 |
| SOURCE |
Many of you know we went on vacation for Spring Break. Anyone who's gone on vacation knows there's a little work that goes into the preparation beforehand. You've got to find a house sitter, hold the mail, cancel the newspaper, contact your bank so they don't freeze your card, and so on and so forth. We did all that we were supposed to do...or so we thought.
We're fortunate to know someone who stays in our place while we're gone, but this time they could only stop in and check on things periodically because their house was full of company (gotta love Spring Break). So, one more 'to do' item was to turn down the heater.
I didn't want the fish to get overlooked, we love our Fishy-Fish you know (that's the name my son gave him when we brought him home), so I put a self-feeder tablet in there (good to feed your fish and keep the water clean for a week). We've done that before, so we thought we were good to go.
The first thing I did when we got home was walk in my son's room and check the fish. He was listless, on his side, barely hanging on. Our fish was almost dead. I got him into some warmer water right away, but it's taken several days of TLC to get him (almost) back to normal. The worst part is, he seems to have lost his eyesight too. We're treating him with something meant to help, and I sure hope it does. He was transferred back to his own tank last night and finally swam up to the top this morning looking for food, so I think he's going to be okay.
Lesson well learned though. Don't turn down the heat when you leave if you have pets (even a fish! unless you have a water heater in the tank). I suppose the reverse would be true for summer too...don't let your house get too hot if you're going on vacation, even if you have people coming over to visit/feed/care for your pets. That time in the extreme temperatures (whether hot or cold) might be more than they can take.
Update: Fishy Fish was fully rejuvenated by pet store medicine and back to his happy, normal self... thank goodness. Lesson learned. Forevah!
Or you could always bring Fishy Fish with you on your travels - he would have loved Ireland so...................lol
ReplyDeleteGlad he's better!
Your son must be relieved :)
XOX
You laugh, but hubby wants to take the kids to California this summer (we've never been) and I said how are we going to get the fish on the plane, lolol. :)
DeleteGlad you were able to save the little guy, another word of advice when the hamster cage is under the air conditioner, you may freeze the little one, learned this the hard way! RIP Snowball
DeleteGlad you made it back in time to save Fishy Fish and hope you had a wonderful vacation!
ReplyDeleteWe did have a very nice vacation. :) Happy to see you!
DeleteI am glad Fishy Fish survived Rosey and hope he continues to do well. Have a good Thursday.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judy! I saw you featured at Thumping Thursdays, well deserved!
DeleteOh my! Glad you saved Fishy-fish! We had a goldfish once that froze solid and still survived. (My son left him on the back porch.)
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Danni!!! That's crazy but cool!
DeleteOh wow , glad to hear you got back in time...
ReplyDeleteWhew, me too. I didn't even know I had a soft spot for the little bugger until he almost died, lol.
DeleteSo happy you got home in time to save them!! That is what happened to my plants last year, only some of them didn't make it.
ReplyDelete:( They'll make it this year, with that awesome watering system you've got set up!
DeleteAwww poor Fishy Fish. Much easier to leave behind for a week then 4 Aussies! Do you have room at your house? *smile*
ReplyDeleteI do, and I would LOVE it, but hubby would veto it instantly. I know because I tried to bring home a stray once... lol. It still worked out because we got the pet reunited w/his owner. :)
DeleteGlad to learn that the fishy-fish is finally okay. I did have a fish tank once, with around 12 fish. Put it next to my mp3 speaker. I love listening to music out loud. One day I found one fish on the floor. I thought it was accident. Few days later found another one, and then saw one in the tank was swimming unsteadily. So lesson learned. Don't put your fish tank next to a speaker. They get crazy and suicidal. Phew.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of music are you listening to over there??? :)
DeleteLesson learned passed along though... I will not put a speaker next to Fishy Fish. This could be good timing since little man's about to get a CD player (for his book and kiddo CDs) in his room, and that's where the fish lives. You may have saved him from further trauma, lol, and I thank you. really. :)
OK, so I killed my neighbor's fish when they were on vacation. I am a bad fish sitter especially when the tube from the filter gets a kink and your son knocks his two front teeth out. I am glad yours is reviving!
