About fish and how to feed Moorish Idol

All my life I've been thinking how fish are impersonal and faceless animals. They just float around and do nothing, and having them in your home is as boring as having a stuffed toy.

Cat is a much better choice for a pet, and some people would even say dogs!
Not me, I'm a cat person.
I don't mind cute puppies occasionally tho.

But the truth is, it's not really like that when it comes to fish.

First, once you have a huge saltwater tank, there's shitload of work that goes with it and thankfully, I have nothing to do with that. I just look at fish sometimes.

Actually, once you start looking, you can't stop. That staring is addictive and dangerous. Minutes fly by and you suddenly realize you've been looking at them for half an hour and there might as well be a fire in another room and you wouldn't notice. It's like drugs.  It's mesmerizing and you can really lose track of time watching them.

Anyways, we got this tank and put some fish inside. First two lucky little ones died, cause they couldn't adapt. Then we add more fish. Then after a while another one died. Good thing we didn't have time to bond with them. Then we add some more.

Now they're all doing just fine and they seem to be happy.

And then we added the Moorish Idol.

The interesting fact about Moorish Idols is that they can't be bred in captivity, hence every Idol in the fish tank is first caught in the wild and sent by plane to a certain fish shop who sells it to fish collectors.

Our Idol came from another part of the world, with a little suitcase and big rebellion attitude. A common problem with them is that they adapt very hard, and if they do - you consider yourself lucky. People do all kinds of stuff and tricks to make them feel like home, but Idols can be stubborn, so they often die in captivity.

Our Idol wouldn't eat, lake many others. He just didn't know how. I found it hard to believe he doesn't have some kind of instinct, especially after a few days of not eating - you would think a wild animal would figure it out and eat whatever he can when hungry as hell. Nope. He didn't.

So we tried different kinds of foods, nothing. We tried plants, nada. Some slummy green stuff, zero. He went without eating for a week and a half, avoiding other fish and playing stupid around feeding time. All the other ones are devouring anything you put in the tank, and then there is the Idol, floating with the confused look on his face, trying to figure out what the hell are the other ones after, and why so perky and feisty for those little meatballs.

So after loads of research and trying out different things, I came across some guy's experience about getting the Idol eat - clams. Yeah, pasta clams from the market. So we went and buy a bunch (well one for him, the rest for me). We put it in the water and guess what - nothing. Zero interest in the clam.

But, because the clam was hung onto something (forgive me my amateur language - I don't know how you call those little thingies that hold food for fish), I believe the little particles of the clam were starting to float away, and maybe that triggered Idol's sense of smell - so after a while we noticed he was grasping for something - which was a huge change in his behavior.

It looked like he was trying to catch some of these particles, but they were so small, barely noticeable. He did that for half a day, and then we put some normal fish meatballs in the tank - and guess what - he was  trying to catch them, and when he did, he ate them! He was a little clumsy at first, the meatballs were getting away, but he got the hang of it. He was eating and we were happy!

The next day, he wouldn't eat again. I think he forgot how. They say fish has short memory, so after a whole 12 hrs of not feeding, he simply forgot (well, that's my theory). Anyways, another clam made the trick again, and he's been eating ever since.

I shared this story because:

1. I learned you can bond with fish. This little fellow is very cool, even tho he doesn't care for me at all, just like Shelly the hamster. They live in their own world. Unlike Mischief the cat, who loves me when he needs something from me. And it's Family Day today, so it seemed appropriate.

2. There are a lot of hungry Moorish Idols out there, with people who tried everything to feed them - so I wanted to show this worked for us. Maybe it'll work for them too, so give it a try. Take a normal clam, get it out of the shell and hang in onto that thingie. Some Idols love to eat them like that apparently, even tho it worked out differently for us, but it still helped.

3. I was bored and didn't have anything else to shoot than the fish tank.

4. Shelly is having her winter beauty sleep and is not interested in apples.

5. I made pasta with clams in white sauce with wine. It was actually pretty good, never made clams before at home, so I'm happy with that.

