I'm not sure if you've said anything about this before but I'm wondering if there're issues with buying fish from Petco or a similar store? I know that they're really bad about proper space and socialization for small mammals and reptiles but I don't know about their fish.
So the bottom line is: yes, Petco/Petsmart/Walmart/Pets at Home/other variations thereof, are not good places to buy fish. But there’s also some nuance to it that I feel is important to include
Overall, they as corporations do not take good care of their fishies. Some individual stores have amazing aquatics sections and some are unusually horrendous, but as a whole they are still pretty lacking. Employees are pretty limited in what they can do to make a difference since a lot of the care is governed by corporate policy which they have to follow or risk losing their jobs
Poor genetics, conservative culling, untrained staff, incompatible animals kept together, not much medical care (strong medication is expensive and usually prohibited by corporate) which is an issue since so many animals in close proximity inevitably means outbreaks of disease, although that’s true of LFS’s as well. Personally I will never buy an animal from a big box store, I try not to even buy supplies there. I feel it’s important not to support that kind of treatment.
BUT, lots of people don’t necessarily have that choice. They might not have a more ethical LFS to buy from, or they may only be able to afford cheaper big box prices.
And I also have a friend who feels very strongly about helping individual fish from these stores. She buys her goldfish almost exclusively from her local Walmart (she’s up to about 20 now, in a giant outdoor pool). And while on one hand in theory I really don’t like the idea of “rescues” from these stores, I can’t deny that she’s given them an amazing life they would never have had otherwise.
Most of them were very sick when she brought them home. And it’s hard not to be really proud to see them growing up big and strong. I can’t tell her that she should have left them there, even if I know that’s what she should have done. It’s something I honestly grapple with it because it’s the complete opposite of how I’ve always thought about the issue.
So yeah. It’s complicated and I’m not always sure how to feel about it.
