My First Walmart Rescue....

[BettaGardener]

Meet Jude... so named after the patron saint of lost causes. Aptly named, he was.

Like most betta lovers, every time I go into a Walmart, PetCo or PetsMart I HAVE to check out the bettas. I am weak for my fancy Thai-bred bettas and just as weak for a handsome mutt betta at the LPS or Walmart... I've bought two gorgeous crowntails recently and they are wonderful!!!! Best $6.00 I ever spent.

Anyhow, I went into Walmart on Saturday and indulged myself by checking out the bettas. Most of the bettas looked sick... of course -- it's Walmart, what else do we expect? Some looked okay but most had some severe fin rot. I found this one little guy with stunning colors and pattern. His tail wasn't that long, but he was breathtaking. Upon closer examination, I found that his body was covered in white, fluffy fuzz. In fact, his cup was full of this white fluffy fuzz.

And what did I do? Take him home, of course! I've had success treating fungal infections in the past, so I thought I'd try to rescue this poor guy. I set up a spare 2.5 gallon hex tank I had, put some aquarium salt and Jungle Fungus Eliminator in his water and acclimated him slowly and carefully. Before I went to bed that night, I was hopeful. Even though Jude's face and gills were covered in fluff, he was quite active and inquisitive... sweet and adorable.

When I woke up on Sunday, Jude was floating vertical, head up, tail down, and quite dead. I was crushed!!!

I can only hope poor little Jude enjoyed his last few hours of life knowing what it was like to be someone's beloved pet. R.I.P., Jude.

(By the way, I am not daunted -- I WILL RESCUE AGAIN!!!)

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

good on ya

 

[seth]

when you buy fish from walmart your supporting them. how walmart works is if noone buys the product they take it off the market it our job to not go near the fish section there. because even though you rescued the fish they still got 6.00 so the next day there will be another one with the same conditions. I say that if you see something wrong with the fish get the manager. straighten him out. thats just my opinion also you probably should buy from your lfs because they need the money. lol

 

[BettaGardener]

I should have mentioned that I returned his body the day after I bought him and got my money back. And yes, I complained about the conditions the fish were in. So, it was Walmart's loss in the end.

Besides, in the big picture, if I can save just one fish's life at the mere cost of $3.50, it's worth it. Walmart is going to keep doing its thing whether I buy the fish or it dies on the shelf. Sooner or later they will either stop selling bettas or figure out that they won't make money on them if they don't take proper care of them.

 

[happyannie]

You rock BettaGardener. I'm sure he did relish the attention he had from you if only for a short while. We all know fish are more intelligent than most humans give them credit for being.
You have a good way with words too. Welcome to the forum and I look forward to reading more of your posts!

 

[BWBettas]

You may not be making a difference to the trade... but your making a difference to that bettas life you have saved

Bret

 

[liz2]

keep up the good work. I, for one, can not see a betta that is in a poor way. I would have to tell the staff or take it home.

 

[ron1]

well done for trying,it is so hard when you see any animals in distress. Never stop trying is what I myself say

 

[bUcky]

wallmart makes there money by having everything i dont think they will ever stop selling bettas. they pride on being a one stop shop. and even if you tell everyone that buying bettas from them is bad you still have those stubborn people who cant resist or are ignorant. i myself fall in the stubborn class i see al those bettas and want them all. but i have to try not to.

this is a walmart betta. hes bright and healthy he was only 3.47 here in tampa. they even had ct fems and vt fems


i wish they wouldnt sell them but they do and i acctually saw 2 or 3 males with a bubble nest. i dont think its much worst than a betta from wal mart.

now there other fish are a different story! horible conitions. i even saw them selling pacu! nd the boggest tank they had was a 55 gallon! thats ridiculous. they said it only req like 30 gallons. and then it said plecos grow to 10 inches and oscars 8! they staff know nothing and they feed with vacation feeders. i even saw one of the staff braggin that evertime a neon or a guppy died he would feed it to the Os! i couldnt beleive it. they 100 goldfish in a 30 galllon and 20 of them were dead. and 20 more dieing.

i have to goto sleep. il complain more later.

 

[Gutty]

true, most wal-marts suck when it comes to fish, except mine! this 72 year old lady works in the fish section of my wal-mart and she takes excellent care of the fish, all of the bettas are healthy too! there is a goldfish crowding problem though.