Our story

It started with one goldfish. Goldie. A birthday gift for one of the kids, in a bowl that was way too small, back when we didn't know better. Goldie got a bigger tank. Then a friend. Then two more friends. Then a filter that cost more than the tank. That's basically the pattern for everything that came after.

The budgies came next. Carmella first, because our youngest wanted "a blue bird that talks." Carmella did not talk. She screamed. So we got Plantain, and Carmella calmed down and Plantain fell asleep on everything. Plantini was supposed to be a girl named Plantina. He was not. He is now the loudest member of the household and says "hello" in my wife's voice.

Dabodabo was a spring impulse at the feed store. One duckling, in a box, in the backseat, and my daughter naming her something that sounded like a drum beat. She grew into a big white Pekin who runs the yard. The glasses started as a Halloween joke. A photo of her wearing them got more reactions than anything we'd ever posted, so the glasses stayed, and Lady Peck got a pair too so she wouldn't feel left out.

Why we film them

Honestly, because they're funny and we were already taking videos for the grandparents. Somebody said "you should post these," so we did. A couple thousand people subscribed. Then people started asking what cage we use, what we feed the duck, why the tank water is so clear. The gear guides on this site are the long answers to those questions.

I'm a pharmacist by day, which means I read labels for a living and I'm careful about what goes into these animals. When I recommend a feed or a filter, it's because we've used it, usually for months, and I'd tell a friend the same thing across the fence.

House rules

• Every video and photo is ours. No stock footage, no borrowed clips, no AI animals.
• The animals are pets, not props. If Dabodabo doesn't want to wear the glasses that day, she doesn't.
• Everything is family-friendly. Kids watch this. Grandmas watch this.
• If we link to a product, we either own it or we'd buy it again. Affiliate links help pay for feed, but they don't change what we recommend.

Where we are

We're in Washington State, in a regular backyard with a regular fence, which is apparently all it takes for a squirrel to decide you're his people now.

Thanks for being here. Say hi on YouTube, or send us a note. Dabodabo reads all the comments. (She doesn't. But we do.)