Is it just me?

[ElizaJ]

I got my Leo from there and the poor girl was so tiny her tail was the same width has a pencil... I like PetSmart and I get all my pet supplies there but it would be nice if they paid someone to come and clean everyone's cages and feed them make sure they are well cared for


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[albinos_rule]

I think we all know how bad pet stores typically are, but people keep buying them, whether out of sympathy, or whatever reason, and the pet stores just get in more animals, all kept under the same lousy conditions. I only buy from breeders, and yeah with shipping they may cost a bit more than what they go for in pet stores, but you are getting a 100% better animal, with top notch care..BUY FROM BREEDERS

[Eric Alan]

I like PetSmart and I get all my pet supplies there but it would be nice if they paid someone to come and clean everyone's cages and feed them make sure they are well cared for

I'm confused by this statement. What do you think they pay their employees to do?

[CreatureFeature]

I got my Leo from there and the poor girl was so tiny her tail was the same width has a pencil... I like PetSmart and I get all my pet supplies there but it would be nice if they paid someone to come and clean everyone's cages and feed them make sure they are well cared for


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Yeah I'd like them and Petco too if they paid someone to keep proper husbandry and knowledge of their animals

[KING JAMES]

Yeah I'd like them and Petco too if they paid someone to keep proper husbandry and knowledge of their animals

If they did that prices would go up and the average intro customer would go to the next store because its prices would be cheaper. At the end of the day it is a business for them.

I see that kind of problem every time when I stop by Petco to buy bedding for my feeder rodents.
Baby leos which lost their tails and horrible stuck shed on baby ball pythons. Actually, it`s so ironical. We keep animals in limited area and they don`t have freedom that they really want to have..but we think we`re offering best condition and best care for our animals....anyway, what I want to mention is most of petco and pet`s mart employees don`t even have enough knowledge about their animals for sale..so they leave crickets in baby corn snakes vivarium and don`t even know what kind of morph corn snake they are selling..

Yes because we all know that a snake is more concerned with having room to move around (because its looking for food) than to have its food brought to it in regular intervals. Ironic I know. They don't know what morph they are selling...almost sounds like someone got mad when they asked what type of corn snake it was because they did not know, then got mad when the near minimum wage employee did not know everything about the particular snake the store was selling. Anyway end of rant

[Daigga]

Oddly enough, the pet stores in the town I grew up in aren't allowed to sell constrictors, so they don't offer ball pythons, but corns, kings, and milks are all up for grabs. The Petco reptile "expert" didn't understand what was wrong with that and kept asking if the ratsnakes I was trying to get rid of at the time were constrictors or venomous or not. This particular Petco also kept their baby bearded dragons on sand, were trying to sell a blue tongue skink that was missing at least half of it's toes and didn't seem able to use it's back legs at all, and insisted to my husband and myself that the clearly dead baby beardie was actually alive and had just eaten that morning. On this opposite side of the coin, the Petsmart in the same area has very knowledgeable reptile staff, even if their small animal department is completely lacking in common sense. (volunteered for the cat adoptions there for a while, and we couldn't figure out why the kittens kept getting ringworm. Come to find out the guinea pigs had it pretty bad, and the girl that took care of them kept coming to play with the cats on her breaks without washing her hands -.-)

I wouldn't say that all big chain pet stores are terrible, and I've seen a few mom and pop stores that weren't great either. I think it's all really just a matter of the buyer being able to identify which is which. Never buy an animal without asking questions.

[angllady2]

The truth is, we could debate the merits of various pet stores until doomsday and never get anywhere. By and large, big chain pet stores care more about the bottom line than any animal. They only do adoptions instead of sales because it's a PR thing and it makes them look good. If they could get away with selling, they would.

