Absolutely B****y Disgusting...

[Devorax]

Wondering around town today, I went in to our LFS to buy our dog something special for his 8th birthday, and knowing it was also the day after their aquatic delivery, I thought about having a looksy to see if there was anything worthy of spending a few quid on. And the horror.....

There were three tanks with 2 male bettas in, both with very heavy fin damage, (and one pair in particular which I will come back to), there was a dead angel in one tank, the guppy tank had one surviving betta in it and one dead being slowly eaten by the common plec in there. The guppies themselves had very deeply split tails on some individuals (although some were in perfect visual condition and I would surely have loved to taken them weren't it for lack of tank).

Oh it was a house of horrors. The shop owner himself wasn't there but his wife was and she and a colleague were just happily chatting away behind the till, oblivious to the problems. She even fished out a convict, passing the dead fish, and did nothing about them. Half the tanks had at least one dead former resident.

The clown loaches are all very pale, huddling together in the corners, terrified to move, some of them appeared dead beneath the others. The rummies were so pale they were almost transparent, ugh, it was horrendous.

There were 2 bettas (the ones I said I'd come back to) that were together in a tank with what mighth have been glolight tetras. At first we thought there was only one, but as he moved toward the filter, he shot away as if he'd been electrocuted, and a hidden second emerged, only to fall below the sunken heater (laid on the sand) and stay put. The first then darted around the tank through approx 30/40 tetras and couldn't stop himself from going crazy as they shoal moved in perfect singular motion thus confusing him about where he was going.

The betta in with the guppies then nearly came home with us out of pity, he looked soooo scared, huddling up in the corner terrified in case a guppy came near (there were 30 or more), but then we couldn't decide if we should save him or the one panicking in the tetra tank. I said to take both, but then we thought that if we take any then we would be encouraging the shop owner to continue in their cruelty. It was a REALLY tough call. Me myself I would have said sod it and taken the lot, but it ain't my house and there wasn't the tank space available, so there was a perfectly good arguement against it. Besides, this time in a fortnight, the exact same situation would have only been repeated.

Anyway, the whole point of mentioning all this is:
Will the RSPCA/Trading Standards/Animal Welfare Officer do anything if I report the establishment for blatant cruelty? What do you think? Was it the right thing to leave the 2 bettas behind? I was thinking of them see, I know they would have done okay but just couldn't justify it outright. Preventing cruelty is perfectly okay, but encouraging it to be repeated is quite different.....

 

[AdAndrews]

rspca wond do anything. they are only fish for gods sake calm down its not the end of the world, just dont shop there again, if it was the day of their delivery the damage to fins could be from stress during transport, so is it really their fault for treating it- what else can they do??

 

[Glegorly]

As hard as it is, You did the right thing. If you would have paid for them and left then they would have restocked them. I appreciate you dont have the tank space, but if that was me, and I was in such a state that I felt strongly about it I would have asked to buy them and when paying for them tell the person serving you to call the manager and tell them both that the only reason you are buying the fish is that you are horrified by the treatment they are receiving.

I would then go on to say that I would report them to the RSPCA. And I honestly would go into a lecture of how basic the care is and how poorly it's being provided. Keep telling them how disgusted you are and how you won't shop there again. If I was in a really pissy mood after all that shinanigans I would print flyers and distribute them across the local area suggesting a boycott of the store. Probably not legal, but who cares.

The problem is most of the time petshops, like circus', keep animal welfare standards to the absolute borderline acceptable. I do think however that again, you did the right thing. It shows your dedication and care to the hobby.



And if that doesn't work, I'd throw an egg next time I go past.

 

[AdAndrews]

lol- fairly childish- the rspca have better things to do than look at little fish

 

[lil-x-me...x]

hmm, see what you mean by they are only fish, but i can see he has a right to complain and get upset about it.

rspca wouldnt do much, m8.

i have one where there is a tank of guppies and one female had its backtail bit off comletely and being eaten alive, i was nearly in tears. but there is nothin you can do, rspca think fish dont have much rights. its just one of those things

i wouldnt of took the betta home due to that i would be scared of disease spreading into my tank. if dead fish were in then the water would be bad.

lil-x-me...x

 

[Glegorly]

they are only fish for gods sake calm down its not the end of the world, just dont shop there again, if it was the day of their delivery the damage to fins could be from stress during transport, so is it really their fault for treating it- what else can they do??

And you can say your part of this hobby?
Dev has a point.
What else can they do? Well, for a start, they could take the 3 males apart...It's basic care

 

[STD]

actually i think the rspa may well act

give em a ring

 

[bronzecat]

Hi
IMO you did the right thing by not buying. It, as you said, would encourage them to keep them that way again. If no one buys them and they die, the owner may start to consider the financial losses and not order them again.

Its the local councils who issue Pet shop licenses so you could report them through that method. You could try your local RSPCA inspector, who may attend and if necessary inform the other authorities.

I would urge people not to "rescue" bettas from conditions like this. It only means the owner has got his profit mark up for that fish, so they'll get them in again, and every time you go back to the shop you will find the same thing. Its supply and demand - if the demand is there, they will supply.

You could print off the animal welfare act that states they have a duty of care to their animals (fish included). Highlite that bit and hand it to the owner.

 

[Glegorly]

As hard as it is, You did the right thing. If you would have paid for them and left then they would have restocked them. I appreciate you dont have the tank space, but if that was me, and I was in such a state that I felt strongly about it I would have asked to buy them and when paying for them tell the person serving you to call the manager and tell them both that the only reason you are buying the fish is that you are horrified by the treatment they are receiving.

I would then go on to say that I would report them to the RSPCA. And I honestly would go into a lecture of how basic the care is and how poorly it's being provided. Keep telling them how disgusted you are and how you won't shop there again. If I was in a really pissy mood after all that shinanigans I would print flyers and distribute them across the local area suggesting a boycott of the store. Probably not legal, but who cares.

The problem is most of the time petshops, like circus', keep animal welfare standards to the absolute borderline acceptable. I do think however that again, you did the right thing. It shows your dedication and care to the hobby.



And if that doesn't work, I'd throw an egg next time I go past.

Read it. It was a joke.

 

[bronzecat]

rspca wond do anything. they are only fish for gods sake calm down its not the end of the world, just dont shop there again, if it was the day of their delivery the damage to fins could be from stress during transport, so is it really their fault for treating it- what else can they do??

That is the type of thing most irresponsible lfs owners would say!

Did you read the bit where they said there were 2 males in one tank

 

[Smoothy]

rspca wond do anything. they are only fish for gods sake calm down its not the end of the world, just dont shop there again, if it was the day of their delivery the damage to fins could be from stress during transport, so is it really their fault for treating it- what else can they do??

They're living things who deserve a decent quality of life just like you or I

 

[lil-x-me...x]

i would hope so, glegorly!

 

[Glegorly]

They're living things who deserve a decent quality of life just like you or I

Exactly my point.

 

[lil-x-me...x]

yep i agree, all fish have a right to have good lives, beyond the lfs!

 

[bronzecat]

i have one where there is a tank of guppies and one female had its backtail bit off comletely and being eaten alive, i was nearly in tears. but there is nothin you can do, rspca think fish dont have much rights. its just one of those things
lil-x-me...x

Thats not true. The animal welfare act clearly states fish are included and as Modaz has said in the past, the RSPCA around his way will do something.