Petition: Dont rescue anymore betta's

[ral]

If you rescue a betta sold in bad conditions you:

1. Are sending a message to the LFS owner that it is okay to keep them that way.
2. Encourage him to re-order another fish to be kept in the same conditions.

 

[FrAnK3333]

Thinking about thats right. Betta sells go up thye will buy more and keep them in the same conditions.

 

[littlefishie]

What if you don't rescue it from the LFS though? I've had to rescue them from university students before, because they were either going to kill it cos they didn't want it anymore, or fight it to the death.

..My friend Abby is someone WalMart makes a fortune off of.. at one point she had 16 male bettas she'd rescued from there.

 

[BettaMomma]

I couldn't stand to see the poor dears that way so to date I have "rescued" 3. I have since thought about it and have decided you are right, but could NOT bear to see those things sit there in their pitiful little cups so I do something that I think is a win-win for everyone. (Well, I guess so, in a way).

I make trips (pretty much weekly) to every fish store in town that I'm aware of. I thoroughly scan every single betta that's in the deathtrap cups and I pull the ones that are sick or look like they need attention and wander off to find someone who'll do something about it. PetSmart is actually pretty good about responding to my suggestions. WalMart PFFT you can't find anyone there to save your life. Other stores are pretty good about it, too - if you point them out they usually get them off the shelf for treatment.

I figure that i'll give the 3 that I've got right now a great home, and just try to help as many as I can with regular visits to fish stores and keep being a pain in their butts until they decide to just take good care of their fishes without me bugging them about it.

 

[FrAnK3333]

If you dont rescue them the lfs learns a lesson and have dead bettas though
Just complain and theyll keep them alive.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I take bettas that are dying to give them a nice place to die (though every once in a blue moon, one will miraculously come through). Then I get a refund and lodge a complaint. I'm not funding since I'm always refunded, and despite numerous calls and letters, the conditions never improve. So, I try to buy all of my food, tanks, etc. from supplies-only stores; $50 bucks of no profits sends a much bigger message than $3 so far as I'm concerned. I also distribute leafletts on campus on proper betta care, and once the weather is tollerably warm, I'll be doing it outside of the LFS until I get arrested or banned

If I ever want a nice, healthy betta that's actually going to live more than a few days, I'm going to find a good breeder as local as possible so I can drive to pick the fish up as I'm squeamish about shipping. But that'll have to be after college.

 

[BettaMomma]

I've learned that:

1) I can't afford to keep bringing them home, because I keep wanting to upgrade them to bigger tanks and new toys
2) I can't STAND to go to any pet store without looking at the fish, and therefore if I look at the bettas and see sick ones but don't do anything about it, I will kick myself for days, and then cry, if I haven't done something for them
3) their tiny voices aren't loud enough for anyone to hear so someone has to speak for them

SO - I do what I can and I feel pretty good about it.
It might mean that a betta will live a while longer and then go home to someone's house and eventually die, but at least they won't die lonely and in a horrible little death trap feeling like no one in the world cares about them.

 

[RandomWiktor]

I had to stop because I'm getting too good at getting the dying back on their feet, and the raised sucess rates meant that the LFS were actually getting their money (though to be very honest, I did use a dead fish from another store to get a refund on a survivor because I found out some dirt on where the place got their bettas and was PISSED). That, and all of them are in filtered, heated, hooded 5 gals which is EXPENSIVE. And, ok, ok, I ran out of room in my appartment. Either way, I'm busy for the time being caring for my 6 survivors out of the countless... er... "refunders." It seems that bettas who suffer a major major illness (some of these things were covered from head to tail in fungus and bleeding from their gills even) have chronic health problems. My fish med expenses are through the roof. I'm glad we've got ONE place locally that doesn't sell any live animals so I don't have to fund the jerks who put the fish in that state to begin with

 

[Dorkhedeos]

well, if they sold a dying dog for 300 dollars, you wouldnt buy it to save it would you?

 

[reddeerhobbiest]

wether you buy or they die in the store they will still buy them, and whats wrong with feeling like youve done something nice. ignoring it wont make it go away. and yes once you "rescue" one its so hard to stop. i think if someone saves at least one, thats a good thing

 

[fishlover2005]

i know what you mean for those poor fish.. i went to walmart almost a week ago and was looking at the bettas and all of them were sick.. i coulden't find one person to tell. i felt so sorry for those poor fish. they diden't do anything wrong..

 

[snowyangel]

I have only a set number of bettas I can keep. As they pass on i will buy other bettas that are unlucky so they have a chance to live in luxury and i feel pretty good about doing that, but i never go over my set limit. If I knew any betta breeders i would only buy from them but there seems to be non around and I'm not paying $60 to have one shipped in from one.
Its the same thing when I'm fostering animals for my shelter. I can only foster so many, but i give them bigger homes and better care. This still means the world to the creature you are supporting.

 

[DannyBoy17]

Not rescuing Bettas would be the fish lovers equivelant to stopping themselves from smoking. Too much will-power needed for me .

DB

 

[Dorkhedeos]

some must be sacrificed others for many others to survive. if they keep dying in the shop, they will figure that they are losing more money than they are gaining. they will then stop or sell less of them.

 

[SRC]

For what they actually "pay" for the bettas....they aren't losing a whole bunch if 10 die...someone buying 1 or 2 replaces the cost of about 100 of them. I think if it makes peopel feel good to buy the sick ones and take care of them...let them, it really doesn't matter anyways...they're gonna continue to buy them and sell them...there are too many kids out there who's parents will buy even if you don't.