Some People Suck

[newfishies]

oohhhhh!! poor little babies!!!! i hope they are as tough as they look and they recover quickly for you!


some people definitely do suck!!! glad i've never found something like that...then there would be some trouble!!!

 

[BettaMomma]

It was all I could do to just put them back in their own cups, instead of taking them to the store manager and raising hell.

Why didn't you? It would have been the best thing to do for all the fish that will come through the store.

"Be the change you want to see in the world" -Gandhi

I feel the same way.
However, before I had actually done it a few times and realized how good it made me feel to go off on someone about their conditions, I was petrified and had to just leave the store rather than say something. I knew I would cry and then turn into a bumbling idiot and not get my thoughts out right. My heart used to race and I would start to sweat.

So, now that I just took the leap and did it once, i have no issues with it whatsoever.

I say give it a try once. I know it's very intimidating and hard on the nerves but you will feel SO liberated you'll look forward to the next challenge of it.

 

[BettaMomma]

Um, were they both in one of THOSE CUPS... THAT SIZE???

I'm going to freaking call them RIGHT now. There is NO excuse for that. I am so mad I am shaking right now.

PetSmarts have little fishy carts setup right out in the middle of their fish sections for a REASON. So the employees can be right out there with the fish. Part of the reason they have them out there is firstly to make people feel comfortable in asking for help with fish and secondly so there's someone on staff to care for the fish at all times.

Those poor poor dears.
How lucky that you came along.

Give them a hug from all my fishes.

 

[eudielynn]

Okay, the last picture cause me to tear up. I cannot believe people can be that cruel. I am also a cryer when I get mad so I don't try to do anything at the moment, but as soon as I get home I start calling like crazy. I'm really brave over the phone. Now I have to go to the store tonight and do a betta check. The thought of others in that shape is more than I can take.

 

[BettaMomma]

Okay - I just called.
The manager was shocked that you had found them in the same cup. Blah, blah, blah. Whatever.

Anyway... I told him the story about how you found them and suspected that maybe some teenager kids had done this - he said that was entirely possible. He then went on to explain to me how they take care of their bettas, and how they train all their employees, etc. It sounded like they are on the right track.

We then had a good long discussion about how employees of the store could keep a better eye on them, along with the fact that they might sell more bettas by having more of them be visible at the same time... I told him to look into putting gravel in several of the cups (fill them up to the top) the put the lid on, then put these cups with gravel in toward the back of the shelf and set betta cups on top of them. They recently started doing that at our PetSmart here - it's great, not only so customers can see them without having to lift them up, but the employees can see them all without having to do that, too. He said he's going to discuss it with the store director, and also tell the director about how you found the fish.

You'll have to let me know if you go in there and see them stacking their cups up on gravel. That might help a little bit - if nothing else.

At least now they know about it, because it doesn't sound like the cashier that you told did squat about it.

 

[Haiku]

OMG I did tear up at seeing their poor fins in ruins, especially the picture that showed the pieces of fins laying on the bottom . How awful!!! I'm SO glad you took them out of there.

BM, nice job on your call to the store. You are really an inspiration. I find myself wanting to go on betta patrol lately. I'm not a brave person about confrontation at all, but for the sake of the fishies, I'm definitely going to try next time I see something like that. I'm one of those people who burst into tears when I'm very angry too )

 

[BettaMomma]

For the most part, I am a crier. A BIG time crier. Every movie we go to my boyfriend asks if I have packed the kleenexes.

I have to say - before my little Amos died, I had no courage to confront the whole fish mistreatment issue head on. Although his death had NOTHING to do with how fish are treated in stores, I kept thinking about how emotionally painful his death was for me, and how physically painful it must have been for him - I can only imagine. I decided that nothing... NOTHING - as far as fish are concerned - could ever be as hard as it was for me to walk into the office that morning and find him tipped over on his little side. Although it was peaceful after what I had seen him go through, it still was really REALLY hard to take. So, armed with being that much stronger for having gone through that, I now can charge right into a situation where I can potentially head off the suffering and pain of any fish.

Whew.

 

[Kiarra]

Thanks so much for doing that, BM. The Bettas at that store, and their potential owners, owe you a BIG debt of gratitude for that one.

But, yes, they were both together, in one of those tiny cups. The blue one was resting on the bottom, and the green butterfly was on the top, hanging at angles to each other so they wouldn't have to touch each other.

They're doing much better now. I offered them some freeze-dried bloodworms and pellets last night, but they wouldn't take it. I'm not surprised, though. They're new Bettas, and I expected that, even without all they've been through. They're swimming around, and they're curious about their new neighbors and curious about me. The blue boy is missing a LOT of scales off his head, so I'm really hoping that doesn't get infected, but, other than that, I think they'll be all right.

 

[Haiku]

I cry VERY easily too, at movies, TV shows, sad stories, sad books... I cry with every emotion too, anger, sadness, embarrassment, even extreme happiness . But the hard part is, I HATE crying in front of people, I always feel SO self-conscious. So that's the really difficult part about trying to confront these people. I'll probably start out on the phone rather than face to face

 

[eudielynn]

Go for it!! It certainly couldn't make things any worse for the bettas and hopefully you will talk to someone that will help.

 

[BettaMomma]

Thanks so much for doing that, BM. The Bettas at that store, and their potential owners, owe you a BIG debt of gratitude for that one.

But, yes, they were both together, in one of those tiny cups. The blue one was resting on the bottom, and the green butterfly was on the top, hanging at angles to each other so they wouldn't have to touch each other.

They're doing much better now. I offered them some freeze-dried bloodworms and pellets last night, but they wouldn't take it. I'm not surprised, though. They're new Bettas, and I expected that, even without all they've been through. They're swimming around, and they're curious about their new neighbors and curious about me. The blue boy is missing a LOT of scales off his head, so I'm really hoping that doesn't get infected, but, other than that, I think they'll be all right.

I'm sure with the clean water and TLC you will provide, they'll be on the road to recovery in no time.

 

[GrullaQuarters]

I've never, in photos or person, seen the after affects of two Betta boys fighting.....my jaw hasn't left the floor yet.....

 

[BettaMomma]

Kiarra - I hope you don't mind, but I copied and pasted the photos of your boys into the body of an email that I used to submit a complaint to the animal alliance here in town.

I gave them the store name with city and state just for reference.
I didn't think you'd mind.

Thanks.

 

[Fat-cat]

Thank you BM for brining it to the store manager's attention. I really doubt it was an employee who did that, more likely some punk kid. We recently had some @#!hole throw one of our bettas in the tank with a buch of large red parrot chiclids. We got him out pretty quickly but he didn't make it. I have also seen two males in that same cup more than once at our local Wal-mart. I always split them up and find an employee to tell.

I think the people that do this should be placed in a small cage with a hungry tiger for my personal amusement.

 

[BettaMomma]

I think the people that do this should be placed in a small cage with a hungry tiger for my personal amusement.

I agree 110%.