# Betta neglect at PETCO



## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

So, through my various trips to pet stores to scout out a good betta shop, I visited (and purchased 3 bettas) at Petco. The last couple of times I was there I was APPALLED at the conditions the bettas were in. Since I couldn't save them all, I wrote an email to their customer service. Below I have copy and pasted my email to them, and their response which I received this evening. I *hope* their response is a form letter for fish complaints, because otherwise it is filled with blatant lies. I am very disappointed and will no longer bring my business (either buying fish or supplies) to a PETCO.

Should I reply to their email or let it go??

-------------------------------Original Message---------------------------------
I am writing regarding the care that the Betta fish receive in the store in ----, Maine. I have purchased 3 fish within the last 1.5 weeks and the last two times I have been there, there were MANY dead bettas. I personally sorted out the dead bettas the second time I was there because the associates was not checking on them (their response to me was, "You don't need to do that, we throw the dead ones out at the end of the night."). The conditions that these fish were in were HORRIBLE. They should not be dying. It was obvious that too many bettas had been purchased and not all were sold in time, and thus they died. The last time I went, nearly half of the stock was dead. It is VERY disgusting, and horrible the way the fish are neglected. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend anyone buy their bettas at this Petco store. Encouraging people to buy their fish their would only be enabling this type of neglect. PLEASE ask this store to limit there stock of bettas so the fish don't die before they are purchased. Until I find that the bettas are not being neglected, I will be shopping elsewhere. 

Thank you for your time and consideration. 


PETCO's response: 

*Dear Bethany,
Thank you for contacting PETCO regarding your concern with our store at -----. We are sorry to hear about your recent experience.

It is obvious that you are a fish enthusiast. I'm sure you know how easily a fish can become sick if they are under any type of stress. Sometimes, stress is unavoidable. However, we are committed to only selling healthy fish to our customers. We monitor our fish during our hourly animal checks to make sure that none are showing signs of stress or sickness. You may even see a sign on a tank that says the fish are under observation. If we see any signs of stress or sickness, we do not sell them until they are healthy. This demonstrates our commitment to you as a customer and our commitment to the well being of fish in our stores.

I have notified the store's general manager your concern for this to be addressed accordingly, we take these kind of comments seriously and rest assured that we will take care of this.

If we can be of any further assistance, please feel free to reply to this communication or call PETCO Customer Relations directly at 1-888-824-PALS (7257). Thank you again for contacting PETCO.

Sincerely,

Vincent M.
Customer Relations Coordinator 

At PETCO, Animals Always Come First... Our People Make it Happen! 

*


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

To me, it seems like they are stating how they are SUPPOSE to run the fish section at the store. They said they contacted the store in hoping that it will improve. 
Now, I guess you can wait to see if any actions are truly taken. Maybe stop back into the store in about a week or two. If nothing has changed, email them again. Continue emailing them until there is a change.
You could also try contacting their corporate office. It will put your local store under the radar and possibly improve their care that way.


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

I hope that is the case. I will stop in and check next week, but I'm probably black-listed at this point :-/


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## doggyhog (Apr 30, 2009)

Good for you for speaking up!!!!! Hopefully hopefully they make a change!!


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## sunset (Dec 8, 2009)

Thats great that you spkoe up! Hopefully you will see some change! It is just terrible to walk past the rows of dead fish. That is why I try not to support Petno.


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## Livelifelaughlove (Jan 11, 2009)

unfortunatly petco is the only option for me unless i want to go to walmart which is worse....


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## BettaxFishxCrazy (Sep 5, 2009)

One of the Petco's near me is actually great. All of their fish are healthy, I never see dead ones and the guy who works in the department makes sure that their holes aren't covered up by another cup.


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

Our walmart here is actually VERY good, amazingly... there is one lady who is ALWAYS in the fish section and is somewhat knowledgeable (compared to the avg betta buyer anyway). And they have smaller shipments so they tend to sell their stock before they sit there too long. I would rather give Walmart my money here, than Petco (even tho that sounds backwards!!).


