This was my first and only experience with Pampered Pets, so it doesn’t mean they don’t do other things well. However, this experience makes it highly unlikely I would shop there again...\r
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My wife has been sick in bed for nine months and needs a wheelchair to get around in public. We went to Pampered Pets together to buy her a Betta Fish that she could watch while doing her treatments and keep her company throughout the day.\r
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With a name like Pampered Pets you’d expect the creatures being sold would be well-cared for. Wrong. We noticed a sick looking kitten on the way in and the Betta Fish section was even worse. The Betta Fish were all kept in very small, very dirty containers, with ammonia-producing waste, left-over food, etc. floating in the bottom. Most of them looked lethargic and several had small cotton-like wisps coming from their heads, gills, and bodies. At the time, we didn’t realize how serious that could be.\r
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At this point, despite noticing all these things, we were completely uneducated Betta-shoppers and proceeded to buy a fish anyway. My wife was extremely excited and held his bag carefully in her lap as I pushed her in her wheelchair all the way to the car — marveling at the beauty and grace of her new fish. \r
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It was in the car when she noticed a small cotton-like wisp coming off his back. She assumed it was just scum from his dirty water, but it wasn’t. It was the early signs that something was already wrong with our brand new “pampered” pet.\r
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We spent the evening getting our new friend acclimated to his aquarium and researching how to care for a Betta. We followed all the directions and didn't scrimp on anything considered necessary for a happy, healthy Betta — the only mistake we made was buying our fish from Pampered Pets.\r
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The next morning we noticed more cotton-like wisps on our fish, which he was trying to rub off against the gravel. We researched Betta diseases and discovered he had a very serious illness that could kill fish very quickly. We changed his water and gave him special fish medication for the condition (did I mention we were prepared?), but it was too little too late. Less than 36 hours from when we left Pampered Pets our new fish was dead — dead from a stress-induced disease that he already had when we bought him. \r
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Thinking back we're horrified to realize that many of the other Betta Fish at Pampered Pets were also sick, many at more advanced stages than ours. Knowing what we know now about taking care of Betta Fish, we're certain this was due to insufficient space, dirty water, and infrequent water changes. No fish, even a Betta, will stay healthy in a tiny container filled with its poop and leftover food.\r
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The saddest part is that Pampered Pets almost expects their fish to die. As we checked out they told us they would give us a new fish or store credit if our fish died within four days of purchase. I have a better policy idea: Charge a little more for the fish and then take better care of them. Change their water more often. Put them in larger containers. Give them medicine at the first sign of illness (when it can make a difference). Keep them healthy for your customers so that little kids and sick wives don't have to cry when their beautiful fish die right after getting home. Pamper your pets, or change your name.
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