Shocking pictures

HI everybody.
I was searching for more info on betta's and came across this shocking pictures of how they transport betta fish.


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YIKES! I saw those tiny bags somewhere before on a website...awful..

 

It's sad that's for certain.

 

This was posted once before.....buried in the archives somewhere, I guess.

It's no wonder they come to us with so many problems and despite our best efforts and good care, they don't last long.

 

my god this makes me so mad - it makes me want to cry but I'm at work so I have to hold it in

 

The page in the link has several comments near the end where ppl are arguing about whether or not bettas are happy in tiny bowls or actual aquariums with heaters and filters. In each case that someone calls for more humane treatment of bettas the page author shoots them down. One commenter replies back that any betta will be stressed out in too large a tank! it is disgusting that ppl actually think this way. Would they keep a puppy in a tiny carrier for its whole life, living in its own filth?

 

Prarielilly.. I read that too....uugghhh

 

Seeing those pics really brings to lite the reality of it. MORBID!!!!

 

for anyone who loves bettas, its not the transport that is sad..although we are not use to this because we don't breed and ship them..but its the "after they arrive" conditions they are kept in that's sad...this is the safest way to ship them so they don't injure themselves...although not the perfect way, to us as betta lovers, and it doesn't look nice to the eye at all, its safe....and them being labyrinth fish, they need to be kept wet to live with minimal water and movement to be safe.........if you order fish online, they aren't shipped in condo's nor are they looking great on arrival..its stressful no matter what...this is how all your bettas are shipped if its done properly..some add relaxers and almond leaves to sooth them the best they can..so love them even more and give them the proper tanks with filters and heaters, knowing where they were to begin with

 

One thing that is even sadder is when the bettas made through the shipment only to die in petstores just before they found their owners that would truly take care of them. It is very sad.

 

One thing that is even sadder is when the bettas made through the shipment only to die in petstores just before they found their owners that would truly take care of them. It is very sad.

I so agree...hence my comment "but its the "after they arrive" conditions they are kept in that's sad."

maybe someday, fish will be as important to authorities and others as dogs, cats, horses etc are ..we can only hope

 

i've seen this site before.....all I can say is that if any of them looked at my before and after pictures as well as the "from cup to healthy tank" threads they'll see that our bettas are SO much happier and healthier living in their tanks.

 

i've seen this site before.....all I can say is that if any of them looked at my before and after pictures as well as the "from cup to healthy tank" threads they'll see that our bettas are SO much happier and healthier living in their tanks.

for sure alex!!! that's the important thing...how much we take care of them after the fact...they are amazing fish that transform so much once in the right environment !!

I was just looking at your before/afters again today ;D

 

That's cruel.

 

I don't buy that this is the safest way to transport them. I don't doubt that it's safe, but I've seen (even received) fish shipped in larger quantities of water, and they arrived fine. It's less the size of the container of water and more whether the container is hard or soft-sided, as well as whether or not the sides are supported by something soft (like packing peanuts)

I think that this is the cheapest relatively safe way to ship them, particularly en masse (water weighs a lot), which is another reason I would like to see improved betta breeding, particularly of the "common" veil tail, here in America. Even if it's in those tiny bags, the shipping time would be shorter.

 

I don't buy that this is the safest way to transport them. I don't doubt that it's safe, but I've seen (even received) fish shipped in larger quantities of water, and they arrived fine. It's less the size of the container of water and more whether the container is hard or soft-sided, as well as whether or not the sides are supported by something soft (like packing peanuts)

I think that this is the cheapest relatively safe way to ship them, particularly en masse (water weighs a lot), which is another reason I would like to see improved betta breeding, particularly of the "common" veil tail, here in America. Even if it's in those tiny bags, the shipping time would be shorter.

it may be cheap for them, ill give you that...and its deffinately needed to improve the breeding ways and how they are treated...that's not the issue here..we ALL know bettas are not treated the way they should be..even after they are "rescued" from their death cups...ive seen them be just as bad as if they were in one of those....no one will argue that... but it is the way its done...even from reputable breeders...although the packages may be a bit bigger, (not much) and the water levels might be a tad bit more(not much again) there isn't much room for them to move in their shipping formats....I will respectfully disagree that it is the size and water content of the containers at least for these guys...the more room and water they have, the more chance they will not survive ...

again, these pics are not fun to see , especially with us that love bettas and want the best for them...I also would love to see ALOT of improvement with betta breeding and id also love to see ALOT of improvement with fish in general..they are not considered live animals as we all here see them and again, I hope one day that changes

 

Well said Girl.

