# Site General > General Herp >  Purchased From Petsmart

## CoolioTiffany

Have you ever purchased any reptiles or amphibians from Petsmart?  If yes, what have you purchased, do you still own it, and did you have any problems with it?

People say Petsmart doesn't take that good of care of their reptiles and amphibians.  They same the same about Petco, too, which I completely agree on (the Petco part).  

I purchased three reptiles from Peysmart, and really, I couldn't be any happier with them.  They are as healthy as can be and I haven't had any problems with them.  Ever.

I purchased a Corn snake, Ball python, and a Giant Leopard gecko.  I no longer have the Corn snake, but that Corn snake was in great health when I got it and when I sold it.  The Ball python, my female, hasn't had any problems at all.  Never has she refused a meal or has had any problems so far (hopefully none at all).  I've had her for over a year now (bought her in June of '08 at 4 months old) and she hit 3 feet in length the last time I measured her.  The Giant Leopard gecko I purchased is beautiful and eats great (refused at one time, but I heard that they will sometimes do this).

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## mainbutter

The one and only crested gecko I bought from *Petco* was a non-eater.  Feeding him by hand was a huge pain but was required for a few months.  I had to work hard to finally get him to eat CGD from his food dish, and he absolutely refuses crickets.

I don't regret the purchase though, he's absolutely beautiful  :Smile: 

Petsmart, all I've ever bought from them is supplies.

The fact is that their quality of care isn't as good as if it was in a good home.  They bank on the fact that their animals will sell fast enough that they don't need to provide the best care.  You see animals at both petsmart and petco having health problems generally because they haven't sold for an extended period of time and begin to suffer from less than optimum conditions.

Also, it's not exactly challenging to keep a corn snake healthy, I'd say that their corn snakes are just fine to purchase for the most part simply because of how hardy they are.

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## mainbutter

In addition, there is a ton of variation from store to store.

I have seen Petcos/Petsmarts that obviously have someone who cares about the reptiles in the store, and takes care of them as best they can without breaking petco's own rules.

I have also seen sick and dying animals at other stores, and obviously I wouldn't consider buying a sick or dying animal from a petsmart/petco.

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## Tek48

I got my second cal king from a petsmart and I've never had any problems with him.  Excluding the tiny emaciated ball pythons with stuck sheds, their herps seem to be pretty healthy.  
I've never seen a healthy looking herp (except for the occasional cornsnake) at petco though.

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## CoolioTiffany

The problem I've had with Petco is that every single reptile I've purchased from there has died, besides one, but he was aggressive.  I no longer have him, but he was a pretty snake.  He tagged me 3 times when I owned him, LOL.  

I purchased 2 Corns from Petco, 1 Milk snake, 1 Leopard gecko, and 1 Kingsnake.  Their Ball pythons never really looked that healthy though.

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## mainbutter

> Their Ball pythons never really looked that healthy though.


There is an easy explanation for this.

Easy to care for animals at these stores are healthy.  Corns are bulletproof, you could keep them for months on end with no heat and they would be fine.

Anything that requires humidity, specific heat temperatures, and possibly might be picky eaters will generally be less healthy at these places because they just don't do everything to provide proper husbandry.

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## CoolioTiffany

> There is an easy explanation for this.
> 
> Easy to care for animals at these stores are healthy.  Corns are bulletproof, you could keep them for months on end with no heat and they would be fine.
> 
> Anything that requires humidity, specific heat temperatures, and possibly might be picky eaters will generally be less healthy at these places because they just don't do everything to provide proper husbandry.


The funny thing is, I don't think Petco really had healthy Corns (Petsmart always did, though).  When I bought my second Corn from Petco, I noticed after a while it was INFESTED with mites.  They've told me that one has escaped a few times and also got burnt on some wires it got tangled up in, but the burn marks went away.  I took the snake back and they treated it, so when I got it back it had no mites anymore.  They treated it for free, too xD

I always remember though, each time I saw Ball pythons at Petco, their cage didn't even look close to a healthy environment for a Ball python.  When I bought my Ball python at Petsmart, it had a stuck shed on top of her head, but she actually let me help her take it off, and after that she hasn't been head shy.  I can't remember when she was ever head shy really.

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## Dalishar

My normal female came from Petsmart. She's very healthy, the "friendliest" of all of them (never even gave me that "I'm hungry and you're close enough to a mouse that I will eat your fingers despite no rodents having been anywhere near you or me for a week" look. Or bite. Ow.), and one of my most reliable feeders.

I've been grossly tempted to get more - I take the dog there weekly, so get pretty familiar with the poor guys who end up staying there for months. I can't risk my other critters for a bleeding heart though, so just have to settle myself by nagging the crap out of all the poor "pet experts".  :Very Happy: 

I make it a point to avoid Petco however. Petsmart (around here) may not have perfect care, but at least they don't leave rotting bodies in the enclosure with the rest of their barely-hanging-in-there stock. ... Then have the nerve to tell you that the eyeless, visible-bones water dragon there is just sleeping. Sigh.

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## nicktreb

I purchased my first ball (baby male pastel) from a Petco store up here in Canada. Sure enough 2 weeks later I had a serious mite problem. You live you learn. At least I now know tons of info on mites now, and am actually happy it happened when I only had one snake. Now I know ways of preventing it. but yeah... Petco sucks in Canada too!!

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## CoolioTiffany

Man Petco is just making people angry on purpose now, LOL.  I haven't been to Petco in over a year, and glad of it.  I go to Petsmart to buy things like hides, water dishes, UTHs, and things like that.  I know a couple people there that even agree that the snakes and reptiles don't have the best care.

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## daleo8803

around here the petsmart is pretty good. most of the people that work there know nothing about reptiles BUT they are very willing to learn! i had an hour long descussion about leopard geckos with one guy and about two months later he was selling a leo to someone and he remmebered what i had told him! their animals normaly look pretty good. the balls have large water dishes for humidity, even the leos get a humid hide. the only problem i have with them is the way the keep their uros but thats another story. every petco i have been in SUCKED!!  the local store called animal suppy SUCKS even worse than petco! none of their animals are kept right plus the store smells somthin bad... also i have never bought reptile from petsmart. i always get them from friends or shows.

dale

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## Beardedragon

Theres a Brand new(ish) petco and Petsmart they just built a year or two ago across the street from each other. The Petco rocks compared to all others ive seen, it could be because one of their workers gos on alot of forums like this. Granted she cant fix everything without being fired, she does as much as she can. 

Now the Petsmart... I try not to go there, I went there once while they were feeding and they put no more than 15 crickets in the leopard gecko tank, and there was about 7 in there. One got to almost all the crickets first before the others even came out ( All tail wagging excited for food, sadess thing ive ever seen) Plus it seems like every other time I go in there I have to tell them theres a dead reptile in one of the tanks...

