# My cousin got a betta... he's two.



## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

He picked out a white girl with very light pink fins that make her appear to be Cambodian, almost.
She's been named Flower, for now. But, he's two years old, so it won't last long.

I feel horrible, and I know that his mom either won't want to take care of her or will take her to their house and let her die, most likely.
I already have 3 boys in my ten gallon, but I don't want to have to watch the girl live in a tiny, dirty vase while they are in the tank.

I have two dividers form the store in the tank, but one is clouded and opaque. The other is clear and still usable.

I need ideas for a divider that will run the length of the tank to make it into four sections. I would like to use the remaining divider as the division from front to back, but if it can not be used with a DIY divider, I will be open to making a four way instead.

Any ideas on a DIY 4-way divider for my ten gallon?


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## SemioticSleep (Mar 31, 2010)

I would never give a fish to a child. Kids get tired with pets easily and don't know how to maintain them. My boyfriends neice put coca-cola in the fish tank cause she thought the fish was thirsty 0.o


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## bloo97 (Mar 6, 2010)

SemioticSleep said:


> I would never give a fish to a child. Kids get tired with pets easily and don't know how to maintain them. My boyfriends neice put coca-cola in the fish tank cause she thought the fish was thirsty 0.o


 I'm Guessing that kid was like 3 or 4. :roll::evil:


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## Betta Slave (Dec 8, 2009)

I don't understand why parents would buy their young children fish and expect them to take care of the fish by themselves. o.o I hope the female is well taken care of....


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## Little Marlin (Jul 4, 2010)

good luck to the fishy.


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

you could take her one day when you know they've stopped checking on her. they might not notice till days later and just wonder where it disappeared to. XD
If they ask about your "similar" betta you could say you just picked it up at a shop and call it by a different name. =P

Edit: then again I don't think I'd have the heart to do something like that. =P


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## Little Marlin (Jul 4, 2010)

btw - love your avatar Betta Slave. :nicefish:


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## Little Marlin (Jul 4, 2010)

good idea wallywestisthebest333


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## wallywestisthebest333 (Nov 30, 2009)

Little Marlin said:


> btw - love your avatar Betta Slave. :nicefish:


I second this! 

And thank you! >=] I'm quite the evil mastermind when I want to be! MUAH HAHAHAHA!!!!!!! XD


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## Betta Slave (Dec 8, 2009)

Thank you  Silly Spiri is guarding his bubblenest... :tongue:

Wallywestisthebest, yes, good plans! It would work great!


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

It's at my house, and I'm taking care of it, but it's in a tiny vase and I'm not supposed to move it at all. I feed it and I'm gonna have to clean it, but I'd rather just have it in my tank. I still don't know how to make a four way divider though.

And I'm planning on some changes when I move, if I do.
I'll get 2.5/3 gallon tanks for my boys and make the 10 I already have into a sorority with Flower, who is most likely going to end up as mine, anyway.

She's doing great so far, though. She is really happy and curious in her little vase. She likes making the thermometer bob in the water. She'll be fine as long as I take care of her.


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## Betta Slave (Dec 8, 2009)

Glad she's with you!


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## FireKidomaru (Jan 24, 2010)

sounds great! you could propose a plan that you would keep the girl in your big 10 gallon and whenever he came over he could see her! and tell him shes still his fishie and he could feed her when he came over


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

She colored up and now she's looking like she is gonna be a red Cambodian, but she still has the pink color in the red too, so it's really pretty. 
Thanks


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## FireKidomaru (Jan 24, 2010)

thats great to hear! just watch her and when the little cousin shows disinterest be like "i will take her off your hands"


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

Yeah, that's what I was thinking, cuz the first thing he wanted to do was put her in my tank with the boys. Our grama is a little grouchy towards the idea, thinking I'm gonna not let him see her, but he even knows better than her.

I'm sure she'd be okay in her own ten gallon while I found 3 or 4 other girls to go with her.... 
That plan is totally fine with me


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## FireKidomaru (Jan 24, 2010)

sweet! glad things worked out or atleast you have a plan to get her better care!


