Goldfish not hybernating

[Penwern]

My 3 large goldfish are still swimming around at the top of the pond. Shouldn't they be down at the bottom during the winter and as they are still at the top should I still feed them?

[EcclesCake]

It's very mild and many beasties that should be hibernating are still active. Yes feed, they'll eat it or not.

Better fed beasties than starved beasties.

I deliberately use the term beasties as we have bees and fish and we have had to keep feeding.

[boxtops]

Yes, it's not real winter to them!

[paddywak]

My fish are just the same, as soon as one of us goes near the pond the fish come up for food.Be careful how you feed them though they won't eat as much as normal.

[Buenchico]

Nothing seems to be hibernating at the minute. I saw a (very active) hedgehog yesterday!

[masma]

We give ours a little bit of food and if they eat it quickly give them a bit more.

[jomifl]

Golfish don't hibernate, they just slow down and below a certain temperature they stop feeding. Only 'warm bloooded' animals hibernate. All of these are mammals except the only marsupial to hibernate, the 'mountain pygmy possum'

[SpikeyBush]

As it's so mild my fish are still whizzing around and, by the looks of things busy making more fish (ooer missus!). What a contrast to this time last year when I was removing dead fish and frogs from my pond on the odd occasion that it defrosted.

[jd_here]

Threaten them that if they don't go to sleep you'll grill them!

[wildwood]

jomifl, you're slipping...

A marsupial is not a mammal?

Snakes very much hibernate. Garter snakes do so clumped together by the thousands.

[jomifl]

Wildwood, you have me there, marsupials are indeed mammals. Can I claim a senior moment? or phone a friend? for some bizarre reason I was thinking of monotremes. doh...
Snakes don't hibernate in the strict sense of the word as they don't control their body temperatue at a lower level, which is what hibernating mammals do(mostly). Overwintering of reptiles is called 'brumation' according to Wiki(a new one on me). In reality there is a variety of kinds of hibernation, between classic hibernation and none at all.

[Ratty2E]

Our koi have been alternating between 'asking' for food and huddling together on the bottom on colder days. If they are warm enough to be lively and wanting food then it should be safe enough to feed them. Make sure you only feed them as much as they will eat in 5 mins and early enough in the day so that they can digest it before the temp starts to drop and their systems slow.

[wildwood]

jomifl, you've already used your 'phone a friend'. You'll have to ask the audience:-) Yes, senior moments seem to creep up on all of us.

Hibernation seems to be a grey area. At a stretch, you could also include the slowing down of goldfish as a type of hibernation, although this is indeed due to the water temperature.

Personally, I would call the consciously induced daily state of torpor of the hummingbird to get through the night a type of hibernation. The sole reason being that they can not feed when the flowers are closed and they are too small to last the night without sustenance, not because of temperature.

Sorry Penwern, somewhat off the subject... but about animals all the same.

[hammerman]

If your pondfish are up the top and active...feed them small amounts to keep their fat reserves up ready for when it gets really cold.