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## BOWSER11788

the petsmart in durham, is the best EVER i'vr seen, beardies-leos on carpet, and hiumdity and temp gauges in all, plus my petco price matches, so instead of ordering online, find a product my co has and print off page, get my UTH for like 10 bucks, reptisuns for 25 and MVB for like 30 so its all good

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## Black_Shark

> the petsmart in durham, is the best EVER i'vr seen, beardies-leos on carpet, and hiumdity and temp gauges in all, plus my petco price matches, so instead of ordering online, find a product my co has and print off page, get my UTH for like 10 bucks, reptisuns for 25 and MVB for like 30 so its all good


I'm assuming your talking about the petsmart in durham, NC?  If so, that is quite a nice one.  I got my first snake, a corn, from there and hes been healthy as a horse!

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## davidyun

the thing is about em
is that its overpriced

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## Jay_Bunny

When I first started working in my Petsmart store, it was terrible. I almost quit several times because the level of animal care was horrible, especially with the reptiles. They would stick 4 bearded dragon babies in the same cage (equivalent of little bit smaller than a 10g tank) and only drop a few crickets in every morning. The crickets would go under the carpet and you would usually find 15+ crickets in there every week that the beardies had not found. As a result of this improper care and stuffing so many in one cage, we had a few deaths. We also lost a baby corn snake to starvation because the vets at the Banfield are stupid. They know nothing about reptiles and when the day comes that I finally quit, I'm going over there to give them a piece of my mind. There is a little corn I'm working with. They took him to the vet to hopefully get them to tube feed him, but instead they prescribed an antibiotic......um....what? So I brought it up with management and now he's my little "project" as no one else will sit there and cut up pinky heads for him and shove them down his throat. 

But! On a brighter note, the store has made great improvements in care, especially when you look at another store about 30 min away. Our animals almost seem spoiled. Our ball pythons eat fine (they are on small mice 2x per week), beardies are only kept 2 to a cage (though someone dumb put a 3rd in there a few days ago. I'm making room for him in the back tonight so he'll stop stressing out), the beardies have all the lighting requirements met, fish are cleaned and well maintained, we try to educate people about what they can and cannot put in their tank. Sorry people, goldfish don't go in bowls.

When you have a Petsmart or a Petco, or ANY pet store that you see not taking care of it's animals properly, the usual problem is the employers hiring people that have no passion for animals. I think it should be a job requirement because if you don't really like animals, why would you actually LIKE spending time taking care of them. The actual care that I provide I find FUN! I have FUN at my job and so I take my time to do my job correctly and provide each and every animal with the proper care. When you have people that are just there for a paycheck you end up with sickly, mistreated, unhappy animals and the store's business suffers for it. 

That is my $0.02.  :Very Happy: 

In addition, I have actually never purchased a reptile from Petsmart (I can get them so much cheaper at shows), but I have purchased small animals and fish, and I've never had any issues.  :Smile:

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## MitsuMike

> around here the petsmart is pretty good. most of the people that work there know nothing about reptiles BUT they are very willing to learn! i had an hour long descussion about leopard geckos with one guy and about two months later he was selling a leo to someone and he remmebered what i had told him! their animals normaly look pretty good. the balls have large water dishes for humidity, even the leos get a humid hide. the only problem i have with them is the way the keep their uros but thats another story. every petco i have been in SUCKED!!  the local store called animal suppy SUCKS even worse than petco! none of their animals are kept right plus the store smells somthin bad... also i have never bought reptile from petsmart. i always get them from friends or shows.
> 
> dale


I am guessing your in Raleigh/Garner

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## cinderbird

I would never purchase any animals from petsmart or petco. I stress the word purchase. I HAVE adopted a gecko (currently caring for) and i did adopt one of my cats from a shelter that worked through a petsmart, but i did not give the actual stores money for animals.

The only exception i can see is if they had a full pinstripe crested gecko and their cresteds were on sale. 

I don't understand why people would want to give their money to these stores when they have the option of going to a breeder and giving someone they like, trust and enjoy money for an animal. With a breeder, you know where the animal came from, who the parents are, etc. With a petsore you don't get that. You don't really get much at all except a maybe healthy animal from a questionable background. All the BPs are CH. Why bother? At least the cresteds and the leos are usually CBB.

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## Void

Not all PETCO or petsmart stores are bad...just like with buying an animal...you might find a good one or you might find a bad one. My gf and I got our two bps,tegu,green iguana,and one of our rtb from PETCO and NEVER had any problems with them. The petsmart we have here is ok but they have a very small reptile selection and the people there you can easily tell don't know much about the reptiles they have so buying one from them is a no go.

There's a few people at our PETCO who knows what they're doing so the animals are taking care of. Plus my gf works there now so when it comes to the reptiles she knows what's up.

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## Void

Figured I might as well show the kids that were bought form Petco 

Gigan


Lazarus


Curse


Helios


Nyx



All are healthy and not once had any problems with them ^_^

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franken_stein (11-18-2010)

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## Dundee

I got my 2 ball pythons from petco. The adult i got came from there someone droped him off and new nothing about him nor has anyone handled him until i came in. I adopted him and yet to have any problems out of him (which from my understanding he wasnt there long) And that very day they had baby bp's on sale for 15 bucks. Well i picked up one because i just moved my baby rtb into a bigger enclosure. I have had problems with feeding and with mites. But the baby bp has picked up on her feeding would i regret it no. shes still under isolation but no more mites and shes picking up on her eating been eating 4 weeks straight now. the petco around here seem to try and make a effort to keep up there animals but i know its rare you see it

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## bsash

I've bought three ball pythons from pet stores, two from Petco and one from Petsmart. I still have two of them. They were all fairly thin when I got them, but with eating the proper sized meals, they gained their weight back in no time. Other than that, they were fairly healthy, maybe a little stuck shed, but again, no major problems.

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## SpartaDog

Normally I avoid chains like Petsmart and Petco, but the Petsmart by me is great. Their people actually know what they're talking about (at least with reptiles, haven't asked about other things). In fact one of them graduated from my high school, which is a specialized marine biology academy where the students voluntarily sacrifice their lunch periods to care for fish, turtles, and lizards. So i know she knows her stuff. Any other petsmart I generally wouldn't trust.

My ball python is from there, my rat snake was from a breeder, and every other non-dog pet I've had was from an LPS. 

A lot of people don't like that they don't know the animal's background and whatnot. But they don't realize, it's called PETsmart and PETco. Not Breedersmart and Breederco. A 12-year-old kid getting his first corn snake doesn't care if his parents were pure-blood Okeetee from the Loves.

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## blushingball419

I got my striped cali king from Petsmart and he's a great little snake, but that was back in April when I was still working there and I was personally taking care of him  :Smile:  The pet care manager there was also a big reptile person and she always made sure they were really well cared for. But if it was a store where I had no knowledge of how the animals were treated, I would definitely be more hesitant to buy one.

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## MikeV

> There is an easy explanation for this.
> 
> Easy to care for animals at these stores are healthy.  Corns are bulletproof, you could keep them for months on end with no heat and they would be fine.
> 
> Anything that requires humidity, specific heat temperatures, and possibly might be picky eaters will generally be less healthy at these places because they just don't do everything to provide proper husbandry.


I dont mean to sound rude, but you do realize that corn snakes need ZERO heat if provided with a proper ambient room temp?

They thrive at 75 - 80F and anything higher than 85 - 87 is actually BAD for them. 

