Ugh...PetCo

the petco by me had like 4-5 baby BP's in probably a 10g or smaller tank, with 1 half log hide and another weird hidethat had a bunch of holes in it. half of them just lay out in the tank and dont even try to go in the hide... The petsmarts are usually better since ive only seen them with 2 ball pythons per tank. Also the petco had 2 boas in a 10g or smaller tank but they are still like new borns...

And the petco i noticed had like a area for the ferrets.... im not sure how many they had probably like 8 of them? but it was so horrible. the smell is horrible and they just have litter boxes over flowing with poop and all over the enclosure. Its horrible.

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Originally Posted by Swingline0.0.1

I went to Petland earlier this year, and they had at least 10 baby balls in one setup, no hides at all. I pointed out that one of the balls looked really sick, and was on the bottom of the pile, and they took him in the back. I asked what they were doing for him, and they said they threw him in the trash, cause he was going to die anyways! I will never go back there again. It was horrible!

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oh my. that made me die a little inside. what where they thinking? they could have given it away. like to you...:tears::tears::tears:

They aren't allowed to sell Pythons or Boas here in the city (SF), but they do have corn snakes, garters, kings, etc... they usually look perfectly healthy and clean, but I'm not an expert on those types of snakes. The most I've seen in one enclosure was probably three, and they were TINY little garters. So while there are certainly better places to go for reptile needs, I don't think they are too bad - I'd give them a "B+" LOL. ;)

I don't have a Pet co here but I have a Petsmart and they take care of their snakes pretty good! Their balls were in a 30 gallon long tank with three nice rock hides and coconut husk for substrate anda digital thermometer on one end reading 88 and humidity at 58%. They sell them for $100 for normals! I go to the reptile store by my work though because their staff knows what they are talking about. Petsmart just has some teens working and they couldn't answer any of my questions on balls but they must have someone caring for them that does!

There aren't any herp stores where I live just 2 petmarts and 2 petcos in the city. All four very on size, cleanliness, and care. I agree that the conditions aren't perfect but I do feel that they do the best they can with the knowledge and supplies they have. Plus if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have my ball! PS if anyone wants to move to Lincoln, NE and start a store I would be a regular customer!

I worked for petco for several years and there stock is horrible they are underfed bush babies that haven't eaten or possibly never been fed before they arrive at the stores.....2 out of ten come in dead or near dead it is so sad I just got disgusted had to quit there policies suck, It takes so much to get the company to agree to take any animal to the vet do to store managers trying to stay within there budget....

We don't have a Petco here, only a Petsmart, and I only go in there if I need something for my dog that the other pet store in town doesn't have. I've seen mom and pop shops do worse jobs at keeping reptiles than some of the chain stores. One in particular was sold to new owners and went downhill fast. Reptiles were kept in enclosures that were way too small for them, empty water bowls, stuck sheds galore and of course mites. They had a red tail boa in a home made enclosure that was meant more for an aboreal snake, as it was taller than it was wide. If he coiled really tight and overlapped a bit, he could fit his whole body on the floor of the cage. They also had overcrowded conditions with their rats, with 10-15 adults in partitions that were barely bigger than a 10 gallon so they all sat on top of each other. One even had a massive tick on his face. It was bloated, so it had been there a while. When I pointed it out the owner (a real jerk by the way) she told me it was just poop -round, silver, shiny poop with legs - and that rats don't get ticks. She also informed me that the black buildup in the Sphinx cats' ears was not ear mites, but dirt, and that it's more visible because they don't have fur. When asked why she didn't bother cleaning out the "dirt" from her $700 cats she just rolled her eyes and told me this was her store, not mine, and to buy something or leave. LMAO. Thank goodness the little shop of horrors closed recently. Now we just need the puppy mill shop to close.

I used to work for a Petco. They are the BEST at teaching their employee's a LACK of care for the animals they sell.

I now work for Petsmart. Never have I EVER seen a company take care of the animals they sell better. That's not just the Petsmart here, thats Petsmart company policy. If you ever see a sick/mistreated animal in a Petsmart store, report it and it will be taken care of promptly. I wish Petco would show some concern for the dollar bill signs they are selling.

most chain pet store i have seen have not taken care of their animals very well. I purchased my normal bp from a petland in dunwoody, Georgia, and it did not eat for 7 weeks. They had probably 15 to 20 small bp's in a single large enclosure. Some were in the one hide they provided and some were not. it was clean though, and the snakes did not seem to be ill. Petsmart near where i live was bad. They had an extremely small enclosure for 3 good sized bps', one had shed stuck all over him and looked miserable. the rest looked very thin and had very saggy skin. the temps and humididty were WWAAAYYY off. the petco near where i live did not look to bad. They had an appropriate sized tank, a full water bowl, and several pretty healthy looking bp's. they were roaming and not using the hide, so the were probably very stressed from some factor unknown to me. Idk how long they had been there.

I know that I take care of my bp to the best of my ability, and that is all I can do. My bp from what i can tell is happy. I monitor his temps constantly, change the water every 2 days, and maintain humidity. He is always in his hide and does not show signs of any illness or infection/mites. He strikes every mouse I give him in under 8 seconds. His sheds are always clean and come off in one piece. I wish I could rescue all the abused/mistreated bp's from pet sores, but that is not realistic. If I was a breeder, i doubt I would sell to chain stores. The person who wrote about the baby BP that got thrown into the trash really made me sick. Idk what to think about that. nobody would throw a kitten or puppy away. That really made me angry to hear that shops mistreat their animals like that :mad:

The pet smart by me is , happy to say, pretty good. They have one or two ath the most in one tank. Not the best equipment but i'm assuming it's just temporary because they usually sell. But man those prices. I feel like telling people to get a pastel for not much more.