BettaMomma
Fish Aficionado
To go along with my "how to go about rescuing a betta" post, I thought it might also be helpful to offer advice on what to do and/or say when you find fish in less than acceptable conditions.
The first thing to do is to start asking questions of employees when you see sick fish. Simply point them out and ask if they have any kind of "sick room" or "quiet room" to take them to. Employees are happy to reveal a lot of things to you about what goes on behind the scenes at their stores without even realizing they're doing it. Don't be afraid to ask what they treat for, what meds they use, etc.
If a store does have a sick room, you can feel much better about leaving sick fish behind at those stores - after you point them out to employees. I actually feel very good about leaving fish behind at PetSmart, for example, here in town (well as good as I can feel about leaving a sicky behind) because they always whisk them off to the quiet room before I leave.
WalMart is a COMPLETELY different story. I was told to my face that they don't "bother to treat" their sick fish, and that they just put them back on the shelf, and throw them away if/when the need arises.
Having said all that, I generally rescue a LOT more of them from WalMart than I do from anywhere else, just because the rest of the stores here in town have sick rooms.
Here's a specific example... I shop at PetSmart on a pretty regular basis because I haven't seen anything horiffic at their stores, and to this point they have always had bettas in relatively good health. The other day I was IRATE when I found 2 deadies and one near-death on the shelf. I had some things in my cart at the time I found them... They probably had about 40 of them in there. When I spotted the first dead one, I started scanning over every single one - found another dead one, then found another one I thought was dead - then he moved a bit. I placed them all in my cart and headed over to an employee who was working with their plants. I walked up to him and said "Excuse me - could you send a manager over by the bettas please?" and he asked me if i needed help with something, and I said "No, I'd like to lodge a complaint." I went over and within a few seconds a manager came over. I simply handed her the 2 dead ones and then the near dead one. I said "There is NO excuse why I, as a customer, should have to find these on the shelf. In fact, in a store like yours that medicates their fish, this should NEVER happen - and ESPECIALLY not 3 in one day." She told me that someone had done a walk thru earlier that day, so I asked why they had not removed the dead ones. She just kept apologizing that I had to "see that" in their store. I said "I don't really care what I have to see - I just can't imagine what these poor things had to go through. And you know... I don't think I'm going to buy what I had planned to buy here today now." and I put my guinea pig litter, toys and food on the shelf right below the bettas and left my cart standing, and headed out the door. That same woman has seen me in that store several times before - probably 20 or more times, so she knew that they had done bad when I refused to buy my stuff there that day.
SOOO.... there will be 2 types of people out there - the type like myself who are completely comfortable with voicing issues and comlaints right in the stores, and some who just are not. And that is perfectly okay. Either type of person is going to be able to get some very effective results. If you do voice your thoughts in the store - do also call back and speak to a manager. In a case like a WalMart, call a manager of the store - NEVER call and ask to speak to someone in the fish department. If they manage a department, and you call and complain to them about it, I can guarantee that your complaint will never be passed on because if reflects poorly on them. Ask for a general manager. THEN... WMs also have a District Manager. Get that phone number before you leave the store and give them a buzz also. Even one step further, always get on the web and fill out a feedback form at http
/www.walmart.com/storefeedback.
There will be tons of different scenarios that you might happen to come across - some that I have seen are: a betta cup with a crack in it that was slowly leaking, cups with fish in them whose water is so dirty you can't see the fish, fish who are so ill their gills, fins, eyes, etc. are severely damaged, fish who are infested with ick and/or some other infection, fish with body parts cut off or missing, fish who are contained with other fish and one or the other of the fish is being harassed and becoming ill, and the one that makes my skin crawl and makes me see red... dead floating fish.
If you are in a store such as PetSmart, etc., where you know they treat fish, I would suggest taking the fish to an employee and pointing out what is wrong with the fish. Becoming very familiar with fish diseases and what to look for is very helpful. And if you approach it as if you are trying to help them run their store better, they will actually be appreciative. In most cases, they will take the fish back to the quiet room immediately.
If you are in a store such as WalMart, ask to have a manager paged to come over. When the manager arrives, tell them what your issue is, and ask what they will do about it. If the situation requires water changes, ask if they mind if you hang around to watch. They should have NO issues with this.. If they do, there is a problem and take it up a notch to the district manager. Tell them you'll be back to check on the progress of the fish. If you are not satisfied with how they will handle the problem, and you feel like you should take the fish with you to *rescue* it, do so - by all means! BUT.....
and THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART....
If you do put that fish in your cart or take it to the checkout counter, do NOT buy anything else there that day. Make sure to let a manager know that you're only taking the fish because you are afraid it will die if you leave it and that it makes you mad. And that you either aren't going to buy anything in their store that day, or permanently, because of the way they mistreat their fish.
There will be times when no one will be around and you will make the decision to take a fish that is very in need of a rescue home with you. In a case like that, as soon as you get that fish into its new home, get on the phone and call the store manager and tell them you are upset, and why.
Once you begin doing this, start a notebook and jot down what you saw and what you did about it. And visit stores often. PetSmart knows very well why I go into their stores because I flat out tell them when they ask me if I need help that no thanks, I'm just doing a wellness check. They smile and walk away. It keeps them in check, especially if you keep records.
If you do your best to keep a cool head while speaking with someone in the store, but speak clearly so that anyone who might be in earshot of you can hear, your point will be made. If you feel like you might buckle under the pressure and become irate, it might be best to go home and call - and give yourself the drive home to cool off.
AND LASTLY... if all else fails and you just can't bring yourself to do it, gimme a PM. I make calls every day like this.
