Are fish "pets"?

S

scavenger

AC Members
Aug 17, 2005
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Just curious to know whether most hobbyists would look at their fish as a "pet" like a cat or a dog.

I know that generally fish are underestimated as being a "pet" animal, they are thought of sometimes by the general public as very dumb with no more than a 3 second memory and no feelings (i believe not true), and also thought of by some people as being disposable pet to be bought for kids and then have it flushed down the toilet when its no longer wanted or it died of abuse.

But many fish are said to be intelligent such as the cichlids, like the oscar, (which ive never personally kept) and can recognize people, have personalities of their own, even enjoyed being touched. They have even been called the "aqua-dog" for this.
But then again, you can't teach a neon tetra tricks.

What do you people think about this? Do fish deserves to be called a true "pet".
 
Yes! They are pets at my house...they have names, I take pics of them and fuss over them just like my other pets. (2 cats, 3 hamsters and 3 parakeets)
My biggest goldfish Jack died a couple of weeks ago and he was buried like any of my other pets would be. I miss him.

they are thought of sometimes by the general public as very dumb with no more than a 3 second memory and no feelings
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When a customer says that to me at work I grab the fish food bucket and just wave it in front of the fish, then put it back and ask them, 'If they only have a 3 second memory, why do they get so excited when they see this white bucket?' As far as no feelings, well, they of course do not have the intellect of a human, but they do feel fear and pain. Why do they thrash wildly when taken out of the water if they do not feel fear? It's the same type of panic a human experiences when they are drowning.

also thought of by some people as being disposable pet to be bought for kids and then have it flushed down the toilet when its no longer wanted or it died of abuse.
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Don't even get me started on this! I can easily see myself getting fired from my job one day for going off on someone for this type of behavior. I've seen enough of it to firmly believe fish are the most abused of all pets. Just tonight some dumb broad who's been in my store on a few occasions trying to get help for problems in her 10 GALLON tank which had an oscar, a midas cichlid and a Jack Dempsey was back again. She said her oscar had died (which I told her would happen very soon) and she wanted some other fish to keep with the two she had left. Of course I had already told her (3 months ago!) she needed to either get a bigger tank or take those fish to another store which accepts trades and get some smaller fish but of course she didn't listen. I had to spend almost an hour trying to talk her out of getting MORE fish, and she said she would trade her others tomorrow. I even gave her some fish bags for them and showed her how to bag them...but I'll bet anyone on this board five bucks right now that she won't trade her fish in. Here's the REAL kicker...this idiot wants to get a job at MY STORE! If I ever hear of her even applying I'm going to tell the manager of my department about her fishkeeping practices and ask her if she wants this woman giving advice to other people with fish.
 
I just have to laugh at the 3 second memory line.

my angelfish was mad at me for a week after we were gone on vacation. The duckweed had taken over the top of the tank and he associated that with not getting fed. Usually any fish swims toward him with fins flared and he backs up, and my hand is much scaryer. I went to clean the tank and he was trying his best to body slap my hand silly. After I removed the duckweed he went back to his normal laid back self always begging and happy to see me.

I tried one kind of plant one time, but he just ate the growing tips. I would catch him and feed him some thinking he must be hungry to eat plants. After he started pretending to eat leaves of the hygrophila I caught on that he was just doing it to get fed. he would half swallow a leaf, spit it back out unharmed and look at me and the top of the tank like you gonna feed me now?

lol he was training me.
 
sky.eyes.woman said:
As far as no feelings, well, they of course do not have the intellect of a human, but they do feel fear and pain. Why do they thrash wildly when taken out of the water if they do not feel fear? It's the same type of panic a human experiences when they are drowning.
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I strongly disagree. Even animals with no 'brain' thrash about when exposed to harmful stimuli.

Pain is entirely mental, and fish do not have the mental facilities to create it. Reaction to stimuli however is a basic function of all animals.
 
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i think it get kind of complicated once you look at the whole picture, if you name it than it is a pet, but yet if it comes from the wild- not tank bred, than certainly it would be an captive species, like at a zoo, but yet if it's tank bred than would that make it a pet, even though you didn't name it?

does this make sense?
 
You're right. It can be a mixed bag, but I think that any fish becomes more and more of a pet the longer you take care of them and get to know them. Fish can have personalities!!
 
Yes, I think of my fish as pets. I admit my cichlids are more pets than my tetras because of the cichlids attempts to get my attention. They beg just as hard as my dogs. :)


slipknottin said:
Pain is entirely mental, and fish do not have the mental facilities to create it. Reaction to stimuli however is a basic function of all animals.
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If the stimuli is of a painful nature, what do the fish feel if it is not pain? Why do they react they way they do when nipped by another fish? Why do they avoid confrontation with that same fish and remain out of its teritory?
 
My fish will never mean as much to me as my dogs and cats do, however I go to great lengths to make my fish happy and healthy, so the fish are more of a hobby, but that doesn't mean they get sub-standard treatment :D
 
I was influenced to ask this question after reading in the forums one of the members' signature as "Remember, its a hobby and they're not pets."

It seems many people do care of fish as PETS.
 
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