Humpback Guppy

[kdklovesfish]

I have had this humpback female guppy for about six months. When I bought her and two sisters for a male I had they were small and her humpback wasn't noticeable. She is the only one that survived and lives with platys. Normally she is just like any other fish, just looks weird. Today I noticed that she is swimming sideways. She's still eating. (She's always been fat!) Is she sick? Is there something I can do to restore her to normal, or is it time to put her down?

 

[aquandrew]

euthanize. it is likely scoliosis, from inbreeding. it actually happens quite often, there is a chain lfs near me that has had one in their tank for a couple months now. i ask them why they still have it, and i get a blank stare

 

[kdklovesfish]

I figured her time was up. I noticed the humpback about two weeks after I got her, but by then all the other guppies I had died and she acted normal. I didn't have the heart to put her down since she wouldn't be passing on the gene. I haven't bought from that lfs since, thank goodness. Poor thing... I'm going to put her down now... :'(

Thanks again aquandrew, you always answer my questions.

 

[aquandrew]

your welcome. I'm very sorry that this happened, it's very hard to euthanize a fish that you've grown attached to. one of the horrible downfalls to mass produced, inbred fish.....deformities. but its better to euthanize, than to have it grow more and more deformed and not live the life that it should be living.

 

[Fishfur]

And while I haven't seen the store in question, and certainly some stores do not care for fish properly, they only have so many sources to buy fish from, and the fish farms breed in the millions, so the fact a deformed fish was at the store is not their fault.

What fish they sell is certainly their choice, and a better store would not offer a deformed fish for sale. Some might euthanize, some keep it themselves for better or worse. Some don't care so long as they get a sale, and those stores are best not patronized if possible, though not all of us have much choice.

 

[kdklovesfish]

You are totally right Fishfur. Only "Mom & Pop" lfs control their own stock. Major chains get what they get. I'm lucky to live in an area that has many options.

I don't believe in killing an animal just because they aren't perfect. In fact all of our pets (non-fish) have something wrong with them. One dog takes meds for a heart condition, one dog takes meds for thyroid imbalances and we bought our bird with a damaged wing due to the store keeping small parrots with large ones. (Duh!) Now that we've rehabbed him, he is a healthy happy bird.

But I also agree with Aquandrew. I don't believe an animal with a genetic problem should be allowed to procreate. And I don't believe you should allow the animal to suffer just to keep it around a little longer. In fact I think it is our responsibly as pet owners to give our beloved animals the best life for as long as it's healthy for them, and then be brave enough to let them go peacefully. My dog with the heart condition is 13 so I'm really not looking forward to the day I have to live up to my words with him.

Wow I just pulled out my inner philosopher on you guys!

 

[henningc]

If you are interested in guppys, and any fish for that matter, look into finding private breeders. Aquabid has tons and the Guppy Associations for the show circuit have members selling fish all the time. Frank at Guppy Alternative has great stuff but is pricey. Swamp River Aquatics has some nice guppys, again not cheap but worth it.

Just an FYI, 99.9% of the guppys sold in pet shops are bred and raised in Asia. Many are of limited quality due to inbreeding and poor facility conditions. They also pack diseases and can wipe your tank out fast. I would ask the LFS where they get their guppys. If they say Florida, the farms buy them from Asian importers.

 

[Fishfur]

Can't argue with that, kdlovesfish. I've always believed once I adopt a pet I owe it the best life I can provide for as long as it is enjoying that life, even it does not turn out to be the ideal pet. I had one cat that was totally antisocial, even my vet thought I was nuts to keep him. He was ok with me, but not with anyone else. Lived to 14 years of age.

My latest fur children are a pair of litter sibs, sister cats I adopted at age 12 1/2. Both had dental issues and while they were fed and sheltered, hadn't seen a vet since the day they were adopted from a shelter as kittens.

They're pushing 16 now, one has hyper thyroid and is on meds, the other has lost all her teeth, had a stroke early this year, and she has some sort of digestive disorder, so feeding her is an ongoing challenge. I make raw food for them both, and the thyroid cat has done exceptionally well on it. The little toothless girl did great with it, but now she refuses it, so she gets the best canned stuff I can find that she can digest.

I hate to think of the day I have to let them go.. and pray it won't be soon. I've lost a few cats over the years, it's always hell to let them go, but I could not live with myself if I allowed them to suffer needless pain. I have chronic pain myself.. I would not wish it on any living thing.

Fish, shrimp, turtles, whatever, all the same. If they are sick and suffering and can't get better, I euthanize them. If they are just not quite right, they live their lives, but don't breed. They get the same care as any animal I own, which is the best I can afford to provide. Live food or whatever the critter would eat in nature, whenever possible, is what I try to give them. Man made foods, sure, I use them, but I try not to make them a staple. There is too much evidence on how poorly man made food performs in comparison to what animals would eat naturally. We don't do so well making it for ourselves either, for that matter.

 

[Mebbid]

Even with a healthy strain of fish it's not uncommon for some deformities to arise. The prevalence and hardiness of the fish does go downhill quickly though. I was breeding guppies a while back and started with a fairly heavily inbred strain. Only about 1 in 5 of my fry survived while my room mate had 90% of her randomly bred guppies survive.

 

[Fishfur]

Too true. So many of the pretty colours and patterns we see today are the result of heavy inbreeding, line breeding, and when you buy a pair, chances are they are siblings anyway, which just makes it worse.

It's a shame really. People can't seem to resist trying to fix any new colour or pattern or shape or size, and if it means generations of incestuous breeding, well, they are only animals, so who cares, right ?

I just don't think it's right, since the offspring are going to inherit so many recessive genes, which are often detrimental, along with the one 'positive' characteristic or gene the human breeder is looking for. A guy I know who is very into shrimp breeding tells me ten generations of shrimp can be bred before you run into any significant inbreeding issues, and I wonder if it's similar for fish.

I also wonder about the species we humans have first nearly exterminated and then 'saved' by finding the last two or five, fifty or a hundred individuals and breeding them. They're so closely related, the chances of them being genetically viable in the long term is very, very poor. It creates a genetic bottleneck. That's something that can happen naturally too. Seems cheetahs are all so closely related it's a wonder they're still around, presumably at some point in their history a majority of them died out for some reason, leaving too few to carry on. They may well become extinct as a result, never mind human actions regarding them.

 

[kdklovesfish]

Totally agree Fishfur! Animals are a joy.