My goldfish just died today, and I'm sad. (I know it's silly, but I was very attached to her--had her for several years). Any funny pet stories (particularly fish ones) to cheer me up?
2006-09-25 19:00:04 · 15 answers · asked by N 6 in Pets ➔ Fish
I have a goldfish, but we originally had two. The bigger one (Shiner) was always bullying the other one (Tigger).
When we had had them about 1 1/2 years, Tigger developed a tumour, but kept his friendly cheerful personality! To help you picture them, the Shiner has the personality of a killer whale and Tigger was more like a dolphin (coming out of the water to be fed etc.)
When the tumour started getting bigger, I noticed that Shiner would let Tigger get the food first and she stopped bossing and pushing him around! I found this strange, as fish will usually attack weaker fish!
I should note that Shiner is bossy and demanding and will find various ways to get my attention, including splashing or making noises with her mouth at the top of the water.
Anyways, one time I noticed that she was desperately trying to get my attention by swimming very fast back and forth across the front of the tank. I thought that she wanted shrimp treats and it was too soon after feeding them supper, so I made a point of ignoring her!
She kept this up for about 15 minutes before I actually looked at her and I was going to ask her what she wanted. This is when I noticed that I couldn't see Tigger! I went up to the tank (20 gallon) and still couldn't see him. This was strange since he was approx. 6 inches long and very round! This is when Shiner went to the back corner and I saw Tigger had somehow gotten up and behind the tube and was stuck upside down! Shiner was "kissing him" (they were always touching each other and very close).
I opened the lid and pulled out the tube so Tigger could get free. He swam away just like nothing had happened! The really funny part, is that Shiner wouldn't let him near that corner for the rest of the evening! If she saw him going towards it, she would swim quickly and cut him off or push him back across the tank!
Don't believe people when they say that fish have no feelings, thoughts, or memory! It took two little goldfish to teach me that! (I'm a dog person).
I'm sad to say that Tigger's cancer got worse and the vet said that he wouldn't survive surgery. I had to put him to sleep when he was about 2 years old. Despite the size of his tumour, he kept his cheerful and playful personality right until the end! Even in the vet's office, whenever I called him, he would poke his head out of the water and do his little dolphin act!
This a link to picture that looks very much like Tigger:
http://members.fcac.org/~rwt/newgfsa/optimized/fopt55.jpg
And this one is similar to Shiner:
http://animal-world.com/encyclo/fresh/goldfish/RyukinGoldfish.php
My goal in life is to see how many years I can keep Shiner alive! They can have very long life spans so we'll see. Until then, she is one very special and spoiled goldfish! (I think she knows it!)
I am sorry for your loss and I hope you find some humour and similarities in my little story!
2006-09-25 19:47:56 · answer #1 · answered by *ღ♥۩ THEMIS ۩♥ღ* 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sorry about your fish. :( I used to have goldfish, so I know what you mean. Some folks laughed when I said I got attached to them, but that's OK. :) I know how I felt! The same goes for when I had my pet rats; I got a lot more attached to them, since they had such intelligence and personality. Of course, I got laughed at by some folks with them too, since apparently not everyone finds pet rats to be "cute".
Anyway, funny pet stories... well, this isn't really a story, but you know how goldfish will go along the bottom of the bowl/tank, picking up gravel in their mouths and then spitting it back out again. I used to call this "vacuuming"! ;D That's just what it looked like! I also noticed that my fish seemed to blub more when they saw me, but maybe it was just because they thought they were getting food! heh
Here's a funny rat story -- one of my rats used to do backflips! LOL I'm not kidding! When she was young, she loved climbing the walls of her wire cage, and she also loved swinging along the ceiling of the cage like a monkey. Sometimes (and I could always tell this was coming by her body language), she would be sitting on the bottom of the cage and suddenly jump up and a little backwards, so that she would end up with ALL FOUR paws hanging onto the ceiling of the cage! *giggle* As she grew up, she realized she couldn't comfortably do this, and stopped, thank goodness! But she always made me laugh with her other exuberant antics. ;D
2006-09-25 19:06:34 · answer #2 · answered by scary shari 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You think you're silly? My wife was depressed for a week when one of my columbian shark died. And I only had it for a month.
Anyways.......
My betta was really borring, other bettas would try to fight with him, but he wouldn't do anything. One day I went to see how he was doing and I couldn't find him anyware, he wasn't in the tank. A few minutes later I found him in the floor and I thought it was dead. I put him back in the water and gave him a little squeeze and he survived.
The funny part is that know he's happy and he fights all the other fish. He eats alot and has grown more color on his tail. So I say that he had to go thru a near death experience to help him see the value of life.
He probably thanks god every night for living!!
2006-09-26 02:14:53 · answer #3 · answered by Ricky 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Goldfish are so cool & much smarter than ppl think!
I have had them most of my life & I have found they learn just like any other pet.
No one can tell me a Goldfish has only a 3 second memory!
My Gold fish watch me & get so excited when i get up,because the little piggies think they are gonna get extra food,& will accually beg for it!They suck my fingertips also,when i tip them in the water.I have has "Fish Wars" going on in tanks at times,where the fish will pick up & spit gravel at those they don't like,then run & hide behind a tank decoration!LOL!Don't tell me fish are dumb!
