Pet stores:(

[tikeyas_mom]

unfortuetly petstores have to keep the male bettas in small cups, because you cant generally place them into community tanks safely.
Also bettas were bred to live in small rice fields, it is safe to assume that they dont mind smaller invironments. *these cups are only tempory* keep that in mind too, usually bettas sell pretty quickly, more so when there is a two for one fish day.. I dont think housing male bettas in a cup is really a bad thing, as long as you clean them by-daily, and make sure people dont get the bright idea of mixing the cups together (it happens).
Because bettas come in shipments of around 20+ at a time, it is hard to have that amount of larger habitats available, especially if you are a small petstore retailer..

[areias]

They can survive being in a cup. They don't need oxygenated (?) water, they breathe air. Although I do think they do better in a larger environment. My manager at Petsmart was telling customers they can be kept in the cup you by them in..I didn't like that too much. It's not much money to buy a simple bowl or vase at walmart in the crafts section. And usually if they don't want to buy a bigger bowl, they won't want to clean the cup, and it will get dirty and the fish will die. And the rice paddies aren't 4 inch deep holes in the ground. These are rice paddies:


But the cups are the easiest ways to house them short term. The reptile/fish specialty a couple of towns over actually has these glass bowls with squiggly edges, they're at least 2 liters, they fit right on top of each other and still let air in-it's very nice to see a little bit of change. Of course they charge more, but at least its not just a cup.

[areias]

I don't mean to hijack your post..but in addition, I thought about calling someone about our local "Pet Mart" in Tampa. Along with selling hatchling turtles, they have an African Grey in a portion of a cage I could barely house a Cockatiel in, and about 30 finches in a cage MAYBE 10 could live in. Their small animal/rodent section is entirely overfilled with animals, and it stinks. Their fish tanks arent the healthiest looking either, I don't think anyone gets in there and scrubs them.

I think the only thing they take care of is their water plants.

[Horse Lover]

I don't mean to hijack your post..but in addition, I thought about calling someone about our local "Pet Mart" in Tampa. Along with selling hatchling turtles, they have an African Grey in a portion of a cage I could barely house a Cockatiel in, and about 30 finches in a cage MAYBE 10 could live in. Their small animal/rodent section is entirely overfilled with animals, and it stinks. Their fish tanks arent the healthiest looking either, I don't think anyone gets in there and scrubs them.

I think the only thing they take care of is their water plants.

Its really horrible I saw like 3 coketeils in a cage fit for one! and the poor budgies can hardly fly aroud because there are SO many in one cage

[Horse Lover]

They can survive being in a cup. They don't need oxygenated (?) water, they breathe air. Although I do think they do better in a larger environment. My manager at Petsmart was telling customers they can be kept in the cup you by them in..I didn't like that too much. It's not much money to buy a simple bowl or vase at walmart in the crafts section. And usually if they don't want to buy a bigger bowl, they won't want to clean the cup, and it will get dirty and the fish will die. And the rice paddies aren't 4 inch deep holes in the ground. These are rice paddies:


But the cups are the easiest ways to house them short term. The reptile/fish specialty a couple of towns over actually has these glass bowls with squiggly edges, they're at least 2 liters, they fit right on top of each other and still let air in-it's very nice to see a little bit of change. Of course they charge more, but at least its not just a cup.

Thanks I never knew thatIts just in the petstore i felt sorry for them all beside each over in teeny weeny cup