pet store bashing

I agree with bratspets, ignorance is a killer. So inform yourself about everything and then pass your knowledge on. Only once you know better can you do better. Just because someone says something, doesnt mean you should believe them right away either. You should take what they said into consideration as you check it out for yourself...It's all about informing yourself.

 

Stay away from the one in Sarasota

 

Stay away from all of them in Central Indiana.

 

I have NEVER seen a PetCo that should be allowed to have live animals, especially herps. I have been in many of them and they all are the same, they claim they have to follow corporate directives from their VET Dr Edling, and he says baby dragons have to be on calci or vita sand and eat mealworms . They all admit that their dragons die (in less that a week we saw 2 dying in the new store here) but they have to keep them this way... cause their "PRO" says this and so do their caresheets.
From what I have seen of ANY PetCo we have been in, they need to STOP carrying any live animals... since they do not stay alive that long with them. I think this chain kills off more young animals than any other I have ever seen. Perhaps they mean to or for new owners to so they can sell them more when the kids cry over the dead new pet they got a few days ago... why else would they continue the same husbandy that they know is killing them off or worse yet, advice new owners to follow it!!

Either they do not care or their "PRO" Vet is ignorant of proper care and should not be advising about things he knows nothing about.

Oh yeah, the huge crickets eating the baby corm snakes was interesting too.... I am not sure if someone thought the corns were feeders for the crickets or that baby corns would eat crickets.... just more proof they should not be allowed to carry animals.

Hopefully some day animal control or Fish and Game will start arresting the managers or chargin fines and crimial actions against them more.

There is a reason they are referred to as PET NO and DEATHCO "where pets come to die"

 

I went looking for a heavy dog dish for my ball python the other day. I visited quite a few pet stores and was shocked at what I found.

First, I went to a local aquarium store (because it was next to the dollar store I checked first). This place had the worst conditions I saw that day. They had one full grown beardie that wasn't for sale, but was still on display. He had a huge water dish that took up half his tank. He was SUPER skinny like a pancake and very dark. They had a tank right next to it with 3 inch long beardies. They were on Calcisand with no basking light. Across the aisle from them was a tank with 4 almost full grown beardies in a small tank. One of them had a very stumpy tail. I got sick to my stomach and had to leave the store. Unfortunately the owners of that store also own our new reptile store. I decided never to buy anything from them again.

Next I went to Petco. Their beardies were in better conditions, although still bad. They were probably 4 inches long and were on sand (playsand it looked like though). They had a dish full of mini mealworms in with them.

So, on to Petsmart. I found a bowl I liked there. They also had their beardies in the best conditions. They were on reptile carpet, only two 6 inch long ones per tank. They had salad and reptile pellets. One of them was GORGEOUS. Yellow and orange. I was so tempted, but I just got a beardie and a ball python and I don't buy animals from stores as a rule.

My last stop of the day was that reptile shop that is affiliated with the aquarium shop. I went there to buy crickets (last time I will buy anything from them) because I ordered ones that were way too small online. They had a dead hatchling green snake shriveled up in his tank. There were crickets 3 times his size crawling around in his tank. The ball python a few tanks down had no hides and his skin was shedding off in little bits, like a peeling sunburn. They had their baby beardies on Calcisand as well.

So, I guess the moral of this story is that you can't really generalize about pet stores. There are a few good ones, but in my experience most are bad, even the "reptile" shops. I would never buy any animal from a pet shop (except for fish). I adopt or buy from breeders. Sorry this is such a long rant. I was shocked by the conditions I saw that day and no one would really care or sympathize except for you guys.

 

:evil: ARRRR!!!!!! That bothers me soooo much!

 

Sure you can generalize. As a general rule, ALL pet stores are bad. If you walk into them assuming they're gonna look like hell, then you'll be presently surprised when you walk into the rare exception.

Petsmart have started to get their act together over the last year or two after the whole Flukers/Reptile Republic fiasco.

 

Petco's are usually pretty good....its the other big pet stores that dont know jack

 

Petcos are NOT usually pretty good. How many have you actually been in Zenate?

 

Not many.... but the ones I'vs been to are better than the Petsmarts I've been to.

