Does anyone else feel guilty.....

[WDW Donna]

I realize that if we buy the bettas there will be another to replace it, but it is so sad to see them in those awful cups.
Ever seen the show Animal Hoarder? Usually it deals with dogs and cats. I am waiting for the day they come across a Betta hoarder! Little fish in bowls and vases and jars all over the house just because they couldn't stand seeing them in the local Petsmart or Walmart - it will probably be me!!!!

[Myates]

Stopping one store from selling bettas didn't necessarily save their lives.. the same amount of bettas were bred, they were shipped elsewhere, where most likely were in the same conditions (uncleaned small cups). In reality you probably stopped more from being taken home and cared for then stopped from dying in cups :(

It's idea for them to be in smaller cups to be sold, and more economical and safe for them. It's sad that they don't get cleaned often enough- that's the issue. But also remember, that even if they clean the cups once a day in the morning, by afternoon/evening, the cups will always be dirty with waste and food.. so we can't know when/if they clean them. And in small stores, they may not of had enough employees to spare cleaning out the cups every couple of hours.

I personally don't see why a fish store/pet store shouldn't sell them- they are in it for the money, it's up to us, the consumers, to do our homework and research before getting any pet to know what is the proper way to care for them. So basically, if it was a single mom and pop store.. they just loss some income that may of been needed in this economy moreso then in the recent past.

It's sad to see them in such conditions, but you can also walk through a lot of stores and look at the big tanks and see dirty water, algae all over and dead fish. So sometimes there is no real difference between bettas in cups and the fish in the sell tanks. All we can do is provide the best care we can to the ones we fall for and hope for the best for the others.

[xbecky685x]

Luckily none of the pet shops by me have fish in cups :( otherwise id feel really bad too :(
Im in the uk and our bettas are just in small tanks nice and clean :) (Well in the places iv been)
But i do feel for all your little guys :( makes me sad seeing the pictures of them cups..
xx

[erinandares]

Originally Posted by Myates

Stopping one store from selling bettas didn't necessarily save their lives.. the same amount of bettas were bred, they were shipped elsewhere, where most likely were in the same conditions (uncleaned small cups). In reality you probably stopped more from being taken home and cared for then stopped from dying in cups :(

It's idea for them to be in smaller cups to be sold, and more economical and safe for them. It's sad that they don't get cleaned often enough- that's the issue. But also remember, that even if they clean the cups once a day in the morning, by afternoon/evening, the cups will always be dirty with waste and food.. so we can't know when/if they clean them. And in small stores, they may not of had enough employees to spare cleaning out the cups every couple of hours.

I personally don't see why a fish store/pet store shouldn't sell them- they are in it for the money, it's up to us, the consumers, to do our homework and research before getting any pet to know what is the proper way to care for them. So basically, if it was a single mom and pop store.. they just loss some income that may of been needed in this economy moreso then in the recent past.

It's sad to see them in such conditions, but you can also walk through a lot of stores and look at the big tanks and see dirty water, algae all over and dead fish. So sometimes there is no real difference between bettas in cups and the fish in the sell tanks. All we can do is provide the best care we can to the ones we fall for and hope for the best for the others.

+1. I don't really agree with boycotting petshops for these reasons exactly. The bettas they don't sell will be reallocated somewhere else, where they also won't get cared for properly. Probably to a chain store like Wal Mart that's twelve times worse to their fish. I think it's best not to spend big bucks there, but if you want to rescue a betta from them, I don't see any issue with it. I think the problem lies in educating the owners, not stopping the sales.