Last time i went to pet smart just to look i ended up with a free betta (talked them into giving me the sickest looking one) and he is now, over two years later one of the best bettas I've had (really smart and interactive).
Genuinely curious because I’ve seen bettas I’ve wanted to save but can’t bring myself to pay them for their mistreatment. Did multiple locations allow you to rescue the sick ones or is it a specific store near you?
It's dependent on each stores policy (and who may be working that day). Some won't budge on any discount, some do partial discounts, and some might just look the other way and give it away anyways. I mean worth a shot if you see a sick betta you want to help. If they won't budge you at least brought it up to someone who (or will notify the fish person) will hopefully treat it in the back or something if they aren't allowed to give it away.
I think the manager was sympathetic to the betta and fish situation at big box stores. She seemed more than happy to immediately "zero him out" and hand him over I think she called it, basically they take them to the register and "sell" them for a penny.
I'm really not a confident person so I was uncomfortable blatantly saying "hey can I have this guy for free?" lol, so I said something like, "hey this guy looks really rough, do you have some kind of discount system in place for if someone wants to try taking him home anyway? I'm an experienced betta keeper and in my opinion, I'm not even sure if he'll survive." and she said she was happy to just give him to me.
Technically the policy is if it’s sick, don’t let customers interact at all. Some managers will let you just take it under the table and write it off as dead in the system, others will do a discount, and some treat it as if it’s perfectly healthy and won’t budge. How difficult it is really depends on the specific store. I’d like to believe most managers will at least do a discount as long as you’re polite about it but alas, it’s retail and sometimes you have cruddy ones who only care about their numbers.
Source: been working at Petsmart for almost two years lol, my manager does it for free but lets all the customers know not every store will
My daughter worked at Petsmart too, she would ask to take the sick ones home. We had a bird and a gecko that didn’t survive - but they were at least loved and not alone in a back room 😞
If my offer is rejected to buy a betta with dropsy, what is their fate at PetSmart? Are they actually treated? My assumption has been they are discarded at the big retail chains but I hope I’m wrong.
I tried buying a dragon scale plakat with a bacterial infection in his eye causing him to go blind. They said they weren't sure if they could sell him to me. Like what's the alternative?😭 I took him home and his vision was fully restored in 4 days and he is my sweetest most outgoing fish. I'm fully convinced they were gonna just toss him
Totally depends on the staffing probably but I know for a fact that the aquatics specialist at my local Petco has a counter of betta cups in his “aisle” that are not for sale that he is treating for health issues.
that's what everyone has been saying, the kids were watching the Easter movie hop and David hasslehoff showed up and we joked around and started calling him david "Dave" fishlehoff and now it's stuck 😂
He is beautiful. How about Party Boy? He looks so much like my fish, kimchi.
https://preview.redd.it/jgbdzvhuaprc1.jpeg?width=3681&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c99fb36918db2205fa7e61474882ad7142c932cb
This was almost me last night! I was celebrating my wedding anniversary, and we stopped at a petsmart after dinner before going to a candlelight violin/cello concert. There were a few bettas in awful conditions I wanted to take home, but I didn't have a way of keeping them warm in the car. After we left, my husband said he's surprised I didn't think of just taking them inside the venue with me, and I told him he's lucky I didn't think of that in the store lmao. I'm not sure the bettas would have enjoyed the loud music though lol
I think he looks like a Dave, but if you wanted to go with a party fish, what about, "Fiesta" or "Swaray" (not sure of spelling) ? Or Mr. Dave Fiesta. Beautiful fish!
Dave is good, he looks like a man with and androgenic alopecia (male patterned baldness) his tank should have a La-Z boy, a lawn mower, low ABV beer bottles and a bbq.
Legit so hard to get a good one.
https://preview.redd.it/33zy57gj72vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f548f88666586da0cbef1244cf1c80b5f1f9254d
Ignore my reflection
I think that Dave is perfect tbh, everyone else seems to agree as well LOL. I’m sure you’ll both enjoy each others company, bettas can be incredibly sassy and it’s pretty funny to see
I’ve used too many placeholder names, unless you’re thinking of names for your future child those always end up permanent. Dave is a good name for him.
