Need some help again.

[BettaMomma]

Went to petsmart to get something and I spotted an empty cup on the shelf.
Sure enough, a dry crusty little guy who was already brown was stuck to the shelf (far beyond dead) a few inches away from the empty cup.

I talked with the girls who work there about their cups - if you're not familiar with them, they're teeny ones not all that much bigger than dixie cups, and they don't have a hole in the middle so they have to leave the lids ajar. Hence, the ability for fish to jump out. I told them they needed new cups, they told me to contact Corporate.

If you wouldn't mind taking a moment of your time to contact them and ask them to change their cups to larger ones with an airhole in the top, I'd appreciate it.
Email: storehelp@petsmart.com
Call at (800) 738-1385 ext. 2518
Or write to:
PETsMART, Inc.
Attention: Customer Service
19601 North 27th Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85027

If you don't do it for any other reason, do it for the poor little guy who died today.
Thanks.

 

[50000_tears]

last week i found a jumped betta at petsmart, not dead long it was prolly dead for 5 mins he was still full colour , when i got lightning i went grabbed a lid poked 4 large holes in it w/ a pen and put it on him and bought him.. it makes me sick..i always see empty cups full of water no betta i never see a dead one or 2 males in one cup though.

 

[Kiarra]

That's horrible, BM. I'll send them a message.

 

[Bettabelieveit]

poor lil guys i'd jump too if it seemed my destiny was to live in a tiny cup. I'll be sure to send them a message.

 

[50000_tears]

i do rember a jumper at petco..it was a long time ago its when i got back into the hobbie (2-3 years ago around this time,i have allways loved fish since i was little my mom always took me to this petstore that had discus,purple bettas(yeah they were adorible i have known what a betta was since i was 5 or 6) and then they also had alot of gouramis a huge albino oscar and a pelco that was like 1-2 foot in size that shop went under like last year)at petco they were just starting bettas they had them in barracks w/ no tops on them (i am serious they did) i found a jumper on a shelf next to the barracks ..it was flopping around so then i got a paper and threw it back in..dun dun da there goes the betta rescurer. the sad thing is most the time they were dead if they jumped but i have found fish that jump alive.

 

[Torrean]

I was at wall-mart today I was talking to the employee in the pet department (I know I was impressed too) and looking at there bettas. Small cups but relatively clean water, I'd give them a c-. But on the wallmart scale a b. Anyway she said that people go in there and put two males in a bowl to make them fight while no one is around. Can you believe someone would do that. Well that's a stupid question. Anybody have any ideas on how they could keep people from doing this?

I don't know maybe.... um ... keep someone in the fish dept. at all times to make sure people don't toss neons in the cichlid tank and such. This would help with the jumper problem too, although wallmart's betta cups are pretty much escape proof without the help of a thumb or two.

 

[Kiarra]

I absolutely believe that people do that. I heard two teenage boys talking about it at Petsmart one day...came back a week later and found two males in the same cup, had been for a long time, both of them torn to bits. I bought both of them, and they both died horribly within a few days from their injuries.

The only way to prevent that is someone on staff checking up on the Bettas every hour or less. Because Petsmart at least has one or more people ALWAYS in the fish department, and it didn't help those two Bettas a bit.

 

[red-devil0602]

email sent

 

[red-devil0602]

GOT A REPLY FROM PET SMART

Dear Customer,



Thank you for sharing your concern with us about Betta fish in our stores. We’re committed to making sure our fish receive excellent care and appreciate your feedback.



Because Betta fish, otherwise known as Siamese Fighting Fish, are native to hot, stagnant puddles in Southeast Asia, they’re well equipped to live in small volumes of water. That’s why they’re shipped to our stores and kept in the cups you see on our shelves.



These cups give the fish a comfortable, temporary environment until they find a home, which is typically within the first week of arriving at our stores. Also, they prevent males from fighting each other. To properly maintain these small habitats, we clean the cups three times per week or more frequently if necessary.



If you’re interested in researching Betta care further, we suggest the book Siamese Fighting Fish, by Gene Wolfsheimer, or you can ask any PETsMART associate for a Betta fish care sheet. (added by red)



Thank you again for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.



Sincerely,





Anna

PETsMART, Inc. Customer Service Team

 

[Haiku]

Anybody have any ideas on how they could keep people from doing this?

I will write something to PetsMart in a bit. I wanted to say that I think if they are going to be sold in stores, they should be behind a counter or right at the counter where they are under employee supervision at all times, or in a room where an employee has to let you go in to look at them. They'd never tolerate someone tormenting puppies or kittens (because of the uproar it'd cause), so why do they allow it with fish? One pet store I went into once in the mall had all the betta bowls surrounding the checkout counter, so there was nothing you could do that the checkout person wouldn't witness.