Why Don't Lfs Sell Females?

[JustKia]

In the past couple of days I've been to no less than 4 fish shops and while they all have male bettas, none of them have females.
There's another LFS nearby that does have females, but the one I was tempted by was sold while I was there.
I would love to find a green female with red ventral fins CT/VT/RT/HM

 

[JenCliBee]

In the past couple of days I've been to no less than 4 fish shops and while they all have male bettas, none of them have females.
There's another LFS nearby that does have females, but the one I was tempted by was sold while I was there.
I would love to find a green female with red ventral fins CT/VT/RT/HM

It's probably due to them not been as stunning as males and not sell anywhere near aswell?, i do agree though since ive read this i cant remeber the last shop that i saw females in lol

 

[Amunet]

They might not sell as well as the males, so shops don't stock them.
Really is a shame though.. I think female bettas are just as stunning and come w/ less problems than the males (although I love them all to bits )

 

[lilfishie]

my LFS rarely has females is but always males, however he knows me very well (the joys of being a small shop) and is letting me know when the next lots in so i get 1st pick

 

[Chris5787]

In my area loads of shops sell females. Have you tried Maidenhead Aquatics? Most of the ones here sell them.

 

[Honeythorn]

I've only found one place that sells them here ( maidenhead is much too far away ) and I have to get my brother o take me there as it's quite far away. My local LFS' do not sell them. I guess due to the males having much more impressive finnage they obviously catch the eye and sell better. A lot of the females tend to be young and not fully coloured up, so they look a lot less interesting. But once they're back home and settled they really blossom I think. Just as pretty and full of personality.

I think maybe a sign should be put on on tanks of female bettas saying that they do colour up when settled ( and also that they should not be housed with males of course ). Perhaps with a picture or two of a pretty , settled group of girls to show people how great they can be.

 

[JustKia]

Yes, tried 2 different branches of MA and no joy at all.

 

[pippoodle]

maidenhead aquatics will orde some in for you

 

[CraigBaines]

Never seen females around here too, im glad it seems to be a nation wide thing, hopfully wont struggle to give my girls a home via the net when the time comes lol.

 

[modaz]

The issue with females is that even though they can be housed together they scrap like crazy. This makes them look tatty and thus reduces the chance of them selling. We used to have them in groups in their tank and it was a nightmare. All halfmoon ended up looking like crowntails with a genetic disorder and the crowntails use to have chunks out of their fins too. It only take 1 young male in there to do enough damage over a few hours and your stock is wrecked. We keep all our females seperate now to ensure that they stay perfect for sale but sadly this means I have to have them at home rather than in the shop as space is the issue. The only way to stop them from fighting is to have the right size tank with the correct amount of females in it to control the aggression. No one wants to buy a torn betta, male or female direct from a shop. Unless they are part of the "SAVE THE BETTA" brigade.
Its hard work for us now as we have over 100 bettas at any one time that need have their water changed every other day until they are sold on.
There is also the issue that bettas are prone to some diseases that can wipe out a tank of females with in 24 hours and if they are kept in groups, they are doomed if this happens. So seperating them allows strict infection controls at all times and beautiful looking healthy fish. If you loose one then the rest are spared the lose of life. Precautions must be put into place on any type of fish to control cross contamination but like said with a fish that is prone to something its no longer worth the risk.
This is ofcourse how I do it, but other shops dont do it this way so im not speaking for everyone.

 

[loraxchick]

shame for all of you...there are always loads around here...from chain stores to provately owned shops. if only i had space for a sorority...someday...i think id be fun. i like the girlies just as much as the fellas.

 

[Amunet]

The Petsmart we go to always has females as well. Usually around 5-8 of them, and the rest are VT and CT males.

The Petsmart across town still uses those awful cups stacks on a shelf and get a TON of bettas in, male and female. Their fish actually look like they're taken care of though, but they really do need to use something different than the cups.

 

[newfishy]

I see female vts and cts fairly often in the us, a female hm or dt never ever ever. if i ever did find one by chance I would snatch her up for breeding stock no matter her color or how ripped her fins are.

 

[Loops]

In the past couple of days I've been to no less than 4 fish shops and while they all have male bettas, none of them have females.
There's another LFS nearby that does have females, but the one I was tempted by was sold while I was there.
I would love to find a green female with red ventral fins CT/VT/RT/HM

Shirley Aquatics isn't far from you is it?

The last time I went they had a tank full of them, although it was right at the back of the shop I didn't even know they had any but took a wander up the top end and spotted them

Don't remember if they had any green ones though

 

[ellena]

I think I saw a female at p@h the other day. It was a tank that was set up for newts with shallow water and loads of rushing water everywhere though
They are stunning fish by any standard, until you judge them against a male.
I can see how they would be a problem to keep as modaz says though.