Male bettas crowded in a plastic cup at Walmart

[Tarantuloid]

So I was getting bird food at Walmart when I noticed something kinda strange on the shelf, two male bettas fighting each other. You know how at most stores they keep bettas in those small plastic cups? This particular cup had two adult male bettas crammed in there so I brought it up to the front. I told them these fish can't be kept together because they are territorial but refused to separate the fish.

I took some images of when they were together, but I came back two hours and found they still did nothing and it was still happening so I bought them just to give them separate enclosures. I usually don't buy animals from places like walmart, petco, etc. but it was just ridiculous and hard to look at.

 

[JZC]

Walmart sells animals?

 

[cantthinkofone]

I thought the days of Walmart fish were over (I sware some animal group protested) I've bought rescues. My most recent T was a rescue. Sometimes you just have to step in.

 

[Tarantuloid]

I thought the days of Walmart fish were over (I sware some animal group protested) I've bought rescues. My most recent T was a rescue. Sometimes you just have to step in.

Surprisingly, it's stronger than ever. They have entirely new setups and while the bigger setups look generally impressive, the betta setups leave a lot to be desired. We have at least three three walmarts in my area and all of them sell fish.

 

[BobGrill]

So go say something to someone who works there if it bothers you that much. I don't see what complaining about it on here is going to do.

 

[Tarantuloid]

So go say something to someone who works there if it bothers you that much. I don't see what complaining about it on here is going to do.

If you actually read the post I mentioned I already talked to the people who worked there. It's not complaining, it's keeping an open eye for something that was wrong.

 

[bugmankeith]

Every place that sells bettas mistreats them, selling any fish in an unfiltered cup is cruel enough. No water changes, no room to swim, some not ever fed, not to mention stress seeing male bettas always near them, bettas are territorial, so being in cups next to many mail bettas goes against every natural instinct. Too much gill flaring can actually injure a Betta too and this happens when they constantly do this at other bettas.

Then people thinking bowls are ok, bowls aren't acceptable for any fish. I've had bettas in community tanks and so long as they are peaceful species with same water requirements bettas happily live in 10 gallons or more.

You should see how angry some Betta breeders get when they see what their hard work is treated and dying in pet stores. I know Betta breeders and they would not agree with anything pet stores say.

 

[cantthinkofone]

Nope i could almost swear PETA (hate, so much hate) made a move against fish sales. in my state at least. haven't seen a fish in Walmart since i was like 6. i know there is like 40 petitions if you want to jump on board with those.

 

[pitbulllady]

Most of the Wal-Marts in my state have eliminated fish sales...except for Bettas. They do still stock Bettas in those tiny little plastic cups from time to time. Chances are, a customer deliberately put the two males together in the same cup to watch them fight, the same sort of people who enjoy dog-fighting. When the "Betta bowl" craze was in full swing a few years ago, another fad developed among young male sub-humans-fighting fish. They were well aware of what Bettas were kept for in Southeast Asia and would buy them and fight them and bet on winners just like they did with dogs, only the fish were easy to keep and care for and their parents had no clue. I'd overhear them organizing fights during school, bragging about how bad their fish were, as if they were talking about fighting dogs. Right before one of our local Wal-Marts stopped carrying regular fish, the old fellow in charge of the Pet Dept. told me that he'd often catch youths putting Bettas in with each other in the store and gathering around to watch them fight.

pitbulllady

 

[Tarantuloid]

Most of the Wal-Marts in my state have eliminated fish sales...except for Bettas. They do still stock Bettas in those tiny little plastic cups from time to time. Chances are, a customer deliberately put the two males together in the same cup to watch them fight, the same sort of people who enjoy dog-fighting. When the "Betta bowl" craze was in full swing a few years ago, another fad developed among young male sub-humans-fighting fish. They were well aware of what Bettas were kept for in Southeast Asia and would buy them and fight them and bet on winners just like they did with dogs, only the fish were easy to keep and care for and their parents had no clue. I'd overhear them organizing fights during school, bragging about how bad their fish were, as if they were talking about fighting dogs. Right before one of our local Wal-Marts stopped carrying regular fish, the old fellow in charge of the Pet Dept. told me that he'd often catch youths putting Bettas in with each other in the store and gathering around to watch them fight.

pitbulllady

I was kinda surprised so many people here are saying walmart got rid of fish, I'm in Texas and there's fish in every one we go to. I apologize if this topic sounded like I was "complaining," I just wanted some thoughts and the people on the forum are always nice to talk to.