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## Zenandra (Nov 14, 2009)

I find that sometimes it helps if you personally talk to the store manager as well as emailing corporate. One of the walmarts near me used to take HORRIBLE care of their bettas, Every time I went in I asked to see the manager and explain to her everything that was wrong. I sent a couple letters to the store, emails and letters and emails to corporate. After a couple months, then cut their usual shipment in half, posted a betta care sheet over the bettas with all of the correct information (including that bettas should be in at least 2 gallons of water with a heater) Persistence can help but you need to make sure it's the right kind, not the kind that will get you kicked out of the store  

Someone posted a letter on another forum, that was a sample letter to a store manager that you could customize to fit your situation, but it was very professional and well written and she said everyone should feel free to use it, let me see if I can find it


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## Zenandra (Nov 14, 2009)

Here you go



> Dear Sir/Madam,
> If you are receiving this letter, it is because one (or more) betta(s) (siamese fighting fish) was(were) recently purchased from your store as a rescue. He or she was suffering from one (or several) of the following ailments: fin rot, columnaris, ich, parasitic infection, emaciation, fin biting behavior, swim bladder disease, deformity, or disability. What's more, a test of the water parameters in the container the fish was sold in were found to have stressful or toxic levels of ammonia, nitrate and/or nitrite. While some health problems in fish are inevitable, the combination of the betta's symptoms and the conditions in which he/she was being kept suggest that husbandry while in the store was the primary culprit in the fish's illness. After all, it is well known among fish keepers that poor water quality is the leading cause of illness in fish and other aquatic animals.
> Husbandry issues resulting in poor fish health are ethically unacceptable and financially irresponsible. As a business, you can surely see the value of keeping the animals you sell healthy. Stores with lower incidences of diseases will see a smaller die-off, a greater number of fish sold, a fewer number of fish returned (refunded), and a greater number of returning customers. Furthermore, fish who leave the store healthy are more likely to live long, productive life - which means more revenue in the form of aquarium products and future live animal purchases from the pleased customer.
> Therefore, it would be in the best interest of your store to reconsider current husbandry practices, particularly the schedule on which your bettas are cleaned. Remember, although bettas are hardy, they are equally as affected by poor living conditions as other fish. Furthermore, though their air-breathing apparatus permits them to be kept in small containers prior to sale, they still produce sufficient waste to dramatically and rapidly lower the water quality if not cleaned frequently.
> ...


You can customize it to fit your location and specific situation.


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## Jayy (Dec 23, 2009)

I think that its good that you are speaking up:thumbsup: but i have to say that both my petcos are really good about taking care of their bettas. both the 1 where i live and the 1 where my dad lives. even the walmart does a good job.:roll:


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

I received a voice message from the general manager at the Petco that I complained about... she wants me to call her tomorrow regarding my concerns! She said that, in fact, they DID have a problem with the bettas, but it happened to be with the seller and they will no longer be buying from him. She wanted to explain this to me over the phone and also talk about my other concerns.

I have to say, I am surprised, and very happy that they are taking this seriously! I will post an update tomorrow on how the conversation goes and what they are doing to fix the situation.


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## BettaxFishxCrazy (Sep 5, 2009)

Wow, that's great!


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## Zenandra (Nov 14, 2009)

Great Job!!


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

Good news!


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## spongebob (Dec 19, 2009)

their probably just lying to keep us quiet


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## AngelicScars (May 5, 2009)

Oh what a great update! Let us know how the conversation goes!


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## Jayy (Dec 23, 2009)

Great!!!!!!!!


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## Betta Fish Bob (Dec 31, 2009)

*Unfortunate problem that is ongoing in all states*

You are to be commended for wanting to help the fish, and in no way get something for yourself!

Rock on!

I have been breeding oscars and bettas for over 20 years, have purchased fish in 7 states, in all types of climates, and all types of tanks, and I have to say that I have found the same appalling conditions in Wal-Mart, PetCo, and EVERY chain type pet store.

There is no way that an employee or two can monitor hundreds of differnt types of ish at different stages of growth and disease. I have found devoted, caring people at every store I shopped, but they are simply too stretched out to be able to handle fish properly.

As a result I NEVER purchase from anyone other than a "mom and pop" store.

Go by a few in your area, meet the owners, make several trips, tell them you are devoted to raising healthy, long-living fish and that your business will be worth several hundred if not thousands of dollars of business in your lifetime, and they will give you what you are looking for.

Also, these smaller shops are ALWAYS wanting to hear that people are upset with conditions in the big houses, and will be happy to take care of you.

You will pay more for your fish and supplies, but you will be happier in the long run.

I always offer to write articles or give classes free of charge to these small shop owners, and believe me, if you do that, you will DEFINITELY be taken care of.

Hope this helps.

Beth C.


