you know where i work.

[DeadlyMixer]

Ok as you can see by looking over <<------ i dont live in Canada or the US. So i dont have a local WM they just dont exsist. we have a similar department store but they dont sell live stock only some essential supplies and maybe a little more depending on the store your at

However heres my two cents still...

The kind of uneducated state of both the lps, lfs, WM or anywhere else thats decided to sell animals staff and customers is a BIG problem.

I hate to admit it but my recent adventure (that i thank you all for helping) with first time tropical fish buying. This is how it went...

DAY 1: Girl wakes up in morning and looks at TURTLE tank (for those who dont know turtles do not need to be cycled and can stand 100% changes etc) at end of bed. She thinks the turtle isnt in the water that often so maybe some FISH would be a pretty addition. Girl jumps out of bed and races off to the shops with fully stocked WALLET. Girl walks in to LPS walks strait past UNINVITING STAFF. Girl looks at all the PRETTY FISH and spots some she really likes (at this stage she does not even know their name) and READS the label which states the NAME (Neon's) and PRICE ($1.90 each or 10 for $15). Having decided these are the fish for her she FINDS a STAFF MEMBER and requests "10 neon's please". Girl watches a JAR be filled with WATER from a tank (not the neon's tank), some BLUE STUFF (water ager) added, her FISH added, more BLUE STUFF, contents of JAR(glass) TIPPED thaINTO BAG (plastic), bag tied and taken to the COUNTER where bag is put in bag (paper), bags are then put in bag (plastic shopping complete with advertising), fish are PURCHASED and then girl WALKS HOME (15 mins). Girl CLEANED TANK the DAY BEFORE (100% strait from tap no ager added) so FLOATS BAG in water for about an HOUR while feeding turtle. Fish are then RELEASED into tank and girl COUNTS FISH (to make sure she has 10) and goes to do other stuff. When getting into bed girl realises she has NO FISH FOOD. So plans to get this first thing in the morning.
DAY 2: Girl looks at fish for a little while then GOES TO GET FISH FOOD. Stating to the staff member that she was very silly forgetting to buy food. STAFF MEMBER states THIS IS OK as would have been FED YESTERDAY (day 1). Girl ASKS IF fish EAT TROPICAL FLAKES, picks something off the shelf (without reading labels other than name and price) and PURCHASES it. Girl ADDS FLAKES TO TANK as soon as she gets home. However the fish DONT SEEM HUNGRY so she will come back and try later. Girl notices FISH CLOSER TO TOP than before so DECIDES it is a good time to TRY FEEDING. This time SHE SEES THEM EAT so stops worrying.
DAY 3: Girl FEEDS FISH (early as she has a busy day ahead) and proceeds with day. Girl gets MESSAGE FROM AUNTY asking if she would like to stay over at nanas for the night (as is nanas birthday). Girl packs her things and GOES to stay at nanas FOR the NIGHT.
DAY 4: Girls mother and brother take her home in the late evening. MOTHER LOOKS AT FISH when they first arrive. GIRL LOOKS AT FISH about an hour later and DISCOVERS ONE fish laying DEAD on the filter. Girls mother is sure this fish was not dead when she looked. Girl realises she DOES NOT HAVE A NET. However she is too tired and WILL GET DEAD FISH OUT IN MORNING.
DAY 5: There are now THREE DEAD FISH in the tank. Girl MAKES a NET out of stockings and wire. All DEAD are REMOVED from the tank and disposed of. Girl is WORRIED about saftey of other fish so SEARCHES on the INTERNET for some kind of answers. Girl FINDS helpful INFORMATION but is still NOT EXACTLY SURE. Lucky there is a forum so she POSTS her PROBLEM (however she does not have a water testing kit) to try and get help making her diagnosis of the problem. Some helpful people help her come to the CONCLUSION it is ICH. Girl GOES to LPS to get Ich TREATMENT. Girl is WORRIED so asks STAFF member WILL the Ich TREATMENT HARM TURTLE. Lps staff member SUGGESTS treatment be done in ANOTHER SMALLER TANK. This COULD BE very COSTLY but girl has plastic tank she once used to house frogs. Girl PURCHASES Ich TREATMENT and water AGER (she has some also from when frogs were tadpoles but is not sure where it is). Girl FILLS TANK with water FROM TURTLE TANK fish are currently in as ONLY OTHER OPTION is TAP water. Girl does a 50% CHANGE on hospital tank with AGER and TREATMENT ADDED. Six Fish are TRANSFERED to HOSPITAL tank as there has been ONE more DEATH. There are NO more WHITE SPOTS on the fish about an hour after they are moved. Girl MAKES POST asking "Could white spots go this quick or is it possible it wasnt Ich?" and discovers it is possible it WASNT ICH. Girl goes to sleep still WORRIED ABOUT the CAUSE of the deaths. However taking the DECREASE in deaths as a GOOD SIGN.
Day 6: Girl wakes to discover she was mistaken there have been FOUR DEATHS OVERNIGHT. Girl GIVES UP HOPE of remaining fish surviving an hour later ALL FISH ARE DEAD.
Girl decides this is a bad sign about conditions of turtles tank and sutibility for fish. Armed with new found knowledge learnt along the way girl has now bought a water testing kit, nets, gravel vac and new filter (external). She is currently cycling the tank and working on having everything to make adding tropical fish a happy and safe experience next time. Including having a quarintene tank set up before the fish arrive home.

