# Walmart Bettas



## GemRising (Sep 26, 2013)

What happens to the Betas that do not get purchased? Do they flush them?


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

No. They sit on the shelves until they die or are purchased.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Don't forget. If they don't get purchased soon, they don't get fed. They only feed them when they get there. I heard a few employees talking about policies.


----------



## GemRising (Sep 26, 2013)

That's terrible. The walmart near me is a dirty, poorly run store even outside of the fish section. Their aquariums look as if they don't get cleaned ever, and you can clearly see the fish are sick. Which would deter buyers. 

I am not fish expert. I am just a beginner. Paul is my first fish aside from three goldfish I had when I was like 5 that I won at a carnival. I only know the names of a few species. The last time I was at the walmart, there was a dead fish of some sort. I don;t know what species, but it was rotting in a 10 or 15 gallon tank with no less than 10 other fish in there. THe corpse was being consumed by a literal hoard of some kind of catfish. It was terrifying. Not somethng I would want my child to see. 

My place it too small, but if I had a bigger one, I would get a 25 gallon and divide it so I could buy more of their bettas. When I got paul, his tiny cup was so cloudy. He was frisky though. Still is..even more so... He is a comedian. I don;t regret getting him. Even if he turned out to be really sick. I don't think I would regret it.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Every time I go to Wal-mart, it's a fish hobbyist nightmare. Dead, decaying fish EVERYWHERE. Don't even get me started on the goldfish tanks. 
The bettas are put on the shelves or in the sinks at my Wal-Marts, and they are rarely cleaned. Same thing with PetCo.


----------



## MsAqua (Sep 29, 2013)

Walmarts do not care for their fish at all (at least all the ones I've been to). The fish are lucky to get fed at all. Hence why I picked up Diablo. He was such a pretty fish and I didn't want to subject him to the same death they all get. Literally, that's what they do, sit in those cups and slowly die. 
Our Walmart had tons of fish with pop eye and so many other problems. And they leave them there for all the little kids to see. I hate it.
One day, in fact, it was a couple days before I finally purchased/saved Diablo. Among the other bettas he was with, one had passed away and was just floating in its cup. An employee come over and goes, fish fish anyone? We told him no and instead told him that there is a betta fish there that is dead and has been all day (I had been there at like 6:30 in the morning after work and then later that evening). He goes no, I think he's just sleeping. I wanted to smack the idiot. I was like no, he has been floating there dead since I came in this morning after work. The guy looks at me and goes oh. Would you guys like to sign the death certificate? He ticked me off so much. Everytime I go there, I just want to snatch up all of the fish because they are not fit to have any of them. If you can't care for them properly, you shouldn't be allowed to sell them. 
I know that it's not fair that I have only chosen one fish and left the others to die, I know.....it hurts to do it. But I don't have the money or tanks to take care of them all. And I honestly don't want to snatch up all the bettas then have to leave them in those awful cups. I hate going to Walmart anymore because I always, always have to go to the pet section and always see the horrors in those tanks and those cups. 
Sure, their bettas won't be in the best of shape, but buying them is pretty much like rescuing the poor things.​


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

I saw this one betta who had no fins and body rot, ammonia burns, and a bit of ich. I was going to take him home, but my dad didn't let me. He's most likely (surely) dead now. 
But hey, that's what i do. I see the pain in their eyes and try to help them. Especially after a widespread PetCo disease took my precious Bloo. :evil:


----------



## Chachi (Sep 22, 2013)

I am so glad my local Walmart doesn't sell bettas!


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

You're lucky Chachi! I would use a Star Wars reference right now, but for the first time I can't think of anything.


----------



## Chachi (Sep 22, 2013)

If they did have them I would have to avoid them for fear of taking them all home!! My husband seems to think I have enough! LOL


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

They recently started selling babies as females. I got one last week. I have now had Athena for a week! I love her so much!


----------



## Hanzobanana1 (Oct 7, 2013)

The walmart near me throws bettas in the trash! ALIVE! Their evil!


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

If they are close to death or even look remotely sick...they sometimes pour them down the drain...


----------



## Hanzobanana1 (Oct 7, 2013)

Its so sad. I would save them. I would take them in


----------



## GemRising (Sep 26, 2013)

I am conflicted about how I feel about them pouring or flushing them. I don't know which is worse, that fate or being left in the death-cup. 

I think any handling of any pet. Dog, cat, bird, fish, whatever as a job should require some certification. It would at least offer basic education for the employees. And.. retail stores that sell everything from underwear to furniture should not be allowed to carry living creatures. Ever.


----------



## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

You do know pouring or flushing fish is one of the most inhumane, slow, painful deaths possible... And at least if they stay in their cup there is a chance (no matter how small) that they will find a good owner.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

Death cup and being dumped are both equally fatal. Dirty, toxic water is involved in both.


----------



## PetMania (Mar 28, 2013)

MattsBettas said:


> You do know pouring or flushing fish is one of the most inhumane, slow, painful deaths possible... And at least if they stay in their cup there is a chance (no matter how small) that they will find a good owner.


 Actually, this is true. There are so many toxic, harmful components in sewer water. But, in a "death cup", there is little water, and food, waste, and dust collect and cause ammonia to go up like crazy! That will ensure the death or illness of a betta. There is a small chance that someone will notice and either rescue or tell someone.


----------



## GemRising (Sep 26, 2013)

No. I did not know that the flushing was the worst. I know it isn't pleasant or humane. In my head, the comparison was similar to choosing between two deaths...neither of which is good. I was thinking it may be faster than sitting in a dirty cup starving and burning from the ammonia, but I am still very new to fish. I am learning. But, yeah, there is a small chance of hope in the death-cup.


