Heat Rock Marketing Rant

Now, I know most of us here know that heat rocks are probably one on the worst things for snakes, or at least from what ive heard, and can cause severe burns. I was walking down a few of the aisles at work today and noticed this one, and decided to give it a read.

If you read the left side, the first thing it tells you that its good for is a multitude of snake species, including pythons and boas. I HATE how these are marketed this way. My boss came over and knew what i was looking at, and thank god no one has actually bought one of them in a long time. I dont understand how so many of these are still on the market even after having caused to much damage to pets in the past.

Of course, this very day, someone asks me about them not long after me and the boss had talked, im guessing he had overheard us. He was actually about to buy it for his young BP, and I quickly turned him to a UTH and Thermostat for it.

Dont know why I felt the need to rant about this, but these things are starting to really get on my nerves now that I work with pets for a living, I suppose.
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I work a big box pet store and never recommend them.


It's frustrating for sure. It's like how I need to explain that the boxes for fish tanks will ALWAYS display more fish than you can safely keep in the tank.

Or have to have a bit of a speech on the ups and downs of sand in certain lizard enclosures

My very first Craigslist ball python came with one. That is all she had for heat, just one unregulated heat rock. No UTH, no thermostat, no lamp, just a heat rock that plugged into the wall!

She was also drastically underfed and dehydrated. In my care, she went from 2 feet long to 4 feet long in ONE YEAR! I kid you not, she must have been much older than I thought and once she got some proper food and husbandry she grew like a weed on fertilizer.

Needless to say I threw the heatrock in the garbage after doing some research online about proper husbandry.

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Originally Posted by Armiyana

I work a big box pet store and never recommend them.


It's frustrating for sure. It's like how I need to explain that the boxes for fish tanks will ALWAYS display more fish than you can safely keep in the tank.

Or have to have a bit of a speech on the ups and downs of sand in certain lizard enclosures

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Fish can be the worst, because people always think they can be thrown in any size tank. Someone today was trying to buy a bowl with a comet goldfish (which, you know, get up to 12-18in easily).

Also had a guy who wanted to put an Oscar in a 10 gal. Needless to say neither left with the fish they originally wanted, though they happily listened to the advice given.

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The little guy I rescued had only one of those for his hot spot. I’m beginning to believe he has neurological damage from it. :( So stupid


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I'm not familiar with legal processes. But if I purchased one unknowingly and caused severe burns to my python can't I file a law suit? It cleary states they are good for pythons in which they aren't. They should have hundreds of open law suits threatening the companies existence. Am I wrong?

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I hate heat rocks! And my team knows no heat rocks as well lol. No one sells heat rocks or those stupid stick on gauges lol. We just say no.

and don't even get me started on the damn fish....... I actually have a sign on my goldfish tank stating they have specific requirements that need to be met before selling. I say no everyday to fish people. Every day!

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

I hate heat rocks! And my team knows no heat rocks as well lol. No one sells heat rocks or those stupid stick on gauges lol. We just say no.

and don't even get me started on the damn fish....... I actually have a sign on my goldfish tank stating they have specific requirements that need to be met before selling. I say no everyday to fish people. Every day!

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I do as well. I hate how people never even try to read the tags. Just had someone ask me for a baby angelfish to be put in a bowl. I dont even want to list the amount of things wrong in that one sentence.

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Originally Posted by Slicercrush

I do as well. I hate how people never even try to read the tags. Just had someone ask me for a baby angelfish to be put in a bowl. I dont even want to list the amount of things wrong in that one sentence.

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Oh I get it!

Me:what are we looking at getting today?
customer: a goldfish for my kid
me: great, what is your set up? (Notice I didn't say tank size)
customer: we have a (insert bowl, 5.5, 10 gal).
me: oh Im sorry, goldfish have specific requirements. Your tank is just to small to handle all the waste they produce and they need colder water and more oxygen than other fish. But with the size you have a betta is your best bet because of XYZ.
customer: but we want a goldfish and we had them before Ina bowl and they lived for two years!
me: goldfish can live up to 30 years and can get the size of koi. So two years is 1/15th their life span. It couldn't grow and got sick. We dont sell goldfish in bowls for this reason. Can I interest you in a betta?

i hate goldfish people more than anything! Hate! I'm not afraid to say no lol!

It’s not a whole lot different than selling a UTH without a thermostat. I saw a so called “snake habitat” at the pet store where I buy my mice (it’s the same kit they probably sell at pet stores everywhere made by a big name company). I looked at it’s contents and it had a UTH but no thermostat or way to control the heat they put out. And those things get pretty hot without a thermostat. I know people SHOULD do a lot of research before buying a live animal, but I’m guessing a lot don’t.