Yep, there he is, friends. Rainbow the fancy tailed goldfish. No, I have not posted some macabre death photo. This is how he rests! The first time we came upon him in this frightening pose, we thought he had surely passed on to the great fishbowl in the sky. After a tap on the glass, though, he wiggled and righted himself in short order.
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After several weeks of these bothersome sightings, I took it upon myself to see if other people had fish who slept upside down. Google produced loads of information. It turns out our darling boy is suffering from a problem with his swim bladder. He is apparently taking in too much air when he eats, then he becomes basically the human equivalent of bloated.
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Armed with this information, I set out to see my friend who works at the pet store that Sophie and I have visited about twice a month for the last five years. I was assured that Rainbow is not in any pain, and that he will not die an untimely death due to swim bladder complications. She suggested that we may want to try a different food that contains wheat germ to aid in his digestion. He has lived almost two years on the same food, though, and I am hesitant to pull a switcheroo on him. I will continue to deliberate on the best course of action for our sweet finny friend. Have your pets ever had any odd issues like this?
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4 comments:
Awww, poor gassy fishy!
If you need to switch his food, but are concerned about shocking his system, try adding just a teensy bit of the new food to his usual meal, then a little more at the next meal, etc. This way his body can get accustomed to the new food without it suddenly being very different.
Good luck!
Ohhhh--the poor guy. Let him eat want he wants. He's made it thus far!
You know, I have noticed in the pool lately, that I float/swim much easier belly up than belly down. Maybe we have the same health issue.
i had a goldfish once as a 12 year old, and she would rest with her back touching the gravel at the bottom of her bowl! she always looked dead everytime, but I would tap the glass and she would "wake up" and turn right side up and swim till her heart was content! her name was Kaila, the best fish friend I ever had,she lived for quite a while, about 6 years old...she was so cute, she loved it when i would stick my hand in her tank and she would rub her belly against my fingers, she felt so slippery and smooth! goldfish are funny creatures, aren't they?
Aaaaww, what a sweetie :o)
I have no strange pet issues like this to recall. But I will ask around. :o)
Have a great day jennie. xxOOxx
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