[CreativePotato]

I'm just curious, what with the 'Baby Bettas' on the PetCo market now. Two girls I bought recently are just over an inch with fins, and one of them had been there for a month. Isn't there some sort of limit to how young you can sell animals?

 

[ZackyBear]

So far it doesn't seem that way IMO.

"As long as an animal can eat on it's own without the aid of parents then it's basically sellable."

That's what a Petsmart lady told me

 

[Alcemistnv]

I saw my Petsmart has babies too, but they're not as tiny as the ones I've seen posted.

I'm getting a dragon plakat next, but they're older

 

[Ramble]

Sadly, baby fish are considered self-sufficient much sooner than puppies or kittens.

 

[ZackyBear]

I feel sorry for the babies too. the Pet stores feed them pellets or flakes when they really need to still be fed live foods. I would buy them all from my store if I could, but then it would only encourage them to buy more.

*cries*

 

[Bladezero]

I've seen anything between 5 weeks old to 1 year old...

Got 2 new betta today(fresh from shipment) one of them was overfed before the tip.. Poor thing, the baggie had more poop then fish..
I'll post a picture of them after they finish acclimation and regain their colors.. Right now both of them have stress stripes and barely any color.

 

[Arctic Mama]

Fish are not dogs and cats, obviously. Once the betta fry are free swimming and have mouths big enough to eat the food being fed to them (usually 2-3 months) they can be jarred and sold. Most betta in pet stores tend to be older than younger, 5-12 months, as their finance is more impressive when they are more fully grown (despite being out of their breeding prime toward the end of that).

 

[Ramble]

Fish are not dogs and cats, obviously. Once the betta fry are free swimming and have mouths big enough to eat the food being fed to them (usually 2-3 months) they can be jarred and sold.

That is true, but the problem is, these baby bettas aren't big enough to eat the food given to them. I pulled one of the managers aside a few days ago because they were feeding the babies pellets and bloodworms, which were far too big for them to eat. Some of the baby bettas I saw this morning were only 1/2 to 3/4 inch long. Most will probably die within a week, as there is no info out there for new owners to raise a fry.

 

[Hallyx]

Most betta in pet stores tend to be older than younger, 5-12 months, as their finance is more impressive when they are more fully grown (despite being out of their breeding prime toward the end of that).

I'm not convinced this is true. It is to the breeders advantage to clear his equipment as soon as possible to make room for the next spawn. Keeping, feeding and maintaining a fish costs time and money. Better the retailer should incur that cost.

The retailer's margin on a Betta is precariously slim. They are an expensive fish to keep in stock, with those individual containers to clean, individual feedings, too. Takes a lot of the employee's time compared to other fish.

 

[ZackyBear]

Not to mention, that because the baby bettas are cheaper, people who don't know much about them or just want a small/cheap pet (and think they are easier to care for/raise) would buy them over a $5-$20 dollar adult.

"It was only $2, so why not?" <--- basically.

 

[Arctic Mama]

The fact remains that prior to the baby betta craze, the betta available in most pet stores were actually edging toward 'old'. I agree that selling the young ones who are still on fry food is completely unethical and it is a good move to tell the management if the pellets being given are too big to be consumed (without soaking and pulverizing them, at least!) but the actual concept of baby bettas isn't a huge issue if the 'young, but not TOO young' criteria is being observed.

On the upside, the baby betta aren't selling as well as their new Halfmoon, Double tail, and Crowntail stock (at my local store, anyway), so I am hoping the inventory counts on this are the final word and they are more inclined to stock the more popular, older fish when the young ones die or won't sell. One can hope, anyway!

 

[Hallyx]

The fact remains that prior to the baby betta craze, the betta available in most pet stores were actually edging toward 'old'.

I'm sorry, but I would have to see some documentation or reasoning before I would accept this as a true fact.

 

[Destinystar]

Perseus seems so little I believe he is young, he is like only and inch long maybe a tad more. My daughter works at Walmart so thats where she got him.

 

[Ramble]

Perseus seems so little I believe he is young, he is like only and inch long maybe a tad more. My daughter works at Walmart so thats where she got him.

Yep, my little one was maybe 3/4" long at first...certainly not eating regular food.
it's possible the baby betta craze will fade and Petco will decide it's not profitable, but I doubt it will happen for a while.

 

[dramaqueen]

The female I got the other day at Petsmart is very tiny, maybe a little over an inch. They had just gotten their shipment in and there were several uneaten pellets in her cup. I imagine they were too big for her to eat or she was too stressed out to eat. I've given her small pellets and she's been eating good.