As a fish owner, a time will come when you won’t like to keep your fish you once cherished. It’s normal. An unwanted fish is simply a fish you no longer want to nurture either because it got sick or it got too big, and your aquarium can no longer accommodate it and many other possible reasons.
The moment some people have issues with their fish, all that comes to their kind is flushing it down the toilet or dumping it at any local aquarium around them—doing all that is wrong and illegal. There are safe and healthy ways you can dispose of your unwanted fish.
Several pet stores accept donated fish, and Petco is one of them.
Petco will take unwanted fish you no longer want and adopt them. But they won’t pay you anything in return. If your fish is not healthy, they won’t take it too. It’s excellent you always call them days before you take it to their store. So, they can tell you if they are open to donations.
What do you do with a fish you no longer want?
Most people who keep fishes as pets have issues with disposing of a fish they no longer want or an unwanted fish. Flushing a fish down the toilet or dumping it in some random water body is wrong and illegal. There are other better ways of disposing of a fish you no longer want, like donating it to a new home.
It would be best if you didn’t flush a fish with disease because it is cruel, and the disease can affect the water in your environment. Whether the fish is free of any illness or not, it is not cool; you flush it down the toilet.
Dumping a fish into a lake or river is not good because the water temperature, the quantity of water, and other environmental factors may not be favorable for its survival. They may also not be compatible with the fishes in that water body. And incompatibility can lead to them being eaten by other fishes. Plus, they may get exposed to some parasites detrimental to their health in that water body. There are a lot of damages that can be done in a local ecosystem where fishes are dumped.
If your fish is healthy, you can locate a local fish or pet shop and give it to them to take care of. Most of them know the favorable water temperature for your fish, and they have a large water body that can accommodate your fish. Most pet shops will pay you for some amount of money if you give them your fish.
Social media like Facebook or Instagram is another platform where you can advertise your fish. Take a clear photo of your fish, the breed, and other vital information. Inform prospective buyers that your fish is up for adoption. Many people will indicate interest in adopting your fish. It might take a while, but you will eventually find someone to adopt it.
If you have a local fish club in your area, you can take advantage of it. Tell them about your unwanted fish, and you will likely find someone to adopt it there.
Feel free to donate your healthy pet fish to a nursing home or school, especially if they have an aquarium. Most schools have an aquarium, and they would be glad to accept your fish if they have enough space for it.
If the fish you no longer want is diseased, it will be useful for you to talk to a local veterinarian to help you euthanize it because they use all the anesthetics that can be poured into the water to euthanize your fish quickly.
Is it illegal to flush a fish down the toilet?
Yes, it is. It would be best if you don’t flush
down a live fish or diseases fish down the toilet. It’s an inhumane act. The toilet is meant to flush down human waste and not fishes. Please don’t do it whether someone is watching you or not. If you flush down a live fish, it is like flushing down a puppy into the toilet.
Flushing down a diseased fish into the toilet can affect the water in your home. You might not feel comfortable using a restroom where someone flushed down a diseased fish.
What does Petco do with donated fish?
Petco is a pet store that not only collects unwanted fishes, they also sell pet food and other types of equipment you will need to take care of your pets.
When Petco collects your unwanted fish, they give another person to adopt. They don’t sell fishes you donate to them as feeder fishes neither do they sell it to someone who has no idea about taking care of a pet fish.
Petco collects your unwanted fish and gives it out to someone else for a small amount of money from whoever adopts it from them.
Conclusion
How would you feel if someone tries to force you into staying in an uncomfortable environment? I’m sure you won’t want that to happen to you. That’s the same way you shouldn’t dump your unwanted fish into any water body. It’s inhumane and illegal for you to do that. Don’t try to flush it down the toilet either.
Euthanizing your diseased fish is better than dumping it or flushing it down the toilet. Many pet stores would gladly help you euthanize your pet fish.
Many pet stores accept unwanted fishes that are healthy from people in exchange for some amount of money. If Petco doesn’t take your unwanted fish, try out other pet stores and other methods of disposing of a fish you no longer want that I outlined earlier in this article.
Treat your unwanted fishes with utmost care. The fact that you no longer want them shouldn’t make you dispose of them anyhow you want to, not minding if it is wrong or right.
That unwanted fish you no longer want can still be useful to many water bodies. Talk to a pet shop and let them help you handle your unwanted fish.