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Pet Fish, and their feeding
I have two concerns:
I keep fish in a large home tank, a pretty cushy set-up compared to what pet store fish would get in most homes.
I wonder however if this is still unethical. But, what can I do now? I cant release them anywhere. I cant honestly say that returning them to a fish store is the best thing for them either.
What's worse is a couple of them would be much more happy with live food once in a while, and are sort of withering away without it. A couple companions of theirs already died (dont know cause for sure). I could drop live bloodworms in the tank for them, but feel bad about that.
I am really stuck here, due to my own stupidity.
Any advice? Especially about just the whole issue of keeping pets, like fish, who by definition are in a cage of sorts.
thanks,
Supakamo
I keep fish in a large home tank, a pretty cushy set-up compared to what pet store fish would get in most homes.
I wonder however if this is still unethical. But, what can I do now? I cant release them anywhere. I cant honestly say that returning them to a fish store is the best thing for them either.
What's worse is a couple of them would be much more happy with live food once in a while, and are sort of withering away without it. A couple companions of theirs already died (dont know cause for sure). I could drop live bloodworms in the tank for them, but feel bad about that.
I am really stuck here, due to my own stupidity.
Any advice? Especially about just the whole issue of keeping pets, like fish, who by definition are in a cage of sorts.
thanks,
Supakamo
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Comments
People chose to domesticate certain animals and as a result many animals now must absolutely rely on us and cannot survive in the wild. So personally I am against buying from breeders, pet stores, and puppy mills. Supply and demand, afterall, and there're too many unwanted pets already. Adopting from a shelter is the best option.
You chose to take on the lifelong commitment of owning a pet and so for the pet's sake, you should keep it and care for it as best you can. Certain animals require live food to survive as you've seen; I personally can't stand doing that but if I chose to take in an animal that required it, then I would have to suck it up and do so. You don't want to sacrifice one life for another, I understand... but in allowing your fish to starve to death, you're doing the very same thing. If you can't handle properly caring for the animal you chose to own, then you should find someone who can, and take in a more appropriate animal next time.
Still, we are not to just approach Samsara with resignation. There are things we can do. Wishing well is one thing. I should get to it right away.
Another is having regret, which I have, and vowing not to do it again. I think of the time I brought a bucket of pet fish to the store to sell, in order to get a different kind of fish. There we were standing over the bucket of fish, haggling over the price of their precious little lives. That was me there, unfortunately.
Still yet, there may be in these sticky situations some actual actions that are best to take, and dillemas in which one action is more skillful than another.
For instance, do I feed them live worms? Or feed them dead food that was once alive that the petfood company kills for me, even if the fish arent as happy or possibly healthy with it?
Is it even unethical at all to keep fish, or how bad is it?
(which is parallel to the question of if you eat meat, is it better to kill the animal itself or have others take the karma for you? (minus the part about the health. Anyways, in my buddhism it is definitely NOT better to kill it yourself)
the other is all good points. if you break it, you buy it. I am the owner of my kamma.
I am not sure if I am starving the fish to death, but only suspect that they would be happier with live food. I think its good advice to try and find someone who I know will take care of them well, and get myself partly out of the situation.
What do you think about keeping pet fish in general?
supakamo
Once captive, it is the owner who takes on whatever karma is involved in the suffering through captivity. If you deliberately feed the fish live beings then there is karma attached to that.
Having said that, unless you can release the fish into a suitable wild environment, I think you are stuck with it, as returning the fish to the pet store may end up with them in an even worse environment. Of course you don't know for sure if the fish won't be killed the minute they are released into the wild, so you may already have postponed thier deaths by looking after them, which is surely a good thing.
There should be plenty of advice online about the feeding.
It hurts me to take any life.
I’m the nut case out there in my garden apologizing to a tomato when I am picking it for a salad, and I carrying ladybugs to the door to release them into my yard, and in the wintertime I worrying that it may be too cold for the ladybugs to last very long outside.
But, I have often wondered if this wasn’t an attachment of mine towards my own exaggerated self-image of being a very good and kind person. This kind of thing can go round and round, can't it?
