Birdy II has gone to eternal rest. I am too tired and too busy to write an ode for this fish or an obituary, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t a good fish. He was fat and healthy and liked to do what goldfish do – eat and swim around his tank.
Sadly, he started looking ill a few days ago, and we did our best to keep him from being snagged by the claws of death. Dave spent $30 on medication at the local pet supply store. Granted, we also spent almost a 100 buckaroos on our original fish tank setup and have now lost three 10-cent fish. Maybe next time we should just stick the suckers in a glass bowl with colored gravel and be done with it because Dave’s noble efforts were futile (the things parents do for their children).
On Tuesday morning, I awoke to a small voice saying, “Mommy, I think Birdy is dead.” And he was. Very dead – floating bottom up in his fancy schmancy tank with cloudy, open eyes staring at us.
Ewwwww.
My 3-year-old was composed and quite stoic, looking at her dead friend. I, on the other hand, was on the verge of tears when I saw Birdy II’s corpse. So much for moms being the glue that holds their families together. I am such a sappy geek.
“Mommy, we can get another fish,” Madeline reminded me. “It’s ‘otay.’ I’m ‘otay.’ I’m brave about fish dying.”
The poor girl has had a lot of practice.
So I say, “Death be not proud!” There are more fish to be bought, and there’s a hopeful girl who believes one will actually live for more than a few months (or certainly beyond a day like Golden and Birdy I, the very first pet fish who left us for the toilet bowl in less than 24 hours).
We’re going to wait just a few days before we welcome another fishy friend into our home. We need time to mourn and perhaps time to research a hardier variety of fish. We’re also hoping Madeline will choose a less confusing name for her fish than Birdy, so her 15-month-old sister will no longer think a fish is a bird.
Good-bye, Birdy II. You will be missed.
We have 3 Neons and 3 Rios and haven’t killed any of them yet, miraculously! They were about $2 a piece. Maybe its time to try something other than a goldfish :)
The little 10 cent goldfish are actually feeder fish, for bigger fish and reptiles.
They aren’t healthy generally, are kept in unsanitary conditions, and won’t last long.
But… if you go to one of the big box petstores and buy an higher quality fish, they usually have a guarantee – if the fish dies you get your money back.
Thanks, Milehimama and Jess. Truth be told, we knew we were being cheap and buying the feeder fish, and they did come with a guarantee. However, I felt silly getting a dime back for fish. I knew we shouldn’t get feeder fish, but here’s the thing: I am a sucker for animals. This is ridiculous, but I wanted to save a few from being gobbled up by a turtle, but we managed to kill them anyway. Oh well. That’s the circle of life, right?
We have decided to choose another variety of fish. I guess we went for goldfish first because I had luck with them as a kid. As a child, I had a goldfish that lived several years and so did my husband. He actually won one at the fair and plopped it in a glass bowl and it lived for an eternity. Maybe we’re just not good fish parents. :)
I really appreciate everyone’s advice on fish. I’m actually counting the days (years – three to be exact) when we will be moving and be able to get a dog! I grew up with birds, dogs, horses, gerbils, etc. I miss animals with fur and feathers!
God bless.