There are many key things i was not aware of when i got the fish that i should have been. Nomatter what the animal is or where your getting it from it's important that this stuff is found out before there are deaths. Owners to be should take responsibility in finding all these thing out before the big purchase. However in reality for most its an after thought. So thats where store staff need to be pro-active in making sure prospective owners are ready for the responsibility. It shouldnt just be all about making profit!!!

 

[ladyhawke]

if anyone has a store # and would like me to add that to my list i would be glad to ..
ones that you know that there tanks are bad i could give them a heads up on what we all here are looking at when we visit out local wm store..

Wal-Mart Supercenter Store #2945
100 Commons Drive
Parkesburg, PA 19365
(610) 857-0500

Dead fish, dead betta, bettas not cared for, etc.

Previous WalMart topic


edited to add store#

 

[Torrean]

Walmart.com... scroll down and plug in your zip code in the "Store Finder" box on the left

 

[rabbitlady]

that was a horriable story of that walmart . the directions on betta's are given to us and this info that person gave guppydude was not what we get on the info sheets . betta's are the only fish that we do get info on with out asking that is .. that person should have known this and was just asking for trouble or sales .. don't know which...sorry you all have these problems .. hope this helps

 

[Inchworm]

Hi rabbitlady

I was thinking about something else that you might bring up at your meeting. That is the treatment of the fish en route to your store and the way they are handled on their arrival.

I'm sure that a corporation as large as Walmart buys its fish from somewhere close to their original source, be it domestic or foreign fish farms or the fish's natural habitat. If they were to make a point of insisting on the best and safest means of shipping and handling possible it would make a big difference in the health of the fish when they were finally in the hands of the consumer.

If Walmart doesn't watch this process, the fish could be left in cold or overheated trucks for extended periods of time. If they are not carefully and quickly unpacked upon their arrival at each store, and slowly acclimated to the temperature and pH of the local water, they will suffer another setback. It would certainly be appropriate for them to insist that their distributors and shippers follow the best practices for the well being of their merchandise.

I hope you can make your buyers and managers understand that fish are different than all the other merchandise they sell and cannot thrive if they are not treated correctly. There are many pet lovers in the world, even ones who don't keep fish, who would surely take positive notice of their stores if they were to advertise the care they took with the fish from the beginning of their journey to the final sale.

 

[eudielynn]

rabbitlady,

I was going to list the Walmart I have gone to in Clarksville, In (#1476) because of the conditions I'd seen there in the past, but I decided to go in and check them out so I could give you specifics.

I have to admit I was shocked at how good the tanks are looking. They were all sparkly clean, even the goldfish tanks, I did not see one dead fish, and the tanks were not overcrowded. There was a limited selection of fish, but I would much rather have limited choices than sick and dying fish. The betta cups were clean and none of the bettas seemed in distress.

I have complained at this store for years and have not gone in there for a couple of months now, so it was great to see the difference. I actually bought some plants and a couple of caves for my tanks. I wanted you to know that some Walmarts are cleaning up their act.

 

[BettaMomma]

Sorry I didn't respond to this sooner - I guess somehow it just slipped by me.

