She Says My Bettas Keep Die But I Don't Care, They Are Cheap

[Whisper]

I was at Petsland and I heard the lady at the checkout say, "My bettas keep dieing but I don't care becaue they are so cheap". She said this with a giggle too.

Well I must have turned every shade of red and purple hearing this and probably had steam coming out of my ears as I stepped up to this lady to explain a few things.

Can you imagine the dirtbag attitude of someone to even think like that? Man, that just pissed me off. If she knew how to care for the Bettas she might own the same one long enough to love it and experience the love and joy the Betta can give to her. And that's exactly what I told her.

Then, as politely as I could, trying hard not to show my desire to stuff her head in a fish tank (that would have been cruel to the fish), I asked her how she maintained her tank and tried to teach her how to care for her Betta. From my opening remark to her, she knew I had a strong belief that a Betta's life needs to be respected, so she listened to what I had to say. But I could tell from her lack of questions, she really had no interest in how to better care for her Bettas. After all, they ony cost a few bucks.

The nerve!

 

[lilfishie]

i would of had to walk away or i wouldn't of been very nice at all! she's just 1 of those people i guess

 

[fluttermoth]

People like that make me want to

 

[-FighterFishh]

That's disgusting. I'm not really entirely sure I would have been able to stop myself shouting at her

 

[fuzzynicki]

Where's karma when you need it ? Well done for keeping your cool and trying to help her out. It's one of those times when you wish that punching someone in the face was legal!

 

[Whisper]

That's disgusting. I'm not really entirely sure I would have been able to stop myself shouting at her

I probably would have let her have it or refuse to let her buy the Betta but at the time, I was a part time employee as a Fish Specialist for Petland. I needed that job to learn how many Bettas they sell to help justify the market for the Betta book I was writing at the time. No stores would tell me this info so I had to get a job there to find out.

Plus, I was already in hot water with the Petland manager for refusing to sell some Bettas to a bunch of high school kids that wanted to buy them to watch them fight. I flat out refused to let them buy the Bettas and they went to the manager who told me to let them buy them. So I had to calmly share my experiences with these wonderful loving Bettas with these high school kids to make them understand they shouldn't want to torture then or kill them like that because they are such loving and playful creatures. Luckily, these kids did have a heart somewhere inside them because they all lost their appetite to watch them fight after I talked to them and lost interest in buying the fish.

After they left, I turned to the shelf with the Bettas on them as said, Whsseew! That was a close one, hah!

 

[-FighterFishh]

Ahh! That explains it. Thank god those kids say sense in the end. I'm sure the little men appreciated it!

 

[LilyRose Tank]

I personnally dont think it should be allowed to sell any pet to under 21's unless an over 21 is with them for responsibility sake.

well done for keeping your cool...I often go off on one with customers in pet shops for being so ignorant. I think they see me coming and hide now. I told a man off on the weekend, for trying to sell me a cage meant for a parrot ( 20mm bar width) to me for a green cheak conure...the poor darlings hang themselves for heavens sake. I gave him a very polite, I'm sorry I wouldnt pay £80 for something that will kill the £200 little darling....his face was a picture. So I educated him that 10mm bar spacing is used for green cheak conures. not 20mm! As I have a variety of husbandry experience ( side effect from having an animal loving nature) I could easily get a job in a pet centre....the last job I had in one almost ended up in court, as my boss at the time, couldnt be bothered to pay vet fees on an animal he was selling, as it cost more than the animal, and was leaving the poor defensless guinea pig to die in a cardboard box with no food or water to drink. I blasted him in front of customers and told him to stick his job as I didnt want to be associated with a business that was cruel to animals...I think I should have been a vet....but putting my arm up some poor cows bum put me off!
anyway, well done

 

[lilfishie]

i'm only 20 and have been buying my own fish for 4 years now (since i got my job) the store i use i have been going to since i was 4? so they know i'm a good un

 

[Whisper]

