The froggie saga
We bought Kathrynne some three ghost shrimp, two frogs, and some goldfish for her birthday at the beginning of this year. (Yes, I know what you're thinking, "You bought frogs? Obviously, you have no boys in your house!"). Besides one very hearty betta we had when we first got married, these were the first "pets" we'd ever gotten so it was a rather big deal.We've quickly learned we probably aren't cut out for owning pets, though.
First, the shrimp mysteriously disappeared one by one. Our best guess was that the frogs ate them even though the man at the pet store promised they wouldn't.
Next, Froggie #1 turned up missing. We thought maybe he had died in the aquarium, but no, he was nowhere to be found. It perplexed us greatly that he someone figured out a way to get out of the aquarium and then that he could be hiding somewhere - anywhere - in our house waiting to jump out at the most inopportune of times. We had no idea how he managed to get out of the aquarium in the first place, but somehow he did.
We tore the house apart and didn't find him anywhere. I was just sure I'd wake up one morning and he'd be sitting on my face or something. Weeks later, we finally found him shriveled up and dead underneath Kathrynne's bed. I was never so relieved.
Froggie #2 managed to be not as adept at scaling aquarium walls as Froggie #1, so Froggie #2 lived happily in the aquarium with the goldfish until a few weeks ago. Then he also turned up missing. Guess where I found him this morning? Shriveled up under Kathrynne's bed (What is it about her bed?!).
I'm thinking maybe we should stick to being goldfish owners and shy away from any other more exotic pets. I have to say, though, that at least we only have problems with losing shrimp and frogs at our house. Over at Kim's place, they can't keep track of their tarantula. I think I'll take a little lost froggie in my house over that any day!
posted by Crystal Paine at 11:42 AM
16 Comments:
At least you still have the goldfish! :)
Lorna
We had a similar experience with a hamster. The thing got out and we never did find him, even after we moved! I had dreams that this thing got huge and was growing under our mobile home.
Second hamster, it died and so we put him in a baggie and then in a shoe box and had a fitting funeral procession. About this time, we were in the process of storing winter items in my father in laws attic. Next season when we went to get out the storage items, we were greeted with a horrible smell. Apparently, unknown to us, my daughter dug up the hamster so he wouldnt get cold, and stuck him in her coat pocket. It had a zipper and I never thought to check the pockets. Thank goodness we had him in a plastic bag or that would have been really gross!
I was going to guess your betta fish ate them! I didn't know bettas were such voracious carnivores until I asked my mom to keep my betta in the tank with the exotic fish she got for some science project for her classes (she teaches middle school science). One by one her fancy fish turned up with their fins eaten off, and one fish had it's HEAD eaten off. Finally she read about how bettas eat other fish so she put him in isolation!
Tee Hee! Is someone hiding her favorite pets under her bed? Maybe to sleep with? A little peculiar that 2 frogs would out of a whole house choose to shrivel up and dies in the same spot. Hmmm... My mommy thoughts of 3 girls is going in that direction. : )
Johanna
Stephanie, that is too funny!
Johanna, neither Jesse or I think it was Kathrynne's doing, but I certainly wouldn't put it past her! Children keep our lives interesting, don't they? :)
You need a doggie!!! Kids love them and I think they're great for teaching responsibility. They're a LOT more fun than frogs, too.
Cats are much easier, and they're too big to lose in the house. ;-)
i have found NUMEROUS little shriveled up frogs in boys pants pockets when doing the laundry! I have even found ALIVE ones in little boy pants pockets.
we have a large pond full of frogs and snakes, i will gladly send you some if you need to replenish :)
oh, by the way, we would move if that trantula was in our house loose! not kidding! i'd be on pins and needles till i found that thing! YIKES! my hubby is scared of spiders worse than I!
*snickers* Really, dogs are much easier to keep track of... ;) But goldfish and bettas ARE nice pets...and cheap to replace. ;)
And as far as Kim's tarantula - YIKES! We joke about the spiders in these parts that they're so big we can pet them as they run by, but really, they're nothing compared to a tarantula. Ick. Never understood why folks keep those ugly bugs as pets. *shivers* I'd move to another county!
Cats are the easiest pets alive. Fish and hamsters have a short lifespan at my house. Cats are so sweet and as long as hubby does the litter box very easy too (litter can cause miscarriages and other terrible things if you get really close to it or touch it - we have a litter box with a cover).
ewe!
The tarantula is still loose. Hubby has offered a $20 reward to anyone except the owner; his assumption is that she's already feeling very motivated to find it.
I just wish one of our cats or dogs would find it. Our hopes rise every time we catch one of them staring intently into a dark corner, but they're invariably after a ball or something equally mundane.
I put my potted plant on the deck for a spring thunderstorm and gave up trying to bring it back in; the very happy new resident croaked every time I did. Kim
Shriveled up frogs under the bed? Eww! My experience was at a house where I was babysitting, and their pet that escaped was their eel. One of the girls picked up this dried, cardboardy looking thing, snapped it in two, and put it on the bed where I was sitting. Sure enough, it was the eel. Double eww!
Urgh! A missing tarantula?! I would move out! ;)
Post a Comment
<< Home