Pet Thread

[Utrommaniac]

They groom each other on pretty much a daily basis.

Bubba sometimes does it to Fluer and Rain, but never Mink. She probably wouldn't like that. And of course he grooms kittens the second he looks at them.

[TigerClaw]

Here's another pic of our Chihuahua Mini

[TurtleWA]

Originally Posted by TigerClaw

Here's another pic of our Chihuahua Mini

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DC9TBcIXUAY1JDY.jpg:small

Mini looks so sweet.

[IndigoErth]

Thread needs more fish. Freshly cleaned and that big new decor piece arrived today. So far she (Pudge) is not that impressed yet and unsure about it.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

I'm confused. Didn't you say she was a cichlid? THAT looks like a fancy goldfish to me. Some sort of fantailed lionhead hybrid. I've seen some like that before. They are prone to eye and gill problems if memory serves. One reason I never got into fancy goldies. Give me my live-bearers and labyrinth breathers any day.

That said, goldies(and koi) are members of the carp family and might possibly be somewhat related to cichlids but I don't know if they can cross breed. So many pet shops mislabel fish, lump multiple species in one tank onder one price/species, or misidentify fish due to lack of knowledge so either they were in the same tank with cichlids or the pet shop can't tell the difference. Some goldies do live a long time though so if she's in good health she should hang around for a good while!

[IndigoErth]

An Oranda, actually. Quite similar to lionhead, but has a dorsal fin.

I DID have cichlids at one time (an Oscar and a Chocolate), but they've both been gone over a decade at this point. (The Chocolate - whom I've mentioned before and her love of jumping to try to bite any unsuspecting hand over her water - I guess sticking it to me by passing on my birthday back then. >.>) Technically I did try to have a Firemouth and Acara as well, but young Ms. Chocolate wasn't having it and they didn't survive her after a while. (Still feel bad about that. Chocolates were supposedly docile! Might try those two species again someday...)

I'm used to goldfish of various sorts though, we've had them around a lot over the years, be they indoor or, a lot of them, goldfish/koi ponds we once had. (Our very first two that started us as a goldfish family came, in fact, from a carnival game. ) They're messy, but I don't regret at all bringing home this "water puppy" I have now when I saw her sitting alone at the fish store, seemingly the last one in that tank. She's such a goober; Orandas tend to have awesome personalities, which I didn't expect.



She seems pretty good now since the meds seem to have done the trick. She never acted sick, but glad I noticed when I did that something might have been up.

Only thing concerned with still now is a loose, fleshy nasal growth she's got going on. I know it annoys her and wish I could just tie it off and let the tissue die and drop off, but afraid that might hurt her. Part of it came off once last year, hoping the rest will eventually do the same. Both nostrils did it though, but only the left went crazy with it. So I'm not sure if there is "pompom" genes in there that went wacky and did a thing, or what.

[Utrommaniac]

My family hasn't had fish since I was little. Our longest lived fish was a plecostomus that I dubbed "Cleany", and I was distraught when he finally died. I think he lasted about two years?

It was really weird that none of my fish lasted very long, since my mom grew up with so many specialty fish that they generated interesting stories.

Such as how a new fish appeared in the tank one day and my mom had no idea where it came from...nor did anyone else in the house. So someone suggested going back to their tasks from x-number of hours ago, and what was my grandfather doing? Putting a new fish in the tank.

They also had a lungfish that was notorious for escaping. On the wired side of the tank.

[DarkFell]

Many years ago, my parents were able to buy some small aquatic crabs to put into our fish-tank with the few species of fish that we had at the time. Tetras, suckermouth catfish, ect..

Those little crabs found a way to escape somehow.

[Utrommaniac]

Our stint with hermit crabs didn't last long either. Most of the "new" ones were killed by the one that lasted the longest. My mom accidentally dropped that one on the tile while she was carrying it. And it just crawled out of its shell and went kaput after she put it back in its terrarium.

Needless to say, my brother was devastated, since it was his hermit crab.

And what was the crab's name? Herman.

I'm amazed the Mutanimal Herman isn't giving me flashbacks .

She was surprisingly clumsy with our pets around that time, as I had some green anoles, and one escaped when she left the lid open after feeding them. Our now-oldest cat, only a year or two old then, got her.

Spoiler:

And I found half of her buried under my bedding. Just as I was having a cr@ppy day enough as it was. As I had busted my ankle slipping out of a shoe at a big outdoor event, dedicating my great-aunt's first husband's plane. And was in so much pain from that that I declared myself ready for bed early and whoooop there's the missing lizard.

[IndigoErth]

I had hermit crabs once, for a little while. Wish they'd have lasted longer, but back then I guess I wasn't really knowledgeable enough and this was prior to the internet to provide info.