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

Betta Slave said:


> I don't understand why parents would buy their young children fish and expect them to take care of the fish by themselves. o.o I hope the female is well taken care of....


me too. i mean buy the kid a turtle or even a dog that it can play with

edit: but have the parents take care of it until the child gets old enough:roll:


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

lilyrazen said:


> Yeah, that's what I was thinking, cuz the first thing he wanted to do was put her in my tank with the boys. Our grama is a little grouchy towards the idea, thinking I'm gonna not let him see her, but he even knows better than her.
> 
> I'm sure she'd be okay in her own ten gallon while I found 3 or 4 other girls to go with her....
> That plan is totally fine with me


is there a way we can see her? can you take pictures?


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## kirby13580 (Jul 3, 2010)

well, you know, im younger than 10.


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

kirby13580 said:


> well, you know, im younger than 10.


how old are you???


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## kirby13580 (Jul 3, 2010)

9.


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

kirby13580 said:


> 9.


I'm 13, and I'm sure you know what the fish needs and are responsible enough to not kill them or anything like that. But I'd say 8 is risky, but 7 is really REALLY dangerous. Under 7 is unheard of to me. I can't believe how dumb my grama is.


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## kirby13580 (Jul 3, 2010)

O_O...


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

I am 10 (almost eleven) and I too believe a kid 0-6 should not have a fish.:-(
The child will do something stupid like flush it down the toilet because the fish should be free. Parents don't think about the fish only the child.o_o Poor fish!


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## Astro277 (Jul 18, 2010)

haha i think people should just need a permit to own a betta. Theres a lot of adults that dont even care for the fish right.


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## TheJadeBetta (Mar 31, 2010)

My niece has two bettas and she is four.


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## RandomFish (Jun 16, 2010)

I was checking out the bettas at Petco when this little kid ran up and starts shaking them. The mother came running up behind him and said, "No! You have one at home!" and I thought, "Not for long!"


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

lol Poor bettas! I would hate being tossed around.


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## shinybetta (Jul 3, 2010)

I'm 11 almost twelve, But I had bettas when I was four. My mom took care of them and I just liked to sit and stare at them.:-D


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

10 (almost 11).


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## bettalover2033 (Feb 17, 2010)

shinybetta said:


> I'm 11 almost twelve, But I had bettas when I was four. My mom took care of them and I just liked to sit and stare at them.:-D


it all depends if you have any supervision or not.


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## KBoone (Jul 12, 2010)

lily, wouldn't a better solution be to maybe educate your aunt and maybe volunteer to help care for the fish?

I agree that a child that young is incapable of taking care of the fish by himself, but it can certainly be a learning opportunity for him and perhaps time for you and he to bond.

I don't know that I'd immediately assume that your family members are unwilling or incapable of taking care of their new pet. I'd give them a chance first, lend them your help and give it a while. If it's not working-out, THEN you could suggest taking it off their hands.


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## frogipoi (Jul 3, 2010)

People should need permits to keep bettas!!! Why don't we make ourselves one?lol


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## kirby13580 (Jul 3, 2010)

Great idea!!!


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## SilverCaracal (May 9, 2010)

I'm almost 13 and I think that it depends on the person. Sometimes a 4 year old can be more responsible than an adult. It just depends. Oh and by the way, my parents would love it if I flushed my fish down the toilet.  I'm the only one who's responsible for it.


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## kirby13580 (Jul 3, 2010)

Thats too bad..


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## shmifty5 (May 12, 2010)

my niece is about 2 now and she can barely say her s' yet, im still teeven (steven) and my pets are elo (mello), kippy (skippy), fwith (all have names and I have taught her their names, missy, bessy, salt & pepper, her name by name is, mitty, bethy, walt & pepar).

I would not ever suggest she own a fish nor would I leave her alone with any of my pets, except for mello & skippy, since mello has repeatedly attacked her fingers thinking they are worms and skippy leaped into her hair and then quickly bolted down her face before jumping back into his tank.

On top of that I have caught her trying to grab the fish while she had a bucket of yogurt in her other hand, I can only guess she was going to put them in the yogurt and then put them outside, she has attempted this with both the cats and my dog oreo, she seems to think that yogurt is sunblock despite my teaching her the difference between the 2 (her parents encourage it and think its cute when she eats sunblock and puts yogurt on her face, they shouldn't be parents IMO).

Now despite all of that I do feel that fish and exotic animals add a much needed 'experience' with the natural wolrd especially in our modern concrete world, but to expect the child to care for the animal is far beyond common logic, that kind of thought process should be caused by drugs or exhaustion.


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