2006-09-25 21:04:37 · answer #4 · answered by Frogmama 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My cat would beg like a dog for powdered sugar donuts. I thought that was funny.
My dog is afraid of all things mechanical, but my aunties dog isn't afraid of anything and will challenge all comers. (both Lab/shepard mixes, big dogs) One day I had them both at a park when a ride-on mower started up. Both dogs ran in exactly opposite directions (one toward the noise, bent on murder, and one fleeing in panic) and here's me in the middle, a leash in both hands, suddenly being pulled in half. I literally couldn't move. I didn't know what to do, I couldn't drop either leash, both dogs were out of their minds. Luckily the mower guy noticed my problem and stopped the motor. He even helped me get the dogs to my car. My hero. Seriously, we both were laughing so hard we could barely walk.
Hope this helps, even though they aren't fish stories. Sorry about your loss. Never say it was just a fish, it wasn't just a fish, it was your friend. That's important. Grieving is natural for any pet.
2006-09-25 19:18:57 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, sorry to hear of your loss. Someone in our family had a pet goldfish he loved dearly. He was just a little guy and didn't know any better. He took the goldfish to bed with him and put it under his pillow and ... well you can guess the trauma in the morning!
2006-09-25 20:01:16 · answer #6 · answered by Lake Lover 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I got a baby plecostamus (sp?). who I named, "Cheeks." He was the greatest fish I ever had. Sucked the algea away and helped the other fishies with keeping their community clean. I had Cheeks for a a "long time" in fish years.
When I would need to catch him in order to put him in an ice cream bucket while I cleaned his aquarium, he got to the point where I could just hold the bucket at a slant next to the cage, he'd see the color change, and LEAP! Right into the bucket. The first time he did this I think he was both flabberghasted and scared to death.
Literally years went by, and Cheeks was my constant companion out surviving other tetras, zebras, angel and other types of fishies. He got so big that his tail began to curl around the corner of the aquarium and up the side a ways. I know Cheeks needed to have a bigger home, and I just could not afford to keep him. I called the pet store where Cheeks originally picked me to be his companion and they said they'd be more than happy to take him back.
Walking into the pet store with my buddy, the owner came over and said hi and looked into the bucket. He was simply amazed. Owner told me that he had NEVER seen one of this breed of fish get so big in all his life, and he'd been selling fish for over 17 years.
We got Cheeks over to an appropriate sized aquarium and the owner plopped him in there after checking both water temps.
I visited Cheeks every day for over a year, and he was always happy to see me...as far as a fishy can show happiness. I talked to him, poked my finger in the water to play with him the way we used to play, and always left with a smile on my face.
Cheeks had a new home that was much better for him than I could ever give him, and he got his share of news attention. He was my famous fishy! He was happy in his new home, and i was gratefully happy for him.
I empathize with your loss and I know how much companionship a simple fishy can give you. Just remember that fishy went on to a better place, and you will see fishy again because I firmly believe that the animals you loved will meet you - with your family - at the gates of Heaven.
In deepest sympathy.
2006-09-25 19:28:53 · answer #7 · answered by Ebee 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I had several large lionheads in the house and I had a large pond out in the yard. When the weather was nice, I would let the lionheads go outside for fresh air and sunshine. My son's friend came over along with his mother and little sister. The mother never kept up with the little girl and she always worried me. anyway, she had been gone for a while and she came back in and showed her mother my 2 best lionheads that she had put in her pockets, they were long dead. Her mother offered to pay for them but I couldn't tell her that I'd paid $75 each for them and they had been sent from China.
2006-09-25 21:05:47 · answer #8 · answered by Loollea 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have a gold fish, his name is Klouse-like the german goldfish on American Dad. Well him and his little tank mate; Goldie Fish will swim to the corner of the tank when I walk by and start doing fishy fases, like the face they would do when they are eating. Well they will do this until I feed them. They will do this everytime I walk by the tank. They don't do it when my husband walks by, just me. Ofcourse he never feeds them either.
Then there are my cats-Jabba and tippy. Well jabba will stand on my chest at 4 am and lick my nose to wake me up so I can feed him. He will set in the shower with me and meow/***** at me until I get downstairs and feed him. Then he will lay on his back and put his paw over his eyes, so innocent like. To cute.
2006-09-25 19:05:45 · answer #9 · answered by Jessica 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i don't have a funny story....well i guess it is funny more weird then funny.
my hubby and i have a cat, Meika. she is fascinated with our bedroom wall. nothing special just a plain white bedroom wall no pictures or anything. she will sit there for hours mystified looking at the wall. she been doing it for months on and off and whinges when we lock her away from "her" wall....my husband just huffs as her..."stupid cat! its crazy! it needs like electro shock therapy or something" . anyway i come home late from work the other night and the house was dead quite. where is the cat? ...hang ten! where is my husband? i walk into the bedroom and both of them are there sitting on the bed staring at the frigin wall!
i pissed myself laughing! i was so funny! especially when he called the cat crazy and now both he and the cat are like....wall! wow! it so cool!.....i wonder why she s so fixated with it! she will even rub it affectionate with her head.
i joke with her and ask how her boyfriend "the wall" is going! lol!
hahaha
best wishes in re: to fish.
2006-09-25 22:32:33 · answer #10 · answered by sirrena_lives 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