I have finally come to a conclusion, although I confess to still release ladybugs, that Buddha was saying that we should try to do 'the least amount of harm' and not actually to do no harm, (which is impossible.)
Buddha was quite a wise person. So, why would he give us rules to carry out that are impossible and even self-defeating? Wouldn't he be doing us harm in doing this? (It is like a "Catch 22.")
I sometimes think that, too many of us have lived in the city for too long, (A kind of artificial environment), and thereby forgotten about 'the natural cycles of food' and impermanence, in nature.
Is it really a good thing to set things up in our lives, so that we feel estranged from our own environment, so that we take Walt Disney’s world as a role model for our own behavior. I am saying this to me, as much as I am saying this to you. Believe me.
Is it attachment to our childish ideas that cause us to insist that nature change her stripes? This is a difficult problem for me, because I don’t want to start pretending stuff and totally miss out on the wisdom of “letting go.”
Warm Regards,
S9.
Gardening was one of my pastimes which I enjoyed doing until I started practicing Buddhism. Now, everytime I dig up the weeds for instance, I clearly see numerous insects running for their lives - the unlucky ones are either smashed or cut up to pieces. I see mass destruction of life. I no more enjoy gardening - now it is simply a chore I have to do; that is clean the garden of weeds to comply with municipal bylaws and prevent breeding of rodents, etc... Yes... killing is unavoidable especially for householders. But we should nonetheless try to avoid killing any sentient beings needlessly and heedlessly.
As for pets like fish, birds and snakes... keeping then in 'captivity' denies them their normal mode of living in their original habitat. I think Buddhists should avoid these types of pets. Dogs and cats seem more comfortable to live with humans. Even if you set them loose, they will usually come back to you. But if you are a vegan, you should be prepared to feed these pets meat dishes because they are not vegans.
One of the reasons that Buddhist do grave yard meditation is to bring a person into contact with facing the inevitable, or change.
Samsara is an inevitability of impermanence.
Everywhere we look things are constantly changing and rearranging, breaking down and building up.
It does us no good to cover our eyes, for in will only haunt our dreams.
Buddhism isn’t a mastery of avoidance. Buddhism is a way to come up close to the inevitable and learning to live with it. It is also a new way of viewing what is going on.
Now, Buddhism doesn’t say grit your teeth, and continue to look at it as it is, with your present definitions or paradigm, and “Tuff if you don’t like it.” Buddhism promises that with close examination you will find that your present pain is misplaced. What you think you know is simply a misunderstanding. That there is actually nothing to fear.
When you view those little insects running for their lives, you are actually viewing your own running and fear from one step back.
Pleasant dreams,
S9
There's a lot of wisdom in what you're saying. I'm beginning to realize that the Dhamma is a 'practical method' to achieve peace (or at least some measure of it). Sometimes, I do find myself making the Dhamma a 'burdensome method' by trying to avoid the unavoidable.
Thank you for your kind words of advice,
Sukhita
The fact that you have ears to hear another, friend in the Spirit, bodes very well for your success in this endeavor.
There isn't one of us who hasn't at one time or another stumbled over the very same brambles that you are beginning to see in your life. I hope that I can be as generous of spirit, as you seem to be, when it is my turn to listen.
Buddhism is a wonderful and adventurous process for all of us, and we lighten our load of suffering, only as our burdens (with clear sight, and receptivity) begin to fall away.
So that:
Sharing wisdom is simply one joy added to another joy, like the whip cream on the cake.
S9
Wow... what kind words! ... but seriously, you are the one who is passing on the words of wisdom here... and teaching the dhamma is the greatest act of generosity (so have I heard).
Namaste
Sukhita
You sound like a very compassionate, caring person and it's clear that you want to do what is best all around. I'm sure you will find the right thing to do, the thing both you and the fish can live with comfortably. You've already received a lot of good advice on this thread so I won't add anything other than to say that you don't have to agonize over things like this. We don't want you and the fish suffering!
Welcome to the board, by the way. It's lovely to meet you.
Thanks... I made it up using paint.net ... it's an original!