 

will respectfully disagree that it is the size and water content of the containers at least for these guys...the more room and water they have, the more chance they will not survive ...

I have heard this said alot, but have not heard much in the way of source. I am concerned that the source is the very institution that we are discussing. My biggest problem with this idea is that it's not true for other fish, so why would it be true for bettas? (I'm not saying that I'm right with this question... This is a question that I contemplate every time this topic comes up. I don't lightly rail against things that are accepted as common knowledge. Sometimes they're wrong, but they're often right )

The reason this concerns me is that there are other ideas in the aquarium hobby that were accepted as true for so long that were eventually debunked. These ideas persisted so long simply because they were stated as truth and not enough people questioned/tested them.
Unfortunately, the only real reason to test things like this is if you are thoroughly concerned about the welfare of your fish (as all of us around here are). We are then hit with the paradox that to potentially improve our fishes' lives, we must risk those very same lives, something we're all loathe to do.

 

This is very similar to the "puppy mills"...Shawnie is absolutely correct....but we are the market??...they are treated like they are, after they get here thru ignorance by the majority..and poor sales info at the the super stores and many LFS....but unfortunately they sell and sell and sell. Buy local bred fish...and Bettas are not alone.

 

It's great to support local breeders, but when it comes to shipping costs, plus the cost of the fish - which is usually higher - most people would rather go to their LFS. I can get a BN pleco at a chain store for $8, my LFS who breeds them themselves charge $22. Same goes with bettas, even the Thailand breeders keep hundreds of bettas in small containers, and many people say to buy from Thailand. It's much easier to go to a LFS, or chain store & buy bettas.

 

alot of us have gotten the "death cup " bettas..who now live amazing happy lives..and they deffinately don't look like they did when we got them!!! and some of us have gotten some beautiful kids from reputable breeders as well...again I will say, its the way most bettas are shipped added just a bit more water and a tiny bit bigger bag...its just how it is done..its the safest for them and the overnight method is best....now mind you, some of us care more about them and do the proper thing and do overnight shipping where as I'm sure this site does not...... the "stay in your bag for days upon days and hope you survive" method isn't something I condone nor would I ever attempt...

 

When a shipment comes into Denver, the Bettas are mostly in bags slightly larger than those, usually with a small piece of almond leave and/or meth. blue water. But when I saw a shipment come into a petco, they were in little bags smaller than those, a lot smaller.

 

It Makes You Feel Sick/Angry And Phsychotic at the same time doesn't it

I hate the way they transport those beautiful fish!

-Matt

 

that's terrible

 

It just seems to me that they are breeding and shipping so many more Bettas than can possibly be sold.. They are being marketed as "Diposable Fish" . That is what I find disgusting. When I first became interested in Bettas they were not so easy to find..only particular LFS had them or would order them for you.I shudder to think of what happens to all yhe ones that remain on the shelves unwanted and sick. What an incredible disregard for life.

 

What an incredible disregard for life.

Agreed completely.

 

I've said it before and I'll say it again...
I detest that site. It's riddled with bad information and pictures that are disgusting.

 

It is sad they way they are shipped. A tiny bit more care would go along way.

On the other hand they would not be shipped if people did not buy them. Its like the chicken and the egg - stop buying the bettas and they will stop shipping them.

Maybe we should not be buying the "death cup" bettas to save them but as nasty and hard as it sounds leave them there to die to get a message across.

I know I can't do the above and have a few "rescued" bettas, but maybe there is a stronger person out there that can and will a difference?

Anna

 

Maybe we should not be buying the "death cup" bettas to save them but as nasty and hard as it sounds leave them there to die to get a message across.

This is the problem with rescuing bettas. By rescuing one betta from Petsmart, Petco, or Walmart, you're basically encouraging that store to stock one more and keep it in a cup.
Of course, the reverse is that, by not rescuing a betta, you're turning your back on a suffering being.
There's no easy answer there. I go the "not encouraging Petsmart/Petco/Walmart" route (and have contacted Petsmart and Petco about their betta policies), but who's to say that I'm right or wrong?