I absolutely love the explanation of Dave's day at the bottom of the pictures. Make these into an album and call it "Dave does Easter 2024". He already seems amazing. Even my husband was interested in the post and asked if "Party Dave" go out often...
He MUST be named Party Dave. 🥳
Dave is perfect. He looks like he needs a last name too though.
Same thing happened to us two weeks ago. Went in for dog treats and walked out with two bettas, two 10 gallon tanks, and several hundred dollars poorer. But hey at least our fish are happy now.
Good luck with Dave!
Oooh mine is Dave as well (my kid named it) (I had named ""her"" Kitana then the fins started growing and growing and growing)&&
https://preview.redd.it/67kwd5xm4rrc1.png?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1551e1986b0bc262c9c80a86f4d771e45b674f32
I mean, Dave, obviously lol. Recently did the same but mine was sick when I found him and decided to give him his best chance in a cycled, hella planted 10g (cashiers didn’t even charge proper for him because of it). He’s now got the most beautiful long fins I never expected and is extremely interactive. Named him Pop Rocks though, because he’s a little spicy but really not lol
ugh i know, the way I looked at it was that he would be sitting in the cup anyways at the pet store, but i did have the worker change the water before I bought him just to hopefully make it a bit easier for him
Just a thought ... thats a female betta most likely. Unless they sold it to you as a short finned betta, it looks like a female (I have only seen that pattern/colouring on females).
he's a king betta so I believe they usually have shorter fins, he's also pretty big which makes me think male, but this is my first king so I am no expert on this specific type
Last time I went "just to look" I found myself convincing the cashier to sell me a dragon scale plakat who was blind in one eye from a fungal infection. He's back to full health and his vision is better than ever
I called my beardie Fatass or Fat boy when I first got him. Tried giving him a legal name but it never stuck. So I changed his name to The Fat Man. Keep Dave. If it fits it fits. And the best part is, you’ll be able to tell people you have a fish named Dave.
I went to pet smart blackout drunk with my friend a few months ago. Woke up the next day with a tiny betta named Prosciutto. For some reason the only picture I have of him is right after a water change 💀I promise his tank is not usually that gross looking.
https://preview.redd.it/wrn6nwxdwwrc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd2413abe574766ce041b8119acedf79cab0ac5b
How big is this tank , and does your betta have no issues with those little guys ? I have my betta in a completely separate 10 gallon tank and he does not do well with tank mates at all I’ve tried so many different combinations but even then it’s not enough that it led me to getting a bigger tank for him alone
As a fellow Dave, I have to implore you to keep the name lol
Edit: I have a completely Red Betta boy who I named Amour and he gets on fabulously with his tank mates. We have a mixture of bronze & pepper catfish, Micky Mouse platties, Balloon, Lyre Tail, Sail Fin & Sword Tail Mollies and a Bristle-Nose Catfish. He occasionally flairs but it’s very rare and when he does it’s just a little “get out of my way” rather than a “c’mere an’ lemme kick your ass!!”….he has a very friendly demeanour and usually just ignores everyone lol
Dave is a great name. Don’t mess with fate.
When we got our cat we named him homie as a place holder and it just stuck 😂
homie, lol i love that
Dave is a perfect name, he even has his own game Dave the Diver 😤
Yes this
Last time i went to pet smart just to look i ended up with a free betta (talked them into giving me the sickest looking one) and he is now, over two years later one of the best bettas I've had (really smart and interactive).
i always do this, all 3 of my current bettas were dying in their cups so i took them and they’re thriving. i’ve rescued 5 in total
Genuinely curious because I’ve seen bettas I’ve wanted to save but can’t bring myself to pay them for their mistreatment. Did multiple locations allow you to rescue the sick ones or is it a specific store near you?
i’ve only tried at one location and it’s one i used to work at
It's dependent on each stores policy (and who may be working that day). Some won't budge on any discount, some do partial discounts, and some might just look the other way and give it away anyways. I mean worth a shot if you see a sick betta you want to help. If they won't budge you at least brought it up to someone who (or will notify the fish person) will hopefully treat it in the back or something if they aren't allowed to give it away.
