Some Petco employees actually do care for the Betta fish

[BettaPirate]

I always read mixed reviews on here about buying petco products and betta fish. I have walked into one of the Petco stores where there are at least two dead Betta fish in the little cups and they place male betta fish next to eachother so that they continue to flare at eachother and get stressed out.

I have to say that I think a lot of that depends on the quality of the people working at the store. I walked into three different Petco stores in the past month and found that not only were the Betta fish spread out more so the males did not flare at eachother all day but they also did hourly checks on the fish, water safety checks daily and their water was warm enough to stimulate the fish to move around. Not ideal conditions for sure but much better than I have seen at other pet stores. I also liked that when I was asking questions about Betta care they suggested at least a 2 gallon tank with a heater and a good hiding spot!

I am not trying to write a rave review for petco because I do know that a lot can treat their Betta fish just as bad as wal-mart, well maybe not THAT bad, but close. I do want to say that there are caring individuals working at local Petco stores around me who love Bettas :)

[Okami]

my local pet-co is one of them. The staff being knowedgeable is key in making sure people know what they are doing when getting a Betta.

[hannah16]

Originally Posted by BettaPirate

I always read mixed reviews on here about buying petco products and betta fish. I have walked into one of the Petco stores where there are at least two dead Betta fish in the little cups and they place male betta fish next to eachother so that they continue to flare at eachother and get stressed out.

I have to say that I think a lot of that depends on the quality of the people working at the store. I walked into three different Petco stores in the past month and found that not only were the Betta fish spread out more so the males did not flare at eachother all day but they also did hourly checks on the fish, water safety checks daily and their water was warm enough to stimulate the fish to move around. Not ideal conditions for sure but much better than I have seen at other pet stores. I also liked that when I was asking questions about Betta care they suggested at least a 2 gallon tank with a heater and a good hiding spot!

I am not trying to write a rave review for petco because I do know that a lot can treat their Betta fish just as bad as wal-mart, well maybe not THAT bad, but close. I do want to say that there are caring individuals working at local Petco stores around me who love Bettas :)

http://www.change.org/petitions/walm...-of-betta-fish

Help stop Walmart =]

[BettaPirate]

I have signed that before. I can't even go near their Betta section :( that is when/if I shop their at all

[hannah16]

Originally Posted by BettaPirate

I have signed that before. I can't even go near their Betta section :( that is when/if I shop their at all

I always go into the betta section so if I see dirty water I use there "betta" water and swap it out. I leave the empty bottle there so they know someone gives a darn. I also, move the dead bettas off the shelves and put them in the sink so no one else turns away from buy the live ones.

[BettaPirate]

That is nice of you! I don't even really understand why they even sell fish.

[hannah16]

Thank you. I've always done it. And I unstack them too so they can breathe. Last time I popped the little holes on the top so they had better air flow.

[rosy delta]

I know. My closest Petco is excellent in their care of bettas, and all the fish. They take care to hire knowledgeable people i think. at least for the fish. the next closest one stinks. horrible care - or rather no caring at all. so, if you have an excellent store of any kind near you, tell them and patronize them. the others dont!

[BettaPirate]

I mentioned to the workers at the bad petco that they had two dead Betta fish out on the shelf and they just kind of blew me off. So when I went to one of the good Petco stores I told them what I had seen and they had me fill out a complaint form to send to corporate. I was glad at least someone listened to me.

[rosy delta]

oh good idea. i will do that next time too!