# Baby Bettas at Petco?



## Akeath (May 12, 2009)

I went to a couple Petcos today and in both of them they had 3-4 fish labeled as "Baby Bettas". I was really curious about them. Has anyone else seen these? They were still so young that they were just barely starting to show colors in some and in others there weren't any colors visible at all, and their fins were still so small it was hard to tell the tail types too. 
Are these still so young that they need different feeding schedules/food than adult Bettas? Will they be more likely to be harmed than adults by the environment in those little cups? Would their care be different in any way, are are they old enough that they'd basically be the same care wise and just a gamble on coloring?


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## peaches3221 (Jun 1, 2010)

OMG just saw 'em today for the first time... ADORABLE!!!


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## RichardA (Dec 2, 2011)

They are probably just that.....baby bettas lol

I was in Petsmart picking up some tanks and such today and noticed a juvie male in a cup.....I would imagine the suppliers figured out they could get younger fish and still sell them. For most this is not a problem, could be if you are looking for a specific color though.


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## LittleBettas (Jul 23, 2011)

From what I have heard, even some of the more advanced members here have had trouble keeping these little guys alive

they will need to be fed more often and they DO need special food, live food and "baby food" to help them develop, these little guys get stressed EASILY, especially during water changes


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## mjoy79 (Jul 13, 2011)

I believe they need specific care, as I have seen several stories this week about people's baby bettas dying soon after they bring them home. The stress and lack of proper nutrition for a fry is probably what is killing them.


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## RichardA (Dec 2, 2011)

Good points, I easily forget we have new keepers on here....lol

I feed live food and have been breeding for so long I forget not everyone has kept 1mm fish alive :-D


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Aww.. I wish the closest Petco/Petsmart weren't an hour and 45 mins away  
Even though they may be a challenge, I'm up for it  Stay at home mom so have the time and energy to spend on one  

Otherwise.. it's sad, as mentioned above, they require different needs and too many new hobbyists out there won't know what they are and can cause the poor little ones to suffer. Grr on the stores.


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## snowtail (Dec 2, 2011)

*"baby food"*



LittleBettas said:


> From what I have heard, even some of the more advanced members here have had trouble keeping these little guys alive
> 
> they will need to be fed more often and they DO need special food, live food and "baby food" to help them develop, these little guys get stressed EASILY, especially during water changes



I purchased two baby bettas from Petco the other day, one of them is doing fine but the other one has faded from red with a black trim on it's fins to almost a dull red color. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions on what to feed these babies. I have been crushing up some dried bloodworms and that seems to be helping, but if there is any other food that would work, I would love to know.
Thanks in advance!


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## Luimeril (Dec 29, 2010)

you'd need fry foods. BBS and a fry pellet. i raised a fry from a month old speck, and i fed her live BBS and crushed New Life Spectrum Grow. she thrived on it.


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

Yup, freeze dried isn't enough nutrition for them- there are specialty pellets out there I believe for babies- like mentioned above, the New Life Grow.


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

This just makes me incredibly angry. The fact that Petco is now selling betta fry... *sigh* 
They need temperature of well above of what the store is providing, constant water changes for the amount of growth hormone they put out, special food- as mentioned above, larger spaces... =__=' 
I personally will never contribute to helping Petco with keeping these on the market. A 'baby betta' is not something that should be sold.


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## Roxy (Nov 16, 2011)

I went to my local petco today ( out of curiousity ) and didn't see any.


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

I think it is to get people to by them because it says BABY. I am going to ask them to stop or ask that they at least give them heavier care if they are going to sell the babies. I will also mention that even very experienced betta owners have trouble keeping them alive. Just a stupid thing to do overall though why sell babies?


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## Myates (Aug 2, 2011)

I want to say that the breeders are telling them that it's safe and okay to sell babies, that they would make more profit from them.. just so the breeders can make the revolving door for themselves to go quicker- sooner they are gone, the sooner it frees up more room for the next batch and sooner they get paid.

At least that is what I am thinking- and PetCo bought into it thinking more sales since 'who doesn't love babies'?

I got a new one yesterday, possibly 2 months old, 3 at the most- he's so small and adorable. Even though he isn't as young as the ones in the "baby" cups- he still requires me to cut up his pellets/food and needs a little more nutrition. I worry about him being so small as it is.. can't imagine the worry I'd have over a true baby. 

_*grumble-rassum frassum-grumble*_


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## youlovegnats (Feb 23, 2011)

@Mytaes- Very true. See this is why I don't like the whole "business" economy. Especially when it has to deal with animals. No one (business I should say, other than some locally owned places) cares for the quality of life anymore, and they see these lives just as profit. They don't care if they lose a few hundred during the process, as long as they get the extra buck, it's worth it for them. @^@ *rage* @

@Kfryman- Right. I even have trouble with my spawn... How do you think a little kid is going to see it? "Oh look mom! It's a baby! We need to get it!" ...and three days later it's dead. =__='


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## LoveMyBettas8885 (Dec 7, 2011)

I was at my local Petco yesterday and they had like 15-18 betta babys. I was really shocked and surprised when I saw they were selling babys. I asked about what the care was for the babys and I was told "the care is the same as an adult betta fish" I obviously knew that was wrong. I'm going back to Petco today and I'm going to tell the it's wrong for them to sell babys. These were LITTLE too.  grrr!! :evil:


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

It's ridiculous for the petstores to think that baby fish have the same care requirements as adults.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

I picked one up the other day but it didn't make it. I think it was sick with something when I got it because 1/2 the body turned brown like it was burnt. A bout a week before that I picked up a TINY CT female. She is a little bigger then the babies and was not labled as a baby but she obviouly isn't an adult yet. 

