim

My oscar would act pretty much the same; except I gave up on the plants, it was useless. I stuck to cool big rocks abd pieces of driftwood. Whic, BTW, he would move and push around until he was happy with his digs. It was a riot to watch him spending hours eyeballing rocks and then shoving them around.
Anyway, mine wouldn't bite you if you stuck your hand in the tank, unless you really startled him. the only time I'd get really bit is mine LOVED nightwalkers (a really big worm used to fish with, for those of you not from the northern US). I would buy a dozen and my oscar couldn't eat them fast enough. It took no time before he'd jump a good 8" out of the water to get one. It was unbelievably fun, but half the time he'd be all crazy and if you didn't time it right you could get nipped good.
Like Old Sloppy said, it wouldn't draw blood; oscars don't have teeth. But at the same time, this was a 10" very strong fish. It doesn't really hurt, but will startle the the first time he latches onto the end of your finger...lol

Old Sloppy

Oh, Oh, I know this one...how to get a fish to be still so you can take a photo of them.

1) turn on the TV set, the fish will start watching TV and will forget you are even there.

2) hand feed them small feeder goldfish, I mean to hold the goldfish about one inch over the tank, your Oscar will hold very still just long enough to snap that pix. then he will very quickly lunge at the goldfish and swallow it whole.

3) allmost the same as #2..feed them till they can't swallow any more,then they will stay very still when they chew their food.

Harry S.

hugnkiss

hey if the oscars are small no but when they get bigger yes it will, they can even take some skin off

Gozer_1

Mine nibbles at my arm if I am poking around in there. More like a "love tap" in my opinion. I hand feed him feeder fish, crickets and earthworms. The fish play tug of war with the worms.

Picture wise he is very much a camera hog.

Cody

i thought about a oscar or a jack for my 55 but im just to scared...they get to big and i like my fingers..i would be afreaid to stick my hand in there for anything i dont think i could handle a oscar or a jack

darkwolf29a

You can't be scared of them. Not, that you should be. Honestly, I was a bit worried about Ody. I bought him at 1.5 in because of that. I wanted to get used to him before he got too big. Now...I'm not even worried. He acts like a dog, really. Since he and the pleco are the only things in the tank...he craves attention. ANd...I spoil him rotten. Honestly, I highly recommend Oscars to anyone with a 55 gallon tank. If Ody were any sweeter...he'd be made of angelfood cake. LMAO I know..it sounds whimpy, but Ody is a very sweet fish, with a very cool disposition.

I saw one at the LFS on Saturday. I asked the guy if I could hand in the tank. The Oscar in there was all over my hand. And that was a HUGE fish. Had to be 10in easy. I was worried about Ody getting that big...now, I can't wait for it.

In my opinion, I bought an Oscar fish. What I brought home was an Oscar dog.

Cody

dark wolf have you ever had a jack....

Jim

Mine grew to about 14" and although he was pretty intimidating to strangers, he was very friendly to me and people he was used to.

Cody

so if i did go with one of them you would say to get a smaller one ...asuming its young lol..so then if can keep him alive and what not he will be used ot me and i will be used to him and i proubably woundnt worry as much

Gozer_1

It has been my experience that Oscars are really very sweet fish. The only time mine has ever bit me is when I stuck my finger in there with fish food on it. I just wanted to see. He pokes at my arm when I'm cleaning but really the tin foils are the ones that try to bite my arm the most. Unless you give them a point to grab on to they have trouble getting a hold on you.

Jim

I would definitly recommend starting out with a small one first. A little oscar, only 1" or 2", can be really fun. They are realy curious, inquisitive little fish, and they do quickly learn to recognize the person that feeds them. Once they do, they will rush to the front of the tank when you walk into a room, and follow you around and such. It's one of the reasons Oscars and some other cichlids (like my angels) are so popular; they recognize their owner. Some fish just swim around in their own little world (...just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.....). But when you look at an oscar or angel, it comes right to the front of the tank and looks right back at you. Trust me, you can become really attached to an oscar really fast, and there's nothing like watching it grow from a real little guy into a small monster.

MrsCK

Yes it hurts. Ours bit my DH a few times already and on more than one occasion it bled. I think it depends on what size oscar you have.

darkwolf29a

I'm sure if a big Oscar bites you, it will hurt more than a small one, yes. However, I would disagree with the statement of it depending on the size alone.

My Oscar is 6.5 in now, and has "bitten" me twice. Once when he was very young and once two days ago. Honestly, the younger bite hurt more. When he got me the other day, he recognized the my finger wasn't food and stopped very quickly. He's been more sweetheartish since then.

I think it has to do with temperment. I wouldn't put my hand in a tank with 6 Oscars because they act more like wild ones...since they feed off each other's temperment. With just 1, he is very gentle 99% of time. I've Ody(sseus) for over 6 months now, and I can't see him biting me with intent on hurting me at all. Honestly, I'd be scared to put in with 5 more Oscars, at this point. They'd use him as a punching bag. He's a love, at this point, not a fighter.