PetWorld is on my list now

[BettaMomma]

SO... last night, when everything else was closed (Except WalMart, and we all know how much I LOVE that place ) I had to stop at PetWorld to get something for Amos. I (of course) ran thru the fish section to scan all the fishies, and all the bettas looked pretty good except one. His belly was bloated and there was white stringy poo. I grabbed what I needed and headed to the front. As I was checking out, there were about 3-4 employees behind the counter chitchatting. Just before I left I said "Oh, if you guys don't have anything else to do, maybe you could go to the back and take care of the dying betta up on the top shelf, second from the left. Thanks." and I walked out the door.

Tonight I realized I had to go BACK in there to get a piece of sponge for my filter to slow it down, and so of course I cruised thru the fish room again. to my HORROR the poor sickly little betta was still there, still pulled a bit forward from the night before when I had purposely pulled his cup forward to give him an even greater chance to be discovered.

I grabbed the cup, walked up to one of the workers and said "Here. This guy is sick and dying. Please do something with him" then I proceeded to show her the bracillia (dunno if that's spelled right but you get my drift) cardinal laying on its side, dead on the bottom of one tank. There was also another tank with a nemo fish (sorry, dunno what their officially called) folded in half (how the hell does THAT happen??) laying on the bottom of another tank, and aonther fish, sort of like a yellow tang, but it was purple, that had obviously had its a$$ kicked by popeye because, well, one of its eyes had literally popped out and was just gone.

I bet they despise it when I walk in the door.
Oh, and I found out that I got one of their fishroom guys fired the other day.

tee hee hee hee hee hee hee hee

 

[littlefishie]

Nemo fish = either a percula or ocellaris clownfish. An ocellaris is like a false percula.. 2nd rate version, I guess..

Damn, if you came to where I live, you'd probably want to kill all the stores.. I found a dead crowntail in a cup, nose pointed to the top, and he looked a bit bloated.. I picked him up, marched him to the counter, and I was like "As much as I love that you have a new selection of bettas that aren't veiltails [they now have CTs, SDs, and PKs], it might help if you either take care of them or pull them off the shelf when they die before another customer sees them."

 

[BettaMomma]

Heaven help the first person I find when I come across my first DEAD betta in a cup. That hasn't happened to me yet, but when I do it will be MIGHTY ugly, and they will never forget me.

 

[littlefishie]

You'd want to kill the people at the WalMart in my hometown, then.

Had to complain to the SPCA and write a letter.. for a week there were two bettas in cups, with the water completely evaporated. They were dead, stuck to the side.
Other bettas end up in less than an inch of water, so brown it looks like liquified poo. Think Austin Powers drinking the "coffee".
It's.. really bad.

 

[BettaMomma]

What city is your WalMart in?
OOoOooOoOOooh - you are in Ontario?
I'm suddenly very happy.

Here's why I'm super duper happy.
A few months back, I ran across a post on another forum where this guy was advertising that he was looking for other folks that were interested in fighting bettas for sport. I contacted the SPCA there, and I got an investigator to contact me back, and she told me that fish are covered by the animal cruelty laws in Ontario. Therefore, I sicked her on the poor bastard that had been asking for others to fight their bettas. AND she told me that any kind of intentional cruelty to animals, or negligence as far as animals are concerned, will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

I still have her contact information - I think somebody's going to be getting contacted tomorrow.

OooOoH, I'm so excited.
Is that wrong? lol

 

[littlefishie]

Fort Erie, Ontario.

Canada.. wouldn't help you.
Though I saw some bad places in Appleton last July.. couldn't remember the names for my life though, my mom refused to let me stay long enough to really see anything but the bettas.

Ontario, what? Wait, aren't you in Wisconsin? lol That's why I mentioned Appleton.

 

[BettaMomma]

Yup, I'm in Wisconsin.
See my edited post above for why i'm so giddy.

Don't get me wrong, though, I wouldn't be opposed to getting in my car and taking a several hour long road trip to ruff up some people verbally.


heeh!

