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‘He wasn’t looking too good’: Woman says PetSmart gave her betta fish for free so she could ‘try to save’ it

‘Well, I don’t think he’s gonna make it. You can have him.’

Photo of Stacy Fernandez

Stacy Fernandez

PetSmart customer holding Beta Fish in cup (l) PetSmart building with sign (c) PetSmart customers preparing tank for fish (r)

In a viral set of videos, a woman shared her journey to save a betta fish she found at PetSmart that she says appeared to be in rough condition.

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@perfectbloomdesign opens the video with a disclaimer that she doesn’t buy animals from PetSmart but was in the store that day because her kids were “dying to see the hamsters.”

@perfectbloomdesign I’m open for any suggestions you have to try and save this little guy. #petsmart #petsmartcheck #betta #bettafishcare #bettafishtank #willhemakeit? #suggestion #freshwaterlife @PetSmart ♬ original sound – Perfect Bloom Design

When she is in a pet store, @perfectbloomdesign says she normally goes by the aquatic section to check on the betta fish because sometimes two will be placed in a tank together. This is a problem because betta males are likely to become aggressive and violent toward each other when placed in the same space.

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Once @perfectbloomdesign got to the fish section, she says she noticed one fish, in particular, wasn’t looking too good and asked the store manager for a discount to buy him so that she could attempt to nurse him back to help.

“‘Well, I don’t think he’s gonna make it. You can have him. Just buy the stuff that you need for him,’” she recalls the manager telling her.

@perfectbloomdesign says she ended up buying a tank and other items for the fish and added that her husband always supports her “shenanigans.” She says she gave the fish some food and a clean environment to swim in.

In a follow-up video, @perfectbloomdesign says she appreciated everyone’s comments and suggestions on how to take care of her new finned friend, but after a few hours of taking the fish home, he died.

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“After looking at him a bit more, he was really skinny, so he’d been sick for a little while. He came up for air one last time and then he passed away pretty quickly. But I hope he had some comfort in knowing that he wasn’t alone when he passed,” @perfectbloomdesign says.

Combined, the videos have half-a-million views and over 150 comments.

“I’m proud of you for trying :) thank you for everything,” a top comment read.

“I hope you proceeded with trying to save another fishy good luck,” a person said.

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“Hopefully you guys buy another Betta and hope it lasts longer,” a commenter wrote.

The Daily Dot reached out to @perfectbloomdesign and PetSmart via email.

 
The Daily Dot