I just lost what little faith I had in petco.

Well I called a local petco to see if they have Zoo Med Thermostats; I've been looking for one, but online the shipping is either too expensive or takes too long to arrive.

So the person on the phone asks me what size tank and what animal. I tell him I have a ball python (3 months old) in a 10 gallon. He says this is too small for the ball python, and enforces that I should upgrade to a 20 gallon. Amusing, isn't it?

Then he says that I do not need a thermostat for the heat lamp, and that I should set up a 20 gallon with a heat lamp on the left, and heat pad in the middle.

He asked where I got it, I told him from a breeder, and then he progressed to say that the breeder must have not known much about ball pythons. (He's a phenomenal breeder and keeps numerous pythons and boas.)

:rofl:

Yeah that's my little rant...hehe. Not to just bash petco, but I just decided to share that.

By the way, why does it seem that pet stores have everything except thermostats? I live in the bay area, around the san mateo area, not sure why they don't have them in stock. :P

Yeah petco doesn't sell thermostats. Petsmart sells the Zoomed repti-therm 500r but they don't carry it in stores they only sell it online. What I don't understand is why petstores don't hire people that actually know things about the animals they are working with?

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Originally Posted by omnibus2

By the way, why does it seem that pet stores have everything except thermostats? I live in the bay area, around the san mateo area, not sure why they don't have them in stock. :P

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i work at petco so i can see what you're saying, my co-workers arent too bright on reptiles unless im there. at my store we DO carry the zoo-med thermostats, but they're $40 and i dont think they're worth it. i use one and i have to turn the knob just a tiny bit once it turns on cuz thats when it get to 90 degrees. any more and it'll get to over 100 for some odd reason. u can ask the general manager at the store if they can "special" order one for you and u just pay for it once u pick it up.

I understand your frustration. But the people may have the best intentions but are simply uneducated.

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Originally Posted by omnibus2

So the person on the phone asks me what size tank and what animal. I tell him I have a ball python (3 months old) in a 10 gallon. He says this is too small for the ball python, and enforces that I should upgrade to a 20 gallon. Amusing, isn't it?

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it's possible maybe he heard you say 3 feet?

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Originally Posted by Snakeman

it's possible maybe he heard you say 3 feet?

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No, I told him it was about a foot long; I didn't tell the guy on the phone the bp's age.

Does anybody know where I can get a good thermostat in the bay area?

reptile depot? LLLreptile?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by omnibus2

So the person on the phone asks me what size tank and what animal. I tell him I have a ball python (3 months old) in a 10 gallon. He says this is too small for the ball python, and enforces that I should upgrade to a 20 gallon. Amusing, isn't it?


By the way, why does it seem that pet stores have everything except thermostats? I live in the bay area, around the san mateo area, not sure why they don't have them in stock. :P

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1) Let me guess. He had the perfect 20g tank sitting on a shelf...

2) Because after store "mark-up" the price they would be charging for some of the t-stats would be unattractive to a casual shopper. They have a better chance of making a sale to an inexperienced shopper if that person thinks they can get a full set-up and snake for a cheaper price than what some of the high-end T-stats alone would cost. The pet stores only motive is profit...

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Originally Posted by Snakeman

reptile depot? LLLreptile?

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Ah thankyou, but I just checked and they do not have stores in or near the bay area.

@Vypyrz

Yeah, I suppose that could be why-but he seemed so confident, and like he really believed it. It was disturbing.

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Originally Posted by omnibus2

Then he says that I do not need a thermostat for the heat lamp, and that I should set up a 20 gallon with a heat lamp on the left, and heat pad in the middle.

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:rolleyes: Maybe the lamp is supposed to go the left side so it can heat the top of the hide with the UVB light they always insist we need, kind of like a sun deck. And I guess the UTH in the middle would be to heat the water bowl in case your snake wants to soak in his own little hot tub. You could even hook one of those aquarium air pumps to blow bubbles in the water bowl for the deluxe BP jacuzzi. For dinking water you could use one of those 8oz mixed drink glasses. Just make sure it has one of those little daquiri umbrellas in it... :rofl:

My sarcastic brilliance amazes me...


Rob

The sad truth of it is this: Big chain pet stores LIKE hiring kids who know nothing because it helps them sell more of THEIR stuff. Someone who knows snakes, for instance, will tell you not to get a huge tank (sometimes no tank at all), to get your thermostat from someone else online (no store really sells t-stats, they're all online), and to use plastic plant pots from WalMart for hides. How is this helping the store? Answer - it isn't.

Now, in contrast take the uneducated typical pet store employee. They were told very vauge stuff in regards to snakes. They learn from antiquated care sheets in the store. So, when a customer needs things for a new snake they tell them to get huge tanks (from their store), a crummy rheostat if anything to control the heat pad, heat rocks, expensive hides, and analog thermometers...all things sold at that store.