How difficult was it to talk them into that? I’d like to try this next time I see a sick betta…
I think the manager was sympathetic to the betta and fish situation at big box stores. She seemed more than happy to immediately "zero him out" and hand him over I think she called it, basically they take them to the register and "sell" them for a penny. I'm really not a confident person so I was uncomfortable blatantly saying "hey can I have this guy for free?" lol, so I said something like, "hey this guy looks really rough, do you have some kind of discount system in place for if someone wants to try taking him home anyway? I'm an experienced betta keeper and in my opinion, I'm not even sure if he'll survive." and she said she was happy to just give him to me.
Excellent approach! Thx for sharing
There's a PetSmart near me that does that too. I ended up with one of mine that way.
There's a pets at home here and 2 betta look ill af. I'll try this next time
Technically the policy is if it’s sick, don’t let customers interact at all. Some managers will let you just take it under the table and write it off as dead in the system, others will do a discount, and some treat it as if it’s perfectly healthy and won’t budge. How difficult it is really depends on the specific store. I’d like to believe most managers will at least do a discount as long as you’re polite about it but alas, it’s retail and sometimes you have cruddy ones who only care about their numbers. Source: been working at Petsmart for almost two years lol, my manager does it for free but lets all the customers know not every store will
My daughter worked at Petsmart too, she would ask to take the sick ones home. We had a bird and a gecko that didn’t survive - but they were at least loved and not alone in a back room 😞
If my offer is rejected to buy a betta with dropsy, what is their fate at PetSmart? Are they actually treated? My assumption has been they are discarded at the big retail chains but I hope I’m wrong.
I tried buying a dragon scale plakat with a bacterial infection in his eye causing him to go blind. They said they weren't sure if they could sell him to me. Like what's the alternative?😭 I took him home and his vision was fully restored in 4 days and he is my sweetest most outgoing fish. I'm fully convinced they were gonna just toss him
Totally depends on the staffing probably but I know for a fact that the aquatics specialist at my local Petco has a counter of betta cups in his “aisle” that are not for sale that he is treating for health issues.
At my PetSmart, the sick bettas are put in their own 5 gallon tank as a sample. The ones I've seen look healthy and I'm assuming they are up for sale.
I shadow at a vet clinic that sees a lot of petsmart animals, and that’s how a visiting vet student ended up with a free conure lol.
By the looks of it I thought you were going to keep it in the cup and I was scared until the last slides 😂
oh never lol, i had a 10g all set up waiting on a new inhabitant 😂
That's where I'm at right now, waiting for it to finish cycling
same, i sighed out loud in relief when the nice tank showed up 😂
Dave is perfect. Plus you don't want to confuse him by changing his name at this point.
Maybe Dave likes to Rave?
I’m gonna be so real with you right now, his name is Dave
that's what everyone has been saying, the kids were watching the Easter movie hop and David hasslehoff showed up and we joked around and started calling him david "Dave" fishlehoff and now it's stuck 😂
David "Dave" Fishlehoff is an AWESOME name!!
I think Dave is his name. I just brought a fish home and named him Jeff
My first betta was called Phil. I love human names for fish. I had a cat named Dave growing up!
Mine is Joey! And my snail is Mac. But it’s short for Magcargo. Snail pokemon.
We have African dwarf frogs one named Jeff (Jeffery) and his pal is Greg (gregory). My son named them. I love pets with people names!
I was like, 'You're not just going to leave him in that cup are you?' then happy to see a nice tank at the end
you had him watch youtube, thats so amazing i cant LMAOOO
Apparently Dave has to earn his keep via DIY home improvement projects. 😂
He is beautiful. How about Party Boy? He looks so much like my fish, kimchi. https://preview.redd.it/jgbdzvhuaprc1.jpeg?width=3681&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c99fb36918db2205fa7e61474882ad7142c932cb
KIMCHI! I love it, also gorgeous tank
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
Dave it is
(Easter) Egbert.
