Just Do It Already! We Need Writers!

[Teelie]

Online petitions don't work with few exceptions and as has been pointed out, and ignored time and again these are temporary housing for Bettas. They aren't meant to be permanent and even the container says it in clear lettering. These aren't like other fish you can just chuck in a tank with eachother. They need seperate housing and as luck turns out, can breathe air from the surface without filtration for the duration of their keeping at a store.

Is it cruel? Not really. What is cruel is keeping them that way. It's no worse than a dog or cat kept at a kennel in a cage or carrier until they can be picked up or adopted.

 

[jourdy288]

Good points, however another one of the problems is stocking, and the fact that the employees don't take care of them when required.

 

[rdd1952]

Stocking is something you just need to speak with your local store manager about. As I have mentioned already, petiitions, whether online or on paper, are useless unless you can come up with 1 million plus verifiable names. Then someone MAY listen but there are still no guarantees. So far, you have 62.

 

[heymickey94]

Actually I once came across a pet store that had 3 30 gallon tanks (4 feet long) that were divided that they kept their bettas in. It was real cool the tanks where all kept on different stands next to each other. The 1st tank was the highest and would waterfall into the next tank wich would waterfall into the next. Hard to understand I know.

 

[jourdy288]

Nice. If we could show them that...

Anyway, I think a documentary is in order. It should be profesionally done, with the correct filming equipment. If anybody could be so kind as to, we could have something on our hands. Please keep petitioning, and ask your friends, their friends, and let this thing spread. E-mail it, fax it, anything you can do, just spread it.

 

[K.J.]

I don't think a documentary will be made anytime soon. I suppose someone could make some pamphlets of sort you could fold into trifolds and pass out at the petshop but many of them won't accept it and I would limit it to the local shops.

 

[jourdy288]

Okay, maybe not profesionally done, but maybe a simple video posted on youtube, or some other site, with that special code somebody could easily place in their websites to be seen. Also, put a link to the petition on your site, if you have one. Spread the jam! (er, joy!)

 

[AJGray]

i have signed and passed on the link to friends and family

 

[rabbut]

Sure but here is the thing.
1. Online petitions never work.
2. Petco doesn't care. They are only interested in money, not caring for the fish.
3. Customers don't want to be educated. Most are just happy with what they think is right, to them caring for a betta costs 5 bucks and don't want to have to potentially spend more money and time to invest in a "fish".

Agree to all I work in my lfs, and unfortunately we regularly have customers who are not interested in taking advise. This often adds to the problems of lfs staff not giving the best advise. Most of my colegues will give the advise that will lead to the customer getting what they want from their tank asap, rather than the most ethical and correct methords of fishkeeping. They only fill you in when you ask to correct questions. In the past members of staff have be assaulted for refusing sale of livestock to inappropriate conditions All of these things can contribute to lfs staff giving the poor advise given. Not only is customer education paramount, but training the staff to give good advise, and feel safe doing it, is IMO just as important. There is more to the problem, than just the betta cups and the advise.
Could I prehaps surgest that people who are following this partition also consider sending their own letters to the companies involved, explaining the whole problem. Head office in large companies are far away from the stores, thus they don't always know whats been going on. A large number of letters from customers is more likely to be listened to than a partition, as more can be said and put forward in a letter.
I have not signed the partition, as I do not feel that the cups themselves are the rute of the problem. I have instead opted for the letter option.
Regards
rabbut

 

[jourdy288]

Thank you. Alright, let's do the letters too. Somebody find out the head offices of Petco and Petsmart please, and put up the addresses to send letters to. Also, keep passing along the petition, and MAKE IT POPULAR! Ask people to put it on blogs, free websites, anything they can.

 

[jourdy288]

Keep signing! PLEASE!!!

 

[merry78]

signed the petition.
used to work in an LFS.
Most customers were IME, interested/persuaded by info on how to best keep the fish they were buying, and our Bettas were/are kept in community tanks with fast/dissimilar species where the Bettas were good tankmates.
Did not stock vases for Bettas, nothing under about 2 Gall. (still small IMO, but better than 1/2 litre).
LFS out-competed four other LFS's in regional city (Toowoomba, Qld.) on service and reputation.....certainly not on price.

 

[jourdy288]

Was this a superstore LFS?

 

[jkrekord]

Personally i wont be signing, as i dont think its especially cruel, at the end of the day the cups are temporary. You cannot try to make businesses run paradise for the fish they are selling, aquatic stores dont run on an especially big profit margin as it is and also their is no chance this petition would be took seriously, sorry if i ruffle any feathers just my opinion.

 

[merry78]

Was this a superstore LFS?

nope, hole in the wall.
must be noted, this lfs was dodgy on many other points, just not that bad on this one.