we are meeting in WVA for lunch to swap my oldest, he is spending 2 weeks with them. he is so very excited but told me yesterday he will miss me! aaawwww....i will be sad!
Our fish pond is "uncovered" and my cats leave the fish alone. They like to drink the water, but we've had the same three fish for a couple of years now. It's just a 30 gallon pond just off my front step in the flower bed.
I think they are comets, they are good sized. One we've had for about 4 years, the other 2 we got from friends of the family a couple of years ago. We don't heat the pond in the winter. Its just deep enough for them to chill out at the bottom when its really cold. We keep the pump running in the winter to keep it from freezing, but we take the fountain top off. We stop feeding them for the winter when the water temperature drops to about 60. When it warms up in the late winter/spring spring we start feeding them again. Because they're metabolism is slowed down so much by the colder water, you cant feed them. The food that doesn't digest in their systems can become toxic and kill them. There is enough algae in the pond for them to nibble at for those few months. My in-laws had a pond, and they used a birdbath heater over the winter in theirs.
what hours is the petting zoo open over there in Clayton? are there any animals you guys don't have? The kids need to come see Aunt Tass :mrgreen:
I might try comets. I have a small pond with a waterfall, and I've had regular goldfish in it. They lived through the winter, but then they died last summer when the weather was real hot. I'm thinking about putting fish in it again.
Hmmm.. Petting zoo.. the zoo concession stand does sell fruity adult beverages too.. or 1 free with each paid admission :jester: The petting zoo does not have birds or lizards (except for whats in the wild jungle we call a yard)... they would need to visit auntie Kaci's zoo for the birds & ferret trip! :lol:
We went with comets initially because we were told they were a hardier pond fish, and they also "pollute" the water less than goldfish. Koi are very hardy, the problem is their size, or the size they will grow to.
I aint visiting no ferrets (yuck!!! rat like vermin....ugggh :ack and I aint doing snakes no matta how many fruity beverages you bribe me with......teehee....and I am just funnin' with you cuz you gots all kinds of wildlife at your crib.:mrgreen:
We have always had goldfish and mollies. We do use the heater during the winter and feed them less than we do in the other three seasons. KDs, One of my neighbors has a bigger pond (way bigger) with a fountain and all. She has goldfish and Koi. Some of her goldfish are as big as the Koi. She tells me that fish grow to the size of the environment. I never knew that. Tassy, We have cats that come over, drink the water and then reach down into the pond. We actually saw one cat almost grab a fish but when we ran out the fish was wounded not killed. We tried to save it but could not. Like I said, ours is the wooden whiskey barrel with the pump and I am unsure whether the cats are seeing something moving or not. We went for years without them hurting the fish but they started about two years ago so I shut the pond down. I am ready to try again but know we need mesh or something to deter the cats. Sherry
I guess I must have smart fish that stay away from the cats... :mrgreen: Actually, we have other wildlife that visits my front porch and I'm more surprised that the raccoons haven't done away with my fishes.
I had not even thought of raccoons. I bet they are fun to watch. We do have lizards that are funny. Sherry :lol:
My front porch is quite a variety show at night, we have raccoons and 'possums that come up and eat the cat food that I put out for a friendly feral who resides in my yard. But, I have found a deterrent too... we put a oscillating fan on a stand on the front porch so that there is a breeze for the outdoor kittys, and we leave it on most the time. Since we've put it up, we haven't seen raccoons or 'possums up there, I guess they don't like the fan. But the racoons would come right up and stand on their back feet and look in our front door... it was cute. But definitely not something to encourage on a regular basis.
Hey, your kids would love the ferret, she is so sweet, like a kitten that never grows up, loves to play with kids and she does not look anything like a rat, she actually has a very pretty coat and the cutest little face, my dgks and neighbor kids love playing with her. But if you're scared:lol: