Do all PetSmart's suck?

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

Just another scenario to throw out there. Lets say you buy a snake which has an RI from both sources breeder and petstore. What do you think the odds are off having the petstore re-inburse you for the cost of the vet bills? Any reputable breeder that I know of will absorb vet expenses for any animal you recieve from them that has immediate health issues that were not a result of your care. Obviously we're going to a reputable breeder so we can avoid an unhealthy snake but sometimes stuff happens. I've seen breeders even offer to pay half the vet bills when people had animals for over a month that developed RI issues. There is just a lot more support you get from a breeder when stuff goes wrong and with tools like the BOI there is a lot of action you can take against them vs a petstore which will most often give you a too bad so sad response.

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This is so true... it's part of the risky/vague return policy thing. A breeder will give you up front detail instructions on what to do if your animal is sick upon arrival and what they will do about it.
Petstores, using my local petco for example will only pay for vet bills if the animal is taken to one of their approved vets within a limited amount of time. If you take the snake to any other vet first they will not cover costs and it's not their problem anymore.

Just something to think about, for a little bit more money you could pick up a more common morph(pastel is a good example) from a reputable breeder.

Either way I'd get a snake from somewhere other than petsmart. My one and only reptile I ever picked up from a big box store ended up being, and still is, a problem feeder.

A big plus for me purchasing from a breeder also is knowing that I'm supporting someone's hobby and passion, and supporting small business. On something that is likely to give 20+ years of enjoyment, what's another $20(heck what's another $100)?

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Just something to think about, for a little bit more money you could pick up a more common morph(pastel is a good example) from a reputable breeder.

Either way I'd get a snake from somewhere other than petsmart. My one and only reptile I ever picked up from a big box store ended up being, and still is, a problem feeder.

A big plus for me purchasing from a breeder also is knowing that I'm supporting someone's hobby and passion, and supporting small business. On something that is likely to give 20+ years of enjoyment, what's another $20(heck what's another $100)?

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AND Pastels are so beautiful!!

If you look at Kingsnake you will find there are a few breeders up near you.
Also there is a big BP breeder in ****eyville WI, SWWreptiles
SouthWest WI reptiles, He might be able to cut you a great deal and may be able to meet you since he does IA shows too.
There are snakes available out there.
I did a quick search of your local Craigslist
and found these
http://rmn.craigslist.org/search/pet?query=snake
Here is a breeder/seller in MN
http://www.twincitiesreptiles.net/

and you can see if a breeder or seller uses
shipyourreptiles.com
hope this helps

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Originally Posted by Spaniard

Just another scenario to throw out there. Lets say you buy a snake which has an RI from both sources breeder and petstore. What do you think the odds are off having the petstore re-inburse you for the cost of the vet bills?

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Petsmart has a 14 day total satisfaction/health guarantee, and will take back sick or dead animals/fish with no arguments or hassle. They will take them back if you decide you don't like that animal. If the animal is sick, you should return it, not take it to a vet.

Not all of them are run by idiots. Some actually have herpers as employees.

Even if they have herpers as employers there is not much they can do. They cant ad hides or take them to good vets if they are sick. My friend who works at Petsmart said it took alot of work just to take the beardies off of calcisand.

Ben, how will you know the animal is sick? There is definitely no guarantee the snake will poop for you in order to get a fecal done in 14 days because of how poor their feeding records can be. Now your in even more trouble if the snake doesn't eat for a few months. Not to mention most of their snakes there are imports ( At least in my area, but im sure its the same for most.) And you really need to get those checked, so add on a $50 + any parasites they might have. Also do not forget that most do not wash hands between handling reptiles, so anything any other reptile at the store might have...just one... can easily be transferred to the ball pythons. you say the temps are alright? Those heat bulbs suck the humidity out of the tank which is the reason why you always see bps with horrible sheds... and also most of the time they measure with those crapy stick on thermometers that can be off by 20 degrees.

With a reputable breeder you do not have to worry about all of this, just make sure that the poop looks normal and that the snake has no physical problems. Id still take it to the vet but you have a much less chance of there being any parasites.


Just my 2c

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

and also most of the time they measure with those crapy stick on thermometers that can be off by 20 degrees.

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if they even work at all!

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Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Even if they have herpers as employers there is not much they can do. They cant ad hides or take them to good vets if they are sick. My friend who works at Petsmart said it took alot of work just to take the beardies off of calcisand.

Ben, how will you know the animal is sick? There is definitely no guarantee the snake will poop for you in order to get a fecal done in 14 days because of how poor their feeding records can be.




Just my 2c

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If I plan to buy from a pet store chain, I walk in daily, or at least several times a week, and observe. I make sure they eat, I wait weeks to ensure nothing crops up.

That being said, I rarely buy from chain stores (except the fish). I don't often have time to ocd a petstore's stock.

I think it comes down to being a smart buyer. Not if a certain pet store sucks or all breeders are godlike because let's be honest that's just not reality. There are good pet stores out there, there are crappy ones. There are great, reputable breeders out there and there are scam artists.

Do your homework as a purchaser of any living creature. Do the work first and accept that in the end you have to know about the species, their care, what is and isn't a healthy specimen, who are the good guys/gals to buy from and who aren't and where the nearest herp vet is. So many people just jump into this without a lot of thought or planning then blame the source when they end up with a sick animal on their hands. Too many people look at saving a few bucks as being the most important thing.

Personally if I'm going to own an animal for the next 15 or 20 years, saving $20 isn't really the most important part of my decision making process.

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Originally Posted by mechnut450

I go with the breeder you never know they might surpise you wit h a pastel when you ordered a normal

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have you had this happen?