Im just saying, you cant say that the store in question had healthy corns because they are hardy (and YES, they are VERY hardy snakes), to me from what you said it seems like the store was properly housing their corns, unless the store was freezing or if it was above 85 - 90F which is improbable

just thought id throw that out there, like i said im not trying to be rude, im just saying that from the sound of it those corn snakes were well taken care of  :Smile:

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## maverickgtr

My boyfriend got his ball python from Petco 10 years ago and while he used to be a picky eater [live white mice only] he's slowly starting to take rats now and we don't attribute that to coming from Petco, even though they did feed him live and it took a while to get him on f/t, we attribute it more to the fact that he was in a gigantic tank until about a year ago. He rarely missed a meal unless it wasn't a live white mouse, but the pet stores around where he lived always had live white mice, they were just expensive. 

The Petsmart near us is very good with their reptiles and I know at least one of people working in the reptile section keeps multiple types of snakes and various other reptiles, because we had a long talk when I was smitten with a Crestie they had but sold before I could get the money for a tank and him. Also other people that work in the reptile department are willing to learn. Just the other day I went in there and looked at the corn snakes and the BP while getting crickets and the girl working the reptile department asked me a few questions about BP's after she found out we have two of them. BUT the closest Petco to my apartment doesn't take good care of their reptiles at all. Dirty tanks, sick snakes, etc. Again, BUT, my friend works at a Petco by my mom's house and they take excellent care of their reptiles mostly because everyone they hired for the reptile department all keep various kinds of reptiles. Just depends on who the managers choose to hire or if people that apply have enough experience, sometimes they might need a reptile person but no one that applied has herp experience.

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## Mallory

I think each store would be different. I am a dog trainer at petsmart, and we have a couple of people who know a little about snakes, but care a whole lot and will come running to me with questions or problems. I always check on the snakes and make sure they are doing ok.
I'm sure there are stores who have people who just don't know anything, or are just there for the paycheck. I would take it on a store-by-store basis.

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## steveboos

> I think each store would be different. I am a dog trainer at petsmart, and we have a couple of people who know a little about snakes, but care a whole lot and will come running to me with questions or problems. I always check on the snakes and make sure they are doing ok.
> I'm sure there are stores who have people who just don't know anything, or are just there for the paycheck. I would take it on a store-by-store basis.


I agree completely!! Also which store do you work at??

Every store is different and it seems as if most of the people on this forum realize that. My store is pretty good, i complain a lot about our breeders, but my managers always agree, even my store manager. Just make sure YOU know what your talking about, then you can make a sound purchase on a healthy animal.

I hate it when customers come in with no prior knowledge of an animal and trust the employee to tell them everything they need to know. DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH!!! We can't trust every employee to know everything there is to know about a Emperor Scorpion, so take it all with a grain of salt.

I have got all my fish from petsmart and not a single death. I've got hamsters from petsmart that were great and no issues. Now the ball python i rescued from our store is a different story, that's just because Banfield is a bunch of idiots and don't know how to treat anything that isn't a dog or cat.

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## franken_stein

Void, your photos are gorgeous! Those animals are beautiful  :Smile:  

Anyway, my only BP is a normal, and because I adopted him from a reptile rescue, I have no idea whatsoever where he came from originally... but I'd be willing to bet a lot that the original owners got him from either a Petco or Petsmart. They weren't too responsible, my BP has burns because they used a heat lamp, so, I'm... just very convinced that whoever originally owned him got him from a pet store without proper husbandry instructions. 

But, anyway, he seems pretty good these days!

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## kpenhollow

> Have you ever purchased any reptiles or amphibians from Petsmart?  If yes, what have you purchased, do you still own it, and did you have any problems with it?
> 
> People say Petsmart doesn't take that good of care of their reptiles and amphibians.  They same the same about Petco, too, which I completely agree on (the Petco part).  
> 
> I purchased three reptiles from Peysmart, and really, I couldn't be any happier with them.  They are as healthy as can be and I haven't had any problems with them.  Ever.
> 
> I purchased a Corn snake, Ball python, and a Giant Leopard gecko.  I no longer have the Corn snake, but that Corn snake was in great health when I got it and when I sold it.  The Ball python, my female, hasn't had any problems at all.  Never has she refused a meal or has had any problems so far (hopefully none at all).  I've had her for over a year now (bought her in June of '08 at 4 months old) and she hit 3 feet in length the last time I measured her.  The Giant Leopard gecko I purchased is beautiful and eats great (refused at one time, but I heard that they will sometimes do this).


i bought my ball python from petsmart a yr and a half ago...after tons of researching and going to ALL the pet stores...petsmart was where they seemed to have the nicer reptiles. she was a baby and i have had no problems. the vet says she is very healthy.  i also just purchased 2 bearded dragons from there and so far so good.  when i was searching for my python....  i noticed the 3 different petcos i went to, they were all aggressive.  there were a ton in one cage together and the employess let me know they werent very tame.  the one at petsmart was super sweet.   what did you get??   good luck...im sure they are just fine.  do you take them to an exoctic vet?

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## shorty54

I believe it all depends on the employees. I have 3 Petco's within 10 miles of me. 2 of them have experienced reptile employees. One guy even breeds leopard gecko's. But, the one is horrific! As for Petsmart I have 2 near me. One we bought a bearded dragon from and have had no problems. She's a little aggressive. But the other Petsmart is BAD! I could see the bones on their BP's, bearded dragons and they had a dead water dragon. So, I won't even return there! Guess there are good and bad of both stores!!!!

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## reggi-BP

no actually my petsmartanimal has been great to me i got a ballpython from them an so did my friend before me mine is living heatlhy ive had ont times maybe 2 where he didnt eat but hey its a bp lol but he doing fine my frinds is doing fine an i also didnt wanna add this but i also go a bp from a breeder sadly the bp dead aan i miss him but i would go to petsmart anyday matter of fact im getting a redfooted turtoise from petsmart i cant wait

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## DarrinLowe

Every fish I have owned, spare 3 and my betta have died. All from petsmart. 

I was also at one close to my work the other day, and I checked out their ball pythons, they had what they thought were two males in the same 10 gallon. It turned out to be a male and a female, we asked if we could see them (5 days out of their feed) and they were the most agitated aggressive Bp's I have ever seen. They were so aggressive the lady working there wouldnt even let us hold her, cause of "liability" issues. 

I have vowed to never purchase any pet from Petland or Petsmart (No Petco in Canada) Anything I get will be from a dedicated and well informed breeder.

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## MitsuMike

To this day I still don't understand why people buy from Petsmart or Petco. They have pretty much a puppy mill set up for various reptiles. They buy from a "breeder" who's goal in life is to produce a bunch of normals and make money no matter what. Most of the time the snakes don't last a month at the stores, so they die and the company buys new ones. Cage setup and husbandry is HORRIFIC no matter if the place has reptile people or not.
By purchasing animals there your pretty much fueling the fire to a reptile mill......congratulations

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## Mallory

I'm a dog trainer at petsmart and each store will be different. A lot of the people at my store care about the reptiles and if they're not sure about something, or a customer wants to know about the snakes, they come and get me.
We keep the temp and humidity right for each species, but if nobody at the store knew anything about them, I can only imagine how bad they would be.
I would take it on a store by store basis.

