Something Truly Foul at Petsmart

[Kiarra]

I've really gotten quite fed up with my local Petsmart. After the whole incident with losing BOTH of my rescued boys of the same thing, which appeared suddenly and killed VERY quickly, I was quite mad enough. After losing the first one yesterday, I went in to find nice, perfectly clean cups, with healthy Bettas nesting.

Today, I go in to exchange the other one, and the cups are filthy, 1 in every 6 Bettas is dead, finrot is rampant.... How could everything have gone so wrong so fast?!?!?!?!

Truly, truly, truly disgusted at this point, I went and got me a manager. I explained everything that had happened this entire past week. How I had found my boys together in a cup. How they had been doing better, and then they had both died very suddenly. How things had gotten better at Petsmart, and then I come back and find THIS. And then I stood there and watched while that manager made his employee change out all the cups with clean, fresh, MEDICATED (with Melafix, I think it was) water, and arrange the cups so that all the Bettas could be easily viewed. And when it was time for me to pick out my exchange, I picked out one who looked like he had been attacked with a hole punch (finrot), and I made them bag him with plenty of that nice, clean, fresh, medicated water in a bag like they would a fish they had more respect for.

I really feel much better now.

 

[wuvmybetta]

Today, I go in to exchange the other one

So...you took him back to that place? Doesn't that mean certain doom?

I picked out one who looked like he had been attacked with a hole punch (finrot)

Was that better than keeping the first?

I really feel much better now

Glad you feel better. I wonder how the exchanged betta feels.

 

[Kiarra]

Oh, no, the exchanged Betta was quite dead. I would NEVER return a living Betta! I'd do anything in my power to keep them alive. I bought them sick, hoping to nurse them back to life.

 

[wuvmybetta]

Ohhh! whew!! I was thinking...why is she telling us this!?! I could see Bettamomma curling up and dying as she read that!

Good on you then

 

[Kiarra]

He was the blue boy from the "some people suck" thread. And the whole reason I was so furious at Petsmart in the first place.

 

[Fat-cat]

OK, still playing devil's advocate. Those tiny little cups do get that dirty that quick. I change the water in our bettas cups EVERY single day and when I get there the next day they look nasty. It is even worse with the fish that are "dirty" ones. We have one betta right now that within 24 hrs. his cup will be brown. He has his water changed at the same time as the others, but if you saw it the next day you would swear he had been sitting there for a week. It also depends on how much they get fed, one or two extra pellets can result in a really dirty cup the next day. As for fin rot, I can pretty much bet that all the bettas received by any mass market copany come in with fin rot. All of ours do, and we treat them with medicated water and betta fix. Unfortunately it really takes one on one care to get rid of it. Everyone seems to forget that these guys are mass bred and mass shipped from overseas, a lot of their problems start there not at your lfs.

I'm not saying that all lfs or even all PETsMARTS are great in their fish care. I'm trying to point out that they are not all evil fish haters, and that things are not always what they seem. Until you actually work there don't petend to know what is going on. That doesn't mean ignore a problem when you think you see one, just try not to always jump to "the worst case" conclusion.

I would also suggest, however hard it mey be, a lot of patience when dealing with employees/managers ect. You don't really know hoe hard they m,ay trying to fix the problem. It is very discouraging when you constantly get bitched/yelled at. People have a tendancy to stop ttrying to do better because "those people are just going to find something to ***** about anyway".

Just the other side of the coin.

 

[Kiarra]

Oh, I understand the water getting dirty. But to go from every fish healthy to so many of them dead and dying? It was just too much. There wasn't a single mark on any of those fish yesterday, and then today...all but a couple were suffering from SOMETHING.

I didn't yell. I didn't scream. I didn't even ***** and moan. I explained that there was something really nasty going on, and that fish were getting really sick, really fast. The manager agreed with me that this wasn't right, and he took care of it. If he hadn't agreed with me, THEN I probably would have been impolite to him. I was polite and diplomatic. I didn't raise my voice the whole time I was in there. I even made pleasant conversation during the water changes, and took that time to decide which one I wanted.

