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Training the fish

I did intend to shape them into the bucket using food. But I could not find a possible reinforcer to present contingent on behavour. (reinforcer = Stimulus presented strait after a behavour wich do increase the probability for that class of behavour to occure under simular curcumstances.)

I decided to use food to familier them to the bucket, and lure them in. Let them get used to be in there confortably. And then I can put a lid onto it.

So here we go.

I lowered the bucket into the water and put floating food in front of it. Blixten, Normann and Apelsin swimed close to the bucket and took food, about 20 cm from the opening. Skuggan did not find his way to the food. That was the todays training session.

They are not afraid anything presented below the waterline, by the way.

Wasn't able to train this day...

Before noon:

Skuggan was as far from the bucket. The three other came close.

Afternoon:

Lowered the bucket and presented food in and in front of the opening. Blixten swimmed just above the edge of it. NormanN was really close. Appelsin infront and Skuggan did not come close even though he was "sniffing the smell of food", curious.

Before noon:

Lowred the bucket and Blixten swimed imidiantly into the bucket. I put down food and Normann and Apelsin swimed in and took food. They took a swim outside and came back and stayed inside for a minute. Skuggan came close but did not find food until i put some 30 cm from the bucket. I consider to consentrate the focus on the three of them and take Skuggan after puttin the three in the pond. I'll see.. Looking forward to the afternoon training!

Afternoon:

I did as earier today. Blixten, Normann and Apelsin swimed in. Skuggan came after a while and took food over the bucke edge.

Before noon:

Lowered the bucket. Blixten swimed in directly. I didn't even had the time to place the bucket in desired position! Apelsin was the second one in. He was there two times. Norman did also swim inside. I accidently drop food a little to far from the opening and Skuggan took a pice 25 cm from the bucket. He eats less then the others and is satisfied with one peace, even though I had cut the food in smaller pices. The training goes by with a steadily rising curve.

Afternoon:

Blixten swimed strait into the bucket. Apelsin swimed in after a short while, and was inside severel times. Norman strait after that. They are confortable inside. Skuggan had half his body inside, but doesn't gets trigged by the bucket as the three others.

Evening:

I decided to catch them now.

My goal was to have them all in the bucket at once but it's mid summer and they needed to come out into the pond. I wanted to take them one by one.

Apelsin swimmed strait into bucket. I just had to tilt it and lift it out of the tank.

To avoid pick Apelsin out to catch the next fish I used another bucket and Blixten swimed in allmost directly.

In the bottom of the tank I had a casserol as a part of the enviroment. Skuggan happend to be int it so I just lifted him out.

I didn't take the time to wait så I gentle cought Normann with a small fishnet as is often used i regular livingroom fish tanks.

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