 

I never mentioned the franchise/chain pet store that I was working with, because they played along with my discontent of the"corporation rules and care procedures". I was a fool. After seeing today- What they called, a 6 month old{6" long beardie}, in the same 2.5gal. tank with 6 more beardies only 4" long on cedar bark chips, with a 6" dogdish 2" deep, full of water. Ahh heck with it. The conditions were deplorable. SUPERPETZ in Knoxville, TN. SUCKS!{A bunch of other words came to mind as well. I'll refrain from mentioning them, as I know this is a family type forum}. After 13 years of going there, I'll never go back. I'll also write a very nasty e-mail/letter to the corporate office. I'm ashamed I've supported them this long. From now on, I'll only go to the CRITTER BARN, in Knox, TN.. Just Ranting again. sorry. Scott

 

Very true Axe. I guess I just meant to say that "reptile" shops aren't necessarily better than chain stores. I always assumed chains stores were the worst, but this particular Petsmart proved me wrong. I know others are not nearly as nice.

 

Axe, you are right about how Petsmarts are trying to clean up...but the ones in PA are still really bad...But the PetCosa here arent as bad...that was what i was trying to say. I know that neither of them are as good/knowledgable as they should be.

 

I've never been to a Petco. But I have been in a Petsmart. There's only one in my area. It's absolutely HORRIBLE. Dirty dirty tanks, no water. There was this poor chameleon last month that looked on the verge of death. I went back in the next week and some guy was buying it. That's just supporting them. But I bet he must have felt bad for it. I know I did.

 

The Petsmarts in Knoxville.......CENSORED.....Need I go on.

 

LMAO

 

I have not read the entire thread yet, but i have noticed alot of talk about care sheets.. one of the large chain stores in my city does provide care sheets for there herps when you buy them... I asumed it was standard practice but i guess i am wrong , sometimes they are in a rush and you have to ask but i would assume anyone getting a new pet would ask for any aditional information about how to look after them.
Edit: that store was petland

Also noticed alot about petsmart and how they have bad conditions. the one in my area seems ok, all the animals look healthy and the staff seem generaly conserned about keeping everthing health. They had a single firebelly toad, the staff person said that they had sold 2 the other day and that they were rushing to get more in because the lone one was really lonely and they wanted to make sure it was happy. (the petsmart that opened here opened within the last 2 months and people are saying that they are trying to shape up so maybe this is a good sign for the people that have poor petsmarts that they are going to get better?)

There is also one small petstore that in my area and the conditions look really nice there (i was uber impressed) all the crickets they sell there are gutloaded allready "most people dont gut load so i make sure to do it to make sure there herps get a good diet" -pet store owner, but the prices make the store just not practicle for me 13c a cricket .... just not competitive with the larger chains. I would love to give the guy buisness for my standard stuff but i am a University student and cant afford it.

 

You can talk to eachother about it all day, but unless they read this site,
they won't be motivated to change their policies.

If there is neglect or cruelty involved, call the authorities on them.

If it is ignorance, send them proper caresheets with a tactful letter
(ie, try not to bash them in the letter..you bash em they trash em)!
Write the corporations regarding individual store conditions.

Change for the better is always possible. Look what PETA accomplished with animal testing in the cosmetic industry...

 

Even if they (the big chains) read this site, or we call them up and talk to them in person, they don't care. The people who lay out the corporate policy for the big chains don't do this because they like animals, they do this because it makes money.

Also look what PeTA accomplished with birds in DeathCo. But, on the other hand, PeTA and DeathCo had the agreement that if they fixed the bird situation, PeTA would quit hassling them about the reptiles. But, I never liked PeTA in the first place; Now they've just reinforced that belief.

Independently owned pet stores can, and often do, change. They make their own policies, and the owners of those stores usually do open up shop because they have a love of animals. Sure, they wouldn't open up a shop at all if they didn't want to make profit, but they made it about pets because they like animals (usually).

Sometimes, you can change those minds, but the bigger chains, forget it. Unless there's hundreds of thousands of people all backing each other up, and all complaining to the right people, and there's a substantial drop in profits from it, the people who make the decisions at those big chains simply don't care.

 

You are right, Axe.
I wasn't endorsing PETA, just using that incident as an example of promoting change.
I hadn't heard about the "deal" made with PetCo.
Very interesting...

Maybe the corporates don't care about anything but money,
but you know the old saying:
"The best way for evil to prevail is for good people to do nothing".