Although there was the one time my big one clamped down on my thumb nail and refused to let go for a while... so I I said fine, and just held it in my hand while I went to do stuff at home I needed to do... but one handed. lol

Originally Posted by Utrommaniac

They also had a lungfish that was notorious for escaping. On the wired side of the tank.

Must be like the one and only fish people could post up "lost pet" posters for. Sad for a pet to go missing... but amusing to consider asking anyone if they've seen my fish and wait for the confused look.

So would they just find it off hiding in the house somewhere?? Hard to wrap the head around a fish doing that.

Originally Posted by DarkFell

Those little crabs found a way to escape somehow.

Note to self, scratch off the list 'wondering if there are any tiny freshwater tolerant crabs to pick up the crumbs.'

My only real escapees were a couple little newts I'd once gotten to live in a fish tank, with a few goldfish, that I had in the enclosed back porch at the time. They up and escaped, never to be seen again.


Beyond them, long ago, when I was still an older kid, we'd gotten a couple bullfrog tadpoles for the backyard goldfish pond. (We waited until after they grew legs before putting them in.) One vanished prob after that first summer, but the other stayed around, tending to spend part of its time with us, and part of its time likely in a nearby pool behind a house in the next neighborhood behind us. So technically we still had a pet bullfrog, but it came and went as it pleased.

All these years later, even with our pond long gone, we've STILL heard a bullfrog some nights in the summer. Although...I don't think they don't live nearly that long, so I think we inadvertently created a territory that our frog's kin have continued. Though the pool it tended to hang around (at least by direction of the sound) was filled in last summer. So who knows if it will remain, that might be it after all these years.

[MsMarvelDuckie]

Our longest lived fish was a pink kissing gourami I named "Pinky" (real original I know). We got her when I was about 3. It went on to live about 16 years and was almost 10 inches when "she" (I think it was female but we never knew for sure) finally died.

[TurtleWA]

I am currently experiencing a mix of thoughts and feelings. None of them being pleasant.

My cat Lily got in a fight with another cat on Friday night. Now Lily is holding her tail limp about 98% of the time, but occasionally raises it just a little. Nothing like she did previously.

The tail has no visible marks but does appear swollen. It is very sensitive to the touch too. She use to let me comb it but now I can't even get close to touching her tail. I think she may have been bitten at the base of the tail or some other injury that happened during the fight resulting in a broken tail. I am going to call the vet tomorrow and take her in this week. I hope it doesn't need amputated and does not lead to further problems. I've been reading online horror stories about tail trauma. Gosh I hope it just heals itself and she gets back to normal.

Plus I'm thinking treatment will be expensive. Vets around the area are not cheap. Lily loves her tail too. This is a photo from a year ago.

[TurtleWA]

Went to the vet yesterday. Good news! It is the best case scenario with Lily and her tail. No head cone thing or amputation. It did turn out to be a bite, presumably from another cat.

She got a shot of antibiotics and some other meds for pain/swelling that I will give her tonight and tomorrow. Lily had her tail shaved and the wound cleaned. I attached photos if interested.

[Utrommaniac]

Ahhh, caring for cat bites. What a situation.

I've discussed how that has happened to Bubba twice, on the top of his head. But they got infected pretty fast. The second time, he needed to have little tubes in his head so the gunk could drain out.

Lilly's a lucky girl. The cat that's picked on Bubba has left some real nasties on him.

[TurtleWA]

Yeah I was concerned that Lily might need those drain tubes at first. It's the same cats that keep coming on our property too and harassing her. This is not the first of the fights, but is the first that resulted in vet attention. Other past wounds on her paws have healed themselves. Bubba is a survivor for sure. Best wishes for all our pets.

[Utrommaniac]

Fortunately he hasn't really been in any fights lately, but he has been coming home from his walks covered in sticker burrs, because he likes to be out in a field behind my house.

[eskater]

2 Cats myself: Lady and Negra, they actually got me out of a real bad depression after I broke up with my ex about a year ago.

[Utrommaniac]

Aww, that's good!

I actually got a picture from my dad earlier today of my mom with the 2/4 of the kittens we're fostering...with three others. One of which belongs to my brother's girlfriend, and she's looking after him for a year, until she can have a dorm that isn't cat-free.


The other two little ones were elsewhere at the time the picture was taken. But there are seven kittens in all at my mom's house, and I hope I get to meet the three big ones.

All of the little kittens have been sick with a virus, of which a symptom is inability to walk or balance. They are able to drink, but they need some help.

We think the tiniest kitten is going to stay small.

[RaphaelinSTL]

The girlfriend and I's cat Moon.

[Utrommaniac]

Since it was so pretty outside, I opened up a window in my bedroom...this was absolutely expected


I've since moved things around, realizing it was "time" for that, so now they have an actual desk pushed up to the window.