Pet fish had babies but

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so sorry OP. We got one of those butterfly kits during the pandemic. I released the last one a bit too early and it was immediately chomped by a mockingbird. Kids were hysterical.

Oh my god, this is so dark. That would have broken my pandemic self.

We have a dog and my DD has been looking longingly at fish and hamsters. They are officially off my list! I don’t think I could deal with the emotions of pet ownership that already overwhelm me but on a faster lifecycle. Fish people, you’re stronger than I am.

[Anonymous]

All my fish have died lately OP and it's so sad. You get attached to them. I cleaned out the tank and put it away. I need a break from the ups and downs of fish ownership.

I had babies too, but they were gone almost immediately. Sometimes it just get you right in the heart.

[Anonymous]

If you have lots of vegetation and hiding spots, the babies have good odds of survival. Mine got overrun with "babies", and I ended up having to separate the genders, after giving away quite a few fish.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh my. That would upset me too. Reminds me of the time we got a pet store hamster. She had babies and then bit all their heads off. Or the time we had a nest or bird eggs in our bush. They hatched and we were watching them, and then a downpour of rain destroyed the nest and the babies were gone. Life is hard.

Ok the hamster biting the heads off and seeing a bloody mess would scar me for life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You would be psychopathic if you weren't upset, OP.

Yes, you need to separate the fish babies. For rodents, if you leave them in a quiet part of the house, in a large cage and don't stress them, the risk they kill their babies decreases significantly (separate the male).

People, you've got to do a little research when you get pets. Fish and little critters are entirely deserving of just as much love and care as horses, cats and dogs.

I don’t think OP needed a lecture. When I was growing up we bought a male hamster from a pet store. Let’s just say the babies were quite a surprise, so no we didn’t research hamster babies.

NP. I disagree. I think that OP and anybody who brings live animals into their house absolutely needs to do research on the animals. Preferably before they bring them home, but if not, then within the first few days of owning a pet. It is incumbent upon anyone who is taking care of a living creature to know what things are necessary to do to keep that animal alive, under what conditions they breed, what are the signs and what to do about the care of young. As OP found, sometimes if you wait until that happens, it may be too late.

The problem that is endemic in the US is that animals and pets are too easy to get and too many people get some on a whim and do not learn anything about taking care of them and then so many tragedies happen. Like the morons who think that giving baby chicks or rabbits as gifts for Easter are good ideas. Or all the people who got a dog or cat during the pandemic because they were home and then when their lives started to return to semi-normal suddenly no longer wanted them and rescue societies were running out of space to care for these animals and had troubles rehoming them.

Stop being so blase about abusing animals. And not learning enough about a pet to allow their babies to be killed the day they are born, is abusive. If you aren't willing to do the research on how to take care of a pet, DON'T BRING ONE HOME.

[Anonymous]

I grew up in the country and this is just a sad part of life that I got used to at a young age. There was a sweet little barn cat where I rode horses that got mauled by a dog. Saw dead animals frequently in the woods. Our pet cats killed mice and birds all the time. I think the worst one was when a stray cat had kittens under our porch and left the runt of the litter for dead. My mom, a farm girl herself, said matter-of-factly, "oh, sometimes they just eat the runt." I am a cat lover and was horrified, so my dear dad rescued that cat and we had her for a decade!

[Anonymous]

Cichlid fish dads keep the babies in their mouths. Do you think the father fish has them?

[Anonymous]

OP, it should be clear by now that most people know you have to separate the baby fish from the adults. Even I know that, and I don't even have fish. Maybe next time you decide to keep an animal, do some minimal research into keeping it alive. Or better yet, if you can't be a responsible pet owner, don't have one at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh my. That would upset me too. Reminds me of the time we got a pet store hamster. She had babies and then bit all their heads off. Or the time we had a nest or bird eggs in our bush. They hatched and we were watching them, and then a downpour of rain destroyed the nest and the babies were gone. Life is hard.

OMG why would a hamster bite her babies heads off?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh my. That would upset me too. Reminds me of the time we got a pet store hamster. She had babies and then bit all their heads off. Or the time we had a nest or bird eggs in our bush. They hatched and we were watching them, and then a downpour of rain destroyed the nest and the babies were gone. Life is hard.

OMG why would a hamster bite her babies heads off?!

Probably too much screen time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You would be psychopathic if you weren't upset, OP.

Yes, you need to separate the fish babies. For rodents, if you leave them in a quiet part of the house, in a large cage and don't stress them, the risk they kill their babies decreases significantly (separate the male).

People, you've got to do a little research when you get pets. Fish and little critters are entirely deserving of just as much love and care as horses, cats and dogs.