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## Dragoon

I buy straight from breeders but when I go into petsmart the results vary store to store.  just be sure to know your stuff so you can decide if the animal is healthy or not since you would be diagnosing it for the rest of it's life.

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## mainbutter

Since my page 1 post in this thread, I have purchased some female guppies from.. I forget which pet____ big box store.  They were founding stock for a big tank of guppies, and from which I now have a thriving colony of a couple dozen adults, and plenty of juveniles/newborns.

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## MitsuMike

> I'm a dog trainer at petsmart and each store will be different. A lot of the people at my store care about the reptiles and if they're not sure about something, or a customer wants to know about the snakes, they come and get me.
> We keep the temp and humidity right for each species, but if nobody at the store knew anything about them, I can only imagine how bad they would be.
> I would take it on a store by store basis.


With dial guages? And housing multiple snakes together? Baby leos on sand? Snakes only a heat bulb for warmth?

All of the stores are setup the same, it doesn't matter where you go. Reptile people who know what's up or not. Animals are kept like crap. End of story.

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## maverickgtr

> With dial guages? And housing multiple snakes together? Baby leos on sand? Snakes only a heat bulb for warmth?
> 
> All of the stores are setup the same, it doesn't matter where you go. Reptile people who know what's up or not. Animals are kept like crap. End of story.


At the petsmart near my house, the only snakes housed more than one to an enclosure is corn snakes and I've never seen more than two corn snakes in one enclosure. I've never seen leopard geckos on sand, babies or adults. Yes they use dial gauges and heat bulbs. I use heat bulbs and my humidity and temps are fine. Not all stores are the same. I know reptile loving friends that work at Petco and they will not allow management to skimp if it's hurting the animals. Not all stores are the same.

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## MitsuMike

> At the petsmart near my house, the only snakes housed more than one to an enclosure is corn snakes and I've never seen more than two corn snakes in one enclosure. I've never seen leopard geckos on sand, babies or adults. Yes they use dial gauges and heat bulbs. I use heat bulbs and my humidity and temps are fine. Not all stores are the same. I know reptile loving friends that work at Petco and they *will not allow management to skimp if it's hurting the animals*. Not all stores are the same.


And using dial gauges for ambient temps (no hot spot gauge) and a humidity dial gauge is not skimping? Dial gauges work at well as the weather rock.
Atleast some stores "try" and keep animals alive. But trying is not good enough. 
Why are you defending a chain of store that pretty much buy from reptile mills? B/c a few stores do it somewhat right is it ok? Not so much.

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## Jay_Bunny

Ugh! Not all pet stores are the same. Trust me! I work at one! Yes, we use the dials, but we also have the kind with the probe and we check basking spots often with it to make sure everyone is at the right temperature. The reptiles and amphibians that require medium to high humidity are misted several times a day and are housed on substrate that holds humidity well. They are all well fed and are cleaned once a week, plus spot cleaned every day. Their water dishes are removed, replaced, and sanitized every day. Our store didn't start out this way. It took my co-workers and I to turn it around but I can say that we have not had a single dead reptile for a looooong time. Not a single animal is underfed or provided with improper care. 

Now, I cannot defend against us using giant suppliers that occasionally send us unhealthy animals. Just today we got a shipment from Reptiles by Mack and the little beardies were soooo cold when they arrived. But once in our care, animals that come into our store receive veterinary care when necessary. 

I'm so tired of seeing SO MANY PEOPLE insulting my intelligence and saying that where I work is a horrible place. Do you know how many times I've been able to take a person who wanted to put a baby ball python in a 40g tank with no heat and turn it around and educate them on the proper care and get them to by the proper supplies? How many times I've been able to take a person who is terrified of reptiles and get them to touch a snake and say "Wow, they are not cold and slimy. They are really smooth."? How many times I've been able to educate people about how wonderful reptiles are? My job is wonderful! I get to provide animals with proper care and educate people! If my job were any better, I'd own my own store!

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## maverickgtr

> And using dial gauges for ambient temps (no hot spot gauge) and a humidity dial gauge is not skimping? Dial gauges work at well as the weather rock.
> Atleast some stores "try" and keep animals alive. But trying is not good enough. 
> Why are you defending a chain of store that pretty much buy from reptile mills? B/c a few stores do it somewhat right is it ok? Not so much.


No, I would classify no gauges as skimping. They are regulating the temperatures and while ambient temperature isn't as good as specific spots, it does still keep the animal in good health. What proof do you have that all their animals come from reptile mills? Do you have an article from an investigation? I've seen no proof of this from my local store as they don't just carry normals, they have morphs as well occasionally and the reptiles appear to be in good condition. So, demonizing every pet store that isn't a specific small breeder rather than letting someone decide on the health of an animal and the animal's care at their local store is better? I'm not defending all stores. Some don't do anything well enough to keep their animals alive. All I'm saying is, they're not all are the same. The store I shop at and the store my friends work at both take very good care of their reptiles and have reptile keepers working in their reptile section or they have people that want to learn more about them. I had a 30 minute conversation with one of the employees about her personal snakes and geckos and on a different day I talked to a girl while looking at their ball python and when I told her I already had two bp's she asked me a few questions about them to pretty much confirm what she was told to do with them there. Don't burn a store at the stake because you had a bad experience or your store doesn't take care of their animals. If the store you go to doesn't take care of their animals, *report them*. If you have information about a large chain pet store getting reptiles from reptile mills, please post it so I can read it and bring it to my store to speak to them about, but usually, the stores don't get a choice in who they get reptiles from, corporate usually says who to use.

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## MitsuMike

I'll keep saying it over and over and over again.
Dial gauges are skimping. Providing an animal without the optimal environment is skimping.
Good/sustaining an animals is not the BEST, and if the BEST is not the way things are done then the animals should not be kept. That goes for stores and keepers.
I'm glad Jay_bunny that your store is doing better with animals and that you educate them, BUT one store DOES NOT.....let me repeat DOES NOT reflect on the chain as a whole. 
I find it great that some people can get proper info at a store, BUT like I said a chain who has  FEW good stores doesn't make the the chain any different.

Having a few good reviews vs the MANY bad ones doesn't make a store good.
Example:
Your looking to buy a snake from a breeder. You read up on them and he has 1000 reviews. 10 -20 are good, 980-990 are bad. Do you buy from this breeder?

Arguing for your one store b/c you and your friends work there doesn't say anything to anyone. Your sticking up for your store b/c you or your friends work there and you don't wanna be bashed. It's coming down to a person argument b/c you don't want people bashing your place of work, completely understandable. Now are your opinions compromised? Of course. Not saying it's bad or good, but let the facts show.

Been to NUMEROUS petsmart/petco in NC and in FL when I was younger.  Cities like Charlotte, greensboro, Raleigh, cary, durham, winston salem, Miramar, Pembroke Pines etc. I see enclosures and animals that are ridiculously kept. Now will I use my experience of over 20+ stores vs your 2-3 to show future herpers to stay away from these chains........Petsmart, Petco, Petland, etc. If someone can go to the stores you people work at and buy a pet power to them and good for them.

