Betta Rescue - More Harm Than Good?

Hahah, Blaze is the same way. As soon as I walk into the room, he swims up to me.. its adorable. I've also noticed my betta's observing what I'm doing in the room.. but when I look over at him, he darts behind his rock, them emerges with his fins spread.. hes a ham. (;

 

OMG that is so sad!!!!! The stupid lady person........

 

It's so sad to hear of the conditions these fish get kept in...and so good to hear of the way people transform them!

I did my first betta "rescue" just this morning. This lady had bought him and was keeping him in a 1.25 litre jar (not a bad jar compared to some - at least it looked clean and had a plant), then got home, did her research and realised that, hey, bettas actually need tanks, filters and heaters! So she made the right decision and sold him on. (The only annoying part was that, despite her research, she was selling her jar as a betta starter kit...). Anyway, he's gone into a heated, filtered 5 gallon and is currently wondering what to do with all the space! Not really a rescue, I suppose, but I wanted to stop someone who didn't know better from buying the jar and continuing to keep him in it.

I do have a story that is more of a genuine rescue. I was in a petshop that I previously had a small amount of respect for and went into the fishroom. They keep their bettas in jars of roughly a litre. There was a nice-looking crowntail who seemed really over-active, so I leaned in for a peek, and lo and behold, there's another fish in the jar! She was a tiny female guppy with a tail shaped like an 's'. She's the cutest, most deformed little freak I'd every seen. She had a couple of big chunks taken out of her tail where the crowntail had gone for her. I told the fishlady, "There's a guppy in your fighter jar" and she replied, "Yes, people sometimes drop them in for a joke." She didn't really seem at all concerned and didn't do anything until I said I wanted to buy the guppy. Luckily I got her for free! She lives with another female donated by a friend, my female betta Athena and two panda cories (buying more soon) in a planted 15 gallon tank.

I got 3 of my 5 rats from the RSPCA - not really rescues, but it's nice to know that I can support the RSPCA and give my boys the best home possible.

Those are my stories.

 

its so nice to hear about all the thing people do for animals in need. and I think that purchasing a fish that is living in terrible conditions is a rescue, just my opinion like, my second betta, Meekish. she was a t a pet store, so most people wouldnt call it a rescue. I went in their to buy a small plant to put in my first bettas tank, and I saw her and... really, if you saw the water that that poor baby girl was in, you would have grabbed her just as quick as I did. I had to buy her a really small tank, like less than a gallon, because I had next to no money and wasn't planning on getting a fish that day at all, but just... had to. there was actually mold growing on the bottom of her little cup, and it was covered in uneaten food (it looked like someone had just dumped way too much food in there and left it for a month or 2) she was really shy (hence her name lol) and unresponsive for the first couple days, which had me worried that she could be really sick, but she is doing so much better now! I actually feed her by hand now, and ive only had her for a little over a week! I'm planning on upgrading her living quarters soon, I think I might keep her in a 2 gal instead of putting her in the sorority I'm planning... not sure yet

oh, and the other pet I have that is a true rescue is my 1 year old pit lab mix, Rue. I got her when she was 2 months old, and her eye was severely cut up and infected, her mom was used for nothing but breeding and fighting, it made her crazy and she attacked her own puppy! when I got her, she had been adopted my a friend of mine temporarily. he wanted to take care of her but had no idea how and had no time so he had just left her in the backyard, no training or love... it makes me sad just thinking about it anyway, ive fixed her up now, shes partially blind I one eye but you can barely tell or see the scars anymore, and she is such a good dog, really sweet and smart. the rescues are the best!!!!! <3

 

MOLD?????!!!!!! That's wrong and sad. Yesterday I went to my LFS to buy a few fish for my aquarium and I couldn't help but to look at the bettas.... Don't know if you know but I'm setting up a 12G nano for a betta and I almost grabbed a beautiful red and blue one because he really grabbed me!!!! But then I saw a sad sight, a beautiful purpley pink one strugling to get a breath from the top finally he got up their but fell back to the bottom...... So sad. The poor doggy!!!!! I hope he has the life he deserves now which I'm sure he does

 

It was summer, and they were doing a contest across the whole school to win an injured and neglected betta because the class always cared for it (not reallly).
You had to read X number of books to enter, so when I got home, I didn't even do my homework. I read. And logged it.
I ended up winning it. It was in perfect condition a few months later. A few weeks later, he spawned. I put him in a divided tank with a female, but he jumped over the divider and the female killed him.

 

My moms friend from france had a male and a female with out a divider and the were best buds

 

I have two like that atm. Those two hated each other.

 

so, I went to the pet store last week to buy some betta food, and I saw this betta placed inside a beer bottle.
I really couldn't appreciate his form or color etc. but I felt sorry for the guy, and I still have an extra tank left.
I never buy bettas from petstores because I collect those "show types" as some people say, but I really felt sorry for him.. (Honestly) so after I set up his new home, gave him immaculate water coditions and a good feed,(for about a week now) I think hes looking good..
here he is... I call him "RES" short for rescued..

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video of HP

I went to visit my friend today and her 8 yr old son had his betta in a hamster ball that he had put tape around so it held water. While we were sitting at the kitchen table I heard this thumping noise that turned out to be him rolling the betta in the ball down the stairs!!!!!!!! My friend went balistic on him and I offered to take the poor guy home since her son obviously was not ready for a pet and his regular home was just a small bowl. He is in a 5 gallon tank that I was cycling for a new betta anyway so I guess it was fate. He is all white, not sure what type? Once he's settled in I will take some pictures. I named him Hannu Pekka or HP for short. It is a Finnish name after a guy on a show called the Dudesons. They are 4 Finnish guys who do crazy stunts like the a show here in America. HP is the one who is always breaking his leg or ribs etc... so I figured the name was a good fit. The little guy seems ok, fins look good, swimming around checking out his new home, hopefully he will do well.