ReplyDeleteEeeeesh on the front teeth. I have a kiddo (he's grown now) who had a front tooth knocked out too (in a haunted house). Not fun.
DeleteI'm glad the fish is reviving too. :)
Sorry about your neighbor's fish...
I didn't know that - but it's very interesting and I will put that in my memory banks. sandie
ReplyDeleteThese things are good to know, Sandie. ;)
DeleteOh no!! Poor Fishy Fish ... our Fishy has gone a couple days without food before but I think we were over feeding him to begin with!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which ... I need to go clean his tank.
¤´¨)
¸.•*´
(¸¤ Lanaya | xoxo
www.raising-reagan.com
I will never be irked at having to clean a tank again, lol. His near death has brought me a new fondness for the little bugger. ;)
DeleteYikes, what a scare! I'm glad he's looking better now. Hope he is ok!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I think he's going to make it. He looks happy as can be today and his tail's back to flowing. :)
DeleteThe poor little fish...glad to hear it's back to it's old self again!
ReplyDeleteYou and me both! :)
DeleteIt never would have crossed my mind about the water getting too cold. Glad Fishy Fish is almost back to normal!
ReplyDeleteNow when his sight is all better, I'll sure feel better too. :)
DeleteGlad poor fishy fish is on the mend, yeah heat and cold can surely effect them, no matter fish, cat, dog or hog, yeah they have mini pigs for pets too, haha
ReplyDeleteOne of my son's friends had a pig for a pet when we lived in FL, lol. The kids loved that thing.
DeleteHi there-so pleased to hear you managed to nurse him back to health xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sharon. :)
DeleteOh Dear to the Fishy Fish. Things like that are easily overlooked. Thanks for the fun comments to me. You always say such sincere comments that make me feel great. YOU, MY Rosie are a great BLOGGER!!! oh YES, you are!
ReplyDeleteAnd you are a gem to come over here saying nice things. :)
DeleteCome any time... ;) :)
Thank you, Ranae. You are a great blogger!
Oh no! Glad to hear you've been able to nurse him back to health, though.
ReplyDeleteDitto that. Who knew there were so many symptoms and so many things on the market to fix fish? lol Good to know. :)
DeleteThanks for stopping by! Those fish are important - we have always had a fish tank and it takes a lot of work to maintain, but the minute one isn't doing well, the kids really take it hard. Your post is a good reminder.
ReplyDeleteMichiko @ www.theressomethingaboutmichiko.com
...or the parents, lol!!
DeleteHonest mistake I am sure i would have made too. We do leave our cats at home, unsupervised for as much a six days at a time. We adjust the temp slightly in the summer because they like it a little warmer than we do, but in the winter we leave the heat on. Makes for a big bill in the winter when we are away but can't have my fur babies freezing :-) they are so spoiled.
ReplyDeleteSpoiled isn't a bad thing. :)
DeleteHope the little guy is doing alright. I use to keep fish and always dreaded a power outage in the dead of winter. You have made a good point. You may not be able to walk them or call them by name but fish can bring you joy just by watching them. And you can become attached to them just like with any pet.
ReplyDeleteHave a good day!
Thanks for the visit! :)
DeleteGlad he is ok. We have a beta named josh.
ReplyDeleteWe have a kid named Josh, lol!!
DeleteSo glad you were able to save Mr. Fishy!
ReplyDeletelol, me too, Jen. I'm laughing because I just thought of your cat's name. :)
DeleteHappy for Fishy-fish! We leave our house for months at a time and having lots of critters it is always a hassle. We need daily feeding for the horses, and everything else manages on being fed every few days. We have a turtle (Mr. Turtle) who has been with us since he was a baby (20 years now). He is an amazing creature! Summers when we are away he does fine with feedings every few days, and in the winter, when we turn the heat down low just to keep the pipes from freezing, he goes into hibernation mode! We come home and he is hibernating at the bottom of his tank peacefully. The house warms up and he revives, looking for food! Pretty cool!