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## maverickgtr

I don't work at a pet store. I have a couple friends that do, but I do not. I understand you've seen plenty of stores that don't take care of their animals, but telling someone to avoid an entire chain of stores despite the fact that their store might or might not take care of the animals is silly in my opinion. A breeder typically isn't going to have multiple independent places that could have different levels of care for their animals. I wouldn't buy a reptile from the Petsmart that's the next town over. But, the one by my house takes good care of their animals. The closest Petco to me is appalling and they aren't doing anything to fix it, but the Petco my friends work at is immaculate, and they have probes in addition to digital gauges and if they get an animal in that management wants to sell but none of them have cared for before [rare but they said it has happened before] then they personally go home and research it to make sure it's getting what it needs.

I understand I'm not going to change your opinion, just as you're not going to change mine, but I disagree with you. I say let someone judge for themselves based on what they see.

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## melrappmel

I would never buy a snake from a pet store regardless of wether or not it looked like they toke good care of them because most of the people who work there dont know much and Id rather be able to talk to the breeder about the animal and not have to spend a ridiculas amount of money on a snake. 

The only animals Ive gotten from a petco or petsmart such as hamsters and guinea pigs have died within a month or two  of having them because of some type of disease they had when I got them. and thats why I now get hamsters and guinea pigs from small pet stores that spend a lot of time handling the animals and taking care of them.... I know its not all petcos/petsmarts but I  just dont want to support that type of store

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## Void

> Your looking to buy a snake from a breeder. You read up on them and he has 1000 reviews. 10 -20 are good, 980-990 are bad. Do you buy from this breeder?



I would hope nobody would buy from a person with reviews like that but its still just ONE person. The PETCO/smart stores may share the same name but all the stores are different. Even if 10 out of 15 stores are bad that DOES NOT make them all bad. 

If I was to go a BK and they screwed up my order a few times I'm not going to stop eating at BK just cause one cant fix a burger the way I asked. Ill just stop going to that BK..simple as that.

Plus just because an animal is coming from a breeder doesn't mean that the animal is kept that much better than the ones at PETCO/smart. No telling how the breeder keeps his/her animals behind closed doors.

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## MitsuMike

> I would hope nobody would buy from a person with reviews like that but its still just ONE person. The PETCO/smart stores may share the same name but all the stores are different. Even if 10 out of 15 stores are bad that DOES NOT make them all bad. 
> 
> If I was to go a BK and they screwed up my order a few times I'm not going to stop eating at BK just cause one cant fix a burger the way I asked. Ill just stop going to that BK..simple as that.
> 
> Plus just because an animal is coming from a breeder doesn't mean that the animal is kept that much better than the ones at PETCO/smart. No telling how the breeder keeps his/her animals behind closed doors.


Obviously everyone isn't getting through thickness of their skull and missing points being made so here it is, plain and simple.
The CHAIN is funded by each store making a profit (aka selling products). Dimwitted people buying reptiles from a "good" store, enables the CHAIN to continue sell reptiles and house them improperly at the other 900+ stores that don't know what they are doing. So by "keepers" saying "it's ok b/c this store is a good store" is actually providing funds to help keep the stores that are killing reptiles to keep housing reptiles. So how do you feel now?

Using piss poor examples to try to have a debate doesn't make a point, it's shows a stupid example that had no thought put into it. And someone who is just trying to put their 2 cents in, even though I wouldn't even pay 2 cents for it. Comparing making a burger wrong to housing an animal improperly for many months is not even a comparison. 

As for the breeder comment, why to pull that out of thin air. No one even said buy from a bad breeder. I do RESEARCH before I buy any of my animals and most of the time I actually know the breeders I buy from.


There it is plain and simple. If you like it kewl, if not I don't really care.

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## WingedWolfPsion

I haven't bought any animals from Petsmart or Petco, but the quality of care varies between these stores.  Definitely some of the Petcos are doing a good job, and some Petsmarts aren't.  You have to treat each individual store just as you would any other individual pet store--if one Petco is bad, it doesn't mean they all are.  If one is good, it also doesn't mean they all are.  The name means very little--it's all about the management and the employees.

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_Void_ (12-20-2010)

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## KaleidoscopeB

I have bought a Gecko from Petco once, and I brought it to a vet, and I found out that they sold me him with Cancer so I put him down. 
I was heart broken because he was a beautiful Reptile. </3
 :Sad: 
Now I do not believe in buying from there.

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## Void

> So how do you feel now?



A lil cold but other than that I'm just great! Thanks for asking! ^_^ how about you?

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## MitsuMike

> I haven't bought any animals from Petsmart or Petco, but the quality of care varies between these stores.  Definitely some of the Petcos are doing a good job, and some Petsmarts aren't.  You have to treat each individual store just as you would any other individual pet store--if one Petco is bad, it doesn't mean they all are.  If one is good, it also doesn't mean they all are.  The name means very little--it's all about the management and the employees.


Again that is not the point..........




> A lil cold but other than that I'm just great! Thanks for asking! ^_^ how about you?


Pretty good, just giving insight, wisdom and knowledge to those who aren't as fortunate as I to have such a mind full of genius.

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## Void

> Pretty good, just giving insight, wisdom and knowledge to those who aren't as fortunate as I to have such a mind full of genius.


That is so very nice of you to bestow your greatness on the less fortunate ones. The world needs more people like you in it!!

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MitsuMike (12-20-2010)

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## WingedWolfPsion

I think it's naive to believe that informed people 'chastizing' a chain like Petco or Petsmart by not buying animals from them will make a difference.

However, buying an animal from an individual Petco or Petsmart that IS doing things right, and letting them know that you appreciate it, can ensure that they continue to pay attention to it, and do things the right way.

(In other words, you aren't going to impact the big chain by doing nothing but refusing to buy from them--but you will impact individual stores with your support.  In most cases, doing something will always make a much bigger impact than doing nothing.  Doing nothing is just a lot easier).

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maverickgtr (12-20-2010),_thedarkwolf25_ (12-31-2010),_Void_ (12-20-2010)

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## MitsuMike

> (In other words, you aren't going to impact the big chain by doing nothing but refusing to buy from them--but you will impact individual stores with your support.  In most cases, doing something will always make a much bigger impact than doing nothing.  Doing nothing is just a lot easier).


Wow if by not buying reptiles is doing nothing to protest the over all disgrace of the chain then nothing must be something. Groups boycott things all the time, but they are doing nothing right? That is probably one of the stupidest statements I have ever heard. I;m not saying not buying the reptiles will stop them but atleast I know I'm not the moron contributing to them. 
Like I already said your supporting the bad stores even if you don't see it (simple economics and business classes will help you learn this, check out the local Community College  :Good Job: )
It's people like you that big companies get away with the crap they do, b/c of this mentality.

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## waltah!

