my pets! :] sorta image heavy!

[Miraga]

I love animals and have quite a few!

This first guy is my baby, Petey. I just loooove chihuahuas for whatever reason and he just makes me so happy <3 He sings and plays and gahhh! I love him.



This next one is Cubby, my sisters dog. She's a chunk and kind of a butt... she likes snuggles, though.


This is Daisy, our old lady and COMPLETELY my mom's dog. Poor thing has a heart murmur and maybe liver cancer going on. :[ She's dropped down from 3lbs 11oz to 3lbs 3oz! :'[ But with her meds she's doing LOTS better... even becoming her old spunky self. She gets cold easily so whenever she needs to go out my mom puts this little jacket on her... Not her favorite thing in the world but it's one of those things that is insisted on in my house.



And this is MOO! heehee. She was the last one left at the pet store and was sad and skinny. :[ I took her home and now she's fat and happy!



This is my fish Valenti! He's an old man [around 2 years, I think] but still has an attitude!


This is my other fishy Spaz! He gets veeeery excited when I walk past the tank because he always thinks it's time for noms... o___O


And this is BENITO! *squeals* I love this damned lizard. He looooves to take hot baths and even snuggle! He will burrow in a blanket next to me and sleep. :] He also has an AWESOME temperament. He has never bitten anybody [which is a huge surprise to a lot of people] and he's overall just a calm guy! Unfortunately he's getting pretty old for a bearded dragon at 8 years. His final years are being spent nomming on tasty bugs and greens and relaxing under his basking lamp... Not such a terrible life, imo! ;]

[zedxrgal]

Love them all! Especially the reptiles.

[Rhyela]

Is Benito wearing a chain necklace in that first picture? That is AWESOME! They are all very cute, and I especially love Benito. Cool guy.

[Miraga]

yes, he has on a bracelet of mine!! X) it made him look BA so I had to take a pic. thanks for the comments you guys!! I don't get to gush about my pets much so I coulsn't resist!

[Striv]

you must tell me how you keep your fish alive for so long!!! idk what im doing wrong ._. my beta's keep dying.

[Vephriel]

Beta's are frequently overfed...their stomachs are roughly the size of one of their eyeballs. It's best to feed them a few pellets or a tiny pinch of food every 2-3 days. They do not have to eat every day. The pause allows them to digest fully and properly. That and proper temperature and water changes should help their longevity.

You want to make sure you buy a healthy one from a reputable pet store as well. Don't just go to a chain store, they're often received in bulk and are not very good specimens.

[Miraga]

Beta's are frequently overfed...their stomachs are roughly the size of one of their eyeballs. It's best to feed them a few pellets or a tiny pinch of food every 2-3 days. They do not have to eat every day. The pause allows them to digest fully and properly. That and proper temperature and water changes should help their longevity.

You want to make sure you buy a healthy one from a reputable pet store as well. Don't just go to a chain store, they're often received in bulk and are not very good specimens.

what she said! Valenti is kept in a heated (79 degrees F) 2 gallon tank that I replace the water in about once a week. Spaz is kept in a cycled (meaning the proper bacteria has built up) 5.5 gallong tank heated at the same temp (I spot clean his tank as needed). Since Valenti is smaller and less acrtive, he gets 3 hakari betta pellets a day while Spaz gets 4 because... well... he's a spaz X) if you have ay questions feel free to PM me!! bettas are GREAT pets and have distinct personalities. they are definitely worth the effort

[Vephriel]

*nods* It's a common misconception that betas don't 'need much' to survive. While they are definitely hardy fish, most people don't go to the lengths of getting a nice sized tank and sometimes don't even bother with treating the water and ensuring it's at a good temperature. They will live for much, much longer if you don't think of them as easy, disposable fish. ^^

[Rhyela]

Oddly enough, mine lasted a lot longer once I started using a little bit of aquarium salt. Mine kept getting a terrible fin fungus prior to that but for some reason, a bit of aquarium salt cleared it up. However, I was uneducated about "cycling" so I never did that, and didn't change the water as often as I should have.

Also, I think what a lot of people don't understand is that you're not supposed to dump out the entire tank of water and replace it, only about a third of it. Completely replacing the water destroys all the good nitrates and nitrites (or whatever) that have built up in the water.

Fish are actually not that easy to care for if you're not experienced. I'm one of the ones that isn't experienced, so I stay away from them so that I don't end up killing them. It's best for them (obviously, not dying is pretty good) and for me (don't have to watch them die because of my ineptness).

[Maqueda]

My family had a betta, named Alpha (Har har!) for about 5 years. We kept him in our 80 gallon tank with 5 bala Sharks, 2 juruparis, 2 plecostomus, 3 pink "kissing" gouramis, and a handful of others I can't seem to recall (this was when I was about 9 or 10). Anyway, they all got along amazingly, and Alpha had the most awesome personality; he even liked to be pet! (Petted? Proper grammar escapes me today, grr! ><)

Sorry for the little story, didn't mean to ninja the thread. Your babies are beautiful, Miraga! They look so happy and healthy Great pics, too! I always wanted a bearded dragon. I was told they are one of the few reptiles that actually develop personalities. Benito looks like he's DEFINITELY got it goin' on in the personality department ^ ^

[Striv]

I shall keep this all in mind once the holidays are gone. Money is tight right now, haha! Though I would love to have another betta I used to have a blue, green, and purple one named Apollo. Had him for about a year and I just loved him. My uncle way overfed him though when we went away on a trip (you could see the food lining the bottom of the tank) and I wonder if that's what killed him Ah well. I will get a new one once Christmas is over with! Then I shall hit you guys up again probably Heehee.

edited for horrible spelling, lol. im tired ><

[Maqueda]

I was told that fish don't have gag reflexes and will actually eat until they burst. Horrific, but if it's true, it's entirely possible for them to eat themselves to death, literally.

[Mister2008]

Not a big fan of ChiChi's cause they look really vicious, and iv known someone who had one and was a snappy little bugger. But they do look cute, and that first lizard has definately got a belly on him

[Miraga]

Mister, I totally know where you're coming from with not liking chis too much. I work at an animal hospital and it's just one other girl and I who have them and really like them x) They just can have too much attitude and personality for their teeny bodies. A lot of people also baby them and treat them like little people... which they are NOT. Dogs are dogs and mine are properly disciplined and know their place in our little heirarchy/pack. And what you aren't seeing is the belly Benito has on him... I'm not gonna lie... he's a chunk... but he's my chunk. He gets outside time whe I'm at home but when I'm not he doesn't get regular exercize. Thanks again for all the comments and little stories you guys! no worries about any thread ninjaing from me. I love hearing about pets!!