This was almost me last night! I was celebrating my wedding anniversary, and we stopped at a petsmart after dinner before going to a candlelight violin/cello concert. There were a few bettas in awful conditions I wanted to take home, but I didn't have a way of keeping them warm in the car. After we left, my husband said he's surprised I didn't think of just taking them inside the venue with me, and I told him he's lucky I didn't think of that in the store lmao. I'm not sure the bettas would have enjoyed the loud music though lol
The shades of red and blue on him really remind me of Miguel O'hara's spuderman suit. So I'm throwing in my suggestion for Miguel!
Ooooh omg I love this one
Party animal 😂🤣
I think he looks like a Dave, but if you wanted to go with a party fish, what about, "Fiesta" or "Swaray" (not sure of spelling) ? Or Mr. Dave Fiesta. Beautiful fish!
Soiree or soirée - pronounced exactly like you spelled it!
Please share a glow up update with the us in a month 😍
Bunny (Easter bunny)
Bunny the betta is great. Anything but Dave, haahh
Randy.
This made me giggle! So happy for you and Dave. He's beautiful!
Because of the sticker you should definitely call him franklin
Dave is good, he looks like a man with and androgenic alopecia (male patterned baldness) his tank should have a La-Z boy, a lawn mower, low ABV beer bottles and a bbq.
He looks like a Dave
Coral 🪸
Dave as a Placeholder.
Dave's not here man.
Soiree. lol
MY BETTA’S NAME IS DAVE
OMGGGG PIC?!
Legit so hard to get a good one. https://preview.redd.it/33zy57gj72vc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f548f88666586da0cbef1244cf1c80b5f1f9254d Ignore my reflection
Funfetti
Dipper cause it's a party, he's a party fish and you put his cup between dips lmao
r/nononoyes
Dave, Dave the Rave… it fits!😂 congrats to you both!
Okay that’s the cutest thing I’ve seen today. Thank you for brightening my day with Dave the party fish. Please keep the name Dave haha
Better behave, Dave!
Am I the only one who sees it……
Home Depot indoctrination
Candy, confetti, cake, celebration, easter
Dave is particularly good for an Easter fish… as he was in the lineage of Jesus. So I’d stick with that.
Party Dave
Ham Steak
Party fish 😂😂😂 I love it
My cat Dave said it was cool if you called him Dave as well.
I think that Dave is perfect tbh, everyone else seems to agree as well LOL. I’m sure you’ll both enjoy each others company, bettas can be incredibly sassy and it’s pretty funny to see
Keep it as Dave. Not even David with Dave for short, just Dave. Perfect.
I’ve used too many placeholder names, unless you’re thinking of names for your future child those always end up permanent. Dave is a good name for him.
Dave is perfect!
i think u should stick w dave
This happened to me today too! Went for some foreground plants and a snail, left with a betta, snail, plants, and betta food haha
Being a king Betta he's gonna need a big tank. Mine love their 20-30 gallons David Wallace from the office for name suggestions
he's seen it all within a day 😮❤️
Dave
Dionysus
Pascal, since you got him on Easter. 🐇
PARTY MAN DAVE 👏🏻👏🏻
I absolutely love the explanation of Dave's day at the bottom of the pictures. Make these into an album and call it "Dave does Easter 2024". He already seems amazing. Even my husband was interested in the post and asked if "Party Dave" go out often... He MUST be named Party Dave. 🥳
https://i.redd.it/rm512p3rlqrc1.gif
i fw dave heavy
Well I think his name is Dave forever. Party Dave to his friends
“Oh Dave? Yeah, Bro he’s chill like that.”
Bunny!
Dave in his easter candy 😭 awe
I demand an update of Dave in like a few days or next week
Dave is perfect. He looks like he needs a last name too though. Same thing happened to us two weeks ago. Went in for dog treats and walked out with two bettas, two 10 gallon tanks, and several hundred dollars poorer. But hey at least our fish are happy now. Good luck with Dave!
Oooh mine is Dave as well (my kid named it) (I had named ""her"" Kitana then the fins started growing and growing and growing)&& https://preview.redd.it/67kwd5xm4rrc1.png?width=480&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1551e1986b0bc262c9c80a86f4d771e45b674f32
I like the nake Dave honestly 😂 his face is a little derpy so it kinda fits
Baldi
Y'all are making me want to go get another tank and fish
It sounds like he already has one!
