or unethical to win a goldfish at the fair?

[DisasterArea]

DD really really wants to win a fish but i feel v sorry for the poor little dears. is it wrong?

not as long as you dont sling it down the bog in a weeks time.

or eat it

Why not buy her one from a proper pet shop instead if you're happy for her to have one? It will probably be healthier too... as kids we came home from the fair one day with two goldfish, parents weren't best pleased but one of them died within days anyway, think it was already poorly when we got it! And being kept in those little bags all day surely can't be good for them, so better to give your money to a shop that looks after them properly than to support the stalls that do that. If she wants a go at the fair games too, you could always play for a cuddly toy there instead!

MIL won one and gave it to DS1.I was appalled, thought it would die in days!
"George" lived for 8 years

I won 'Catherine' aged 3 ( actually i think someone must have won her for me) she lived to 22.

Can you atiil do this then? I thought this wasn't allowed any more?

Agree with Auntyvi, why not buy her one?

my kids killed our fish after about 3 yrs by putting body lotion in the tank, as it looked too dry

I personally feel it is wrong-the amount of fish which die before they get slung in those bags is unbelieveable.It should not be encouraged by people partaking in "winning" them

I think the suggestions of buying DD a fish,complete with "proper" tank-not some manky bowl they flog you which is completely unsuitable,is a great idea.

It was supposed to be outlawed under The Animal Welfare Bill, but the government wimped out and just brought in certain rules over the size of the bag.

It is illegal for someone under 16 to win one as a prize unless they have an adult with them.

i remember we (my bro and i) won one once when we were about 11&12.

we went on the dodgems with it in the bag and the bag burst, i can still remember seeing it flapping around on the floor.

hate to say we were worried about getting shouted at so legged it

Kerryk

DS "won" one while accompanied by MIL. I posted in pets to get some advice on how to look after him. 3 months later and Frederick/Frederica is still going strong despite being warned by MIL that he/she wouldnt last more than a few days.

We bought a tank for him and he seems pretty happy. Couldnt leave him in the crappy bowl that he arrived in.

Not unethical if you are prepared to do the work. What most people don't realise is that a goldfish that is not being treated cruelly will grow into a 12inch fish that eats and poops copiously, so you're looking at a 3-4 foot tank and heavy filtration, or a garden pond. Oh, and they can live for 40 years.

what is a fish that stays small?

dd1 wants fish, but i'm not interested in one that grows too big.

DD2 is now proud owner of merlin and guinevere. currently residing in DD1s tank until DD2 saves up enough pocket money for a tank of her own.
they look fine. actually healthier than those seen at pets at home the last few visits there.

they don't grow that big! get away!

we got a tank for free on Freecycle.

biggest fish i ever had was a fair one. had him for about 10 yrs and was about 10 cm. name was jaws. i think that fish grow to the size of the tank/water they are in. pond ones get bigger. obviously don't cram em in hoping they'll stay small cos that won't work.
am orf to freecycle.

I love my DD1's goldfish. They are thriving thanks to some very good advice from Mumsnetters.

We had goldfish as kids from those stalls but they never seemed to last more than a few weeks then you had a tank left in the shed til the next time . I don't think they're very healthy fish and I have issues with animals being given as prizes anyway (I've developed my conscience in latter years) so I wouldn't let dd have a go on those stalls now. If she wants a fish, she can get one at a decent pet shop or aquariam centre that sells fish.

we rescued 2 goldfish that we found in the stream near my house when i was 11. they were "tank" size fish that lived happily ever after in my neighbours pond

We had our fairground goldfish for 14 years. George survived the cat dragging him out of the tank and leaving him on the floor many a time (until we got a cat net...) and would regularly hop out of the tank (also before cat net). He was a hardy thing and outlived all the other fish we then went and bought to keep him company

I secretly hope ds's will win one at a fair but the only prizes that ever seem to be at fairs we go to are crappy plastic guns/bows and arrows...

Not that I think it's right to have fish as prizes, but I'd really like some but dp would have my guts..!

friends son was won a goldfish at a fair by dh

Fred the fish lived for 6years!!

sasterArea on Sun 05-Oct-08 17:15:25
"biggest fish i ever had was a fair one. had him for about 10 yrs and was about 10 cm. name was jaws. i think that fish grow to the size of the tank/water they are in."

Errr....yes, on the principle of Roumanian orphanages. Keeping an animal in unsuitable quarters in order deliberately to stunt its growth is animal cruelty.

(also only works with certain species of fish. Some just die. Some keep on growing until they can't move)

My MIL used to think she was a wonderfull success at fishkeeping because her goldfish used to last 6 months. Until it was pointed out to her that they are supposed to live for 20-40 years.

goldfish should be in ponds only - if you have a pond, great!

Goldfish do NOT stop growing when they outgrow their tank

Fish that stay small - white cloud mountain minnows and tetras; ember tetras are gorgeous but you'll need a heater cos they're tropical

um pampered fishy in nice clean tank with weed and food and even bridges to swim under vs romainian orphanage. interesting comparison.
and i promise that when 2 cm long fish reaches 2 feet long i will put it in the pond.