I'm not a professional betta breeder or anything, it just bothers me when I see an animal that is clearly uncomfortable, especially two adult male bettas crammed in a small cup. I didn't need bettas, I just picked them up because the supervisor declined separating them after I pointed it out to them.

 

[klawfran3]

it's just fish though, right? as someone with many aquaria, I hate seeing fish be mistreated. but to be sure, there are no dogs or cats or ferrets, right? that would be downright horrifying. there aren't any walmart near me so I have the pleasure of not seeing them, but i really would like to be sure there aren't any tarantulas or other pets also being mistreated.

 

[BobGrill]

Walmarts don't sell tarantulas. The only animals they sell are fish.

 

[herpguy]

"Rescuing" animals in horrible conditions unfortunately makes you part of the problem. The only reason these stores continue their abuse is because people buy what they're abusing, so it doesn't matter to them.

 

[Beary Strange]

I hate to stand up for that awful place, but as someone who worked there briefly I can tell you it's not the employees doing that. Dumb teenagers go into the store at night with nothing better to do than cause trouble, like pouring all the bettas together, or putting soda into their containers. :/ The few times I caught them I asked them to leave the store (I was a manager), but oftentimes the damage is already done by the time anyone notices.

 

[Tarantuloid]

"Rescuing" animals in horrible conditions unfortunately makes you part of the problem. The only reason these stores continue their abuse is because people buy what they're abusing, so it doesn't matter to them.

Unfortunately that is the truth, I just didn't want to see a fish get hurt. I made them both their own bigger set ups and they seem more lively now at least.

I hate to stand up for that awful place, but as someone who worked there briefly I can tell you it's not the employees doing that. Dumb teenagers go into the store at night with nothing better to do than cause trouble, like pouring all the bettas together, or putting soda into their containers. :/ The few times I caught them I asked them to leave the store (I was a manager), but oftentimes the damage is already done by the time anyone notices.

Yeah I can see teenagers doing that, I try not to always blame the employees because in reality, a lot are just normal people trying to make a living. I was a bit disappointed though in that they wouldn't take one minute to simply separate the fish that were clearly uncomfortable.

 

[Smokehound714]

Bettas and goldfish are never housed correctly

 

[RzezniksRunAway]

Not to side with keeping the Betta's in horrendous conditions, but I've accidentally cupped two males together while trying to do things too fast, but it was fixed immediately. The worst is when you open the shipment of them, and it's these tiny little bags that are heat sealed with an ounce of insanely blue water. I've gotten two males packed together more times than I can count, where one was dead and the other one might as well be. It's also hard to convince someone that a $3.99 fish requires a setup with heated, filtered water to truly thrive, and even harder when it's a $.25 goldfish. That's when you tell people that it's going to get expensive coming back to the store to keep replacing the child's betta fish with an identical one every time it dies and they don't want to admit it. =/

 

[ClosetCollector]

The Walmart in my town also sells fish, they never look too bad but every single fish I have ever bought from Walmart has died nearly instantly. In every pet store I have entered all the bettas were kept the same way in little cups just like described. All except for one, a pet store in South Dakota, they kept all there bettas in what looked like smaller versions of kricket keepers up on a wall and each one had their own air supply.

 

[bugmankeith]

Here is a slide show I made of a baby female Betta from Petco I bought that was dying from starvation and illness. I did not keep it in a bowl but a heated aquarium
with a proper diet. This is what happened. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxkTyQAG5lU&sns=em

 

[pouchedrat]

I've bought a halloween crab from a Walmart once, as well as an albino african clawed frog I had for a long time (8+ years before my ex took over her care). But all the walmarts that used to sell fish around me no longer do, and the new ones that opened up where I live now don't, either. I thought that was a done thing.