You are lucky to have so many different critters at your job, Chelsea! I love all types of animals and have never been without at least one pet in my life. When I was in kindergarten, my class came over to our house to see the "zoo" we had at the time. We had dogs, cats, Guinea pigs, a hamster, parakeets, box turtles, and (for a short while) a runaway squirrel monkey that my dad found in the detached garage. That squirrel hated my Dad, and would show its teeth whenever Dad came around "Charlie," as we named him. Mom lured Charlie out of hiding with a cooked chicken drumstick and we kept him in a large screened cage my dad built. After unsuccessfully running an ad to try to locate Charlie's owner, we contacted the [real] zoo in our city to have someone come to get Charlie the squirrel monkey and give it a home with the other primates. On a side note, the St. Louis Zoo was recently rated the number one zoo in the U.S. and it's totally free!
I agree that tropical and salt water fish are totally relaxing and therapeutic to watch! If you tap on the glass before feeding them, they learn to come out of hiding and go to the surface to eat. I once had a black molly that would kiss my finger whenever I put it in the tank. Thinking back, she probably just liked the taste of salt. Mollies do better and breed in water with slight salinity. Once, my angel fish bred. Laid eggs up and down the huge, decorative stick in the center of the 55 gallon, hexagon shaped tank. Coolest thing ever, till the eggs hatched and the parents ate all of their own babies!!! I didn't know that would happen. Broke my heart! Funny the things you learn...
What other species iof fish have you had besides cichlids and goldfish? What will you have when you setup your tank this time around? @chelsea88
I've had a variety of fish, but since you cant mix cichlids that limited what i had at one time when i could only keep one tank. But i also love angel fish, bettas, and many of the common pet store varieties. I've experienced fish eating their young before also. So weird!
I've also never been without a pet. I don't understand some people who say when their pet dies they're never getting another one. Too sad!