Bettas from Walmart?!

[mozgrrl]

Hi Everyone, I was in Walmart last night shopping and noticed that they carry Bettas there. WELL, that was the most pathetic sight I have ever seen! These fish looked sooooo depressed! I have a huge urge to rescue a few of them...what do you guys think about the fish at Walmart?

 

[Chris3025]

Wal-Mart shouldn't be able to carry Betta's because they do not know how to care for them... they keep them in pathetic conditions which should not be allowed... I think stores of that magnitude should not be able to carry Betta's or any fish for that matter because they have to much to offer already such as electronics, food items, etc...

 

[jacblades]

"rescueing" them only promotes those conditiond for more bettas. see if you can talk to the manager and at least get them to change the water/feed them. tell them you wont shop there until you see improvements. kelly talked with someone from the corporate office and they said they are on the way to making improvements in that store (who knows for sure though...)

 

[Draven]

I'm two sided on this issue. I hate the way a lot of these pet stores keep their fish. I want to buy them all to rescue them, but I know that will encourage them to get more. It's a hard choice to make. As others say, a really good thing is to speak with a manager and start putting a couple threats down. Hell, take some pictures and send them to PETA.

 

[RattleSnake]

Wal-Mart Sucks..

The bettas always look ill and depressed. All of them are probably rarely fed and there little cups are probably never changed.

My only purpose to buy bettas off Wal-Mart would be so I could take care of them.

 

[jacblades]

i actually did get a betta from walmart the toehr day because she was yellow, fiesty and extremely healthy for a walmart betta. she had a sister there that looked identical to her but had a little trouble breathing. well i went back the other day (i frequently go just to look) and the sister was dead and fuzzy in yellow water. i dont believe they even feed them there. i know they dont change the water.
wal-mart is satan in the flesh but people continue to shop there because its "convienent" or "cheap" (actually walmart can be a lot more expensive if you arent careful and dont compare the prices)
ooh dont get me started on walmart...i hate walmart jsut as much as i hate petco...

 

[Dane]

I haven't been to walmart in years (literally). But all I remember the last time I went, they had fish. And their bettas were in loooong tanks with filtration and airstones. Each betta had it's own little cubicle within the tank that was about 8 inches wide, to a 9 inches deep. They also looked okay, though that was one of the last times I went to wal-mart, considering I don't really need to go there, so I don't.heh.

 

[Draven]

Dane, don't go back now. It's small cups no more then a few inches. Half the time the water isn't even filled up all the way.

 

[cutecotton]

the walmart bettas here aren't much better or worse than any other petstore. They are kept in tiny litlte cups that have barely enough water (at least my walmart bothers to put them in the blue water stuff). The water is hardly ever changed (there is always poop at the bottom).

also, their bettas are almost twice the price of other stores. which i find funny because petsmart sells decent bettas (they change their watera nd feed, i've watched them do it), adn they sell their betats for $2.99 CDN, while in walmart, it's $4.97CDN

At most, even in a specialized fish store, i have only seen bettas go on sale for $3.99 CDN, ntohing more ever.

I went to walmart yesterday adn saw their goldfihs tank, they were ALL sick with ICH..not just a few spots here and there, but ALL OVER the poor goldfishies every one of them was layered in ich, it was digusting to look at.

 

[bkk_group]

it sucks buying bettas and other fish at walmart because more often than not you are there shopping for something else, you walk by the tanks and just like when you are standing at the checkout counter and see a package of gum, you feel the urge to buy it, even though you came into the store to purchase something else. impulse buying fish is like the same thing. i'm not saying everyone does it but a lot of people who know nothing about keeping fish do it all the time. i wouldn't be surprised if there was some dastardly policy to purposely keep bettas in crappy conditions to loosen the pursestrings of those who would be inclined to "save" a betta or two.

 

[rykitten]

Demand to speak with the Store Manager, not the department manager or anyone else, but the store manager. I accidently complained to the store manager here and everytime since, they've been a whole lot better. This walmart has fairly large cups and they have been clean for the past few weeks.

Hopefully your walmart manager will care Maybe if you tell him that you'd like to buy bettas from them but don't because of the conditions he'll listen. It's worth a try

 

[Dane]

I don't plan on going to wal-mart any time soon But I'm so determined to just... make a scene infront of everyone looking at the fish by going "OH MY GOD, these fish are DISGUSTING. Look, they don't even have food.. they swim in their own waste." just .. ugh. I don't know. I try to stay away from stores that whole sale sellers that tend to have animals as part of their way to make heaps of extra money.

 

[cutecotton]

a lady did that once in my lfs she was like " omg, look at these POOR fish, they barely have enough room to turn it this is pathetic!" and went on and on, i agreed with her

 

[rykitten]

I actually did that once Dane. The same day the store manager happened to be nearby. A man was purchasing a betta and some tiny little bowl. I asked him do you seriously want a to buy a sick betta? Look at this one over here, it's dead! He insisted on buying one so I showed him one of the 1 gallon Aquaviews.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Everyone, I was in Walmart last night shopping and noticed that they carry Bettas there. WELL, that was the most pathetic sight I have ever seen! These fish looked sooooo depressed! I have a huge urge to rescue a few of them...what do you guys think about the fish at Walmart?

Hi mozgrrl

I think that it's difficult to lump all Walmart stores into two categories: good or bad. The same goes for most chain lfs, although not necessarily for privately owned lfs.

This is because of the frequent changes in management, both of the stores and of the individual departments. I've seen it happen with one chain that I shop at, that every few months they change store managers. The good ones get better stores and the poor ones just shift from one to another until they get better jobs elsewhere or get pregnant and quit, or whatever.

When this happens you can easily see the change in the store. You can see the difference in the health of the fish, the overall cleanliness of the store and in the attitude of the employees.

I would never suggest that you buy an obviously sick fish, but if you see one you like, buy it no matter where you find it.