----------



## MsAqua (Sep 29, 2013)

That's awful! I don't know what our Walmart does and I'm not sure I want to know. 
Might be a good idea that I stay away from the fish section at Walmart from now on....I might end up taking them all in and nursing them to health before finding homes for them myself. Then I would know for sure that they get homes and aren't dumped down the drain or put in the trash!​


----------



## Niece (Feb 27, 2012)

When I got my first betta (Pisces) from walmart she was just a baby, and literally ever betta there was either already dead or dying. One was barely in an inch of water so me and my aunt switched him out to this cup that didn't even have a fish in it. Which I thought was really weird but whatever...Anyways when I went to pay for her I complained to the lady at the checkout and told her what bad shape they're in, and that they should do something about it because not only is it just sad I don't think having tons of dead fish down an isle is exactly get for health reasons. Anyways I told her I should report it..and not long after that they quit selling fish. Idk if people were just complaining to much or if they were just loosing money but i'm glad they did because it was just awful.


----------



## hollyk (Sep 29, 2013)

I bought a couple of half-dead bettas from Walmart 2 weeks ago. One had advanced fin rot and was missing an eye. The other was severely bloated and floating. Both of them are recovering nicely now! So I would have to say that I'd prefer to see them sit in their little "death cups" rather than get flushed when they look sick. There is a chance, however small, that someone will feel sorry for the poor things and take them home...


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

im actually having all my friends and teachers to sign a petition until i get 100 signatures. when i do, im sending it to walmart headquarters.


----------



## Tony2632 (Aug 30, 2013)

MsAqua said:


> The guy looks at me and goes oh. Would you guys like to sign the death certificate?​



If that guy would have told me that in my face, I would be going to jail that day after beating his face in.:redmad:


----------



## hollyk (Sep 29, 2013)

sushiisaboss75 said:


> im actually having all my friends and teachers to sign a petition until i get 100 signatures. when i do, im sending it to walmart headquarters.


It might actually be worthwhile to start a petition on change.org. I hadn't thought of it until you mentioned a petition, but that could be a great way to get the word out to a huge audience. We could get potentially thousands of signatures. I might think about doing that when I get home today... :twisted:


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

i just made one! (signature)


----------



## sainthogan (Sep 27, 2012)

Occasionally, you will find a Wal-mart employee that goes against store policy and takes care of their fish. Many years ago I worked for a Super Wal-Mart that had such an employee. He was a Betta fish enthusiast and cared for the fish. Even though policy says to leave them alone, he had convinced the manager that they should be cared for properly and was allowed "free reign" in the fish department. I don't know what it's like now, that manager has retired, but I think that employee is still there.


----------



## hollyk (Sep 29, 2013)

sushiisaboss75 said:


> i just made one! (signature)


Signed it!


----------



## sushiisaboss75 (May 19, 2013)

hollyk said:


> Signed it!


Thank you spread the word! get more signatures!tell your friends! your family!


----------



## Tree (Sep 29, 2013)

OMG how horrible. D= someone on a different website said not to buy the bettas at Wal-mart and they will stop getting them. Not sure if I could just watch those poor fish die just because they were taken to Wal-mart to be sold. I would rather see them at Petco or Petsmart more. at least Bettas there get taken much faster than the wal-mart ones. =( 

I have seen sick bettas at the petstores though. I understand that they cannot take care of all the bettas but it's a petstore for crying out loud. it bums me out to see the fish in that state. =( 

betta fish at Walmart is like a puppy mill in a way. T^T


----------



## twobettas (Nov 7, 2013)

I know I"m bumping an old thread, but I had to share my horror story. The Walmart closest to me doesn't sell bettas, but I was at a different one a little farther away, and I'm still reeling with disgust. The bettas are shoved into a locked cabinet, probably so idiots won't put them together to fight. Problem is, I doubt anyone even sees that the store sells bettas because it's not somewhere you'd even look. Literally all were dead or dying. I'm going to complain to corporate, since I've read a lot of horror stories saying nothing gets done at the local level. Why sell them since obviously no one is buying them? I'm so glad my Klaus and Cartman didn't end up at Walmart. It was bad enough for them at Pet Supermarket.


----------



## Survivor2013 (Dec 2, 2013)

They are very sad. That's where Blue came from. Blue was a Christmas present from my dad to my daughter. He died about 6 months ago. I moved and didn't know my new tap was so horrible.


----------



## Ilovebettasbk11 (Nov 12, 2013)

I Don't understand why Walmart and petco sell bettas if you can't take care of them don't sell them 

I mean walmart does not need to sell bettas for people to come over and petco should just stick to dogs and cat products really


----------



## Survivor2013 (Dec 2, 2013)

My second fish was from petsmart. They were all only slightly unhealthy aka minor fin rot. They take really great care. Now our local petco, I've never seen them carry bettas. If it's not friendly enough for community sale tanks, then they don't carry it


----------



## alyymarie (Oct 17, 2013)

I think a single dead fish at a pet store is too much, I mean you're a PET store, this is your entire business. Every PetCo/Petsmart in my area takes terrible care of their fish. I only go to a local pet store - expensive but their fish are much healthier.
But I'm so glad the Walmart here stopped selling fish! They used to when I was a kid. I agree they should have no place carrying live animals.


----------



## Ilovebettasbk11 (Nov 12, 2013)

That's my motto and I am sticking to it if you can't take care of it don't sell it 

They should not sell sick animals that are about to die to people and then give them wrong information on how to take care of them


----------