I personnally dont think it should be allowed to sell any pet to under 21's unless an over 21 is with them for responsibility sake.

well done for keeping your cool...I often go off on one with customers in pet shops for being so ignorant. I think they see me coming and hide now. I told a man off on the weekend, for trying to sell me a cage meant for a parrot ( 20mm bar width) to me for a green cheak conure...the poor darlings hang themselves for heavens sake. I gave him a very polite, I'm sorry I wouldnt pay £80 for something that will kill the £200 little darling....his face was a picture. So I educated him that 10mm bar spacing is used for green cheak conures. not 20mm! As I have a variety of husbandry experience ( side effect from having an animal loving nature) I could easily get a job in a pet centre....the last job I had in one almost ended up in court, as my boss at the time, couldnt be bothered to pay vet fees on an animal he was selling, as it cost more than the animal, and was leaving the poor defensless guinea pig to die in a cardboard box with no food or water to drink. I blasted him in front of customers and told him to stick his job as I didnt want to be associated with a business that was cruel to animals...I think I should have been a vet....but putting my arm up some poor cows bum put me off!
anyway, well done

Way to go! Good for you!

 

[Better is Betta]

Its a sad world we live in.....and we are the throw away society. The mentality of us humans (not meaning all of us) is if we buy something cheap and it stuffs up we just throw it away and buy another one. The same goes with pets. But if you paid a high exorbitant price for something you tend to respect it more and try to look after it as best you can because you don't want to lose a lot of money replacing it. Its a shame the bettas have come down to goldfish prices ....but its a money maker and thats all the sellers are interested in... not the welfare of the fish. Quite frankly I feel that most of your lfs want your fish to die so you can come back and buy more. What do yous think...I'm hoping Im wrong.

 

[Didge007]

They are ridiculously cheap at a petshop around here....$7 for a 'normal' Betta (ie Vieltails and even halfmoons because they can't tell the difference) and $8 or $9 for a crowntail. I wouldn't get more than two male guppies for that price! And they are the petshop with 15 tinsy half filled plastic cups with the fish in Makes me mad when I see them. Atleast the LFS I normal go to has a decent system where the fish are in those Betta set ups (you know the 5 tiny boxes in a row all connected?) but it's connected up to a filter so water is constantly going in and out of the tanks. Yes they are small, but the turn over on the fish are so high they aren't in there long. I hate to think what they are going to though

 

[This Old Spouse]

It always makes me ill when I go into a pet store and see the poor bettas lined up row after row in tiny cups. I've almost bought one a time or two, but I just don't know enough about them.

Back to the OP, I wonder if the idiot woman has any other pets. We can only pray she doesn't.

 

[Fishy friend2]

I was at Petsland and I heard the lady at the checkout say, "My bettas keep dieing but I don't care becaue they are so cheap". She said this with a giggle too.

Well I must have turned every shade of red and purple hearing this and probably had steam coming out of my ears as I stepped up to this lady to explain a few things.

Can you imagine the dirtbag attitude of someone to even think like that? Man, that just pissed me off. If she knew how to care for the Bettas she might own the same one long enough to love it and experience the love and joy the Betta can give to her. And that's exactly what I told her.

Then, as politely as I could, trying hard not to show my desire to stuff her head in a fish tank (that would have been cruel to the fish), I asked her how she maintained her tank and tried to teach her how to care for her Betta. From my opening remark to her, she knew I had a strong belief that a Betta's life needs to be respected, so she listened to what I had to say. But I could tell from her lack of questions, she really had no interest in how to better care for her Bettas. After all, they ony cost a few bucks.

The nerve!

What is her problem why would she even say that

 

[Dieses Madchen]

That's like saying, "It doesnt matter if I am gone for two weeks..Cats are independent and take care of themselves." I could care less if my cats are independent most of the time. I still spoil the crap out of them when they let me. So who cares if Bettas are cheap! My Platys and swordtails are 2 dollars apiece and I spoil those little fishes! And it breaks my heart when they are ill!