Store #1138 - Madison, WI.
Last night I was in the store and found their bettas in such deplorable conditions that I made a woman stocking lotion go and find someone who could help me with the fish. About 10 minutes later a guy wandered thru the department and put something away in the fish cupboard. He was ready to walk away, and I said to him "Excuse me - can I ask you something?". He said okay, so I pointed out one betta in particular whose cup had a crack in the bottom, and it was slowly dripping out. There was about 1 inch of water left in it. Had I not pointed it out, the water would have slowly dripped out overnight. I told him to get a new cup for him. He said they didn't have any spare cups, so he walked over and dumped the betta into a tank of mollies. I'm not sure if the betta's night would have been better or worse if he had stayed in the dripping cup, but either way at least he stayed WET last night.

Same shelf, 2 cups over - another betta boy was swimming in 1/4" of filth. Or should I say he was laying in filth. It was disgusting. This boy was obviously not feeling well and they kept dumping food in, and the water had not been changed in days. I told him about it and he told me that it would cause the fish more stress to give him clean water than it would to just leave him in that condition. I demanded that he changed out the water or I told him I would do it for him, if he liked. He did it, and I stood there while he changed out the rest of the cups, also. The fish all looked so much happier. I left a little bit happier but was still irritated.

A couple of things I wanted to point out to you that REALLY bothered me last night were that when I told him about the fish with the crack in his cup, he told me they didn't have any more cups. I said "You guys don't have spare cups?" and he said "Are you kidding me? This is WalMart - they don't give us anything to work with here. You see that fishtank up there on the top shelf that's all dark?" I said yes... he said "Well, that bulb burned out 3 weeks ago and I've been asking for a new one ever since. " So I told him to grab one off the shelf and replace it - he said he could get fired for doing that.

I thought.... Are you joking? I mean seriously, it's depressing.
I guess I'd just like you to address the situation with bettas in their stores mostly, just because that is what I pay the most attention to. They are in deplorable conditions. Their cups are dirty, there's never anyone around to point out something to, and if there is - they blink and give you a blank stare back - it's so frustrating. Some of the cups even have algae growing in them!

So, all in all - here is a summary of what I think you should propose to them:
1 ) I really like the idea of tests - the employees should at least be able to pass a test on some level of fish care on a regular basis.
2 ) EVERY SINGLE SPECIES OF FISH should have a care sheet printed up - EVERY SINGLE ONE. The frogs and snails should, too.
3 ) A fact sheet on tank cycling should be made available and put out on the shelves in the faces of people - or perhaps even taped right on to the outside of every aquarium box that contains a filter.
4) Laminated charts or some type of reference material should be hanging on the shelves - things like fish compatibility, what fish go together, which do not... how much space they need for swimming, what their life span is, how big they will grow, what they eat, etc. etc. etc.
5 ) Diseases sheet by the medication section - a comprehensive list of "this is what could be wrong with your fish if it's doing...XXX" so at least people who come to the store because something like "my fish is gasping for air up at the top of the water. why?" kinds of questions.
6 ) As far as company polices go, there should be guidelines set - like the betta water should all be changed out every day or every other day. If they can't have a dedicated employee visible in the fish department all the time, there should at least be sweeps done through the department 1 - 3 times every day, to check for dead or sick fish.

And I REALLY REALLY REALLY think they need to set up a hospital room or some area where sick fish can be treated. I realize they think it's not cost effective to treat the sick fish, but dead fish lose them money also - and with the horrendously high number of fish that die by the hands of that corporation every year, I would think that not only would it benefit them by being able to sell the fish that would have otherwise died, but I think it would be WELL worth the good will it would bring to their store by folks like all of us who are disgusted with the fact that they just don't "bother" to treat the sickies. I have completley quit shopping at that store, as has the majority of my family, many of my co-workers and lots of my friends because I have shared my experiences with them in the fish area and we've all taken on this perception of the corporation as a cold, heartless, uncaring, money-sucking overgrown corporation who is going to suck up the entire market one day after all the local mom and pop shops are run out of business. So, you should make it clear to them that treating and taking better care of sick fish in their stores, and DEMANDING it of their employees would pay off a hundred fold beyond the money they'd get back in fish that actually lived and got sold.

Go get em girl - let us know what you accomplish. Even if it's nothing, thank you for trying.

 

[Blue Lobster]

I went to my local walmart yesterday. Luckily they stock no live fish at all. The pet department did have some great deals on plastic plants, so I bought some.

$4 for an 18" plant is a good deal no matter where it is.

