Feeling guilty...

[RandomWiktor]

Ok. As some knowledge in advance for all of you before you see why I'm upset, understand that I "rescue" bettas I find in shops who are dying from various ailments like fungal infections, fin rot, ick, parasites, etc. for the simple reason that I feel badly for them, and even though not all make it, those who do make it all worth it. However, knowing there are sick bettas out there makes me feel guilty for ever getting a healthy one, even if I know I would give it a good home (Though I one day hope to seek out a reputable breeder and support them for healthy fish).

That said....

Last week, I stopped by PSP to pick up some filter cartriges and saw this very dull male betta. He was large, looked older than the rest, and was a very dull yellowed color (kindof like ugly, tarnished gold), but was very active and energetic, compared to the rest who looked half dead. I was instantly drawn to how vivacious he was, and really wanted to buy him. However, I knew I didn't have a five gallon freed up at home for him, and saw many other bettas who were sick who I could take home and at least give a peaceful place to die. So, reluctantly I got some severely ill fish (floaters) for pre-death care, and left behind the healthy, if not very attractive betta.
Well, I thought about this fish ALL WEEK. Seriously. Every time I looked at the empty tanks that the "floaters" had been in before they died, I thought "couldn't I have kept him in a smaller tank for a week or two until I saved up for a bigger one?" But, between snow storms, visits with the boyfriend, and caring for my other fish, I never got back up to the store to see if he was still there.
Well, I went out today to get a bigger tank for one of my former "hospice patients" who recovered beautifully and was now strong enough for a bigger tank and mild filter. We were having a horrible snow storm and my car was skidding all over the road, but PSP was on the way back, and I thought I'd just take a peak and see if my fish was still there.
Well, in the same spot he'd been was a very dull, very big, yellowy betta. But, he had ruddy patches like the beginning of septicemia (or maybe just rough handling), and a bunch of parasites hanging from him. He was sitting in the bottom of the stupid little cup, barely moving around, and certainly didn't seem like the fish I'd seen earlier in the week but for his looks. I asked the cashier, who I'm friendly with, if this fish had been here last week, and she said he sure was because no one had wanted such an ugly betta. CRAP! I'd left him behind, and now he was sick! I bought him right away, and set him up at home in a smaller tank with a heater and some meds for the possible septicemia and the definate parasites. He ate a little bit for me and is starting to perk up with the higher temperature, but its all very touch and go until his little ailments clear up.

I feel so bad for not having picked him up earlier. Here I bought other fish who had no shot at living instead of giving a healthy fish a chance because of some stupid moral guilt trip, and now what was a perfectly good fish might not even make it. I feel like utter crap. I hope he pulls through, because I really do like him.

Um... this thread didn't exactly have a point, I guess I just needed to get that out and thought maybe other betta lovers could sympathize.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

Yup, damn morals.

 

[newfishies]

good for you for nursing those sick bettas back to health and making the others comfortable on their way out... i know they appreciate it!

hope the new boy continues to improve!!!

 

[ral]

Well in the end, it really a matter of not having the place and time to put them all and than there is also the availability of other resources, mainly cash.

The local importer offered my a healthy Copper Plakat from Kelson's Betta at 25% of since he knew I liked Plakats. But 25% still meant about $27 so I did not buy him. Next time I dropped by there, he was on his side. Eventually he died.

What do we do.

I figure the fish I already have are my priorities. The others, well I can't buy and keep em all.

 

[jacquelyn01]

When I'm at walmart, I will pick out the sickest betta and buy him/her. FYI, Walmarts return policy is 90 days for live fish so you can bring them back once they are healthy, strong, and beacutiful thus increasing there chance of someone buying them to give them a good home. I have done this a few times. Just save your reciept or you can't return him. (opps, I think I lost my reciept a few times on purpose a couple of times.) LOL!

 

[yeeviabetta]

When the betta get back to normal and suddenly you get attach to him, you will not letting him go back to walmart. Is this happen to you too?
Well, I hate to see walmart selling bettas anyway because you can see how bad they treat those fishes. I hope they stop selling but first who going to stop buying? Hard decision huh?

 

[sja]

Sounds like you do good job. Can i ask, do u have to pay full price for sick betta's. What do they cost on average. And with all of the medication and fish expensies, it must be very costly!!!

 

[RandomWiktor]

Ooooh I could never nurse a sick betta back to health and give it back because most people don't keep them in tanks I consider adequate. Ok, ok, and maybe its more because I'm completely glued to them after a day. But, it is a good option if you don't have space; it at least gives them a chance.


The bettas are still full price sick (I also do goldfish and rosy reds, and they are not - they only cost a penny for sick fish and "floaters"), however since most of the very sick fish don't survive, I always am sure to get refunded. Before I started getting a better rate of survivors as my knowledge about their treatment expanded, I used to do exchanges for healthier bettas to give them a shot at life, but now that I have more fish living, I try and keep my tank space open for them instead. Eventually, if too many fish accumulate and I find that they are too expensive or I simply don't have room for them, I will begin to place them with some of my fish-knowledgable friends. My family actually adopted one of my goldfish survivors and adore him.