So if you ever consider getting the fish tank, you should try it. It's nice to have it around. The air in the home is different, better, and the gazing in the tank calms the nerves. Be prepared for a lot of work on it though. Or find someone who will.

And if you do get an Idol (make sure everything else is in order first), don't lose your hope. They can adapt, and they will, but make sure you treat him with love! And with clams, if everything else fails.

Happy family day!

Xoxo

Shooting Shelly, the perky hamster

I don't have any models to shoot. I only have a cat and a hamster at my disposal.

And while the cat - Mischief - is obviously annoyed with me clicking around him, he still finds a grain of patience and works with me. Sometimes.

Shelly the hamster, however, has no clue what's happening and keeps mingling around like she has a pair of Duracell batteries in her cheeks. 

She is so vivid and perky and it's impossible to have her still.

I tried to take a photo of her when I first started to use this camera and I thought it can't be that hard. Little did I know how fast does she move. 

The fact that she doesn't understand me makes it all even harder. I guess that's why people have dogs.

So, anyway, I took her out of the cage, set up a white background and placed her there. I lost her a few times while adjusting my camera cause she's gone in a blink of an eye.

After I chased her for a while and finally caught her, I placed her on the spot again and lost her again in a few seconds. Then I realized I need a bait. First lesson, checked.

I had an apple so I figured that will be a nice treat for her and will keep her busy. It turned out I was right, and while I somehow managed to keep her on the spot, she was still fast. 

She was biting off those chunks of apple like there was no tomorrow.

Actually, she was eating some, and storing some in her cheeks. It was all good at the beginning, but after two minutes she was already so full of apple that I had to stop. I don't know if hamsters have some kind of  sensor to know when to stop eating, but I swear if I'd let her eat some more, she would die afterwards. So then I learned that the hamster shooting sessions can last only for a few minutes at the time. Second lesson, checked.

I tried to photograph her again the next day, and then again a few weeks later. I also tried today to see if maybe I'll do it right this time. I can't seem to find the good way to capture her, have the sharp photo and properly exposed, without noise or blur.

Today, I did it outside but as she keeps moving fast and running away it makes it complicated to have settings right every moment. I normally use the manual mode to shoot, but perhaps in this situation I should have used one of the semi-automatic modes instead. Yeah, the shutter priority mode definitely might have helped. I'll try that next time. Third lesson, yet to be checked.






It's pretty challenging, all in all, to get her right, since I don't really have studio conditions and my background consists of a piece of paper which is relatively small, especially for her jumping around. Even when she's eating and is pretty much still, her movements are shaky.

I tried with other treats too. Don't ever get her a carrot, cause she'll store the whole thing and won't be able to move. I had to take that carrot away from her.

I don't think she liked that red plum. And she ain't a fan of the celery either. She took a few bites and start running away. Or maybe she was just distracted. I believe shooting outside makes her more curious and she just wants to wander around. Good thing the space is limited, cause I'm shooting on the rooftop, so there's nowhere she can go, but definitely a big place for her to run around and make me busy chasing her.

She liked the walnut, but the piece was too small so she ate it in a heartbeat and by the time I got my camera it was already gone. The best piece of fruit turned out to be an apple, because she enjoys it and she bites of piece by piece, so that gives me time to actually make couple of photos.

In the normal session, I make maybe 30 photos in total, before she gets full, and that's it. Time to sleep and see you next time.



She doesn't care at all.
I really need to find some human models.

Toronto Pet Expo April 2015

If you're an animal lover, what better way there is to spend a cold, snowy Sunday than to visit Toronto Pet Expo? I'm sure there's couple of them crossing your mind right now, BUT, if you're somewhat bored, you should give it a try next time.

The International Center Toronto hosted dogs, cats and various exotic pets this weekend. Overall, it's a nice show. You get to enjoy people's faces when their pet does something cute, or kid's joy when they hold a puppy in their hands.

