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Cruelty - Bettas

Having been in and out of the trade over the past 25 years, you will have to believe me when I say the worst people are the public, you can try to educate them but if your answer is not what they want to hear they will ignore it and do what they want anyway :(
As an example last year I was the manager of the pet department in a large garden centre and one day a woman with her young son came to me and asked if I could get her a snowy owl or a barn owl, I explained they are not pets, she said if Harry potter had one them why couldn't she? After 15 minutes explaining to her she turned round and pointed out a pure white budgie and said "I'll take that instead then" I refused to sell her it.. She went to complain to the general manager, this plus a few other things like not stocking fish bowls or unfiltered tanks led to our parting.
The general public view fish as disposable pets, and the trade relies on this, as people kill fish so they come back and replace them:(
Serious fish keepers research the fish before buying them and keep them in suitable conditions, and usually belong to clubs or forums to expand their knowledge..
The worst customer from a trade point of view are people with a serious interest in planted aquariums as they don't buy many fish and the ones they do, live a long and healthy life

So sorry for the long ramble but there's no easy solution to fish cruelty, if every fish bought lived a full and healthy life then less fish would be imported= less shops stock fish= prices would rise

Most councils that licence pet shops have no idea about water quality etc :(
 
Hi Dean, I would have to agree, the public SUCK! I've been a dog groomer for many years and it would horrify you if you saw some of the stuff I have. All from folk you say they love their dogs so I'm not surprised by anything I see re fish.
Found this listing on ebay
***jewl 90 cichlids fish tank with stand+ full set up+halfmoon betta, bargain***
Click to expand...
At first I looked as I was concerned about the betta being in with cichlids! But no, it gets a jar all of its own.
I sent them a message saying this was cruel, what more can you do?
 
To revive the topic - I am pleased that my message to that Ebay seller has worked. They are still selling bettas now - now with a sky high postage :lol: At least, each betta seems to be in an - "allegedly" - appropriate environment when photographed... On a side note, I just got a gourgeous crowntail from such a rough retailer as one of the major "general pets chain" (not sure I can mention names). I came one day - and here they were, not with suitable tankmates, etc. I resisted. A day or so after, I was shopping in a superm,arket in the area, and could not resist having a look. My "number one" at the first visit has gone - probably (and sadly!) to a child's plastic tank whith nobody of the parent having a slightest clue what is the best way to keep them. So, I simply could not pick up the "number two" - healthy crowntail with red fins and dark body. A tank had to be put up (I have a few spare ones in the losft and of course a lot of media from existing tanks filters and a lot of plants). And here he is - strted to built a bubble nest straight away - I am guessing he is happy...:)
 
My two cents, one of the biggest hurdles to getting bettas into the tanks they deserve is that retailers have to seperate them to avoid aggression. It's better for their well being to be kept singly in smaller tanks than with tank mates in larger tanks where their aggression will result in deaths. A retailer that tried to keep them individually in decent sized tanks would go out of business as there wouldn't be enough profit in dedicating so much space to just one inexpensive fish. Of course there are some other species that can be safely housed with bettas to get around this but then the retailer has the risk of cross contaminating stock from different supplies.

Novice fishkeepers will see the shop keeping them in small tanks and assume that this is acceptable for the life of the fish, which is wrong. Providing the display tanks are well filtered then it's an acceptable short term solution as a shop is really only a transit point for these fish and the small display tanks are hopefully not long term housing solutions.

On a different note, rescuing a fish from a shop which has bad practices is great for that fish only but encourages the shop to continue their bad practices.
 
Evening all,
No, I did not mean to "have a go" at this particular retailer: they do what they do: and they have regular deliveries of bettas which are sold very quickly - no sign of going out of business. And as I said they even had the bettas with the tolerable tankmates (for at least temporary accommodation). It is just - this batch was of young, healthy and, frankly, very impressive quality bettas, very rare "catch" even in better shops.
As for me not buying to "encourage trade" - if I had not bought that betta he would have ended up in a plastic "little mermaid" tank with the people who have no idea how to care about not only him but any fish. For the shops which have bettas in racks, it would be a good practice to ask the customer how experienced they are and then explain how the bettas should be kept at home. Some shops/shop assistants do and some don't do this but this should be a rule. It is the same situation as with puppies and kittens - how many of them are bought by people who don't really realise that you cannot just "switch them off when not in use"?!...
By the way, there is number of fish you can house with bettas successfully - I have been keeping them for long time now and know that some combinations work very well... So, it is not THAT restrictive - just a matter of knowledge, experience and research. Also, bettas are individualities and some (I know it first hand!) actually PREFER company of some other fish - of course there are others not so keen... Not all the rules of keeping bettas are rigid...
Actually, that post of mine was just to say that when I see THE betta - I cannot go away easily! Sad, I know... :)
Also, I hoped to make more people to read this to encourage more people to intervene/complain (when possible) when they see something wrong. The same as with puppies and kittens and any other animal, really...:)
 
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