Pet Supermarket...WOW!

[QUOTE=Myenia;853650][QUOTE=Mochelem;853596]The things you have stated here are why most people on this site dont have much trust in pet stores. Most of the people that work in the stores dont really know what they are talking about.

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I'll argue this statement, to a degree. At least with petco, many of the employees are specialists in certain areas...outside of that, they have a general/decent idea about the other pets. But most of them unfortunately wont admit it, and even with the pets they know less about, they will pretend to know what they're talking about when asked. A good employee should call on someone who can answer accurately...but unfortunately, its hard to find that many people who are completely competant. So, most employees know quite a bit about SOME animals. The stores I'd worry more about are those which take care of their animals poorly...because that is everyone's fault.

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When it comes to our local store I have to disagree with you. I was talking to the 'snake expert' who told me that I was feeding my bp too often and that the most I needed to feed her was once or twice a month (can't remember which, it's been a while). There were some other things that were said that made me wonder how much of an 'expert' he really was. Then, I read the care sheets they provide when you purchase a bp and understood why he was such an 'expert'. BTW...petco bp's don't require humidity!

Well, I'm sorry to hear your store sucks. Like I said, that happens...our Petsmart here is like that, but I've seen some petsmarts that are great. And that depends on the management, as I mentioned. Some care about the animals and hiring the right people for the job...others just care about the business aspects. But as for humidity...here's our BP caresheet, which does mention a humidity gauge, a bowl of water large enough to soak in, and the use of a light or ceramic heater. This is the exact care sheet that is available in the stores.

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/snak...ython_Ball.pdf

This is why I stated in the post that you disagreed with that "most" of the people at thease pet stores have no clue what they are doing... I have ran into a couple of people that knew some stuff but not many..

Its great if you have good pet stores in your area, however I still wouldnt buy a snake off of them, they usually will tell you that the snakes are captive bred just to make a sale, when in reality they have no clue where the snake came from. I have seen many baby snakes die for no apparent reason that were bought from pet stores. I get better deals and better animals going through a breeder than pet stores...

I tend to avoid visiting my local PetSmarts and Petco's, they kinda urk me on how some of them take care of their animals. It's partially one of the reasons I'm looking into opening my own Exotic Pet store in Atlanta, GA.

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Originally Posted by Myenia

Well, I'm sorry to hear your store sucks. Like I said, that happens...our Petsmart here is like that, but I've seen some petsmarts that are great. And that depends on the management, as I mentioned. Some care about the animals and hiring the right people for the job...others just care about the business aspects. But as for humidity...here's our BP caresheet, which does mention a humidity gauge, a bowl of water large enough to soak in, and the use of a light or ceramic heater. This is the exact care sheet that is available in the stores.

http://www.petco.com/caresheets/snak...ython_Ball.pdf

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Also that caresheet there has more than that wrong with it, not just humidity issues, but its saying use a lamp as primary heat and UTH for secondary. No where does it mention a thermostat or rheostat. It tells you to keep the hot end at 95 degrees, thats the very highest I would ever keep the hot end but what if some noob reads that and sees 97 degrees he might think thats close enough.

That sheet does say on its equipment check list that you have a thermometer and humidity guage, but nowhere does it say what the humidity should be. It does state you need a large water bowl big enough for the snake.

I'd agree...I wouldn't buy any pet from a pet store. I cringe every time we have someone bring in a new puppy they bought from a crappy petstore...knowing its going to have oodles of health problems. Both of my snakes came from breeders...and I tell customers that come in when the next reptile shows are, and encourage them not to buy them from us. Why should anyone pay 80$ when they can pay 20 for something much better bred? We get enough pet sales from people who just walk in because they "want to get some sort of pet." Not willing to do any kind of research or put any thought into it. I know a petco in our area that sells chameleons and RTBs, and their reptile specialist will not sell those animals without proof that the customer has educated themself. I wish they did that everywhere.

If you think the employees can be dumb...you should hear some of the things customers say and do. It makes me wish permits were required for all reptiles...just so owners would know a few things about their animals instead of just taking them home and assuming that since they're alive, they must be healthy and happy.

they are good went to every pet supermarket in orlando this summer...they take good care of their animals

both petsmart and petco around here are horrible. they have skinny little snakes with bad sheds stuck to them, and I have to say it looks like Petco's frozen mice got thawed a few times... even petsmart has better ones.

I held a baby snow corn snake at petsmart, and the "snake guy" was telling me how they took care of the shed. and yet, this poor TINY thing was leaving skin flakes on me as it moved through my hands. plus I've had to mention to an employee that temps were too high in a corn tank. they dont sell BPs or anything really interesting there. corns, kings, geckos, and water dragons. thats about it.

the petstore at our mall, on the other hand, is actually pretty nice. my cousin and her husband breed corns, and Michael (the husband) is the assistant manager there. he keeps all the reptiles healthy and well fed. only thing I dont like is that they keep up to three corns per tank, but they dont have much space. thats where I got my butter corn, and he was nice and healthy from the start. plus he gives me discounts on everything since he likes me. :cool:

went to petco *once*. rescued a small mouse with a hair loss problem. unfortunately he died before I could get him to the vet. I will NOT do petco again.

fortunately I have a local shop that is awesome. anyone in or around st paul or minneapolis should visit this store. not sure if I shoud post the name or what, but I will if its an ok thing to do here. they take care of their critters better than anyone anywhere else.

The Pet Supermarket in Gainesville carries reptile supplies but no reptiles.