I had gotten a true alligator gar as a baby and raised him until e was about 9". He had suffered from a bent back when he was very small but after much needed care he eventually got better. He was named "Limpy Lou" after this had happened. Anyway Limpy Lou was getting big for my 90 gallon tank and although I upgraded to a 180 I knew he would be better off with an owner who could provide him with more space. After putting Limpy Lou on craigslist for free I got many offers from people saying they would buy him from me. I refused all offers as I just wanted to give him to a good home for no price. After a potential owner contacted me and told me he had a 125 and was soon upgrading to a much bigger tank I felt comfortable handing Limpy Lou over to his new owner. As I set up my 180 I went to my local fish store to buy supplies for my new cannister filter. While there an employee asked me If I had a tank at home. When I told him about my 180 that was setup a few days ago he quickly mentioned that they had gotten a true alligator gar earlier that day and it needed a home. He explained the gar had been seriously injured and was close to death. He also said because the store didnt want to be liable they would have to "dispose" of it if nobody took him. When he explained the guy, his wife, and their child who dropped It off, I was sure they had been a bad choice in potential owners. When the employee brought him out in an unheated, un filtered bucket, I was devastated to see the extreme damage that man had done to my fish. Limpy Lous fins were all missing and he was extremely pale. I had the employee bag him up and took him home immediately. The chances of this are so incredibly slim as there are many fish stores in my area. I am now trying to help Limpy Lou recover. In the last day he has regained his dark colors and is eating his pellets that he enjoys more than anything. This whole situation has made me feel extremely bad for my pet as I thought he was going to a good home. I will allow him to growout until he is large enough to go to a local zoo or pond owner. Below are some pics of Limpy Lou and I will keep everyone posted on his recovery!
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Sent from my iPhone using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