Not all Petco/Petsmarts do a bad job with their reptiles. Many times the people in charge of working those areas are reptile keepers and pay a good amount of attention to detail. I'm one of those morons who bought a perfectly healthy bp from a Petco a few years back. One of my girls really wanted him so he came home with us. He's always been a healthy snake with good appetite and is actually the favorite snake in my home. 
While I think that there are many other avenues these days for buying a snake such as a solid private breeder, I don't think it's right to lump the entire chain together. My local Petco does a good job in their reptile dept. Hopefully many more of the morons such as myself have had positive experiences as well :Roll Eyes (Sarcastic):

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## MitsuMike

> Not all Petco/Petsmarts do a bad job with their reptiles. Many times the people in charge of working those areas are reptile keepers and pay a good amount of attention to detail. I'm one of those morons who bought a perfectly healthy bp from a Petco a few years back. One of my girls really wanted him so he came home with us. He's always been a healthy snake with good appetite and is actually the favorite snake in my home. 
> While I think that there are many other avenues these days for buying a snake such as a solid private breeder, I don't think it's right to lump the entire chain together. My local Petco does a good job in their reptile dept. Hopefully many more of the morons such as myself have had positive experiences as well


Again.......not the point. I already said I'm glad there are good stores out of the chain. But though you feel to reiterate (yep big word there. re·it·er·ate /rēˈitəˌrāt/ Verb: Say something again or a number or times, typically for emphasis or clarity) what people already said, I do not. 
Like I said if you like the truth, kewl. If you don't, I don't care. If you wish to support the killing of reptiles thru animal cruelty then that's on you.

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## SlitherinSisters

Not to fuel the fire, but sometimes it's not their fault. Our local Petco and another smaller chain-I believe (they sell puppies and Iowa has the most puppy mills in the US, so I do NOT support them) get some of their ball pythons from local breeders that can't get their normals to eat and want to get rid of them ASAP. Unfortunately that happens and the pet stores have to deal with it. Not to mention they get most of their ball pythons from distributors and we all know those ball pythons do not all come healthy and eating. Keeping them in display tanks is the pet store's issue. If they get snakes in that aren't eating they aren't going to get them eating in those tanks.

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## waltah!

> Again.......not the point. I already said I'm glad there are good stores out of the chain. But though you feel to reiterate (yep big word there. re·it·er·ate /rēˈitəˌrāt/ Verb: Say something again or a number or times, typically for emphasis or clarity) what people already said, I do not. 
> Like I said if you like the truth, kewl. If you don't, I don't care. If you wish to support the killing of reptiles thru animal cruelty then that's on you.


Thank you so very much for spreading YOUR truth. It's much appreciated I tell ya. So how long before you start speaking in the 3rd person?

Responses like the last one from you come through as very disrespectful. I can certainly understand your "big words", but thanks for the copy/paste from dictionary.com just the same.
I won't waste much time on this as judging from your previous posts here and other sites nothing anyone says will sink in as you are incapable see:
(in·ca·pa·ble  (n-kp-bl)
adj.
1.
a. Lacking the necessary ability, capacity, or power: incapable of carrying a tune; incapable of love.
b. Unable to perform adequately; incompetent: an incapable administrator.) of being wrong. I fell honored to have you on the site as a valuable resource with fantastic heartfelt advice and winning demeanor see :Sad: de·mean·or  (d-mnr)
n.
The way in which a person behaves; deportment.) 
MM is full of lots of things including huge chunks of wisdom that no doubt stems from many years and years of experience.

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_thedarkwolf25_ (12-31-2010)

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## Mft62485

The only thing I don't like about pet stores is they will sell an animal they know has problems and has feeding issues.  My girlfriend bought a corn snake from Petsmart and it was dead within three days. :Tears:   From the business aspect, pets are just inventory to them, and they do rely on animal loving employees to help out.  Mostly I will just go there and get supplies.

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## MitsuMike

> Thank you so very much for spreading YOUR truth. It's much appreciated I tell ya. So how long before you start speaking in the 3rd person?
> 
> Responses like the last one from you come through as very disrespectful. I can certainly understand your "big words", but thanks for the copy/paste from dictionary.com just the same.
> I won't waste much time on this as judging from your previous posts here and other sites nothing anyone says will sink in as you are incapable see:
> (in·ca·pa·ble  (n-kp-bl)
> adj.
> 1.
> a. Lacking the necessary ability, capacity, or power: incapable of carrying a tune; incapable of love.
> b. Unable to perform adequately; incompetent: an incapable administrator.) of being wrong. I fell honored to have you on the site as a valuable resource with fantastic heartfelt advice and winning demeanor seede·mean·or  (d-mnr)
> ...


Imitation is the biggest form of flattery. Btw respect is earned, your not doing very well at that mister super mod. Your emotions are getting the best of you my friend. Is that cuz I hurt your feelings? If so I'm sorry, I'll buy you a lollipop if we ever meet.  :Good Job:

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## WingedWolfPsion

A) Report the stores that do it wrong.  Take it on up the chain.  If nothing gets done, then see what local laws have to offer in terms of reporting animal neglect in a pet store.  (In some areas, you'll find people who will help--in others you will find there's a gap in the laws).  Give the pet store a negative review online.  Most stores have google business pages or yellow pages online with review sections.

B) Praise the stores that do it right.  Even if you don't buy from them.  Give them positive reviews online.  Some of us actually read those things.  People looking for a reptile will see a good review, or a bad one.

The big chain doesn't tell their stores to do it all wrong.  Their care instructions are generally reasonable.  The problems arise when the individual stores do not follow or understand those instructions.

Do boycotts work?  RARELY.  When they do, it's because someone worked REALLY hard to organize a huge number of people to participate.  One person failing to buy from a store?  Not going to even be noticed.

Even passive resistance doesn't work by you sitting at home on your duff in front of the TV.

Making a difference requires ACTION.

Assuming PetCo notices that you never bought a snake from them:  dumb.  :Wink:

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JLC (12-23-2010)

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## waltah!

> Again that is not the point..........
> 
> 
> 
> Pretty good, just giving insight, wisdom and knowledge to those who aren't as fortunate as I to have such a mind full of genius.


 Sometimes I think that some of us forget where we started and need to be reminded. You've been rude to several members and seem to enjoy being smarter than everyone else. 
I'll remind you of this post from less than one year ago. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...shed.....maybe

Now if you got responses like some of the ones you've dished out then you wouldn't have enjoyed your earlier days on the site. Perhaps you should keep that in mind.

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_thedarkwolf25_ (12-31-2010)

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## MitsuMike

> Sometimes I think that some of us forget where we started and need to be reminded. You've been rude to several members and seem to enjoy being smarter than everyone else. 
> I'll remind you of this post from less than one year ago. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...shed.....maybe
> 
> Now if you got responses like some of the ones you've dished out then you wouldn't have enjoyed your earlier days on the site. Perhaps you should keep that in mind.