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

So I talked to the manager this morning... she was very apologetic and explained that they had a horrible shipment right around christmas. Apparently 53 bettas died within two days of receiving the shipment. They wrote up a report about the supplier and think that the truck driver might have left the door to the truck open or something. She said that they do change the water every two days. She also said she will address the associate who was not checking the fish regularly and said "don't pick out the dead fish, we do that at the end of the night." So she was very apologetic and thankful that I pointed this out. She encouraged me to contact her if I ever see anything else that concerns me. Overall it was a very good conversation and I will go check next week to see how things look. 


Betta Fish Bob-

I found a fish shop 10 mins away from me and they have been around for at least 20 years and are very small. They are FANTASTIC! Their bettas are imported directly from Singapore and are in PERFECT condition, even with bubble nests! And they are huge (like twice the size of petco's) and NO MATTER THE TAIL AND COLOR THEY ARE $3.99 each!!! I love that place!!!


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## Betta Fish Bob (Dec 31, 2009)

Betta Fish Bob-

I found a fish shop 10 mins away from me and they have been around for at least 20 years and are very small. They are FANTASTIC! Their bettas are imported directly from Singapore and are in PERFECT condition, even with bubble nests! And they are huge (like twice the size of petco's) and NO MATTER THE TAIL AND COLOR THEY ARE $3.99 each!!! I love that place!!!
----------------------------

That is awesome!! I LOVE a bargain, and I do really love smaller shops. I sometimes just go in and walk around and spend an hour just chatting and "hanging out!"

Here is a neat list of references and shops for Maine ...

http://articles.directorym.com/Betta_Fish_Care_Maine-r969654-Maine.html

Beth C.


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## xSomethingSmellsFishyx (Dec 31, 2009)

I think you should check out Petsmart. They take excellent care of their fishies! I agree that Petco is horrible! I saved my little betta fish from that undisirable 'pet" store!


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## kuklachica (Dec 23, 2009)

We don't have petsmart near us


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## Jill0 (Jan 8, 2010)

I hope it gets better for the fish there. 

Around our area, I have not been very impressed with PetCo. We've gotten some fish there, but I've been a lot happier with the conditions, employee knowledge, and selection at PetSmart.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

My Petsmart is pretty good. I HAVE seen a few more dead fish lately, though.


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## Jayy (Dec 23, 2009)

I don't think all petcos are bad just some and petsmart is good but,they only have 2 tail types. and I have a LFS around here that sale veils for $2.49 and crowns for $3.99 i'm not sure about the rest.


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## dramaqueen (Jul 7, 2008)

I wish Petsmart had doubletails and halfmoons.


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## Zenandra (Nov 14, 2009)

The petsmart closes to me is where I got Jumangi, he was the only fish out of about 7 bettas still alive on the shelves. And yet the petco about a 1/2 hour from me takes absolutely amazing care of their fish. It's not the Chain, its the individual stores that most often determine the level of care that the fish get. And the ma and pa shops aren't always the best way to go either, they dont always take better care of their fish/animals then the chain stores do. There's one around me where the bettas are in the smallest cups ive ever seen, the water is rarely changed, the other fish are also kept in tiny tanks, including some big plecs and oscars that don't have room to turn around, and they keep their snakes in tupperware containers that they can't move in.


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## Jayy (Dec 23, 2009)

Zenandra said:


> The petsmart closes to me is where I got Jumangi, he was the only fish out of about 7 bettas still alive on the shelves. And yet the petco about a 1/2 hour from me takes absolutely amazing care of their fish. It's not the Chain, its the individual stores that most often determine the level of care that the fish get. And the ma and pa shops aren't always the best way to go either, they dont always take better care of their fish/animals then the chain stores do. There's one around me where the bettas are in the smallest cups ive ever seen, the water is rarely changed, the other fish are also kept in tiny tanks, including some big plecs and oscars that don't have room to turn around, and they keep their snakes in tupperware containers that they can't move in.


 I agree;-)


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## Jessiefish (Oct 2, 2009)

Our PetCo is kinda crappy (both in terms of customer service and fish quality). PetSmart is better, but sometimes their bettas are dead and have horrible water -- I saw one last night that looked like his caudal fin was going to fall off. We used to love going into our usual LFS, but they downgraded their betta cups to even smaller than the norm... the last time we were in there the bettas could barely turn around and were starting to get horrible fin curling.

P.S. I don't have multiple personalities -- "our" and "we" refers to Grant83 and me. ;-)


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