 

Buying a product from a store is not a rescue, it’s a purchase.

I don’t understand the whole “I rescued a betta from Wal-Mart” thing. You bought something at a store and the store will now replenish their stock. Buying the suffering fish encourages the store to make more fish suffer. It’s hard to look at those suffering little bettas and walk away but I would not buy one.
How is this any different from a puppy mill?

 

I do buy my bettas (and other fish) at pet stores. I don't call any of them a 'rescue', but I do think it's one less fish that dies in a cup - so in that respect, they were 'saved'.

I got two of my three cats from the humane society, and the third was about to go there. Because they came home with me to live out their natural lives instead of being euthanized, I consider them 'saved' as well. I can't save them all, but I could save those three.

I don't agree that if we stop buying bettas from these places they will stop stocking them. They will just find another fish to stock, whatever becomes popular in the betta's place, and then that fish will suffer. Goldfish have been abused for many years and continue to be so. So the next time I want a betta, I will buy one from the pet store...because that way I'll have a betta, and one less fish will die in a cup.

 

Buying a product from a store is not a rescue, it’s a purchase.

I don’t understand the whole “I rescued a betta from Wal-Mart” thing. You bought something at a store and the store will now replenish their stock. Buying the suffering fish encourages the store to make more fish suffer. It’s hard to look at those suffering little bettas and walk away but I would not buy one.
How is this any different from a puppy mill?

While I happen to act on the side that you do, I don't think this is quite as cut-and-dry as you present it. Some of the most compassionate minds in the world are quite torn by this issue (not the betta thing, but the question of whether buying an animal from an unpleasant situation is doing good or not).

 

Bettas don't jump out of the water. I can't believe they ship bettas like that! I saw some Halfmoon bettas at petco for like $13.00 and their left in cups!

 

This is sickening. My teeth are clenched right now. The people who keep bettas in such a way that they have half an inch of free "space" on each side seem to think bettas are ornaments rather than living creatures. For a while, my first fish (a betta) was in a 1 gallon heated, filtered tank, but he didn't seem happy, so I got a 10 gallon and moved him to that. He loved it. And since I have common sense and use my brain, I do happen to know that he loved it. He actually, you know, swam and ate. "Swimming? Eating?Do bettas really do that?" They do need space to thrive.

 

tht really makes me want to cry. how could someone stand putting a living and breathing creature in such poor conditions...

 

I do buy my bettas (and other fish) at pet stores. I don't call any of them a 'rescue', but I do think it's one less fish that dies in a cup - so in that respect, they were 'saved'.

I got two of my three cats from the humane society, and the third was about to go there. Because they came home with me to live out their natural lives instead of being euthanized, I consider them 'saved' as well. I can't save them all, but I could save those three.

I don't agree that if we stop buying bettas from these places they will stop stocking them. They will just find another fish to stock, whatever becomes popular in the betta's place, and then that fish will suffer. Goldfish have been abused for many years and continue to be so. So the next time I want a betta, I will buy one from the pet store...because that way I'll have a betta, and one less fish will die in a cup.

I buy my fish from pet stores too. I just don’t see the betta in the cup as being the same thing as other ornamental fish. I hope I’m not being hypocritical but IMO most fish don’t get treated nearly as bad as the bettas are. I know there are people that don’t take care of their fish as well as people here on fishlore do. We have all seen the people in the store saying “I’ll take one of those and one of those and one of those…”, they are not researching their purchase like most of us would. But those same first time fish buyers think it’s fine to put a betta in a bowl because they are marketed that way. Hopefully they end up on a site like this where they will learn a better way like a lot of us did.

I agree that goldfish are mistreated too. The booth at the county fair where kids take home a live fish as a prize makes me sick. I was in a pet store when a guy from that booth came in and bought the entire stock of feeder goldfish and wanted to know when they would get their next shipment so he could buy all of them too. I doubt they gave out 100s of fish as prizes. Most probably died in the styrofoam cooler he picked them up in.

It’s great that you rescued your cats. I think that getting a cat or dog from the humane society IS a rescue. Those animals are there only because they need rescued. They were not purchased just to be resold. Walmart buying bettas in those little bags and then selling them would be like the humane society buying dogs from a puppy mill then selling them and that would not be a rescue.