The first thing to do is to start asking questions of employees when you see sick fish. Simply point them out and ask if they have any kind of "sick room" or "quiet room" to take them to. Employees are happy to reveal a lot of things to you about what goes on behind the scenes at their stores without even realizing they're doing it. Don't be afraid to ask what they treat for, what meds they use, etc.
If a store does have a sick room, you can feel much better about leaving sick fish behind at those stores - after you point them out to employees. I actually feel very good about leaving fish behind at PetSmart, for example, here in town (well as good as I can feel about leaving a sicky behind) because they always whisk them off to the quiet room before I leave.
WalMart is a COMPLETELY different story. I was told to my face that they don't "bother to treat" their sick fish, and that they just put them back on the shelf, and throw them away if/when the need arises.
Having said all that, I generally rescue a LOT more of them from WalMart than I do from anywhere else, just because the rest of the stores here in town have sick rooms.
Here's a specific example... I shop at PetSmart on a pretty regular basis because I haven't seen anything horiffic at their stores, and to this point they have always had bettas in relatively good health. The other day I was IRATE when I found 2 deadies and one near-death on the shelf. I had some things in my cart at the time I found them... They probably had about 40 of them in there. When I spotted the first dead one, I started scanning over every single one - found another dead one, then found another one I thought was dead - then he moved a bit. I placed them all in my cart and headed over to an employee who was working with their plants. I walked up to him and said "Excuse me - could you send a manager over by the bettas please?" and he asked me if i needed help with something, and I said "No, I'd like to lodge a complaint." I went over and within a few seconds a manager came over. I simply handed her the 2 dead ones and then the near dead one. I said "There is NO excuse why I, as a customer, should have to find these on the shelf. In fact, in a store like yours that medicates their fish, this should NEVER happen - and ESPECIALLY not 3 in one day." She told me that someone had done a walk thru earlier that day, so I asked why they had not removed the dead ones. She just kept apologizing that I had to "see that" in their store. I said "I don't really care what I have to see - I just can't imagine what these poor things had to go through. And you know... I don't think I'm going to buy what I had planned to buy here today now." and I put my guinea pig litter, toys and food on the shelf right below the bettas and left my cart standing, and headed out the door. That same woman has seen me in that store several times before - probably 20 or more times, so she knew that they had done bad when I refused to buy my stuff there that day.
SOOO.... there will be 2 types of people out there - the type like myself who are completely comfortable with voicing issues and comlaints right in the stores, and some who just are not. And that is perfectly okay. Either type of person is going to be able to get some very effective results. If you do voice your thoughts in the store - do also call back and speak to a manager. In a case like a WalMart, call a manager of the store - NEVER call and ask to speak to someone in the fish department. If they manage a department, and you call and complain to them about it, I can guarantee that your complaint will never be passed on because if reflects poorly on them. Ask for a general manager. THEN... WMs also have a District Manager. Get that phone number before you leave the store and give them a buzz also. Even one step further, always get on the web and fill out a feedback form at http
/www.walmart.com/storefeedback.There will be tons of different scenarios that you might happen to come across - some that I have seen are: a betta cup with a crack in it that was slowly leaking, cups with fish in them whose water is so dirty you can't see the fish, fish who are so ill their gills, fins, eyes, etc. are severely damaged, fish who are infested with ick and/or some other infection, fish with body parts cut off or missing, fish who are contained with other fish and one or the other of the fish is being harassed and becoming ill, and the one that makes my skin crawl and makes me see red... dead floating fish.
If you are in a store such as PetSmart, etc., where you know they treat fish, I would suggest taking the fish to an employee and pointing out what is wrong with the fish. Becoming very familiar with fish diseases and what to look for is very helpful. And if you approach it as if you are trying to help them run their store better, they will actually be appreciative. In most cases, they will take the fish back to the quiet room immediately.
If you are in a store such as WalMart, ask to have a manager paged to come over. When the manager arrives, tell them what your issue is, and ask what they will do about it. If the situation requires water changes, ask if they mind if you hang around to watch. They should have NO issues with this.. If they do, there is a problem and take it up a notch to the district manager. Tell them you'll be back to check on the progress of the fish. If you are not satisfied with how they will handle the problem, and you feel like you should take the fish with you to *rescue* it, do so - by all means! BUT.....
and THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART....
If you do put that fish in your cart or take it to the checkout counter, do NOT buy anything else there that day. Make sure to let a manager know that you're only taking the fish because you are afraid it will die if you leave it and that it makes you mad. And that you either aren't going to buy anything in their store that day, or permanently, because of the way they mistreat their fish.
There will be times when no one will be around and you will make the decision to take a fish that is very in need of a rescue home with you. In a case like that, as soon as you get that fish into its new home, get on the phone and call the store manager and tell them you are upset, and why.
Once you begin doing this, start a notebook and jot down what you saw and what you did about it. And visit stores often. PetSmart knows very well why I go into their stores because I flat out tell them when they ask me if I need help that no thanks, I'm just doing a wellness check. They smile and walk away. It keeps them in check, especially if you keep records.
If you do your best to keep a cool head while speaking with someone in the store, but speak clearly so that anyone who might be in earshot of you can hear, your point will be made. If you feel like you might buckle under the pressure and become irate, it might be best to go home and call - and give yourself the drive home to cool off.
AND LASTLY... if all else fails and you just can't bring yourself to do it, gimme a PM. I make calls every day like this.
!!!!!
Usually when I'm shopping I'm with a parent and I can't complain to staff because my mum/dad doesn't want me to make a scene.
Some of us old timers will have to retire our walkers someday and pass the baton on to the younger generation. 
Learn what you can from BettaMomma and the others while you're young and in the next few years you can take up the cause. There will always be needy bettas out there as long as there are money grubbing stores. 