I don’t think OP needed a lecture. When I was growing up we bought a male hamster from a pet store. Let’s just say the babies were quite a surprise, so no we didn’t research hamster babies.

NP. I disagree. I think that OP and anybody who brings live animals into their house absolutely needs to do research on the animals. Preferably before they bring them home, but if not, then within the first few days of owning a pet. It is incumbent upon anyone who is taking care of a living creature to know what things are necessary to do to keep that animal alive, under what conditions they breed, what are the signs and what to do about the care of young. As OP found, sometimes if you wait until that happens, it may be too late.

The problem that is endemic in the US is that animals and pets are too easy to get and too many people get some on a whim and do not learn anything about taking care of them and then so many tragedies happen. Like the morons who think that giving baby chicks or rabbits as gifts for Easter are good ideas. Or all the people who got a dog or cat during the pandemic because they were home and then when their lives started to return to semi-normal suddenly no longer wanted them and rescue societies were running out of space to care for these animals and had troubles rehoming them.

Stop being so blase about abusing animals. And not learning enough about a pet to allow their babies to be killed the day they are born, is abusive. If you aren't willing to do the research on how to take care of a pet, DON'T BRING ONE HOME.

Omg you need to get outside and breathe/touch some grass. Live a little Bob or Suzy. Although I do agree that one should never get rid of their pets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You would be psychopathic if you weren't upset, OP.

Yes, you need to separate the fish babies. For rodents, if you leave them in a quiet part of the house, in a large cage and don't stress them, the risk they kill their babies decreases significantly (separate the male).

People, you've got to do a little research when you get pets. Fish and little critters are entirely deserving of just as much love and care as horses, cats and dogs.

I don’t think OP needed a lecture. When I was growing up we bought a male hamster from a pet store. Let’s just say the babies were quite a surprise, so no we didn’t research hamster babies.

I disagree with you entirely on your second point: YES, you DO need to research the species and its living and breeding propensities before you get a single individual, even if you don't intend to breed it. It's well known that small animals you get from stores can be sexed wrong and be pregnant already. It's not like store employees take good care of them. I can't emphasize this enough, actually.

Lol, so people should anticipate bringing home pregnant pets and educate themselves in infant rodent care, all because the pet store staff, which supposedly has expertise, isnt educated enough to properly sex a rodent??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
You would be psychopathic if you weren't upset, OP.

Yes, you need to separate the fish babies. For rodents, if you leave them in a quiet part of the house, in a large cage and don't stress them, the risk they kill their babies decreases significantly (separate the male).

People, you've got to do a little research when you get pets. Fish and little critters are entirely deserving of just as much love and care as horses, cats and dogs.

I don’t think OP needed a lecture. When I was growing up we bought a male hamster from a pet store. Let’s just say the babies were quite a surprise, so no we didn’t research hamster babies.

NP. I disagree. I think that OP and anybody who brings live animals into their house absolutely needs to do research on the animals. Preferably before they bring them home, but if not, then within the first few days of owning a pet. It is incumbent upon anyone who is taking care of a living creature to know what things are necessary to do to keep that animal alive, under what conditions they breed, what are the signs and what to do about the care of young. As OP found, sometimes if you wait until that happens, it may be too late.

The problem that is endemic in the US is that animals and pets are too easy to get and too many people get some on a whim and do not learn anything about taking care of them and then so many tragedies happen. Like the morons who think that giving baby chicks or rabbits as gifts for Easter are good ideas. Or all the people who got a dog or cat during the pandemic because they were home and then when their lives started to return to semi-normal suddenly no longer wanted them and rescue societies were running out of space to care for these animals and had troubles rehoming them.

Stop being so blase about abusing animals. And not learning enough about a pet to allow their babies to be killed the day they are born, is abusive. If you aren't willing to do the research on how to take care of a pet, DON'T BRING ONE HOME.

Omg you need to get outside and breathe/touch some grass. Live a little Bob or Suzy. Although I do agree that one should never get rid of their pets.

I agree, that PP is insane. I work in a laboratory with rodents and sometimes the moms randomly kill or don’t care for the pups. Lab rodents are getting the highest level care by professional vets and live in a virtually germ free, temperature controlled, quiet environment with proper nutrition. Baby rodents die sometimes. Sh*t happens.

[Anonymous]

I gave a mail in butterfly setup to my DD’s preschool. They hatched on a Friday afternoon. Teacher was in a rush and shoved a dish of sugar water into the habitat instead of a saturated towel. Their wings weren’t expanded yet and they drowned in it.

[Anonymous]

OP, you need a breeder box. It is a clear plastic box that separates the mother and future babies without you having to be there when the birth event occurs. The fish will be pregnant again soon.