My local store is 2916

 

[rabbitlady]

Sorry I didn't respond to this sooner - I guess somehow it just slipped by me.

Store #1138 - Madison, WI.
Last night I was in the store and found their bettas in such deplorable conditions that I made a woman stocking lotion go and find someone who could help me with the fish. About 10 minutes later a guy wandered thru the department and put something away in the fish cupboard. He was ready to walk away, and I said to him "Excuse me - can I ask you something?". He said okay, so I pointed out one betta in particular whose cup had a crack in the bottom, and it was slowly dripping out. There was about 1 inch of water left in it. Had I not pointed it out, the water would have slowly dripped out overnight. I told him to get a new cup for him. He said they didn't have any spare cups, so he walked over and dumped the betta into a tank of mollies. I'm not sure if the betta's night would have been better or worse if he had stayed in the dripping cup, but either way at least he stayed WET last night.

Same shelf, 2 cups over - another betta boy was swimming in 1/4" of filth. Or should I say he was laying in filth. It was disgusting. This boy was obviously not feeling well and they kept dumping food in, and the water had not been changed in days. I told him about it and he told me that it would cause the fish more stress to give him clean water than it would to just leave him in that condition. I demanded that he changed out the water or I told him I would do it for him, if he liked. He did it, and I stood there while he changed out the rest of the cups, also. The fish all looked so much happier. I left a little bit happier but was still irritated.

A couple of things I wanted to point out to you that REALLY bothered me last night were that when I told him about the fish with the crack in his cup, he told me they didn't have any more cups. I said "You guys don't have spare cups?" and he said "Are you kidding me? This is WalMart - they don't give us anything to work with here. You see that fishtank up there on the top shelf that's all dark?" I said yes... he said "Well, that bulb burned out 3 weeks ago and I've been asking for a new one ever since. " So I told him to grab one off the shelf and replace it - he said he could get fired for doing that.

I thought.... Are you joking? I mean seriously, it's depressing.
I guess I'd just like you to address the situation with bettas in their stores mostly, just because that is what I pay the most attention to. They are in deplorable conditions. Their cups are dirty, there's never anyone around to point out something to, and if there is - they blink and give you a blank stare back - it's so frustrating. Some of the cups even have algae growing in them!

So, all in all - here is a summary of what I think you should propose to them:
1 ) I really like the idea of tests - the employees should at least be able to pass a test on some level of fish care on a regular basis.
2 ) EVERY SINGLE SPECIES OF FISH should have a care sheet printed up - EVERY SINGLE ONE. The frogs and snails should, too.
3 ) A fact sheet on tank cycling should be made available and put out on the shelves in the faces of people - or perhaps even taped right on to the outside of every aquarium box that contains a filter.
4) Laminated charts or some type of reference material should be hanging on the shelves - things like fish compatibility, what fish go together, which do not... how much space they need for swimming, what their life span is, how big they will grow, what they eat, etc. etc. etc.
5 ) Diseases sheet by the medication section - a comprehensive list of "this is what could be wrong with your fish if it's doing...XXX" so at least people who come to the store because something like "my fish is gasping for air up at the top of the water. why?" kinds of questions.
6 ) As far as company polices go, there should be guidelines set - like the betta water should all be changed out every day or every other day. If they can't have a dedicated employee visible in the fish department all the time, there should at least be sweeps done through the department 1 - 3 times every day, to check for dead or sick fish.

And I REALLY REALLY REALLY think they need to set up a hospital room or some area where sick fish can be treated. I realize they think it's not cost effective to treat the sick fish, but dead fish lose them money also - and with the horrendously high number of fish that die by the hands of that corporation every year, I would think that not only would it benefit them by being able to sell the fish that would have otherwise died, but I think it would be WELL worth the good will it would bring to their store by folks like all of us who are disgusted with the fact that they just don't "bother" to treat the sickies. I have completley quit shopping at that store, as has the majority of my family, many of my co-workers and lots of my friends because I have shared my experiences with them in the fish area and we've all taken on this perception of the corporation as a cold, heartless, uncaring, money-sucking overgrown corporation who is going to suck up the entire market one day after all the local mom and pop shops are run out of business. So, you should make it clear to them that treating and taking better care of sick fish in their stores, and DEMANDING it of their employees would pay off a hundred fold beyond the money they'd get back in fish that actually lived and got sold.

Go get em girl - let us know what you accomplish. Even if it's nothing, thank you for trying.

