Last night my fish, Jaws jumped from his fishbowl for no reason. Is the poor little guy trying to commit suicide? I hope not. He has so much left to live for! Poor little guy.
2007-12-08 16:24:28 · 25 answers · asked by shannonasbell 2 in Pets ➔ Fish
It's a beta so he cant live with other fish...or else it could have been because he was so lonely it just wasn't worth it anymore. *sniffle*
2007-12-08 16:29:32 · update #1
By the way, it was a very large 3 gallon bowl that we cleaned every 3 days. I love Jaws...I take care of that little guy. And Jaws did survive the jump :) We did clean his bowl right after the "suicide-attempt" ;)
2007-12-09 03:58:56 · update #2
Fish jump from their fishbowls because they are in a fish bowl! If you were trapped in a closet with all your waste building up right next to you, don't you think you'd try to escape too? A fishbowl is not an adequate home for anything because it just lets waste build up until it is to a high enough level to burn the fish's gills or kill it. Unless you are doing water changes three times a week and you are somehow keeping the temperature at 78-82*, you should get poor little Jaws a real tank. By the way, if given enough space (5 gallons at the VERY least), you can keep Jaws with plenty of fish, just avoid fish with long fins (that may look like other Bettas, which Jaws WILL attack) and avoid nippy fish that will go after Jaws's fins...
Soop Nazi
EDIT: In the wild of Thailand, Bettas live in rice paddies, which are literally acres upon acres of water that is consistently around 80* (all day, all night, and all year). They do NOT live in puddles, not even in the dry season.
2007-12-08 16:51:07 · answer #1 · answered by nosoop4u246 7 · 7⤊ 0⤋
Wow - so far only Soop Nazi and FishStory have the right idea. This is what Betta fish do though. In the wild they live in streams and rice paddies (yes, it's a myth that they're supposed to live in tiny spaces and a myth that they can't live with other fish!). When dry season comes, Bettas sometimes find themselves contained to smaller pockets of water (still often not as small as what most people keep their bettas in). When their pocket of water becomes too small, they jump out and flap around in search of a larger pocket. If you had him in a small bowl - this is likely what he was doing. He would appreciate a larger tank with a heater.
Furthermore, even if your betta appears to be dead several hours after he jumps, he may not be. Bettas can survive out of water for quite some time as unlike most other fish, they breathe the air just the way we do (which is why covering the bowl isn't exactly an option unless it's still something he can breathe through). As long as their gills are moist - they may survive their out-of-water experience. The only way to determine this is when you place him back in the water - after several minutes he may slowly "come back to life"
2007-12-08 17:22:12 · answer #2 · answered by BeX 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Bettas have to jump from their little water hole to the next one to mate in the wild. That explain why bettas jump. Just buy a cover and he wont get out any more. The theory of the outside "water" is also true but for all fishs.
And last, bettas can co-exist with other fishes, as long as they are not other male bettas.
2007-12-08 16:58:41 · answer #3 · answered by racm_86 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Bettas CAN live with other fish, they just can't live with other male Bettas. I've kept a couple of female bettas with a community tank full of tetras, cories, rasboras and danios.
Sometimes fish jump out of their bowls to escape something poisonous in the water.
Give him a bigger tank to live in and keep it covered and heated. Jaws deserves it!
2007-12-08 16:51:16 · answer #4 · answered by FishStory 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
There are two theories to this question.
One theory is that in the wild, fish occasionally jump from the water to remove themselves of parasites.
The second theory is that when fish see outside of the bowl, they think they're seeing more water. So they jump out of their bowls to go into that other "water". The moral of this theory: The water isn't clearer on the other side!
Sorry to hear about Jaws:(
ZTM
2007-12-08 16:29:45 · answer #5 · answered by ZooTycoonMaster 6 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Every kind of fish is different with different traits
you don't normally see a goldfish jump out of their fishbowls unless a cat is trying to grab it or something
is Jaws a flying fish?
2007-12-08 16:28:07 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
No fish belongs in a bowl. It is too small and too full of waste. What would your reaction be if I locked you in a porta potty? Too small, too foul. Same idea.
2007-12-08 17:22:49 · answer #7 · answered by Democrat with 5 Guns 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Probably stir crazy. Yes its a wonderful life in a bowl. Plenty of rest. And mmm flakes every every day. And it can turn and face the other way if it gets bored.
2007-12-08 16:36:08 · answer #8 · answered by Funnel 5 · 0⤊ 3⤋
He was watching that PBS ad. Trying to explore.
Maybe jumped after a fly?
2007-12-08 16:35:28 · answer #9 · answered by bahbdorje 6 · 0⤊ 3⤋
LooooL na that poor little thing just wanted a bit of fresh air :p
2007-12-08 16:40:20 · answer #10 · answered by Bo 2 · 0⤊ 3⤋