RandomWiktor
Rabid Betta Activist
I like Petsmart, or at least I like it as much as I can like any store that sells animals to anyone who can wave enough money, regardless of how unqualified they are. They usually seem to have decent fish husbandry practices, and I find thier prices to be much better than Petco's.
So yesterday, I went in to Petsmart to get my ferret's food (the only place I can find the dang stuff), and as usual, took a look at the fish. Something seemed wrong. There were easily twice as many fish per tank as usual, everyone looked distressed, disease was rampant, and fights were breaking out everywhere. I overheard some employees talking, and apparently someone accidentally ordered double the amount of fish as they were supposed to have. And, instead of trying to rectify the problem by asking if they could be sent back, the manager just decided to cram everyone into the tanks and hope for the best. The best, obviously, was not happening.
To make matters worse? They just started carrying female bettas, and had about 30 of them crammed into what probably equaled a 15-20g cube tank. There was one plant in the whole bloody tank, and obvious, a massacre was ensuing. Basically every female there was fin-nipped to hell, and many were desperately trying to hide from more agressive tank mates.
I don't really need more fish. No, really. But I felt very badly for some of the more submissive females who were getting a real arse-whooping. So, I asked if I could look at them (I'm too short for a tank that high up, hah) and immediately spotted a female who was so covered in stress stripes she didn't look like a betta any more. She was ghostly pale, getting blasted across the tank and into the glass by the current, and was getting picked on quite a lot by some of the tougher gals who had dealt better with the transport stress.
So I ask the employee if I can get her. And she asks what size tank I have, which gave her brownie points... for a moment. I said a 5g, and she said I could easily get four other females in addition to her! I stared at the woman like she had five heads, and quietly pointed out that most aquarists suggest 4-5 females per a MINIMUM of 10 gallons, and said I'd only like the one. And she pushed the issue, saying that they liked having company! I think she just wanted to sell me more fish since they were overstocked. I looked at all the fighting, shredded girls and said, "yeah, they look like they're loving one another's company allright," and proceeded to purchase the sad looking little female.
The store clerk took one look at the pathetic looking fish - who was basically a pale beige from distress - and gave a sortof disgusted "her?" and asked why I didn't get a better looking one. I insisted on this female, and finally left the store with her.
The "ugly" female turned out to be a very lovely sort of pale peach/orange color when she wasn't cold, stressed, and abused. She seems healthy aside from some ripped up fins and a scrape on her side, and I'm sure she'll do fine alone in her 5 gal. I, in the mean time, will just sit here and silently be very dissapointed in a store I usually respect.
So yesterday, I went in to Petsmart to get my ferret's food (the only place I can find the dang stuff), and as usual, took a look at the fish. Something seemed wrong. There were easily twice as many fish per tank as usual, everyone looked distressed, disease was rampant, and fights were breaking out everywhere. I overheard some employees talking, and apparently someone accidentally ordered double the amount of fish as they were supposed to have. And, instead of trying to rectify the problem by asking if they could be sent back, the manager just decided to cram everyone into the tanks and hope for the best. The best, obviously, was not happening.
To make matters worse? They just started carrying female bettas, and had about 30 of them crammed into what probably equaled a 15-20g cube tank. There was one plant in the whole bloody tank, and obvious, a massacre was ensuing. Basically every female there was fin-nipped to hell, and many were desperately trying to hide from more agressive tank mates.
I don't really need more fish. No, really. But I felt very badly for some of the more submissive females who were getting a real arse-whooping. So, I asked if I could look at them (I'm too short for a tank that high up, hah) and immediately spotted a female who was so covered in stress stripes she didn't look like a betta any more. She was ghostly pale, getting blasted across the tank and into the glass by the current, and was getting picked on quite a lot by some of the tougher gals who had dealt better with the transport stress.
So I ask the employee if I can get her. And she asks what size tank I have, which gave her brownie points... for a moment. I said a 5g, and she said I could easily get four other females in addition to her! I stared at the woman like she had five heads, and quietly pointed out that most aquarists suggest 4-5 females per a MINIMUM of 10 gallons, and said I'd only like the one. And she pushed the issue, saying that they liked having company! I think she just wanted to sell me more fish since they were overstocked. I looked at all the fighting, shredded girls and said, "yeah, they look like they're loving one another's company allright," and proceeded to purchase the sad looking little female.
The store clerk took one look at the pathetic looking fish - who was basically a pale beige from distress - and gave a sortof disgusted "her?" and asked why I didn't get a better looking one. I insisted on this female, and finally left the store with her.
The "ugly" female turned out to be a very lovely sort of pale peach/orange color when she wasn't cold, stressed, and abused. She seems healthy aside from some ripped up fins and a scrape on her side, and I'm sure she'll do fine alone in her 5 gal. I, in the mean time, will just sit here and silently be very dissapointed in a store I usually respect.
. I'm guessing it's a dead betta, but how would you get a dead betta?
lol, but i have to say i have been disappointed with petsmart here in the UK, they recently bought over a local Pets at home, and i'm quite annoyed at that... for a start, they keep guinea pigs mixed with rabbits, which i am told is a terrible thing to do, as the Rabbits often kick the guinea pigs, and can apparently pass on horrible ilnesses that do not effect rabbits... 
but they also seem not to care about fish welfare either, i was in buying fish, some of my first fish, and the woman, obviously didn't care about hurting the other, fish as she smacked the net around, terrorising the other fish, in what i am sure was a grossly overstockd tank, (with already dead fish lying at the bottom) then when she 'accidently' killed the fish i was after, she said, 'dam, i'll get another, there...' i simply said i had changed my mind and had to think about it, then took my plants and proceded to the checkout... 
so it seems petsmart world wide are dissappointing their customers, although we may have just been unlucky with our choices in stores... 
But good on you! i appluad this highly!! 
Well Done!!!
Hope she does much much better.