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty cool. I like turtles. :)
DeleteI worry about tihs we have two fish tanks. Both have heaters our house remains pretty cool in the winter and pretty warm in the summer but whew.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are nursing him back to health.
Thanks, Ashley. We don't have a heater in his tank because the fish store dude said there was no need. If we leave again...and it's cold out, we'll be getting one anyway. ;)
DeleteI'm glad to hear he's doing better! We have 2 dogs and a cat that almost always go with us on vacation if we are at least stopping by my parents' house. We always have a house sitter, too (it's easy for my husband to find a trustworthy troop in the dorms who likes the freedom of having a whole house to himself, instead of just a tiny bedroom), but since my furry kids are used to having me around most of the time, they don't really like it when a house sitter is only around for a few hours a day. We have left the cat behind (either at our house with a pet sitter, or at a friends' house) a couple of times, but we've only vacationed without the dogs since my sister moved in with us, and she was here with them.
ReplyDeleteMy sister-in-law boards her dogs. I don't know much about it. I think it's good that they're safe, but I wonder if they like it? lol
DeleteMy son is in the military and you're right, he and his wife can get a sitter for their place (they opted out of the base housing for now...baby on the way) at the drop of the hat. I think that's awesome. :)
I hope you and hubby are feeling better. I'm glad you're up and running some. :)
Wow I would have never realized that turning the temp down like that would have had such a drastic effect!! A good FYI for me since I am looking to get an aquarium soon.
ReplyDeleteMost aquariums have filters and heaters. We just have the one fighting fish who the pet store guy said didn't need either. My guess is we'll be investing in a heater soon anyway. ;)
DeleteGood luck w/your aquarium. We had a salt water in Florida that was amazing...I really loved it. It was a lot of hard work though. :)
So glad he is responding to the TLC. I love happy endings!
ReplyDeleteThanks, me too!
DeleteOh, Gosh! Poor thing, I really hope he's going to be alright, Fishy-Fish is so, so beautiful, it would be such a waste to lose him.
ReplyDeleteOur fish looks exactly like that one, but that's not ours...I got that photo from Wikimedia Commons (where everyone can share the pics). If you post on 'source' under the posted pic., it takes you to the person who gets the credit. :)
Deletewhat a pretty fish... so sad he was "sick" but glad he seems to be doing better now...
ReplyDeleteHe's a trooper. :) Not to be confused with 'grouper.' hehehe (it's early, bad jokes are okay when it's early ;) ).
DeleteI hope your little guy gets his sight back. Fish are so soothing to watch.
ReplyDeleteHe was hovering at the top of the tank this morning, I guess he was hungry. :) That's a good thing. :)
DeleteWho would have thought? I'm glad the fish survived.
ReplyDeletehttp://joycelansky.blogspot.com
Whew, you and me both... ;)
DeleteGood to know. I wouldn't of thought of that with a fish.
ReplyDeleteOf all the things not to adequately prepare for...eesh. All's well that ends well, I suppose. The fish is doing great and that makes the kiddos ecstatic, so disaster averted. We know for next time.
DeleteSo glad all is okay! Just found your blog and love it. We spent Spring Break in Easter so weren't far from you! New follower from The Pink Momma
ReplyDeleteDena
http://itsabouttakingthejourney.blogspot.de
I saw those pictures in Scotland and they were fabulous!!!!
DeleteGlad fishy is doing okay now.
ReplyDeleteSo much to learn about pets.
I know, you just never know right? Even w/planning...
Deleteyes...we've done that before! The heat is just as bad as the cold. I felt horrible!
ReplyDeleteThe fish is beautiful by the way....
Have a wonderful weekend!
Frances
Thanks. That's a wikimedia fish (you're allowed to share the photos there liberally, and I've sourced it underneath) but our little guy looks identical to that one. :)
DeletePoor fishy fish, I've never thought about freezing fish, I mean I've killed more fish than Darla from finding nemo but with our weather that's one thing I've never had to worry about. Glad he's doing better
ReplyDeleteAh, you're lucky to have weather that doesn't bring such things to concern. ;)
Delete