sausagewinkle
Fish Herder
October 12th 2011 I posted one of my homebred males out to his new buyer.
Unfortunately I wrote the wrong house number on the box so he was delivered to the wrong house, same street, but the wrong house.
Myself and the buyer of him were on the phone to royal mail all day trying to sort something out so she could go and get him from the sorting office.
Royal Mail said no because he had been posted Special Delivery he had to be sent back to me. I was advised he was going to be sent back the same day.
A few days passed and I received nothing, I rang Royal Mail and this time they told me the parcel still hadn't been sent back to me. They assured me that the parcel would be marked as URGENT and sent straight back. At this point I had no hope for him, he had been in the post nearly 1 week.
A few days later and still nothing, so I rang them again. This time I was told that any parcels that are posted to the wrong address are held by Royal Mail for 3 WEEKS.
I wasn't happy as on 2 occasion I had been told the parcel was getting sent straight back to me.
There was nothing they could do and I had to wait
By the time the 3 weeks had past I gave up all hope, there was no way the little betta would be alive stuck in his box.
No parcel ever arrived and to be honest I didn't follow it up, the poor fish would be well dead by now in this freezing cold weather.
Saturday morning 10th December 2011(Saturday just gone) there was a knock at the door at 8:45am and the postman holding the box I posted nearly 2 month ago.
I accepted the delivery but didn't have the heart to open the box and see the state of the poor fish knowing it was my fault because I sent him to the wrong address.
I waited until my partner got in from work so he could dispose of it.
When he got in from work at 12:30pm I asked him to open the box and 'get rid'.
I went upstairs as I didn't want to see the poor thing.
A few minutes later my partner came running up stairs shouting, my heart sank. He was saying that the betta was alive.
It was hard to tell as I double bag and then wrap them well in bubble wrap to keep them well insulated.
We literally ripped the bubble wrap off and to our amazement saw the little guy swimming around in his bag.
I quickly opened his bag to add more oxygen and placed the bag in my male bettas tank to heat him up.
I was shaking!!! I couldn't believe he was still alive!!
I slowly acclimatised him in his new tank (that I had to quickly set up) and got him out of that water he had been in for 2 month.
I wasn't expecting him to survive the first night, although he was swimming around fine I thought the shock of everything, the light etc would knock him over the edge.
I knew he hadn't eaten for 2 month so im feeding him very little and often to build him up. To be honest looking at him you wouldn't think he had been stuck in a small bag in darkness for 2 months.
I have named him Lucky Guy. In a week or 2 he will be moving into my divided tank where he will live next to his 3 brothers that I retained from my first spawn.
Miracles do happen!
He must have been somewhere warm the passed 2 month otherwise there is no way he would have made it!!
Here is a video of him from last night (Sunday) 1 day from being back home with me
click to watch
Unfortunately I wrote the wrong house number on the box so he was delivered to the wrong house, same street, but the wrong house.
Myself and the buyer of him were on the phone to royal mail all day trying to sort something out so she could go and get him from the sorting office.
Royal Mail said no because he had been posted Special Delivery he had to be sent back to me. I was advised he was going to be sent back the same day.
A few days passed and I received nothing, I rang Royal Mail and this time they told me the parcel still hadn't been sent back to me. They assured me that the parcel would be marked as URGENT and sent straight back. At this point I had no hope for him, he had been in the post nearly 1 week.
A few days later and still nothing, so I rang them again. This time I was told that any parcels that are posted to the wrong address are held by Royal Mail for 3 WEEKS.
I wasn't happy as on 2 occasion I had been told the parcel was getting sent straight back to me.
There was nothing they could do and I had to wait
By the time the 3 weeks had past I gave up all hope, there was no way the little betta would be alive stuck in his box.
No parcel ever arrived and to be honest I didn't follow it up, the poor fish would be well dead by now in this freezing cold weather.
Saturday morning 10th December 2011(Saturday just gone) there was a knock at the door at 8:45am and the postman holding the box I posted nearly 2 month ago.
I accepted the delivery but didn't have the heart to open the box and see the state of the poor fish knowing it was my fault because I sent him to the wrong address.
I waited until my partner got in from work so he could dispose of it.
When he got in from work at 12:30pm I asked him to open the box and 'get rid'.
I went upstairs as I didn't want to see the poor thing.
A few minutes later my partner came running up stairs shouting, my heart sank. He was saying that the betta was alive.
It was hard to tell as I double bag and then wrap them well in bubble wrap to keep them well insulated.
We literally ripped the bubble wrap off and to our amazement saw the little guy swimming around in his bag.
I quickly opened his bag to add more oxygen and placed the bag in my male bettas tank to heat him up.
I was shaking!!! I couldn't believe he was still alive!!
I slowly acclimatised him in his new tank (that I had to quickly set up) and got him out of that water he had been in for 2 month.
I wasn't expecting him to survive the first night, although he was swimming around fine I thought the shock of everything, the light etc would knock him over the edge.
I knew he hadn't eaten for 2 month so im feeding him very little and often to build him up. To be honest looking at him you wouldn't think he had been stuck in a small bag in darkness for 2 months.
I have named him Lucky Guy. In a week or 2 he will be moving into my divided tank where he will live next to his 3 brothers that I retained from my first spawn.
Miracles do happen!
He must have been somewhere warm the passed 2 month otherwise there is no way he would have made it!!
Here is a video of him from last night (Sunday) 1 day from being back home with me
click to watch