It is very expensive though, you're right. Even though the bettas are only about two bucks and a good half of them end up being refunds, the tanks (since I keep anyone who makes it to the one month mark in a five gallon) cost anywhere from 30 to 40 bucks, especially when you add the cost of plants and gravel and heaters. But, I manage to save enough be shopping very frugally for just about everything but my fish, plus I have a bunch of money saved up from birthdays and christmases since I never really buy anything like CDs or movies.

 

[The_Gilly]

frankly (and not wanting to sound nasty) by taking the sick bettas at full price you are adding to the problem. Walmart or where ever it is you get them from will run reports on stock and price sold for. If they get say $5 for a sick fish and still get $5 for a well fish what incentive is there for them to improve their methods?

As sad as it sounds letting the fish die at walmart will show them they need to improve their facility to make money as a dead fish is worth nothing to anybody.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I have thought of this before, trust me, but have come to this conclusion:

Wallmart, pet stores, etc. suffer massive death losses in bettas every day, which has probably cost them quite a good deal of money. However, they must make enough money off of the well fish, or at least the supplies they sell with them, to give them the incentive to continue to buy and sell them without improving conditions. Lets face it; if they paid 10 dollars for a one gallon aquarium with a light to keep each fish in, they would still only marginally decrease their death rates as the temperature, frequency of cleaning, and other factors are still going to make the fish ill. They would undoubtedly lose money on the two dollar fish should they follow this route, and would cease to sell them. But right now, they're making enough money with the sick and dead fish to not change their weays; in this way, I am indeed adding to the problem by occasionally buying a sick fish who they otherwise may not have profitted on. However, consumers continue to support the idea that tiny tanks and cups are suitable betta habitats, so these companies continue to get away with selling the fish in cups, regardless of the health concerns (not to mention welfare concerns). Unless the entire betta industry changes its outlook, and the entire public decides that the conditions bettas are being kept in are completely unacceptable, Wallmart will never stop selling bettas, healthy or sick, so my two dollars is not exactly keeping the industry going. Furthermore, as I mentioned, I get refunded for the sick bettas who pass away, so often times they aren't making any money on the sick ones in the end. In addition, many are from regular pet stores, not just wallmart, and I do the same with ensuring refunds there as well. I also make it a point to buy tanks that are at least 5 gallons, putting my money towards larger tanks instead of betta bowls. This is doing more for bettas than not buying a few sick ones is, as my 40 dollars is saying "I like big tanks, not little ones" and is decreasing demand for small tanks while increasing demane for large tanks. And lastly, while I may have an occasional survivor and my two dollars fuels the betta industry, I must say that it is not like my two dollars is keeping it up and running; there are thousands of people out there buying bettas all the time with their little cups, having them die in a week, and then just picking up another one. Since realistically the wrongs of the betta industry will not be corrected until the entire public mindset towards fish as living things makes a massive turn-around, I really see no problem in making the lives of fish better, and the deaths of fish less horrible. Maybe I'm wrong, and maybe I'm just adding to the problem, but its the best I can do without the ability to change everyone's mind about betta husbandry. On a side note, I do distribute leafletts on proper betta care outside of these stores, and have called managers and written letters several times, even though it is a pretty futile effort.

 

[The_Gilly]

Fair enough please do not get the impression i am questioning your motives I can honestly say that if my girlfriend and I saw an ill betta it would find it's way home with us too.

I like the idea of providing information to those miss informed about betta care. So much so I think I'll knock up a website to aid this.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Oh no, I understand and know you were just bringing up a perfectly valid point, and I have definately grappled with it before. Once I get my webpage set up, I'll post a link her to information about the "fish hospice," as well as the "Bettas Deserve Better" leftlett I've written up. And if you have any links to further expand this knowledge, I'd love to see them ^^. I try to learn as much as I can about the fish in my care, but there's always something new to learn.

Edit: Actually, I do appreciate you mentioning this, because I'm considering asking one of the stores that I buy a lot of my tanks in if they would consider giving me the bettas who are just about dead, and maybe giving the ones who are sick with a potential for curing at a very discounted rate. It worked with the goldfish and rosy reds, so maybe if I can sit down with a manager and have a chat, we can work something out. Heck, maybe they'll let me post the betta care info at the store as it reccomends larger tanks, which they can make more money off of. Hmm. ::feels motivated::

 

[The_Gilly]

it will be hit and miss with LFS management depending on what sort of person they are.

A valid point regarding the bigger tank sales. I'd be interested in what they say regarding this.

i would be very surprised if they were relucted to let you print up some leaflets for them to give out with the fish. If i was in your position (luckily all the places round my way are pretty good when it comes to bettas) I would make up some leaflets using the shops logo and approach the manager with them in hand.

Oh and by posting pictures of your 'healed' bettas on the website you can either offer them to new owners for free or at the cheap price. You'll find most caring people are a sucker for 'runt of the litter' and would be more than happy to take a previously sick fish.

 

[ral]

I think for every person recuing betta's there are a hundred regular buyers. I don't think Betta rescure fuel the market for them.