Another fun PetCo visit...

[Weber58]

Well, I've heard a ton of PetCo hooro stories on this forum so far, and now I can add to the list. Mine may not be too bad but I thought I would share. After my day was finished, I took a trip to one of the local PetCo store to get some mice (my BP will not eat the mice or rats I buy from the small breeder/reptile shop I got her from for some reason). I decide to wander on back to the reptile section to check out the selection even though I would almost never buy a snake from them and I saw the BP tank had multiple BPs in it with one hide. One snake was in the hide, and the other were slithering around trying to find a way out. I then proceeded to call the store attendant over and explain the situation to her and just how bad it can be for snakes/bp's. She was nice and took my advice to at least put another hide in the tank until they can find space for each of them. The employee also told me it was against their policy to have more then one snake in a container, but they just got them in and didnt switch them out. I doubt that story, however.

Well, thats just my reptile story for the day.......I hope I did some good for the poor BP's in that tank.........

[stangs13]

I'm very glad they listed to you! I really wished they had them seprate. good Job!

[LGL]

The employee also told me it was against their policy to have more then one snake in a container, but they just got them in and didnt switch them out. I doubt that story, however.

I've had a lot of Petcos tell me that too when I tell them that they need to house their animals individually or that the cage is too small.

At least they put another hide in and listened to you! Some of the Petcos around me don't even listen...

[Rapture]

I'd be suprised if that was against their policy... but even if it is, they need to enforce it and give staff additional training.

[Blu Mongoose]

I'd be suprised if that was against their policy... but even if it is, they need to enforce it and give staff additional training.

I have yet to go in a Petco that houses all there snakes seperately. I've seen as many as six BP's to a cage at a time.

[Vomitore]

I have yet to go in a Petco that houses all there snakes seperately. I've seen as many as six BP's to a cage at a time.

4-6 when I go.

[adizziedoll]

When you think about all the different types of reptiles in there, the limited amount of space they have in there, and how quickly they turn over the balls, the only way to really compensate for it all is to place them together. They aren't specializing in ball pythons, or snakes for that matter - and just simply can't put them in their own seperate tanks. Im not saying it's the right to keep balls together in a bind in a collection.

At least they aren't there that long, and i know at my petco, they give them many hides to chose from, they are warm, they are fed, and they dont mix species. I would feel better about the whole situation if i knew they were teaching buyers that, even though the snakes in the store are together, they should not practice the same at home.

[DragonBalls]

Our local Petco usually has 6-8 in a tank with one half log hide facing out.

At another local pet store they once had about 12 in 10G tank. One hide. They were laying in a pile!

[cleveland180BP]

Yup same here, these poor guys are in bad shape. i actuallly bought my BP from Petco, thankfully I got a good one (like playing the lottery).
Over the summer I went in to get mice for Ike and they had seven in a cage, hot and cold side temps were the same, humidity was ony about 45% and they were all only partially shed, looking miserable in a 10 gal tank's corner.
they had one that was Stargazing(poor thing), and one had the runs.
When I brought this to thier attention they said thier reptile expert wasn't in, so there was nothing they could do. I was bad...

[DragonBalls]

I actuallly bought my BP from Petco, thankfully I got a good one (like playing the lottery).

We bought our first Bearded Dragon at Petco, our first reptile. She's now about 7 months old, 19.5" and 500g!!!! I'm guessing we did OK.