I disagree with you on your point about not buying the bettas. The store wouldn’t order a fish from their supplier if nobody was buying them? And the fish that might replace them would hopefully not be a fish that needs to be housed by itself. I’m the first one to admit I don’t have experience with this type of fish but isn’t that why they are in the cups in the first place?

I would go a step further and say that the stores should also stop selling fish that are going to get to big to keep in a home aquarium.

While I happen to act on the side that you do, I don't think this is quite as cut-and-dry as you present it. Some of the most compassionate minds in the world are quite torn by this issue (not the betta thing, but the question of whether buying an animal from an unpleasant situation is doing good or not).

Sorry for the back to back post, I wasn't sure how to quote two post in the same post.

I see your point that it's not that cut and dry. I feel so bad for the fish in the cups. I think it keeps coming back to it being "only a fish". If puppies are found to be in a situation half as bad as the betta in a tiny bag then it's not legal and the place is closed down and the puppies are hopefully rescued.

 

The store wouldn’t order a fish from their supplier if nobody was buying them. And the fish that might replace them would hopefully not be a fish that needs to be housed by itself.

I have to say that even if people on fishlore stop buying them and tell others not to tooo there are still people out there that will buy them and soo the stores will still sell them so it may be better to save as many as possible and instead of telling people not to buy them tell people how to care for them so that hopefully they will be freed from the deth cups and moved to a good sized and proper house.

 

I've seen pups come from much worse situations with nothing done, so please don't think that it's limited to bettas. People don't care. Period. It doesn't matter the species, breed, etc.
But, I'm with Anna, I've bought all of my bettas from cups - I have 11. I refuse to walk away from an animal that can be saved, and is dying for no reason besides ignorance. It is NOT the animals fault, so why should they suffer? If everyone truly has a problem with their local chain store, do something about it! Write letters to the stores, to newpapers, to radio stations. It's the only way something will actually happen, raise awareness. While sharing opinions on a forum is great, nothing is accomplished for the fish in the large chain stores.

 

Sorry for the back to back post, I wasn't sure how to quote two post in the same post.

No problem. I joined 'em for you. Thanks for being aware of what you were doing ;D

The multi-quote button is just to the right of the quote button. It is a picture of a page with " "+ " in it. Click that on every post you want to quote, and when you've clicked all of them, click "Post Reply."

 

IMO most fish don’t get treated nearly as bad as the bettas are. ...But those same first time fish buyers think it’s fine to put a betta in a bowl because they are marketed that way. Hopefully they end up on a site like this where they will learn a better way like a lot of us did.

Agreed completely I think we do all agree that bettas are treated very badly by the industry that provides them to us, and there are many things that not only aren't right about it but are actually downright cruel. No one disputes that. I just don't agree boycotting pet stores will necessarily change that in and of itself - bettas may not be sold any more, but another fish will be treated cruelly. I'd rather see bettas continue to be sold, but treated better.

I have to say that even if people on fishlore stop buying them and tell others not to tooo there are still people out there that will buy them and soo the stores will still sell them so it may be better to save as many as possible and instead of telling people not to buy them tell people how to care for them so that hopefully they will be freed from the deth cups and moved to a good sized and proper house.

Agreed. Just last week my brother was asking me, 'So if you say my old 5 gallon is perfect for a betta, why do they sell them in dixie cups?' and we had a neat conversation. Education is key, and doesn't happen overnight. People used to (and some no doubt still do) think it was okay to keep cheetah cubs as pets, muzzle up bears with chains, sic dogs on each other for 'sport', the list is long and ugly...

I've seen pups come from much worse situations with nothing done, so please don't think that it's limited to bettas. People don't care. Period. It doesn't matter the species, breed, etc.
But, I'm with Anna, I've bought all of my bettas from cups - I have 11. I refuse to walk away from an animal that can be saved, and is dying for no reason besides ignorance. It is NOT the animals fault, so why should they suffer?

+1. Part of the problem is people not seeing a fish as a living creature that experiences pain and distress, because it isn't furry and cuddly like a puppy or kitten. There's also the mindset of not caring about the pain or distress of any living creature. Unfortunately selling bettas from the store's perspective is about money; from our end it's about compassion.