Hi does anyone collect silverfish as pets? If so, any tips on feeding them something they might actually take (and not ignore)? For such "hungry" creatures they sure seemto go right past anything I put for them to eat and I have tried sooo many suggested things from the net... And also do you have any advice on how to store them and keep them comfortable and healthy. I have had 99% of mine all die within a week. It's the same old story and a very depressing one as I have read they are supposed to be so "hardy" and can go without food, water, etc for a year. And can live around 8 years... Yet everyone (except one presently) has started out looking healthy, fast, smart, elusive, but over a week's time weakened, slowed down, started moping around instead of moving 24/7. And then suddenly had movement problems where there bodies are all over the place (can no longer walk smoothly or fluently) and they NEVER recover from that point on... They all followed this same awful pattern and I know I must be doing something wrong here in keeping such a "hardy' creature as a pet...
Thanks.
Thanks.
And I was sooooo destroyed when he died because of my sadistic father putting a catfish in the bowl with him and I came home from school and saw that fish hurting him for no reason... He tried to hang on and I gave him fish pills but he didn't make it. Now fast forward to 2017 and this silverfish reminds me alot of that goldfish. He is also head and shoulders above any other fish. Even when he started getting "sick" he still didn't have any of the movement problems or weaknesses the others had. He just got sluggish, which he is kinda doing now as well. But the difference is as soon as I put that wet paper in there with him he knew what it was and he soaked it up, drank it, etc and stayed under this little "blanket" for a day or so. I took it away and bam he was almost back to normal. I had never had a fish recover before. They always died. Now for those wanting to know specifics of where I'm finding them and keeping them, etc. They always show up in my bathroom almost every night. I even left some food out to attract them in certain places they come out of the walls! And I've captured many of them. I then put them in a plastic cup (stored in my bathroom on the floor) which keeps them safe. But over time they all seem to get very bored and mopey in the cups. Every night I will "exercise" my fish by taking them out of the cups using the same instrument I use to capture them on the floor. And don't worry I rarely make nay mistakes that injure them. It is a pretty good system that I use. take this advice, use empty toilet paper rolls that aren't bent or broken in anyway. You can capture fish easily, move them easily, and deposit them back inside their containers easily. Now I use the rolls as a "treadmill". I will wait for them to crawl on the outside of the roll and then I pick it up and start twisting it over and over and watch them pick up speed trying to keep up. It is like a treadmill! Eventually they try to escape back into the inside of the roll as they get tired or bored, etc. But I try to keep them rolling and moving as long as possible! I also let them crawl around inside the t.p. rolls on top of my toilet seat. It's perfect because if I lose concentration and they "escape" the roll then they end up having to move on a very tough surface that slows them down. Well most of them. This fish I love is sooo strong and fast he can move like lightning (when he wants to) even on this surface. Again, no other fish can do that, they all get stuck... So it works out well and then I end up putting them back inside their cups to rest for the night. So it's the same temperature/humidity in the bathroom they are being stored in where they actually came out to frolic in the first place! But again I think the water droplets on the paper has made a difference. I am now trying it with some other sick fish and I will see if the results are the same. I am still afraid to feed my super fish any food. Because in the past, no matter what I tried. All these things you guys recommended, the fish start getting movement problems soon after and I assume the food hurt them somehow. They then died very often a day or two later. So I am not risking this fish with any food. I know they can go years without food anyway. It's the water/moisture that matters. I might try the other fish as guinea pigs for some food again though. But I've had bad results everytime with food. Now getting back to my new Piper fish... He is soo extraordinary that I (by accident) the other day dropped my medicine container lid off the toilet and it landed right inside his cup and on top of him! Surely that would have crushed or killed practically any other fish. He just shrugged it off like everything else. He's been around me for 2 weeks now. That's twice as long as any other silverfish has ever lived. And he's going strong! I feel like he is a magical fish like Piper was. But I am being very careful not to make any mistakes in capturing him with the toilet paper rolls, etc. He's sooo smart and so fast that it is easy to misjudge and then he would get crushed. That's not going to happen! I"play with/exercise" my fish everyday no matter what anybody else says about it. I have one super fish and I'm hoping I have found the trick to keep more of them alive now as well!