 

[littlefishie]

I did contact the SPCA, they went out there the afternoon that I called.
Also, one of the members on here, MissD, got something done. They used to get shipments of 20 bettas and most died. She complained and they've now dropped the shiptment number down to ten.

As far as I know they're not as bad now, but they're still not good.

 

[BettaMomma]

Appleton, eh? I'm not TOO far from there.
I should just start roadtripping around the midwest.
Buy myself a big bus... and have "BettaBus" painted on the side LOL
Make up some nice warm betta barracks in the back, have a fully stocked medicine cabinet...

Although I do love going around and checking on the wellbeing of bettas and stuff, it's very emotionally draining. The boy I passed up this past sunday is STILL weighing very heavy on my mind. I doubt I'll pass up another little guy that is in that dire need of some help again.

 

[BettaMomma]

Interesting that you guys sent them over to WM and they STILL haven't completely cleaned up their act.

Maybe it's time they get contacted again.
I'm looking and looking for laws and other research - for ways I can go about nailing places like WM to the wall, and make them clean up their act.

I posted somewhere else that i'm dragging my camera into the stores with me next, and i"m going to start shooting photos of sickys. If someone asks me what i'm doing I will just say i'm collecting information and be really mysterious about it.

I'm also going to be meeting with my former boss' wife - she's a news anchor here in town. going to try to get some secret footage taped of the mistreatement of animals here in town and expose the bastards on the news at dinnertime.
yeehaw.

 

[littlefishie]

If you ever have a betta bus, let me know! I'd so come with you..
I go around to the pet shops and make them take care of the bettas.. I don't have the money or space to bring them all home [2 tanks and 7 bettas in a dorm room!], but every time I go to one of the shops I make sure something gets done..

My fave LFS has started to keep bettas in their own bowls rather than in suitable community tanks. Just because they can go in a community doesn't mean they should. I kept pointing out the damage that happens to them, and how they aren't as attractive to customers with their fins shredded, and therefore don't get sold.
They keep 'em in nice big bowls now.

 

[littlefishie]

Interesting that you guys sent them over to WM and they STILL haven't completely cleaned up their act.

Maybe it's time they get contacted again.
I'm looking and looking for laws and other research - for ways I can go about nailing places like WM to the wall, and make them clean up their act.

I posted somewhere else that i'm dragging my camera into the stores with me next, and i"m going to start shooting photos of sickys. If someone asks me what i'm doing I will just say i'm collecting information and be really mysterious about it.

I'm also going to be meeting with my former boss' wife - she's a news anchor here in town. going to try to get some secret footage taped of the mistreatement of animals here in town and expose the bastards on the news at dinnertime.
yeehaw.

Camera thing is a good idea.. I'll be doing that next time I'm at home. I'm making a big letter on betta care, and what the conditions of their bettas are like. And then it's getting sent to the store manager.
The WalMart here isn't too bad, but the staff isn't too knowledgable.

 

[BettaMomma]

That's exactly what I do too.
There are several stores here in town - PetWorld, (2) PetSmarts, AniMart (I haven't yet discovered where this store is, i just learned about it) (2) WalMarts and at least a few lfs owned by individuals. I frequently visit PetWorld, both PetSmarts and both WalMarts. (each one at LEAST once a week)

Aquatic Specialties is a really nice store. It's a bit smaller, but they have gorgeous fish in it that you don't find everywhere, like blennies, gobies, oscars, angels, and yes - bettas. When I went in the other day the bettas were in sparkling clean water, filled completely up to the top. Every betta looked completely healthy and happy. I was impressed.

Now if we could just get WalMart and the other chains to do that, we'd be in business.

and ONE DAY I will have a bettabus. heh heh heh heh

 

[littlefishie]

I always find that the smaller stores take better care of their fish.. mostly because they're at a larger risk of losing the profit and business than a chain store, but they have the fish's welfare in mind more than corporations do.

 

[BettaMomma]

I agree. I always go to the smaller guys to buy stuff from, too.
It costs me a little bit more, but I like to support them as opposed to the corps.