Boxergirl
Well-Known Member
Last year I bought five shubunkin goldfish for my newly revamped pond. I lost one, but the other four made it. I relocated them into my kitchen for the winter and we became friends. They lost all their shyness and have been a joy out in the pond all summer. They had names and personalities. I have a fountain that I would turn off when it was time for feeding because it pushed the food to areas where the fish could possibly get stuck in the rocks. And I forgot to turn it back on. The next day my two favorite fish were missing and the other two were hiding. I gave it a day and then got in the pond to make sure they weren't stuck - one kept doing that, so it was a possibility. Still two missing fish.
I was at Marshall's with my daughter when the neighbor called and said there was a heron by my pond. I was actually all excited to have a heron by the pond ... until my daughter reminded me about the missing fish. Sure enough, the neighbor saw the heron eat my remaining fish. I know things like this happen. I know it was a risk having them outside. I'm still unreasonably upset about it. I feel like the only reason the bird even noticed the fish was because I had the fountain off and seeing a large object that they thought was me, they came to the surface to eat. And were eaten instead. I feel like I gained their trust and then wasn't responsible enough to keep them safe. I know that sounds dramatic, but I take the safety of all of my animals very seriously.
I've decided not to replace them this season. I'm looking into solutions for next year. I don't like the idea of a fake heron because it seems like that would just say, "Hey! Fish over here!" We went all of last summer with no problem, and I never even considered a heron. I structured the pond for safety from raccoons, cats, and such, but not a giant bird with a long beak. I'm hopeful that if I don't replace the fish the bird will just think this is no longer a sushi bar. I can't use fishing line around the perimeter because we have small children that come to look at the pond and I don't want any accidents. I'm looking at mesh netting and think I'll probably try that next year. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm really very sad about this. Everyone here does the whole sympathetic noises, but you can see that they're really amused that I'm upset about goldfish. (Not my husband and kids.) I'm pretty sure that many of you will understand why I'm sad.
On a happy note, Popsicle the Opossum went to a rehab center that does a form of release that I was comfortable with. I wouldn't have been able to prepare him for life on his own in the wild and they can. I think he's going to do just fine.
I was at Marshall's with my daughter when the neighbor called and said there was a heron by my pond. I was actually all excited to have a heron by the pond ... until my daughter reminded me about the missing fish. Sure enough, the neighbor saw the heron eat my remaining fish. I know things like this happen. I know it was a risk having them outside. I'm still unreasonably upset about it. I feel like the only reason the bird even noticed the fish was because I had the fountain off and seeing a large object that they thought was me, they came to the surface to eat. And were eaten instead. I feel like I gained their trust and then wasn't responsible enough to keep them safe. I know that sounds dramatic, but I take the safety of all of my animals very seriously.
I've decided not to replace them this season. I'm looking into solutions for next year. I don't like the idea of a fake heron because it seems like that would just say, "Hey! Fish over here!" We went all of last summer with no problem, and I never even considered a heron. I structured the pond for safety from raccoons, cats, and such, but not a giant bird with a long beak. I'm hopeful that if I don't replace the fish the bird will just think this is no longer a sushi bar. I can't use fishing line around the perimeter because we have small children that come to look at the pond and I don't want any accidents. I'm looking at mesh netting and think I'll probably try that next year. Any other suggestions are welcome.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm really very sad about this. Everyone here does the whole sympathetic noises, but you can see that they're really amused that I'm upset about goldfish. (Not my husband and kids.) I'm pretty sure that many of you will understand why I'm sad.
On a happy note, Popsicle the Opossum went to a rehab center that does a form of release that I was comfortable with. I wouldn't have been able to prepare him for life on his own in the wild and they can. I think he's going to do just fine.
