Are these Bad ? - Chain Store Bettas.

[rvijay07]

I heard that chain store Bettas don't live long and several die. Is this true ? If true, why is it so ? I thought all stores got their Bettas from the same overseas breeders. Thanks.

Vijay

 

[bettacove]

they don't live long cus by the time they are put up for sale they are already around a year old.

ashley

 

[rvijay07]

That is very unfair. Why do they wait so long to put them up for sale ? Still Bettas have lifespans of 3 to 5 years. So they should live for atleast 2 years or so.

Vijay

 

[Megalofyia]

How quickly are you thinking they die when you buy them from a chain store? I've had one for a year now and a friend of mine has had one for several years.

 

[rvijay07]

That is good to know. I heard that most of the bettas sold in chain stores live from a few weeks to just a few months. A year is rare for these I heard. Also several are known to die in the first few days they arrive from shipping due to stress etc.,

Vijay

 

[Megalofyia]

I would guess that most places if not all will replace a fish that dies within a few days of bringing it home.

I wonder since your in Canada if shiping temperatures might affect the fish so that they are more stressed from being cold in the shipment? Do you know if fish bought in winter have a higher mortality rate than those bought in the summer?

 

[rvijay07]

They are well packed while shipping. Temperatures go as low as -40C with the windchill here. If there is any error in shipping, the entire shipment of fish dies. I don't have any figures in this regard. Employee of one local store generally mentioned that soon after arrival, several die in a few days due to shipping stress.

Vijay

 

[bettacove]

Its cus they gotta raise them first untill they get big long fins (cus thats what ppl like) and that takes a few months (4-6). Then they gotta ship them all over the world. Then by the time they get were they are going they are probably in bad shape. Then they get stuck in a small cup and wait to be sold. When they are waiting to be sold they are usually not taken very good care of, so they get sick and are in even worse shape. So to get a good healthier fish you might wanna buy one as soon as the petstore gets a shipment in.
I guess it all really depends on where u get one from, some petstores take good care and others don't

ashley

 

[rvijay07]

When they are waiting to be sold they are usually not taken very good care of, so they get sick and are in even worse shape. So to get a good healthier fish you might wanna buy one as soon as the petstore gets a shipment in.

ashley

I guess, this is what makes the difference. If the breeding was bad, they will not survive. It is the shipping and the wait before being sold that makes the difference.

Vijay

 

[wabyrd]

I think it's a gamble with the petstore bettas. My brother had his for almost 3 years (with no fish knowledge other than knowing it needs food) and mine only lasted for 3 MONTHS!!!

 

[rvijay07]

Yes, it is a gamble as one doesn't know how they have been cared for at the stores.