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So, they brought Wilbur over yesterday before leaving. Wilbur is a Betta fish and is housed in what looks like a lava lamp (has that same shape). At the base of this container are clear smooth rocks (for Wilbur's safety, he's a fighting fish).
In addition to the arrival of Wilbur and his home, I was given one bottle of water conditioner and one container of Betta pellets.
So, what did I find myself doing first thing this morning? Talking to freakin' Wilbur! "Yo dude, what's up? Sleep okay? Do you have enough room in there? Ya hungry? Okay..."
I'm told I can only give Wilbur four of these tiny (size of pinhead) pellets once a day. Poor guy, he devours those things in less than 5 seconds. I almost feel like he should get more, but no, those were not the instructions.
Now, about this damn container. I'm sure I look like an absolute horror to poor Wilbur when I come by. Due to its shape and material, there is a distortion in the view which enlarges everything. Add to that the circular shape and it really makes for a distorted environment. I think I'm scaring the crap out of him each time I walk by.
I'm almost tempted to go down to Petco and put him into a new enviroment. You know, optimize his living arrangements a bit more. Give him some breathing room. Maybe even find a mate. Because he is a fighting fish, they say he loves live brine shrimp. I'm going to go get him some.
Anyone else got a Betta? I only have Wilbur for 6 more days, I want to make sure his stay is a comfortable one. ;)
Fishsitting, Fishsitting, Fishsitting
[edited by: pageoneresults at 7:35 pm (utc) on July 30, 2007]
pageoneresults, You should go to Petco and get a couple of Oscars. Now those fish have personality! They are very playful!
I thought it was SO cool! Then, many years later, I realized what a scam it was to have the customers subsidize the Ocsar's food costs!
Was he using the Oscar to drive traffic to the store? Or was it something he did just because he knew the kids thought it was cool?
See, in my mind if he was doing it cause he knew the kids thought it was cool then he needed a way to offset the cost of feeding the Oscar; I used to own Oscars and bought feeder fish by the bagful. You paid your dime and thought it was cool. That's not a scam, that's entertainment! :)
Later, when we moved to Florida, I thought it was a real hick town because the pet store there didn't have an Oscar.
I finally started figuring things out a few years later when I went to Marine Land (or maybe it was a Sea World) for a field trip and saw you could buy some small fish to feed the seals. The fish stand was right next to the fast food restaurant. So I could either feed myself or the seals with my money. Hmm...
Before it went out of business due to a big box pet store opening a mile away my local pet store kept a pot-bellied pig as a pet.
The pig had full run of the store. He was very friendly.
He also had this magical way of getting people to buy piggie treats for him. :)
Feed the seals or feed myself? Hmm. The seals are going to get fed by the park even if I don't feed them myself. So it's a no-brainer. I feed myself. Right? :)
what part of Florida you lived in?
The seals are going to get fed by the park even if I don't feed them myself.
Well, I'm sorry to say that Wilbur's stay with Dad turned out to be his final days on this great planet of ours. :( Sniffle, sniffle...
Wilbur acquired Popeye during his stay with Dad. I should have just followed Mom's instructions and all would have been fine. No, Dad had to go out and explore and see if he could improve Wilbur's lifestyle and in the process, I ended up being responsible for is demise.
On day 4 during his 7 day stay, I noticed a slight swelling of his left eye although at that point I wasn't sure if it was there when he was dropped off or not.
On day 5, it got a little bigger.
On day 6, it got a little bigger than day 5.
On day 7, it got a lot bigger than day 6 and Mom and Daughter were on their way back from Hawaii.
The first thing out of Mom was...
"Oh my God, what happened to him?"
I was speechless. My daughter was staring at him through the tank and he was still fine at that point, just had this huge Popeye. I mean, it was twice the size of his other eye, it did look a little horrid.
Well, they took Wilbur and went home. I got a call from my Daughter about an hour later and she was in tears. I couldn't understand a good portion of what she was saying but, I know Wilbur got flushed. :(
I explained to her what happened and that Daddy was really sorry. I also told her how proud I was of her for maintaining Wilbur for almost a year. That shows responsibility. She understood and told Daddy that everything was going to be okay. She's 7 and Wilbur is now a memory.
Man, Dad sure got the heat on this one. Now I get to go through life waiting for that day when my Daughter asks me if I remember when I killed her first and only Betta Fish. ;)
P.S. The Popeye was probably curable, but that is only if it was Popeye. There were other things that would cause this and I'm sure Mom wasn't going to foot a $400.00 vet bill. :)
They say that as Popeye progresses, there is a point when the eye does pop out and there are fish living out there with one eye because of this.
Can anyone tell me how much I should give them each day? My neighbour told me just a little pinch of fish food between two fingers each day. It doesn't seem to be very much and they go ape**** every time I enter the room.
(He has two small tanks each containing two fancy dan gold fish.)
sorry to laugh but that is funny
can't believe you did actually kill wilbur
For the record, he didn't kill Wilbur, Wilbur died of natural causes.
>> whatever you do dont let it die
natural or not
lesson learned don't change anything when babysitting fish, dogs and children just in case
steve
I guess the "quality of life" being a fish is debatable, because, well, you're a fish ;)
Lesson learned don't change anything when babysitting fish.
Extra food is always a problem with fish, more waste, either from the uneaten food or from the fish, which makes dirtier water.
Yes, lesson learned. The extra food may have been the cause of the issue if his Popeye was due to that. Betta's are also prone to Tuberculosis which also causes Popeye. But, it was just too coincidental that his Popeye began shortly after I changed his feeding schedule and failed to change his water due to the increased waste he was generating.
After researching the Popeye causes, I'm certain that it was my doing.
Stay tuned...
Starting 2007-08-27, I'm Kitty Sitting a week for Mom. Don't worry, I've watched Kitty a few times without any issues. I just need to watch out for Neutering Neighbors. :)
as long as you neighbour isn't a member here I hope you're safe ;)
"That day?" You say it like it will be a once-off deal. I'll wager the issue will be brought up regularly for the next 60 or 70 years. The only "that day" you need to worry & wait for is the day you're in the hospital bed, her hand is on the plug, and she asks the question. ;)
The only "that day" you need to worry & wait for is the day you're in the hospital bed, her hand is on the plug, and she asks the question. ;)
