What do they do with female bettas?

[blue_ram]

Have you ever wondered what they do with the female bettas? Until recently, they weren't offered for sale. So what do breeders do with all the female bettas? Especially when they got too old to breed...

 

[black angel]

dont know where you live but all the pet shops ive been to have loads of females.

 

[blue_ram]

I've lived in New York, New Jersey, and Arizona. I've never seen female bettas for sale anywhere until recently.

 

[bshockstubb]

Here in AZ our LFs and walmart both stock female bettas

 

[blue_ram]

Here in AZ our LFs and walmart both stock female bettas

I know walmart stocks them. But Petco, Petsmart, and my LFS in NY and NJ never stocked them. I've only seen female bettas RECENTLY at Petco and Petsmart in Arizona.

 

[CatLover]

I think female bettas are rare, at least around here (eastern Ky). I have always seen them in stores, but there are always very few - no more than 7 or 8 at a time.

As for your question, the breeders probably do what most humans do with the animals they breed. Once they get too old to "serve their purpose," they're killed.
This is probably much more common with fish breeders (not all, of course, but the ones who are heartless enough to kill) because it's a lot easier and quicker to kill a fish than it would be a dog, or horse, or something.

Other fish breeders probably kept the female bettas as pets afterwards, or sold them. There is no definite answer to your question because each fish has a different destiny. Some are just less fortunate than others.

 

[pnyklr3]

My lfs just started selling female bettas. They are actually crowntails!

 

[mwm]

Ive never seen them hear eather

 

[Danno]

What I have kinda figured out is that chain stores like petco only have them only during cetain times in the year (at least where I live)

The one time I was at petsmart it was all vientails, then the next week crowntails and female vientails. The next week was all plakats. dunno whats goin on in thier chian store fiasco but whatever as long as they keep on selling them to MEh!!

 

[Lenna]

I sell mine to the LFS. However, it isn't a chain store, it's privately run and really good as far as LFSs go. I don't sell them to chain stores because they treat them poorly and don't give good info to the people buying them. I guess other people who breed bettas might feel the same way.

 

[mandi]

I think the bottom line is -- shops like Petsmart & Petco want to make money. The typical betta-buyer wants a fish with big, pretty, flowing fins ... a male. Sometimes these places will try ordering in some females, to see if the demand exists in an area. If it goes well, you'll see more females, if not, they'll only order males. Some LFS will specifically TRY to order females if you ask them to do so. Most places just don't stock them because they don't sell nearly as well as the males.

That being said, when I was at Petsmart last week, they had some double-tail females! I was really tempted because they were SO darn cute, but I resisted because I was on my way to do other shopping and errand-running (though next time I go back, if they still have any, one is coming home with me haha)

 

[Joby]

My nearest lfs only orders 6 females in at any one time so I guess not much call for them round here but I'm always first in the line to view the new arrivals as I'm building up a female betta community. They have even had some CT's in lately which is quite something in the UK

I did see at another lfs today a whole tank full of females but they were mostly very small and very similar colours so I guess maybe someone bred them and sold them on.

 

[Opcn]

small shops sell roughtly as many females as males, big shops sell way more males than females, The reason for this is that people at small shops are there for high quality fish, so they get locally bred fish, this encludes varieties other than Viel Tail. However Big chains get there bettas from big breeders, who cull off fish that wont sell, like female betas, they are either culled or used as feeders for larger fish.