 

[mm_simb]

It's not really an excuse to say that they get dirty fast. The walmart by me cleans them out every day and whatever time of day it is the cups are still clean. The other walmart doesn't clean them everyday. They have green stuff all over the cups to the point where you cant even see the fish. The Petsmart by my house is the same way. You cant even see the poor fish in there and most if not all of the bettas have fin rot. The PetCo that's a few minutes away keeps their cups sparkling clean and actually fill up the cups to the top with suffient airholes to let them breath. I just went there today and had to leave empty handed eventhough I saw many wonderful looking bettas.

Edited to add: I'm not saying that all the bettas should be clean as I understand that some bettas are just messier than other. I'm saying that every cup there should not be that dirty.

 

[Fat-cat]

Not making any excuses, just simply saying that I know for a fact the cups can get that dirty in 24hrs. Unfortunately PETsMART uses smaller cups than Wal-Mart so that is why there is a difference. Maybe the way the water changes were done stressed them out and led to them getting sick. If they didn't make sure the temps matched ect.....might be worth checking into.

Kiarra:
I'm glad you were patient with the employees. I'm sure if you work with them you will see an improvement. I'm also really sorry you lost your second boy from the fight.

 

[wuvmybetta]

the walmart by me cleans them out every day

As it should be in that size cup. I understand that some bettas are nastier than others,won't deny that. But I'm sorry Fat-Cat,I see what you're saying but the biggest problem with most stores is laziness. And the bettas are easily forgotten,or put off until last. The squeekiest wheel gets the grease and whatnot. Their darned hardiness doesn't help any! Well,it does but you know what I mean.

Kudos to your store for being on top of them. My Petco is really good about it too. So is Petsmart,and I honestly can't complain about my Wal-Mart lately either.

But, I also feel that it's people like myself,Kiarra,and many,many others here and all over the country who are a voice for the betta when they DO see abuse,and that helps the most.

 

[FishyLoveBug]

Luckily I also have a well improved walmart near me. The cups are twice the size they used to be, the cups were sparkling clean, and the boys were ALL healthy.
I blame the employees in charge of that department and their manager more than anything. Some places are good, some places are bad. Im just glad you had the nerve to step up and try to make that one into a better place.

 

[Fat-cat]

By all means please do speak up, I don't want anyone to think they shouldn't. Just be open to the idea that things aren't always what they seem. Just because the cups look dirty doesn't mean they weren't cleaned out the day before, they just might not have been done yet that day. Betta cups aren't the only responsibility those employees have. I know I try to get them done first thing, but sometimes it is later in the day before I can get to them. I guess my point is you could walk into the store I work at and say the cups are dirty and they all have finrot even though I change their water everyday and medicate them all.

It just seem that more and more there is "witchhunt" attitude when going into stores. I'm not saying you shouldn't check up on everyone, but many times people say they were even "dissapionted" when they found clean cups and healthy bettas.
From the other side of the coin it begins to look like a losing fight.

For example:
In this last issue BM called the store in question to address the issue. That's great and I appluade her in all efforts. She is one of my heros . The store seemed open to suggestions and even followed her advice about the gravel. Soooo...
Did she (or anyone) call the store back and tell them how they appreciated them fixing the problem? If you did great! If not, well a little positive support goes just as far if not farther than the same amount of negative support.

 

[FishyLoveBug]

One of the only problems I see with out Petsmart here is there is only 1 person ever in the fish and you have to go looking for them. Do they only put 1 person in yours or is ours maybe just understaffed?

 

[wuvmybetta]

but many times people say they were even "dissapionted" when they found clean cups and healthy bettas.

OMG,that's sooo horrible because that is exactly how I feel sometimes!! Not disappointed exactly,but ya go in there with the expectations of finding dirty bettas and ready to take on the world and it's a buzzkill But also a relief ,so don't get me wrong. I just found that hilarious

 

[FishyLoveBug]

I can see BettaMomma walking into Petsmart in her Betta military camo marching to the bettas and then sulking away when they are all healthy hee hee.