Wow again, worthless information to the OP. For someone who is supposed to be "cleaning" and "maintaining" this site you sure are filling it up with pointless post.
Seems to me this should have been a PM but rather you feel the need to have attention and the last word. I know it has to stem from mommy not giving you the attention you deserved but really? Acting out here? Not very mod like to me. 
For someone to bring up the past, one has to have nothing else in their arsenal but that last and final thing to try and "ruin" the other person. Now this would work if I actually cared what you have to say, but alas I don't.
I am on this site for knowledge and to help others not for feelings or enjoying a stay. When I run my mouth I know what I am talking about, and am right. Someone who runs their mouth with no knowledge shows unintelligence, that is not I.
I help people to the best of my ability, where as you seem to have only one goal. And it seems to be arguing with me. Your a mod why are you wasting your time here? Because your feelings were hurt? Your an adult, get over it. No need to get so emotional over something as silly as this. That is why I am done here. Have your last word, I don't care. If it proves something to yourself, then have at it. But like I said I think you should be doing your job as a mod instead of having a worthless conversation over how your feelings were hurt.
I am here to help people even if it's tough love, what are you doing?

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## Byrdie

> Been to NUMEROUS petsmart/petco in NC and in FL when I was younger. Cities like Charlotte, greensboro, Raleigh, cary, durham, winston salem, Miramar, Pembroke Pines etc. I see enclosures and animals that are ridiculously kept. Now will I use my experience of over 20+ stores vs your 2-3 to show future herpers to stay away from these chains........Petsmart, Petco, Petland, etc. If someone can go to the stores you people work at and buy a pet power to them and good for them.


Have you reported any of those to RSPCA?...Didn't think so so please don't judge others by where they shop

on that note 3 days ago i went to Petco for the last few supplies i needed for my Female BP who will be here in about 2 weeks i went there and was asking a few questions about their BP's and the Girl working there (asked her out and got shot down  :Sad:  ) said they had 2 male BP's in the back for sale i said lemme see them...
we walked to the back there in a 10 Gal tank they had two 2ft long male normals in one tank no hide box no water and both of them sitting directly on the glass on top of the heatpad i was like...*alsidfvjuasdlvbxzlbLubljdadvasdbvasdfbadfbdgbnnfb!!!11!1!!!!*....after a good 10 minute "how to" speech she said "I'm only doing what i was told" so i told her to rectify the situation or the RSPCA is gonna be here ASAP..so she asked what could be done i pointed out the mistakes she said go finish your shopping and I'll come find you so off i went
i bought a few things and walked around the store (just to note all their reptiles were in excellent condition) 
the manager came and got me not the girl that i was originally complaining to and brought me to the back there they had two 20gal tanks both with a nice layer of bedding each with a heatpad a hide box and fresh water...long story short I'll be picking up my new Male BP in a week...(someone had dropped them off with RI so they were getting treated by the Vet) so not all stores are evil just the managers hire incompetent people (I applied before i left) so i hope that policy holds until they hire me >.> jkin  :Razz:

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## rabernet

> Wow again, worthless information to the OP. For someone who is supposed to be "cleaning" and "maintaining" this site you sure are filling it up with pointless post.
> Seems to me this should have been a PM but rather you feel the need to have attention and the last word. I know it has to stem from mommy not giving you the attention you deserved but really? Acting out here? Not very mod like to me. 
> For someone to bring up the past, one has to have nothing else in their arsenal but that last and final thing to try and "ruin" the other person. Now this would work if I actually cared what you have to say, but alas I don't.
> I am on this site for knowledge and to help others not for feelings or enjoying a stay. When I run my mouth I know what I am talking about, and am right. Someone who runs their mouth with no knowledge shows unintelligence, that is not I.
> I help people to the best of my ability, where as you seem to have only one goal. And it seems to be arguing with me. Your a mod why are you wasting your time here? Because your feelings were hurt? Your an adult, get over it. No need to get so emotional over something as silly as this. That is why I am done here. Have your last word, I don't care. If it proves something to yourself, then have at it. But like I said I think you should be doing your job as a mod instead of having a worthless conversation over how your feelings were hurt.
> I am here to help people even if it's tough love, what are you doing?


I'm sorry - I'm on vacation, and I'm certain that our AWESOME staff, including Walt (who appeared to have hit a little to close to home with you with the post you quoted and embarassed you just a bit) have probably already dealt with you in the manner I'd expect (which is an infraction for disrespect to staff). 

However, I still can't let this slide. I'd like to remind you that YOU are a guest in OUR house called http://www.ball-pythons.net. And as our guest, we would like you to treat others with respect. You say all the time that respect is earned. Well my dear, you've taken a wrong turn towards earning much respect with your know it all attitude after being a newbie yourself just 12 months ago. We can't MAKE you be nice to people, but we can step in when you have crossed the line to downright rudeness to others and point out your hypocrisy. 

I hope that you'll take this time off from the site and eat a little humble pie before taking it upon yourself to respond to others as if you're better than them in every single post. Sounds like you got a bit of Grinch and Scrooge in you this holiday season, but hopefully once this season is over, you can be a more pleasant contributing guest and member here.

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dr del (12-28-2010),_Emilio_ (12-24-2010),maverickgtr (12-31-2010),_thedarkwolf25_ (12-31-2010),_waltah!_ (12-24-2010)

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## Erfic Tick

ive bought 1 bp form them ive had him for a month hes not eating but thats usual its winter plus hes going into shed so yeah hes lived the guy who got him out owned 16 foot burm so there are some places that are experienced and cares and others not so much im now turning to bhb reptiles so ur pick mines doing great 2 month old 2 foot bp so cute and docile there certinely good ppl and bad ppl who own petsmart/petco

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## Erfic Tick

yeah petsmart=OK-GREAT petco=horrible-bad  :Sad:  love my bp he is actualy now eating as we speak he just finished his shed sorry to lie lol :Embarassed:  :Embarassed:  :Embarassed:  :Embarassed:

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## thedarkwolf25

We got our BP Hera from the Petsmart my wife works at. So far all of our reptiles have come from that Petsmart which includes Hera, 4 Firebelly Toads, and our newest addition Zeus (a normal corn). I have never shopped at a PetCo so I can't speak for them. But most of the Petsmarts that we shop at seem to be doing just fine.

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## MitsuMike

> I'm sorry - I'm on vacation, and I'm certain that our AWESOME staff, including Walt (who appeared to have hit a little to close to home with you with the post you quoted and embarassed you just a bit) have probably already dealt with you in the manner I'd expect (which is an infraction for disrespect to staff). 
> 
> However, I still can't let this slide. I'd like to remind you that YOU are a guest in OUR house called http://www.ball-pythons.net. And as our guest, we would like you to treat others with respect. You say all the time that respect is earned. Well my dear, you've taken a wrong turn towards earning much respect with your know it all attitude after being a newbie yourself just 12 months ago. We can't MAKE you be nice to people, but we can step in when you have crossed the line to downright rudeness to others and point out your hypocrisy. 
> 
> I hope that you'll take this time off from the site and eat a little humble pie before taking it upon yourself to respond to others as if you're better than them in every single post. Sounds like you got a bit of Grinch and Scrooge in you this holiday season, but hopefully once this season is over, you can be a more pleasant contributing guest and member here.


