To pour boiling water on the fish

[Sokmonsta]

We have a plastic tub with goldfish in the garden. Not mine, we were looking after them for a friend while he moved house. Now he's moved, not collected them and the sodding tub is nearly frozen solid. Have sent him a terse message saying sort the fucking fish (we've had them months). But the only way I can see to help them out is to put hot water in the good 6 inches of ice on top. And it's icky because there are also dead fish frozen in there.

Am seriously wishing I'd just put them in my parents pond when they were on holiday in September!

Can you make a hole safely by putting a container of warm water on top of the ice and letting that gradually melt through?

I'm glad to read your latest post OP. I think rehoming is the way forward and I'd do it as soon as you can

Those poor fish :(

Do any neighbours have a pond?

Sokmonsta I think you have made a very determined effort to do the best for these fish without letting it take over.

I really don't understand why some people are giving you such a flaming. So many people telling you to bring the tub inside before determining just how practical that might be. Many ill-informed and (to me) hysterical posts about calling RSPCA and 'disgust'.

I think you have been very restrained in your responses.

Why did you let the water freeze? Surely the poor fish shouldn't have to pay for your "friend's" unwillingness to pick them up??

Rejoining is a great idea OP.

This reminds me of Catcher in the Rye.

I can't believe people would leave animals like this. Simple enough to get a smaller tub once you noticed the temperature drop. Put the smaller tub indoors. Absolutely disgusted.

Poor fish.

I don't blame Sokmonsta, sounds like she's done the best she can.

The fishes' owner, however, has a lot to answer for.

Those poor fish.

Good luck with the rehoming.

Can I ask how many of you on here that are horrified at the OP eat fish as part of your diet? You do know that commercially caught fish slowly (and presumably painfully) suffocate to death once caught right? Just sayin'.

It does sound like the OP is now doing what is best for the fish. I just can't believe that anyone would not think it unreasonable to leave animals to suffer and freeze to death though, there is no excuse. I suspect people would feel differently if it were rabbits left to freeze to death s their hutch was too big/heavy to move inside. The RSPCA are useless at times, but yes, they would be very interested in any animal, including fish, left to die a slow and possibly painful death.

The OP said she was going to take the fish her parents house in september so i imagine even by then it was a long outstayed welcome of having to care for the fish, yet she has carried on looking after them, cleaning the out and feeding them obviously as a very inexperienced owner of fish. Although i am a bit perturbed they have been left to freeze last night in a tub and she wanted to pour boiling water to defreeze them I don't think this is her fault either. I think she started the thread because she needs help on what to do and the owner has basically dumped those 'pets' with her long term even though she doesn't have the capacity to cope with them. It's actually really sad and not uncommon from what i am seeing and have heard, people cannot cope or afford their pets and doing stuff like this all over ths hop, dumping their pets on hapless friends and relatives (not that I am saying the OP is hapless) and it isn't fair.

The OP should have given them away to someone who would take care properly not allowed them to die. If your friends couldn't be bothered then you give them to who can be bothered and tell him to fuck off.

she wanted to take them to her parents though and i am assuming friend said no, and yes it shouldn't have got to december until the realisation is they should be at parents. i do realise that

Unless the tub is frozen solid (which it isn't), the fish won't have frozen to death: they would have died from other causes and then floated to the surface, where they would then get frozen in the ice when it formed.

The OP has been doing what she can to keep the tub in a healthy state for the fish, but it hasn't worked.

goldfish outside in a tub at this time of year and sharing it with dead fish. why would you do that?

DogEgg - try reading what the sockmonsta has posted & get your facts right before hurling abuse at someone.

Or just do us all a favour and FUCK OFF.

I did. She neglected the fish. I'll fuck off now then.

SantaIsSoFuckingRock - they aren't little goldfish like you'd keep indoors, they're the big buggers & they do live outside all year - but in ponds or regulated 'tubs'. The OP has let it go on too long, but it does sound like she has tried her best even though her personal situation is very stressful. She's taking them to her parents tomorrow, so hopefully not too much harm done.

Sadly, her feeding them will have done more harm than the ice which, until today, has only been a thin layer and wont have done any harm as she was breaking it up for them.

blardy hell what a thread!

A famous dog trainer once trained a goldfish to push a ball though a hoop. While she was training she made a mistake and took training too quickly. The fish turned green and sank to the bottom of the tank in disappointment. They're not as stupid as people like to think, they do have some level of cognition.

You seriously think a goldfish died from disappointment ? Or did I miss a punchline?

OP, you've done your best with fish that were abandoned with you, don't let the comments get you down.

Do that then.

She hasn't neglected them. She has done her best to care for the fish that were dumped on her. She has been out there breaking up the ice for them - this type of fish live outside.

She has already remedied the situation.

There is no barrel.

She has enough stress in her life without people like you wading in and being nasty, on a thread where she was asking for advice

If this wasn't in AIBU Sokmonsta wouldn't be getting all this grief.

They asked for advice that's all.