Teddy Tank? What the...

[Galactica]

Reading all the hostile comments on Amazon and the deleted comments from their Utube add, I am actually feeling a little bad for them.  Probably it is just one person or a couple of people, who made the product and got it patented on their own dime-  and maybe just didn't think it through.  Now they are probably going to watch their product fall flat, and really it would have been a fine toy if it was marketed as a gumball container, or a place to put cookies or toys or something.  Still, they really should have thought things through before marketing it as a TOY that holds a LIVE ANIMAL.

Saddly, animal cruelty laws generally only prohibit intentional and knowingly cruel behavior, in many states only for specific categories of animals.  That leaves lots of animals (in some states all fish) out, and it also leaves out
accidental or negligent actions (such as putting a fish into a bowel with no air that gets jostled around by kids)

[Rachel-Eyes]

I just had a thought- think of how cute the unicorn would be with a tummy full of Blind Bag ponies!

(That is literally the only thing good I can think about coming from this...)

This idea is not very original. It was invented in 1945 (by MGM)...
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LOL

[LittleSpiffy]

Reading all the hostile comments on Amazon and the deleted comments from their Utube add, I am actually feeling a little bad for them.  Probably it is just one person or a couple of people, who made the product and got it patented on their own dime-  and maybe just didn't think it through.  Now they are probably going to watch their product fall flat, and really it would have been a fine toy if it was marketed as a gumball container, or a place to put cookies or toys or something.  Still, they really should have thought things through before marketing it as a TOY that holds a LIVE ANIMAL.

Saddly, animal cruelty laws generally only prohibit intentional and knowingly cruel behavior, in many states only for specific categories of animals.  That leaves lots of animals (in some states all fish) out, and it also leaves out
accidental or negligent actions (such as putting a fish into a bowel with no air that gets jostled around by kids)

I remember something, somewhere...and years ago about people raising awareness of Walmart's fish department.  I know there was a public outcry against Walmart and the inhumane way the fish were being kept.

This may have been around ten years ago...

Anyway, there are no Walmarts in my area that carry fish any longer (thank heaven!)  I remember visiting one store where they were all dead. 

I don't know if they eliminated all of their fish departments nationwide...maybe?  But they still sell bettas!

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/pets/walmart.html

Get yer Teddy Tank and yer Walmart bettas, kids!  Put three of 'em in the tummy and watch the fun!

[kaoskat]

All of our Walmarts still have complete fish departments.

[Rachel-Eyes]

All of our Walmarts still have complete fish departments.

I know that one of my Walmarts still has fish tanks, but the other one I think got rid of theirs.

[HavACrumpet452]

That walmart protest was dumb even though I love fish as pets. All stores that sell fish have massive amounts of die-off daily. Pet stores sell exclusively pet products so they make it a point to clear up the dead ones in the morning and pretty quickly throughout the day. Walmart sells other stuff so they may not have the time to send somebody to keep up with dead fish all the time. Most pet fish come from a few suppliers in the country. Walmart and most chain pet stores in the midwest get fish from Apet Inc. Same fish for each place.

As for bettas, the little cups they are shipped in keep them safe from being crushed or bitten up by other fish. Better than being shipped in a bag. However they should be mindful to keep the water fresh and not stack them so that oxygen can't get to the bottom one. The coloring in their water is usually melafix or another medication to keep their fins from rotting and keep them looking healthy as possible, its not a pretty dye to sell the fish in like many people think.

[babylicketysplit]

yikes this is a gross and awful idea...   as a storage container its cute. but as a fish habitat!?  no

[Kaeldre]

I....um...what? O.o  Just...no.

[LittleSpiffy]

That walmart protest was dumb even though I love fish as pets. All stores that sell fish have massive amounts of die-off daily. Pet stores sell exclusively pet products so they make it a point to clear up the dead ones in the morning and pretty quickly throughout the day. Walmart sells other stuff so they may not have the time to send somebody to keep up with dead fish all the time. Most pet fish come from a few suppliers in the country. Walmart and most chain pet stores in the midwest get fish from Apet Inc. Same fish for each place.

As for bettas, the little cups they are shipped in keep them safe from being crushed or bitten up by other fish. Better than being shipped in a bag. However they should be mindful to keep the water fresh and not stack them so that oxygen can't get to the bottom one. The coloring in their water is usually melafix or another medication to keep their fins from rotting and keep them looking healthy as possible, its not a pretty dye to sell the fish in like many people think.

Well said! 

I know that the case where all the fish had died was an issue with how the tanks were connected.  They had a fishy-disease breakout in one tank.  All of the tanks were connected with a shared filtration system, so the bacteria just had a field day and killed all of the fish. 

I think in some stores they actually forget to feed the bettas :/

[gemini_pony]

All of our Walmarts still have complete fish departments.

I know that one of my Walmarts still has fish tanks, but the other one I think got rid of theirs.

I wish ours would get ride of theirs... I can't even look at it I see half dead and dead fish being eaten. Ugh and lets not get into the beta fish I have had people tell me of customers dumping them on the floor or putting cleaning chemicals into their containers ;_;

[Khema]

Walmart tanks are always nasty. Never clean, dead fish, over-crowded. Just gross.

[DazzleKitty]

I watched the commercial for this, and I just feel sorry for betta fish. They always get the crappiest tanks marketed to them.

I used to raise bettas for a bit. I had an obsession for a few months. They really need about 2.5 gallons to be happy and a heater. My bettas would THRIVE in that. They live in 'puddles' but I don't think that makes it fair to give them a home like in this stuffed animal.  Poor little bettas always get the short end of the stick.

[Leave a Whisper]

When you said Teddy Tank, my first thought was  a teddy bear in a military tank. but this is...well its just dumb and cruel. They definitely didn't think this through. Poor fish.

Well, I'd like to see a stuffed animal that eats other stuffed animals...glows in the dark...turns into a pillow...stretches...and can be worn as a fursuit.

Shh! We do not speak of the fabled were-plushy so near to the time of the full moon.

I like the idea of making a cute toy display out of it though.

[Elisto]

They live in 'puddles' but I don't think that makes it fair to give them a home like in this stuffed animal.

My understanding is that it's not that they "live" in puddles, but that they can survive in small amounts of water for periods of time until conditions improve. Just being able to survive doesn't make it a healthy habitat.

[kaoskat]

Actually...... They live in the shallow rice paddies in Asia. They are shallow but there is still ALOT of water and plant life.