Lot's of "awwww"s, lots of laugh and generally lots of positive energy.


I did, however, expected a larger show, according to what I've seen on their website. But then again, I visited on last day, Sunday, so maybe I've only seen what's left after the first two days. The visitors were able to bring their own pets, which is nice - there were also lots of organizations there, from animal rescues, different protective organizations to training schools and various educational groups for higher awareness of responsibility and good caring for pets.

I'm a cat person, so as soon as I walked in, I headed in that direction. I was a bit puzzled, as there were maybe 30 cats altogether, shut inside small boxes and cages. You could tell that they were exhausted. I actually felt pretty bad for poor animals - cats were frightened and freaked out because of all the commotion, loud speakers and music. They were obviously uncomfortable and scared, which made me rethink the whole purpose of the show.

Bengal

They shouldn't have been placed in the same hall with the traders, dogs, food stands, stage with the speakers and loud and crazy parrots. The mix of sounds made them insane (we have a convenient word for that in Croatian - "unezvijerene"- ones which are in confusion, without presence of mind; bemused, bewildered, amazed, in a panic).

I did see some spectacular samples of mesmerizing Maine Coon's, Rag Dolls and Bengals.

Abyssinian

Rag Doll

Needless to mention, there were some beautiful dogs and puppies, as well as birds, snakes, guinea pigs, hamsters, monkeys, an owl and a kangaroo.

Kangaroo Domesticus

Yes, a kangaroo.



That was kind of cool. That is, until I learned that the company that provided monkeys and a kangaroo was in the rental business, making money on renting the animals for birthday parties, special events and much more.
A touch of inhumanity, but oh well. Who would't want to have a kangaroo on their birthday bash?

Useless leash

A very good girlfriend of mine, back home in a far away land, got up few days ago and decided to seize the beautiful, sunny, spring day outside. A perfect day for a walk.

So, she went for a bite with her boyfriend and a little dog. Kind of a dog you usually hold in hands. It's their baby and their bundle of joy.

Just when they were about to order their food, along came a guy walking a Stafford (Staffordshire Bull Terrier). As he was approaching, it was more and more obvious that he can't actually handle the dog. Even tough he had the dog on leash, the dog was walking him, and not the other way around. They got close to my friends, and in a blink of an eye, Stafford jumped and attacked the boyfriend and the bundle of joy in his arms. Twice.

Panic. Screaming. Blood everywhere. Swearing in a way only Croatians can swear.

The Stafford guy took off as soon as someone called the police, and hasn't yet been found.

Let me just say, it might have ended up a lot worse than it has. Luckily, the boyfriend has "only" a pretty serious injured arm, and the bundle of joy has an injured nose. They went straight to an ER and they're both alive and fine for now.

The problem is - nobody knows anything about the dog, or the owner.
Nobody knows if the dog has rabies.
Nobody knows if the dog has a history of violence or it's just the owner that doesn't really know how to control it. The police is searching for the guy, but it's not likely they'll find him.

I'm not saying it's dog's fault - or even that the breed itself (Stafford) is more or less dangerous. What I'm saying is, if you have a dog - any kind - you should know how to control it. Having a medium (or large) sized dog on a leash, but without being able to manage it's behavior, is pretty much the same as having the dog unleashed. The owner should know what to expect out of his pet. And if you're not up to it - don't walk it in the middle of the town. He might have came across some kids - a 5 year old wouldn't stand a chance against such an attack, and who would be to blame once the guy takes off and leaves your kid hurt, alone on the street? Not even necessary to mention, do you know how many people don't even have their dogs on a leash, cause they're "friendly"? Look around.

Bundle of joy will survive, so will the boyfriend. But the point is, it can happen anywhere, anytime. I took it for granted  until now, but I'm not likely to approach some dog on a leash as easily as before, even if the owner goes with the common "he's friendly" phrase.

Not everyone who owns a dog is responsible and mature enough. If you can't handle your dog - get a cat. It's by far less likely it will hurt someone.

Plus, cats are way more cool.