availability reptile supplies and stores in my area (rant)

People on this site knock petsmart and petco alot.. But I for one am a fan of Petsmart at least(been too long since I've been in a Petco, so no opinion there) and here's why:

1) Unlike all other "Generic pet stores", they don't sell cats and dogs. Cats and dogs sold in the generic pet stores are always mistreated, purchased from irresponsible breeders, and kept in dirty tiny cages. The dogs are never walked, the cats are never played with.. it's just horrible. Petsmart on the other hand has adoption centers where on the weekends or something local rescue centers bring in cats and dogs that need to go to caring homes. I don't think Petsmart makes any money off an animal being adopted. Of course I'm sure they don't do it 100% for charity, they probably expect new pet owners to use their in-store groomers and purchase food/supplies there. But still, they don't support the "pet store dog/cat sales".

2) I've had great luck with fish bought there. I'm sure that it differs from store to store and probably has more to do with the employees working at the one near here, but I have to say that at least that one has clean tanks with healthy fish that have stayed healthy after being purchased and brought home.

3) You can find one near most large cities in the US pretty much.. So you always have something to fall back on if needed.

4) I saw a Petsmart employee one time refuse to sell a chameleon to someone who didn't know what the hell they were doing and had no cage or anything to keep the chameleon in other than one of those little plastic critter cages.

5) Most of their inventory and sales are pet supplies, not pets. This is a good thing in my opinion, it means they're not relying on impulse purchases for their profits.

The pet stores I absolutely refuse to shop at, unless there is no other way to feed a pet, are those smallish ones you find in malls and such that have the wall of dogs/cats in tiny overcrowded cages behind the large glass window. Terrible care of the animals they have, and they rely entirely on impulse purchases for the majority of their income.

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

People on this site knock petsmart and petco alot.. But I for one am a fan of Petsmart at least(been too long since I've been in a Petco, so no opinion there) and here's why:

1) Unlike all other "Generic pet stores", they don't sell cats and dogs. Cats and dogs sold in the generic pet stores are always mistreated, purchased from irresponsible breeders, and kept in dirty tiny cages. The dogs are never walked, the cats are never played with.. it's just horrible. Petsmart on the other hand has adoption centers where on the weekends or something local rescue centers bring in cats and dogs that need to go to caring homes. I don't think Petsmart makes any money off an animal being adopted. Of course I'm sure they don't do it 100% for charity, they probably expect new pet owners to use their in-store groomers and purchase food/supplies there. But still, they don't support the "pet store dog/cat sales".

2) I've had great luck with fish bought there. I'm sure that it differs from store to store and probably has more to do with the employees working at the one near here, but I have to say that at least that one has clean tanks with healthy fish that have stayed healthy after being purchased and brought home.

3) You can find one near most large cities in the US pretty much.. So you always have something to fall back on if needed.

4) I saw a Petsmart employee one time refuse to sell a chameleon to someone who didn't know what the hell they were doing and had no cage or anything to keep the chameleon in other than one of those little plastic critter cages.

5) Most of their inventory and sales are pet supplies, not pets. This is a good thing in my opinion, it means they're not relying on impulse purchases for their profits.

The pet stores I absolutely refuse to shop at, unless there is no other way to feed a pet, are those smallish ones you find in malls and such that have the wall of dogs/cats in tiny overcrowded cages behind the large glass window. Terrible care of the animals they have, and they rely entirely on impulse purchases for the majority of their income.

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Oh dont get me wrong, i have 4 dogs and a cat, I do shop petsmart alot for those animals, thats the only place i buy my animals food, i also buy clothing and toys for my dogs/cat but when it comes to frozen foods for snakes they are outrages, I would have never even known that if i hadnt have been snooping around the net trying to find another place to buy feeder frozen mice lol

It's definitely easy to take the big chains for granted. The prices are generally cheaper compared to most mom and pop shops and they have a pretty big selection by comparison also. Sure, the fauna they offer isn't that great or always well taken care of, but for husbandry supplies and other basic items you are lucky if you have one in your town.

It can be a pain - I'm lucky to have a reptile store nearby that even if they charge an arm and a leg - at least they are only down the road.

I actually am trying to move Stan over to rats though because there is a breeder I can get small rats from for a $1 each locally, but no mice.

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Originally Posted by SecurityStacey

I actually am trying to move Stan over to rats though because there is a breeder I can get small rats from for a $1 each locally, but no mice.

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If I wouldn't have met another BP.net member in my town who breeds their own rodents I would be going broke right now buying overpriced locally, or paying ridiculous shipping on one bag of mice that would be too small by the time the bag was half gone.

mainbutter

You are correct, they dont sell puppies and kittens (though ours does have an adoption program which I support)

But....
The currently have 4 BP's. They are all in the same approx 18x12x12 enclosure. There is no true hide, there is a large half log turned so you can see in it. There is no thermometer, and when I asked, they lady told me they dont require special heating. Store is probably in the low 70's and there is a flourscent light over the tank. There is a humidity gauge its sitting on 40%. Hardly what I would call quality or reduced stress enviroment.

