# petco selling baby bettas?!?!?!?



## 3l1zabeth (Jun 28, 2012)

What is your opinion on petco selling baby bettas? I dont mind the one by me selling them because they do daily checkups on ALL the bettas, they have a betta specialist and they have somebody standing over at the betta section to answer everyones questions, to treat the sick bettas, clean their water and feed them.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

We have dozens of threads on this topic already. 

I'm against it. I work too hard to raise these fish from egg to adult and its a kick in the face to true breeders.


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## ninjakitteh (Jul 18, 2012)

heh... i think its neat i actually got one


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## SparklE fin (Jun 8, 2012)

I think newbies who havent taken good care of a betta, try to take care of a baby thinking "Well, they're smaller so they must be easier to take care of" and babies dead. I've personally never bred a single fish, but I must think it might be atleast slightly difficult.


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## lelei (Apr 30, 2012)

I think it's unfair, a baby betta seems more of a challenge to take care of.. and I personally would rather have an adult betta..if something were to go wrong, you would be more fearful of what to do for treatment, their needs would be different, cuz they are still growing, and like any baby need a LOT MOre care.


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## jenjen182 (Jul 20, 2012)

It's kind of unfair. At my Petco, I never see this. They always have their bettas happy and healthy! I'm getting a new one in 2 weeks and saw them today. They had a new bunch and the most beautiful Delta that I had to drag myself away from him! Gorgeous. The water was cleaned too, and they were all swimming joyfully. Yay for Petco!


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Its EXTREMELY bad for those young juvenile bettas. They need big tanks, higher temps, and extremely clean water and proper food.


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## jenjen182 (Jul 20, 2012)

MrVampire181 said:


> Its EXTREMELY bad for those young juvenile bettas. They need big tanks, higher temps, and extremely clean water and proper food.


Very true. You should be a responsible pet owner and be fully prepared. LPS's can be bad enough; it's not right to have a baby in there! The are not prepared to live in such a small space and most likely be bought by a bad owner.


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## MrVampire181 (May 12, 2009)

Young ones that size shouldn't be out of the grow out tank. Let alone in a small, unheated cup, without good food.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

jenjen182 said:


> Yay for Petco!


I second this.

I went to Petco for dog food, and inspected all the bettas. Water was clean and they all looked pretty good, except for being in a cup! But compared to the little dude I just dragged home from Walmart, they looked amazing.


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

I don't like it.

I realise many people here have bought baby fish, and some have even done really well. But that's people_ from this forum_. Who, sadly, are NOT the vast majority who'll purchase one of those babies. 

If it was 3-week old puppies or kittens with their eyes still closed being sold to the clueless, there's be a riot. I don't see this is any different - at all.


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

I almost bought one, to save the poor thing, but I can't encourage it. At first I was hyped, thinking I'd raise my first betta, until I realized I was encouraging something bad.

My petco hides them on a rack not near the others, and only ever has two or three, while they have at least 6 of each adult tail type.

They're taken care of as best as they can (today the adults looked spectacular, except one dead HM that someone had hidden behind a sign), but it's just a bad idea overall.


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## toad (Jul 17, 2012)

Aus said:


> If it was 3-week old puppies or kittens with their eyes still closed being sold to the clueless, there's be a riot. I don't see this is any different - at all.


 
I absolutely agree.

I was actually referring to the grown bettas in my last post to this thread.


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## jenjen182 (Jul 20, 2012)

toad said:


> I second this.
> 
> I went to Petco for dog food, and inspected all the bettas. Water was clean and they all looked pretty good, except for being in a cup! But compared to the little dude I just dragged home from Walmart, they looked amazing.


Good to know another Petco is doing great! I'm very excited about my new betta friend. Compared to our Walmart and Petsmart, Petco crushes them. The bettas seem happy and healthy! :-D


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

The ones I see look nothing liek the one in the picture, they look like tadpoles! How am I supposed to feed THAT?


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## Aus (Feb 3, 2012)

^ I wonder how many of those babies perish in tiny bowls choked on fish waste and rotting flakes. 

As long as people continue to buy them, the stores will keep selling them.. though I somehow expect it to be a fad that wears off, after a majority of baby fish deaths and people aren't willing to try another one. A lot of little fish will have to die, I think, for that to happen...


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## jenjen182 (Jul 20, 2012)

They don't sell babies here at my Petco: just Crowntails, Veiltails, Doubletails, Deltas, Kings, and Plakats.


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## tpocicat (Aug 8, 2011)

I think it's a bad idea to be selling those tiny baby bettas. Any of mine that size are still in the grow out tank where they can have plenty of warm clean water and proper foods. My Petco has them, but I would never buy one. The adults usually look good, but the babies I've seen are usually clamped.


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## NightSongWriter (Apr 2, 2011)

I just got two today at my local Petco and the man who sold them to me seemed quite knowledgeable telling me what I was getting into with them. (Although I knew this) Overall they both seem healthy. The one loves to swim about like crazy, where the other is a bit more relaxed and calm.


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## LizzyP (Jun 21, 2012)

My local Petco is awful. I mean, awful. At least 10 dead bettas (that I found in the 5 minutes I was standing there) and a dead boa constrictor. I will NEVER shop at this Petco again, ever. They too sell baby bettas, but I'll never buy one from not only Petco, but any place. I'm not experienced in bettas hardly at all, let alone baby ones.


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## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

I got a baby Betta from my Petco. As far as their store care goes... it depends on who is working there that week/day I guess.

The one I picked up was "tadpole" size when I got him. I have to say I've thoroughly enjoyed watching him develop.... However like Aus said, the vast majority of people who buy them probably won't be on this forum, or *any* forum for fish most likely and they won't know they need more care and extra needs. I'd say people who have been studying and researching how to breed bettas and care for the fry would be most prepared to successfully raise the babies to adults with no issues.

So overall I'm against them selling them without FULLY informing people but for those who don't wish to breed their fish but want to have the experience of raising a baby it's a good learning experience. (My baby is a veiltail boy) 

I do wish they would place their cups in a tub of heated water on the shelf at the very least. I don't think this would be too much to ask for. Zero out a heater for store use and get a storage box to put the cups in? Maybe provide some paper towels to wipe the cups at the station before you buy them. Or maybe make the store 90-100 degrees so the cups will all stay around 80 ... but I don't think the shoppers or the employees would love me for that suggestion LOL!!!


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## Freyja (Jun 22, 2012)

I think my local Petsmart has two or three juvenile dragonscales. They are less than an inch and have no color yet.


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## Pogthefish (Mar 24, 2012)

I hate when they put them with the adults!


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## gossipgirl1031 (Dec 7, 2011)

I got my first "babies" in November of last year. I think they probably would have been culls normally. Despite loads of TLC, proper food, water temp & water changes; they (so far) haven't grown to be the size of the adults I purchased as adults. Don't know if this is just what happens when the young aren't ready to be sold or not. I've been able to re-home some of them to people who passed my criteria & finally was down to a small amount again. 

I was at Petco the other day getting supplies for my cat & saw the smallest "baby betta" I had ever seen (maybe the size of a dime-at best). Took "him" home & so far, so good. Have to wait and see. Anyone else want to share their own experiences?


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## teeneythebetta (Apr 29, 2012)

LizzyP said:


> My local Petco is awful. I mean, awful. At least 10 dead bettas (that I found in the 5 minutes I was standing there) and a dead boa constrictor. I will NEVER shop at this Petco again, ever. They too sell baby bettas, but I'll never buy one from not only Petco, but any place. I'm not experienced in bettas hardly at all, let alone baby ones.


A dead snake?!?! WTH? How does that even happen?


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