The “ideal low-fuss” pet: a recipe for neglect?

This week’s Parade Magazine featured an article by my friends Marty Becker and Gina Spadafori of the Pet Connection titled “Fish: The low-fuss pet.”  The story bothered me a little bit, because even fish need care. And the Pet Connection writers would be the first to agree. Sometimes editors write the darndest headlines.

No you don’t have to walk a fish every day, but you can’t ignore them either. They need regular food; you must clean the tank or pond, check the chemical balance, and monitor the fishes’ health. The final sentence in the article was “you are not just keeping fish; you are keeping an ecosystem.”

“I’ll feed him, mommy”

Notice I said “you.” This does not mean the kids. You can supervise while they take care of the pets, but don’t expect them to handle the responsibility alone, or perfectly. Even teenagers forget about their pets when the hormones kick in and they start to date and party with their friends. I know, I was one once.

I hate to think of the neglected turtles, fish, hamsters, frogs, snakes and lizards that waste away in Juniors’ bedrooms all over the country. I feel guilty remembering my own menagerie. If it wasn’t for my dad, they all would have starved to death or died from lack of water.

For some reason it is easier to neglect small caged pets than a dog or cat, though they certainly suffer too. I don’t remember my parents EVER taking our cat to the vet when I was young. We just didn’t have the money, and if Mustard got in a fight and the wounds got infected, well, he’d get over it eventually. Until he didn’t. He died, and I was heartbroken.

Teach your children that all living things require food, water and clean surroundings. If you can’t afford to, or don’t have time to, maintain their health and habitat, don’t get a pet.

Photos above: Koi, leopard gecko, and red-eared slider (water turtle).

© 2010 Terry Albert. All Rights Reserved.

Pet sitting the goldfish

Fish tanks 

You think it’d be easy; just feed the fish, right? Generally, yes it is that simple. But pet sitting follows Murphy’s Law: whatever can go wrong, will go wrong. Here’s some fish tank care tips for pet sitters.

First off, if the water level goes down, in many geographical areas you can’t just pour in some tap water and be done with it. There is enough chlorine in tap water to kill fish, so your client may leave you some chlorine neutralizer (Ask about it during your consultation). Add the neutralizer every time you add water.

Leaking tank:

I walked in the client’s bedroom and saw the water level was down to half in the five gallon tank. Wow, that evaporated quickly, I thought. But it had been really hot, so I just refilled it. On my next visit, the next day, the tank was half full again. It dawned on me the tank was leaking, but I felt no wetness on the table or on the edges. The carpet, however, was soaked. I finally decided that the pressure of the water broke a seal on the tank, and it would drain only so far and then when the pressure was relieved, it stopped leaking. So at least it wouldn’t go completely dry and kill the fish.

But, the pump wasn’t getting any water, and it could burn up and start a fire. I unplugged the pump and light and moved the tank into the bathtub, where it could leak to its heart’s content. Beach towels from the cupboard soaked up water from the carpet, and a fan helped it dry. I envisioned a moldy musty smell when the owners returned. I called them, and they didn’t want me to leave a window open, so the fan was the best solution.

The fish were fine in half a tank for a few days, and more important, the house was safe from further damage.

Trust me, these things only happen when your clients leave home.

Overfeeding:

More is not necessarily better. The number one cause of death in pet fish is overfeeding (so the fish vet tells me). So be stingy with the food. One client actually had a constipated beta (Siamese Fighting Fish). I am not making this up! He had been over fed, and several days of fasting resulted in a complete recovery. Who knew… 

The painting with this article is mine, entitled "Koi." It was done in watercolor and colored pencil. Limited edition prints are available for sale. Contact me. Visit my web site to view more of my art.