Should I?

[Vanilla_Rat]

Okay...my 3 yr old daughter got a tank for Christmas,from one of my sisters.Do not worry,I help her look after it and she assists and loves feeding the fish.

Anyway...Chloe had a betta which she named "Nemo".He was a handsome little betta.Unfortunatly he only lasted about a month before dying.He had ich.I recently went through a bout of ich in my tank and unfortunatly before I knew my tank had ich,I used the same net I was using in my tank for my daughter's betta...next thing,he had ich.

Anyway as he was dying,Chloe was looking at him and she knew he was sick because she came to me and said "Nemo is sick".Unfortunatly she went to daycare and the fish died.When she came home,the fish was no longer in the tank.

My question is...should I get her a new one? She has asked about him and misses feeding him.I was teaching her responsibility,which I can easily do (and am doing) with my own pets.

I didn't know how to explain to a 3 yr old that the fish is gone.She obviously will not understand.

So what should I do?

[christine]

hmmm that's a tough one. I wish I knew what to do. I don't have kids yet so I am not much help in this situation. Can you try to tell her that Nemo went to heaven? Would she understand that?

[Mousey]

hmm. I don't really know how you wish to go about it. But when I got my boyfriends niece an african tree frog for her birthday it passed away 2 days later. So we took her to the petstore and told her to pick out a new fish that can go into the old tank. She still missed her frog but she was totally happy with the new fish she got.

[Kendalle]

haven't you had pets around her before that have died? just tell her the fishy went to heaven because he was very sick. its sad but he went somewhere that he had a huge ocean to play in with lots of friends. then let her get a new fish

[osubeaver22]

I think you should buy her a new one. It would be good, she may think about the new one more, and forget about the old one.

[luvnature]

I would just tell her the truth that unfortuantly pets die and he is not suffering anylonger,that its okay to miss him but that she shouldn't worry about him.

You can ask her if she wants another fishie like Nemo to love which she probably does. Let her pick one out, with your approval first, of course, and continue to teach her how to love and be responsible for the pets we love.

[Formula86]

What Luv said. Just tell her Nemo is in fishy-heaven.

[Vanilla_Rat]

So me and my family have been giving Chloe money ($1 or .25 or whatever) for chores/helping out and she said she is saving up for another fishy!

She almost has enough for another betta too!
So she really wants another fish.

[HappyDancer]

sounds like a determined little girl my daughter absolutly loved her Betta Martin...she wants another, but says shes not ready yet...sounds like Chloe is

[mulder]

chloe sounds young enough to get over fishy death, and old enough to save money to buy a new one. i'd say tell her he's in fishy heaven and let her get another when she's saved up enough

[Vanilla_Rat]

Thats what we are doing!