Your just soooo darn cute.........attacking someone who has been banned. Aww but don't worry, I'm back. I do find in entertaining though that if I were to say something as you posted I would get an infraction, odd don't you think?
I'll leave it at that, I don't want to hurt any feelings again. hahahaha

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## Stewart_Reptiles

> Your just soooo darn cute.........attacking someone who has been banned. Aww but don't worry, I'm back. I do find in entertaining though that if I were to say something as you posted I would get an infraction, odd don't you think?
> I'll leave it at that, I don't want to hurt any feelings again. hahahaha


Hopefully this time around you have decided to be a positive contributer to this site though the way you are making your come back surely does not indicate it.

I'll leave it at that!  :Good Job:

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_BPelizabeth_ (01-23-2011),PitOnTheProwl (01-23-2011),_Royal Morphz_ (01-23-2011),_waltah!_ (01-23-2011)

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## MitsuMike

> Hopefully this time around you have decided to be a positive contributer to this site though the way you are making your come back surely does not indicate it.
> 
> I'll leave it at that!


I always strive to make a good comeback, hope you enjoy  :Very Happy:  
And positive is such a relative term.......=)

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## rabernet

> Your just soooo darn cute.........attacking someone who has been banned. Aww but don't worry, I'm back. I do find in entertaining though that if I were to say something as you posted I would get an infraction, odd don't you think?
> I'll leave it at that, I don't want to hurt any feelings again. hahahaha


Glad to see that you're off to a great start again!  :Good Job:

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## gardenfiend138

So I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd share my experiences (direct and indirect) with large pet chains.
After going 10 years wanting a snake and not being able to house one, I saw an ad for 30$ ball pythons from Petco. I jumped on the chance, and got him home healthy and happy. Almost 3 years, I have had no problems with him. He was very underfed when I got him though, which I've heard they do to keep the babies small = more likely to sell. I was much more naive at this time, so I liked his price-tag. This being said, I feel I was extremely lucky. Never had mites, never had an issue feeding. 
Now for the local SC petsmart... the local pet shop I frequent and get feeders from has horror stories about them... telling people that their BP doesn't need lights/ heat, hides, doesn't drink water etc. Told one person that their red-footed tortoise could live outside year round, and that it too didn't have any special heat/ humidity requirements. They also frequently tell customers who have gone past their warranty period that they should go to said pet shop because they'll rescue ANYTHING, etc. They seem to (at least in my area) lack any sort of reptile specific knowledge. I have already talked with my pet shop about documenting all cases related to petsmart; they even have a vet who can attest to multiple sick animals coming from petsmart. They worry that local animal control will dismiss their claims, though, and regard them as a local pet shop trying to get the large chain out of town. Any advice on bringing case against a local chain?

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## TheWinWizard

I got a ball from a petsmart and haven't had a problem with it at all.

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## maverickgtr

> So I know this is an old thread, but I thought I'd share my experiences (direct and indirect) with large pet chains.
> After going 10 years wanting a snake and not being able to house one, I saw an ad for 30$ ball pythons from Petco. I jumped on the chance, and got him home healthy and happy. Almost 3 years, I have had no problems with him. He was very underfed when I got him though, which I've heard they do to keep the babies small = more likely to sell. I was much more naive at this time, so I liked his price-tag. This being said, I feel I was extremely lucky. Never had mites, never had an issue feeding. 
> Now for the local SC petsmart... the local pet shop I frequent and get feeders from has horror stories about them... telling people that their BP doesn't need lights/ heat, hides, doesn't drink water etc. Told one person that their red-footed tortoise could live outside year round, and that it too didn't have any special heat/ humidity requirements. They also frequently tell customers who have gone past their warranty period that they should go to said pet shop because they'll rescue ANYTHING, etc. They seem to (at least in my area) lack any sort of reptile specific knowledge. I have already talked with my pet shop about documenting all cases related to petsmart; they even have a vet who can attest to multiple sick animals coming from petsmart. They worry that local animal control will dismiss their claims, though, and regard them as a local pet shop trying to get the large chain out of town. Any advice on bringing case against a local chain?


Talk to the manager of the Petsmart. Print off caresheets from here or somewhere else with good caresheets, and give them to him/her. Give specific examples. Then give them a certain amount of time to change, a week, two weeks, however long you feel it should take them to shape up based on how much is wrong. After that time has elapsed go back and check on the animals. If it's still bad contact the police, it's animal abuse. If there's an ASPCA police force in your area they're the ones to call. If not, the police department should address the case with the appropriate department or direct you to the right one to contact. And if you hear them give information you know to be wrong, go up to the employee and the customer and tell them what's correct and where to go for more information. Here's the California Penal Code about pet shops not giving animals the proper habitats. It pertains to all animals including reptiles. Print it out and give that to them too. The ASPCA has information on it's website for all states' laws on animal abuse.

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_gardenfiend138_ (01-25-2011)

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## Pyrosnake

I had to return a dead corn snake to Petco. They were feeding it crickets.  :Mad: 
And when I told the manager (who takes care of the reptiles) that corn snakes do not eat crickets because it's bad for their digestive system and has no nutritional value, he completely ignored me and said "you got your money back didn't you?" 

Petland on the other hand is where I got my very healthy corn. Other than cohabbing they seemed pretty knowledgeable about the reptiles. The thing with pet stores though, even if they can sell you a healthy animal they won't know crap about it. They have no clue how old it is, what gender it is, what morph, etc. 

From now on I will stick to breeders. There's also a reptile expo every 2 weeks where I live which is very convenient if I ever wanted another animal.

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## Byrdie

there is a Petco and a Petsmart less than 2 minutes from each other where i live and i refuse to go back to petsmart (not saying all stores) but this particular store was horrible... horrible knowledge and downright rude and way over priced 4 medium mice for 10.99 (with taxes came to 11.92) where as at petco i could get 4 medium rats for 6.99!.
As for petco friendly workers clean store healthy animals (animals cost a little more but in far better condition than the local petsmart) and the F/T are at a price i can live with only reason i chose petsmart this time around is because Petco was out of F/T >.> but as i said before i will avoid that particular petsmart this time around
(Again it was that store I'm not bashing ALL Petsmarts)
but from all the posts i have read both chains have bad stores

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## gardenfiend138

> Talk to the manager of the Petsmart. Print off caresheets from here or somewhere else with good caresheets, and give them to him/her. Give specific examples. Then give them a certain amount of time to change, a week, two weeks, however long you feel it should take them to shape up based on how much is wrong. After that time has elapsed go back and check on the animals. If it's still bad contact the police, it's animal abuse. If there's an ASPCA police force in your area they're the ones to call. If not, the police department should address the case with the appropriate department or direct you to the right one to contact. And if you hear them give information you know to be wrong, go up to the employee and the customer and tell them what's correct and where to go for more information. Here's the California Penal Code about pet shops not giving animals the proper habitats. It pertains to all animals including reptiles. Print it out and give that to them too. The ASPCA has information on it's website for all states' laws on animal abuse.


Thank you very much for this information! I will give updates if and when the pet shop n I take action. Thank you!

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maverickgtr (01-25-2011)

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## maverickgtr

> Thank you very much for this information! I will give updates if and when the pet shop n I take action. Thank you!


Thank you for taking action and not sitting idly by, watching it happen, just complaining that they should change.

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