 

so, I went to the pet store last week to buy some betta food, and I saw this betta placed inside a beer bottle.
I really couldn't appreciate his form or color etc. but I felt sorry for the guy, and I still have an extra tank left.
I never buy bettas from petstores because I collect those "show types" as some people say, but I really felt sorry for him.. (Honestly) so after I set up his new home, gave him immaculate water coditions and a good feed,(for about a week now) I think hes looking good..
here he is... I call him "RES" short for rescued..

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OMG he is georgous! I'm amazed they had such a handsome man in a LPS.

 

betta breeding is abused here in our place JMS, coz conditions are just right to breed em'... that's why more often times than not, u can see nice bettas at some LFS's.. =)

 

I bought my betta a few months ago now simply because I felt so sorry for him. His cup was just ridiculous. Clean, but stupidly small. And he couldn't move around properly in it. It was about an inch deep, that's it. He's now happy, it seems. They're such personable fish.

I rescued one of my cats, cleo, from a mother at my daughters school. She had bought her for her daughters birthday but the girl didn't like the kitten getting on her bed, leaving hair on things, they all hated her constant meowing for food, etc. The woman had plans to get the kitten to jump out a window into their backyard in the hope that she would either run off and stay away, forever a stray, or to have her fighting dogs "take care of 'it'". I was enraged and went to pick her up the next day. Cleo was a skinny, flea ridden, undesexed, fearful little scrap who hadn't even been named by this awful woman and her rotten daughter.

Before her we had Archie, a very young pup who was found just wandering around near a neighbour's house. He was no more than 6 weeks old. They knocked to see if he was ours. I said no, and wished them well finding the owners. A few hours later another knock on the door had some arborists asking if he was mine as they were trying to cut trees back from the power lines out the front and he was hanging around them, and they were concerned given his age. I said no again and they said they'd take him to the local vet hoping the owner would find him there. Off they went. I spent the evening musing over this gorgeous little dog and rang the vet the next morning to see if his owner had turned up. He said no, and the RSPCA were coming to take him away. Split second decision later, I said call them off, I'll come claim him from you! And so he stayed. His owners never answered my posters stuck up everywhere and the vet thought he was dumped because he was a staffy who'd been docked which is illegal here and carries a 6 month jail term or 10k fine. He was put to sleep last year though as he had increasing issues with aggression that we just couldn't work out of him. It breaks my heart. He was such a lovely boy. We had 3 great years with him. He just couldn't handle children. I miss him terribly.

There are also my 2 latest kittens from the pound. One was a sickly little scrap who would have been euthanized if we didn't take her. Blacktown pound doesn't medicate - they don't bother with sick animals. So we scooped her up along with a scruffy little Ginger kitty and gave them our crazy home to call theirs.

 

Here's the first guy, he has a weird deformity in both gills and his back is shaped weird. He also has some sort of swim bladder disorder.
This guy mostly floats at the top, sideways, but occasionally is stuck at the bottom.
I don't have any good pictures of him in the tank, lol, I only had one outlet so that's for the heater. The tank isn't entirely warm, but I should be able to unplug it to plug the lights in for a bit soon
They also handed me a blue mystery snail and a funny looking pond snail that someone had dropped off. They'll be in the same tank as the betta for a while.

*These bettas are from major chain stores, but they will be adoptions as I don't want to pay to support keeping them in damaging cups.
** I don't have space to keep these guys, so if I fix them up, they'll be available for the cost of shipping+ supplies, should be $9-12. If you're close enough to pick them up, they're free

 

Ahhhh the poor boy... I was at Petco the other day and rescued a "baby" betta. She was laying on her side and the water was brown. The store employees told me I could take her for $1, and now, 3 days later, she's recovering in an empty 29G!

 

Ahhhh the poor boy... I was at Petco the other day and rescued a "baby" betta. She was laying on her side and the water was brown. The store employees told me I could take her for $1, and now, 3 days later, she's recovering in an empty 29G!

Nice! Hope she does well for you!!

 

Nice! Hope she does well for you!!

Thanks! I can tell that she's recovering a lot already

 

I'm shocked how much better he is doing so fast! SBD is gone, he spent the first two days horizontal at the top of the tank, or wedged in plants so he wouldn't float up. Much more active, very interactive. I'll probably list him free to a good home on here soon, and try to save another.

 

I listed him for sale up on the BSTF forum if anyone wants him. I am charging a small fee for anything non express shipping, just because I've never shipped fish before and I want him to be safe, so I'm hoping a little extra fee will make people pick express.

 

Your doing a good thing treating these bettas and giving them away to good homes, i've always wanted to ask petco why they don't just put the bettas in small tanks and have there own special section, they could definitly do it.

 

Your doing a good thing treating these bettas and giving them away to good homes, i've always wanted to ask petco why they don't just put the bettas in small tanks and have there own special section, they could definitly do it.

Thanks, and it's because they would have to install over 100 tiny heated, filtered, tanks, and they're not up for that kind of $$$, even though it would save them money in the long run.

 

Your doing a good thing treating these bettas and giving them away to good homes, i've always wanted to ask petco why they don't just put the bettas in small tanks and have there own special section, they could definitly do it.

I agree! In Australia, all bettas are kept in 1-2 litre betta barracks with a joint filter. I very rarely see sick bettas!

 

I agree! In Australia, all bettas are kept in 1-2 litre betta barracks with a joint filter. I very rarely see sick bettas!

Dang, sounds so much better than the littlr cups!