First of all betta momma,
I have to say good for you making that guy change all that out.
second did you happen to get his name while you where there..
he could have gone and got the light that he needed that is where i get my lights from.. all he has to do is take it to a manager and have them store use it..
it takes about 15 min.s of his time to change that out.. second he can get free cups and keep them onhand if need be all he has to do is ask his fish supplier. or save any that he may have from betta's that don't make it.. either way he was just pulling your chain..
and i really want to thank all of you for your comments and suggestions this will really help the cause .. keep them coming ..

 

[BettaMomma]

His name was Shaun, spelled exactly that way.


Thanks!!

 

[Wolfdog]

I went to this Wal-Mart store #2947 last Saturday to look at the fish while there with some people grocery shopping.

The first tank i came across was a tank full of "Dragon Fish" AKA Violet Goby. There were also some type of Guarmie in the tank. There were probably about ten six inch long Dragon Fish in the tank, Seven which were dead, or were on the edge of dieing. It was a really bad site

I couldnt not find a single tank without a dead fsh in it. Red Tailed Black Sharks, dead, plecos that have been dead so long they were completely covered in white mold or something. Dead Guppies, and also dead goldfish in the goldfish tanks.

I went the next day, (Sunday) and all of the Dragon Fish were cleaned out of the tamk with none left. SO i guess the surviving three died over night. There were still dead fish in the tanks but not as much.

One thing i have seen though, Through out all the chain pet stores, (Wal-Mart, Petsmart, and Petco) they changed their betta containers. They are now in a larger plastic container than before. Im happy to see that.

Good luck Rabbit Lady
Wolf

 

[CatLover]

#1426 on Winchester Ave. in Ashland, KY.

Disgusting conditions - it looks like the employees don't even TRY to care for the fish. I was in there just last night to buy some filter cartridges, and they had giant danios, kissing gouramis, and koi in their 5G (or whatever size they are) tanks. The koi were larger than usual - about 5 inches long and fat, yet there were about 7 or 8 fish in that teeny tiny tank. I noticed at the bottom, they had boxes stacked up on a shelf in a way that they were extending off the shelf, and covering up the front of a tank. There were tiny baby albino cories in there, about 6 of them, and I felt so sad that they were near the floor, blocked from view, and pretty much forgotten about.

Please mention this store at the meeting - this particular one has never kept fish well at all, and there are no signs of it getting better.

Also, is there a way you could demand (or suggest, whichever sounds better... although I prefer demand) that they stop selling goldfish and other fish that get WAY too large for ignorant beginners? I have seen oscars, common plecos, giant danios, kissing gouramis, koi, several types of goldfish, bala sharks, iridescent sharks, and many other fish sold at #1426. I depresses me to know the kind of people that will end up buying these fish and a 10G tank. Yes, they do sell up to 55G tanks, but no one around here (or anywhere) is going to pay more for a large tank when they think they can permenantly house those fish in the cheap 10G.

 

[boozybears]

Hi! I'm glad I found this post, because I have a happy walmart story! Yesterday I went into my local Walmart (#3054, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) and was pleasantly surprised to find a wonderfully written up betta fact sheet placed right in front of the bettas. It discussed:

1. how the display cups were just that...temporary homes and that betta's needed to be kept in minimum 1 gallon tanks.

2. betta's can jump so need to be kept in tanks with lids, preferably not bowls

3. they suggested at minimum weekly water changes, with decholorinator

4. small pellets and/or bloodworms to eat (and gave limits)

there were about 8 points in total. I was extrememly impressed!!

I'd like to suggest that these get placed in every store!!
And then maybe continue on making these for all the species kept and maybe one for cycling tanks.

Or... a checklist posted such as 'considering buying fish? Here's what you need to know....' and then list all the supplies needed and decriptions of cycling and tank maintenance.

Great job!!!! Good Luck!!

 

[rabbitlady]

wow you guys are doing great , i got a letter last night about my meeting in june to tell me who's who is gonna be there .. they have concerts three out of the 4 days we are there..
anyways. it is gonna be great.. it is gonna be alot of running too. and i will have all these posts to take with me too..

 

[rabbitlady]

wow you guys are doing great , i got a letter last night about my meeting in june to tell me who's who is gonna be there .. they have concerts three out of the 4 days we are there..
anyways. it is gonna be great.. it is gonna be alot of running too. and i will have all these posts to take with me too..