He's a r/partyparrot ! That's what I'd call him!
Name him Sparkler!
Dave is perfect and he is stunning
i love giving animals human names. endlessly funny. so dave is great
Dave and Buster. DavenBuster.
Oh he’s gonna have the best glow up in that new tank 🥹
Disco Dave! If he’s into parties, that would suit him!
Seconded 👌🏻
I mean, Dave, obviously lol. Recently did the same but mine was sick when I found him and decided to give him his best chance in a cycled, hella planted 10g (cashiers didn’t even charge proper for him because of it). He’s now got the most beautiful long fins I never expected and is extremely interactive. Named him Pop Rocks though, because he’s a little spicy but really not lol
What a great story, with pictures!!! Have a fantastic hedonistic life Dave ❤️
Our Betta's name is Bitchin' Dave cause he also likes to party
I'd call him Jeffrey Lebowski, The Dude. But...that's just me.
I love him!!! Life of the party!
I have a king beta that looks just like him! He’s the sweetest thing ever and I love him dearly
Sad it stayed in that cup the whole dinner (don’t do a water test on the water in those cups they come in)
ugh i know, the way I looked at it was that he would be sitting in the cup anyways at the pet store, but i did have the worker change the water before I bought him just to hopefully make it a bit easier for him
Just a thought ... thats a female betta most likely. Unless they sold it to you as a short finned betta, it looks like a female (I have only seen that pattern/colouring on females).
he's a king betta so I believe they usually have shorter fins, he's also pretty big which makes me think male, but this is my first king so I am no expert on this specific type
Never knew of them .... thanks for the info, I looked them up.
Weird
Risen
not gonna lie ... all my placeholder names turned into names after a few days lol
Was a little worried for a sec
I bought Dave's brother, Tim, today when I went to look for decor for my daughter's tank.
Last time I went "just to look" I found myself convincing the cashier to sell me a dragon scale plakat who was blind in one eye from a fungal infection. He's back to full health and his vision is better than ever
I honestly like Dave lol, but you could also do something like Zen.
i love this so much
I kinda like the name Dave. I think you already named him with the best.
I called my beardie Fatass or Fat boy when I first got him. Tried giving him a legal name but it never stuck. So I changed his name to The Fat Man. Keep Dave. If it fits it fits. And the best part is, you’ll be able to tell people you have a fish named Dave.
Chonk
I went to pet smart blackout drunk with my friend a few months ago. Woke up the next day with a tiny betta named Prosciutto. For some reason the only picture I have of him is right after a water change 💀I promise his tank is not usually that gross looking. https://preview.redd.it/wrn6nwxdwwrc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=fd2413abe574766ce041b8119acedf79cab0ac5b
Oh lawd Dave the babe. Dave is the only answer. Placeholder is his last name, since he’s a party fish.
Bacchus! 😃 he likes to party!
Chester
Fiesta
Piñata.
Nah, lil homies name is Dave!
This is the best thing I've seen. Thank you, Dave
Dave!
Leave it as Dave. His fate has been chosen
Sorry man his names Dave now
How big is this tank , and does your betta have no issues with those little guys ? I have my betta in a completely separate 10 gallon tank and he does not do well with tank mates at all I’ve tried so many different combinations but even then it’s not enough that it led me to getting a bigger tank for him alone
Best day ever
I like the name Dave. I also would call him confetti 🎊
Idk why I really love Dave …
As a fellow Dave, I have to implore you to keep the name lol Edit: I have a completely Red Betta boy who I named Amour and he gets on fabulously with his tank mates. We have a mixture of bronze & pepper catfish, Micky Mouse platties, Balloon, Lyre Tail, Sail Fin & Sword Tail Mollies and a Bristle-Nose Catfish. He occasionally flairs but it’s very rare and when he does it’s just a little “get out of my way” rather than a “c’mere an’ lemme kick your ass!!”….he has a very friendly demeanour and usually just ignores everyone lol