I have BBS eggs and was preparing some but the poor thing didnt last that long.



> I think it is to get people to by them because it says BABY. I am going to ask them to stop or ask that they at least give them heavier care if they are going to sell the babies. I will also mention that even very experienced betta owners have trouble keeping them alive. Just a stupid thing to do overall though why sell babies?


Their plan seems to be to sell these baby bettas along with a TINY and I do mean tiny tank, smaller then their cups, along with a bottle of betta water for $10, claiming its a great christmas present for any beginner.

I can't find a pic of this tank online but it's about 1/4th the size of this half gallon one. This guy can at least move about some but with the triangle ones petco is pushing for the babies, an adult would barely be able to move, especially if its a VT or HM. A giant wouldnt even fit in them.


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## ninjakristin (Jun 2, 2011)

I got a baby Betta (I named him Drew) from Petco about 2 months ago. He was small, cute looking, and cheap. He's grown significantly since I got him. I've only ever had adult Bettas. I knew that Drew needed less food than an adult, but more often. However, I feel extremely bad because I didn't know that there was special fry food. :/ He got sick 2 weeks ago. The symptoms looked like Swim Bladder. He was unable to swim to the bottom of his tank and was lethargic. went through the process of trying to cure him. He's better now, but not swimming through out the tank. I have seem him swim to the bottom, without much difficulty, a few times since I treated him.


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## scootshoot (Oct 11, 2010)

I bought a few and they growing fast. Minor issue early on was getting small enough food for their tiny mouths so I bought a pack of micro pellets.


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## jenjen182 (Jul 20, 2012)

I went to my local Petco today, and I saw... (DUH, DUH, DUH...) baby bettas! Fortunately, my Petco takes really amazing care of their bettas (been going there for 10 yrs, no dead ones yet!), so they were healthy little ones. They were selling them with tanks that are like 1/2 of 1/2 of a gallon though! Oh my goodness, poor bettas in those tiny tank kits with sharp plants!  I was picking up a new 5 gallon for my upcoming betta... (read my signature) and some conditioner and food, when I saw them, as well as a pretty delta!  They make me happy...


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## KevinPham123 (Jul 24, 2012)

WOW. You had a 6 yr old betta? Mirin lol.


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## jenjen182 (Jul 20, 2012)

KevinPham123 said:


> WOW. You had a 6 yr old betta? Mirin lol.


I'm sorry; "Mirin"? :|


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

I managed to keep a rather sickly one alive who was suffering from ich, unfortunately she passed whilst in the care of my friend (no fault of hers) with a second case of ich  a few weeks ago.

My second baby betta is still going strong ( In the care of another friend)
You will find that these guys warm up to you much more easily and you will be able to teach them tricks faster. 

Care is not that difficult for the relatively healthy ones in store. Try not to "save" the emaciated or sickly looking ones as they are much harder to keep alive in the introduction to a new environment. Save the ones that are the healthiest and thus most likely to survive.

Baby Bettas grow the fastest at around 90F (I've had a breeder tell me 100 is ok too but I dunno) the minimum temperature they should be subjected to is in the mid 80s for optimum growth. 

Water should be changed frequently to avoid stunting the fish with the accumulation of their own growth inhibiting hormones. The ones you see in shops are most likely stunted, and it is likely you will see a growth spurt after introducing them to a nice clean environment.

Both my babies have taken one finely crushed pellet (hikari) fed 3 or four times a day) sometimes two pellets a feeding. It seems to be ok feeding them close to adult amounts as all this food tends to translates to growth. I would feed 3 to be on the safe side.

you can also supplement their diet with small live foods (blood worms may need to be chopped up)

For food that are not live you may need to simulate movement to teach the babies how to eat. I taught my girl by blowing crushed pellets on the surface of the water so that she began chasing after it. you can also wiggle things on the end of a toothpick etc etc.

I haven't found keeping baby bettas hard at all. Even the sickly one pulled through like a warrior with a salt bath and half daily water changes. They are tough little things with warrior genes.


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## jenjen182 (Jul 20, 2012)

aokashi said:


> I managed to keep a rather sickly one alive who was suffering from ich, unfortunately she passed whilst in the care of my friend (no fault of hers) with a second case of ich  a few weeks ago.
> 
> My second baby betta is still going strong ( In the care of another friend)
> You will find that these guys warm up to you much more easily and you will be able to teach them tricks faster.
> ...


Wow, it sounds like you are a great owner! I prefer the adult bettas, but maybe sometime I might try the baby bettas! They are sooo cute with the tiny fins. :-D


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## gossipgirl1031 (Dec 7, 2011)

I've raised several of the babies into adults. They do require extra work, higher temps, special food & lots of TLC. I had "placed" my last one into a new (also responsible) home recently & thought I was done for a little while. But while I was picking up cat supplies last week, I saw the smallest one ever. No color at all yet & about the size of a dime, maybe a nickel (at best). So far, so good. Let's hope he stays healthy during this critical period


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