I have read maybe one or two reports on the forums about big chain stores having good BP husbandry practices. The worst I've seen personally was an Orlando area Petco BP setup where the BP was wasting away and had MULTIPLE distinct layers of stuck shed all over its body. It must have had 3 or more bad sheds that were never remedied and 2 or more layers of spectacles.

Craigslist sucks sometimes with stupid people!!!!!!!!


so i posted to try and find a place with frozen feeders local and only comment that petsmart was too expensive on frozen feeders, I got one reply with someone saying they had some for 2.00 a mouse, ill still with petsmart first before i pay that.


Here is my original post

I am looking for frozen feeder mice, I need them individually wrapped as I only have one snake and do not want them to freezer burn before using them all. I prefer not to travel an hour just to pick them up if i can help it. I surely hope that will all the reptiles around someone sells these.

Petsmart is just too expensive on the frozens



Then there is a posting war about this hole stinking post that i posted..... about me not being able to afford my food yada yada yada

1st reply

A can of frozen feeder mice from Pets-Mart is $11 for 4 mice; small, medium, or large, doesn't matter what size. Depending on the size and type of snake this could feed him/her for 1-8 weeks. If you're looking for a "cheaper" alternative, go to Pet-Supermarket for $1.50 each and get a few lab mice, with a separate cage and fresh kill one when it's feeding time. (And if you really wanted to go cheap and you have enough space, you could even breed them =] )
As far as the pricing on frozen mice and having to drive an hour (even though Winchester isn't an hour from Lexington, especially not the Hamburg area where Pets-Mart is located)... if you can't afford to feed a pet, then don't have a pet.

2nd reply
And I quote "if you can't afford to feed a pet, then don't have a pet." That doesn't say, "if you can't afford a pet, don't get a pet." If you're having a rough time, SAY THAT! Don't blame the people who point these sort of things out. A lot of Craigslisters who are here frequently, not just the people who use it once or twice then move on, are very blunt people. And a lot of us call them like we see it. You say in one post that Pets-Mart is too expensive. Now you're saying you "can afford your pets." Which is it? And it doesn't matter what the whole story is. EVERYONE is on "hard times" right now one way or another on the account of the economy and such. So that's not much of an excuse. Money tight on pet food? Go donate plasma. Go to the gigs section and pick up a side job. Do what you did when you were 12 and pull out the lawn mower and see if the little old lady down the street might need some yard work done. We all have to feed our pets. And if people would use common sense, some of us wouldn't have to be so harsh.

3rd
I agree with you this person is always posting smart allic things. They shopuld get a real life instead of knocking down people.

4th
i dont think its a matter of being a kyboard warrior. i think the person who replied has some good points a lot of people do make their pets suffer because of finances or lack of care or things like that. i mean that guy said the prices of food for his snake was too expensive. what if the snake got sick and had to go to the vet? thats a lot more than the cost of food. i dont think people consider those kinds of things. its nice to see people step up and say something about it sometimes. some stuff may not aply to this guy but still it aplies to a lot of people. maybe next time just ask around for breeders and things like that and not just that somethings too expensive and youre looking for a short cut



and my reply back! lol

Thank you very much for your input!!!!

ITS NOT A MATTER OF WHETHER I CAN AFFORD IT, I HAVE THE MONEY, IM JUST LOOKING FOR A CHEAPER AND BETTER ALTERNATIVE, I JUST THOUGHT THERE MAY BE A REPTILE STORE AROUND HERE

I JUST MOVED HERE AND DONT KNOW ALL PET STORES YET

IF I WANTED YOUR OPINION ON WHETHER MY 3000.00 DOLLAR A MONTH INCOME COULD FEED MY ANIMALS I WOULD HAVE ASKED........

I DO NOT HAVE TO ANSWER TO FOOLS WHO WANT TO ASSUME PEOPLE ARE POOR WHEN ALL THEY ARE TRYING TO DO IS FIND A BETTER DEAL !!!

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Originally Posted by sweetcheeks

Craigslist sucks sometimes with stupid people!!!!!!!!

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I think they dislike snake people - when I posted about frozen feeders on my local CL I got a ton of responses telling me I was evil and horrible person and they have mice as pets and I'm sick that I'd feed them to my snake...blah blah blah....

But that exchange was ridiculous, at no point did you say that you couldn't afford the prices, only that you were looking for a better deal. Everybody is always looking for a better deal on everything! Sorry they were such jerks to you.

ive seen them pick on other people too, its unreal what they say about others, pure jerks i tell ya