As for local stores, don't be afraid to speak up. Do be as polite as you can, but at least make an effort to educate. Sometimes it does no good, but sometimes it does. I myself stopped the feeding of crickets to the ball pythons at my local petco, because I wasn't afraid to speak up. Put things in terms they can understand. If you notice a big lack of humidity and stuck sheds, do point it out, but also add, "You know, I bet if those snakes looked better they'd sell faster." This is something they can get behind. The faster they sell, the better profits are for the store. You have to be sneaky sometimes, but you might actually be surprised at how often that works.

Unfortunately, roughly half of the time it will get you nowhere. And that can be tough to swallow. The best you can do in that situation is to turn up the bad vibe a notch. Let a manager know you are not pleased with the condition of the animals and why. Let them know you have tried to be polite about it and get them to change, but if the situation continues to be ignored, you might be forced to involve the media. Sometimes that is enough to change the mind of a reluctant manager, since they don't want any bad publicity. Sadly, often it does no good, and there isn't much else you can do. newspapers and TV stations have little interest in the welfare of a pet that isn't cute and furry, so they are unlikely to help. Sometimes small local papers will help, but since their reading base is small, they can't always do much.

Do your best to avoid bad stores of any kind when you can. I know some of us have no choice, but it is important to do what you can. If you can find a private source for feeders, use it. Shop reptile shows and markets for supplies when you can. You may not feel like your $5 a week purchase makes much of a difference, but it does. If enough people get the word out, and enough people take their $5 purchase elsewhere, you can and do affect even a big chain store.

Gale

[Bayonet]

The truth is, we could debate the merits of various pet stores until doomsday and never get anywhere. By and large, big chain pet stores care more about the bottom line than any animal. They only do adoptions instead of sales because it's a PR thing and it makes them look good. If they could get away with selling, they would.

As for local stores, don't be afraid to speak up. Do be as polite as you can, but at least make an effort to educate. Sometimes it does no good, but sometimes it does. I myself stopped the feeding of crickets to the ball pythons at my local petco, because I wasn't afraid to speak up. Put things in terms they can understand. If you notice a big lack of humidity and stuck sheds, do point it out, but also add, "You know, I bet if those snakes looked better they'd sell faster." This is something they can get behind. The faster they sell, the better profits are for the store. You have to be sneaky sometimes, but you might actually be surprised at how often that works.

Unfortunately, roughly half of the time it will get you nowhere. And that can be tough to swallow. The best you can do in that situation is to turn up the bad vibe a notch. Let a manager know you are not pleased with the condition of the animals and why. Let them know you have tried to be polite about it and get them to change, but if the situation continues to be ignored, you might be forced to involve the media. Sometimes that is enough to change the mind of a reluctant manager, since they don't want any bad publicity. Sadly, often it does no good, and there isn't much else you can do. newspapers and TV stations have little interest in the welfare of a pet that isn't cute and furry, so they are unlikely to help. Sometimes small local papers will help, but since their reading base is small, they can't always do much.

Do your best to avoid bad stores of any kind when you can. I know some of us have no choice, but it is important to do what you can. If you can find a private source for feeders, use it. Shop reptile shows and markets for supplies when you can. You may not feel like your $5 a week purchase makes much of a difference, but it does. If enough people get the word out, and enough people take their $5 purchase elsewhere, you can and do affect even a big chain store.

Gale

I'd like to emphasize the being polite about it. If you're a jerk to the employee, they'll just go "yea yea" and talk crap about you when you leave. Ask for the GM, or the highest ranking manager available. Be very polite, but if they're giving you the run around, THEN be firm about it. But make sure to ALWAYS take the high road!

[Heeltoeclutch]

I feel the same regarding the treatment of the poor things at big pet stores…

I wonder if we could start a peaceful “Save the Balls” movement of education or whatnot; maybe by putting caresheets by the enclosures at the big chain pet stores to educate the employees… it would have to be done in a non-threatening way. I know that at least some employees work at pet stores because they care about animals; I don’t think they would knowingly hurt them if they had the choice.

[ElizaJ]

I'm confused by this statement. What do you think they pay their employees to do?

I mean that a single person make Absolutely Sure all animals are healthy and perfectly cared for and ready for their new homes


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