When these stores 'accidentally' hire someone who really knows their stuff, it seems, they do whatever they can to discourage that person from staying long because it "hurts the bottom line". I was one such person at Petsmart and they did alot to keep me down. I still told customers where to get the good stuff...and continue to do so in the stores to this day. :)

It would be great if pet stores could start selling the proper EQ for all animals. Heck, even the stuff they sell for small mammals is usually crap. Cages too small, food that's junk, etc. But, as long as these places are making money by selling the bad stuff, they won't change. Sad.

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Originally Posted by omnibus2

Does anybody know where I can get a good thermostat in the bay area?

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You can try East Bay Vivarium in Berkley or maybe a reptile show? There is one in Sac in a few weeks and one in Petaluma in October. A couple of privately owned pet shops up where we live carry them but as mentioned earlier they are marked way up and you end up getting one cheaper even with shipping included when you order online.

We went to EBV about a month ago but just went to look at their animals and didn't pay much attention to what they sold otherwise. From what I did see they are priced about normal for a pet shop in this area and I'd guess you would be paying $40 to $50 for your thermostat.

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Originally Posted by Solinger

You can try East Bay Vivarium in Berkley or maybe a reptile show? There is one in Sac in a few weeks and one in Petaluma in October. A couple of privately owned pet shops up where we live carry them but as mentioned earlier they are marked way up and you end up getting one cheaper even with shipping included when you order online.

We went to EBV about a month ago but just went to look at their animals and didn't pay much attention to what they sold otherwise. From what I did see they are priced about normal for a pet shop in this area and I'd guess you would be paying $40 to $50 for your thermostat.

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Yeah I called they have it; thankyou. I guess I'll go tomorrow, although 50 bucks seems expensive, it's usually online for 25 or 30 bucks. They also have other brands of thermostats that cost a bit more. Does anybody know if zoo med has good thermostats?

@Argentra

WOW did they really discourage you from working there? That's just bad. bad.

I wanted to spend some time working at a petco or something; I guess I should look into local stores instead. That's sad.

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Originally Posted by Argentra

The sad truth of it is this: Big chain pet stores LIKE hiring kids who know nothing because it helps them sell more of THEIR stuff. Someone who knows snakes, for instance, will tell you not to get a huge tank (sometimes no tank at all), to get your thermostat from someone else online (no store really sells t-stats, they're all online), and to use plastic plant pots from WalMart for hides. How is this helping the store? Answer - it isn't.

Now, in contrast take the uneducated typical pet store employee. They were told very vauge stuff in regards to snakes. They learn from antiquated care sheets in the store. So, when a customer needs things for a new snake they tell them to get huge tanks (from their store), a crummy rheostat if anything to control the heat pad, heat rocks, expensive hides, and analog thermometers...all things sold at that store.

When these stores 'accidentally' hire someone who really knows their stuff, it seems, they do whatever they can to discourage that person from staying long because it "hurts the bottom line". I was one such person at Petsmart and they did alot to keep me down. I still told customers where to get the good stuff...and continue to do so in the stores to this day. :)

It would be great if pet stores could start selling the proper EQ for all animals. Heck, even the stuff they sell for small mammals is usually crap. Cages too small, food that's junk, etc. But, as long as these places are making money by selling the bad stuff, they won't change. Sad.

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yup, exactly what im going through at petco. in may i was supposed to do a reptile "workshop" but once i told one of my co-worker team leader(whom i thought was my friend) what i was gonna do(what to REALLY get and where) he told our general manager and i was taken off the program and someone else did it instead.was i p'd off? yes. but wither way i conctinue to tell people what to get and where they get it. if anything, i cost the store money cuz people decide not to get their kid or themselves the reptile cuz it's too expensive. like last week, someone tried to buy one of our red-eared sliders. she asked me what they needed. i told her a 20 gallon tank, UVB light, heat lamp, turtle dock, filter, etc. as i was saying all that, i saw her face expression change from happy to "oh"(pure gold). then she asked if we had any turtles that were "low maintenence" which i told her no turtles were like that. soon after she gave up and left, haha. and even last night, some parents tried to buy their kid a house gecko and all they had was the bedding and a 10 gallon tank. i asked them about the hides, plants, and heat lamp. the dad said he'd get that "tomorrow"(im used to being lied to) and i told them that if they wanna get the rest of the stuff tomorrow then they can come back tomorrow and then get the gecko but not tonight. i doubt they wanted to spend the money for it.

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Originally Posted by Snakeman

yup, exactly what im going through at petco. in may i was supposed to do a reptile "workshop" but once i told one of my co-worker team leader(whom i thought was my friend) what i was gonna do(what to REALLY get and where) he told our general manager and i was taken off the program and someone else did it instead.was i p'd off? yes. but wither way i conctinue to tell people what to get and where they get it. if anything, i cost the store money cuz people decide not to get their kid or themselves the reptile cuz it's too expensive. like last week, someone tried to buy one of our red-eared sliders. she asked me what they needed. i told her a 20 gallon tank, UVB light, heat lamp, turtle dock, filter, etc. as i was saying all that, i saw her face expression change from happy to "oh"(pure gold). then she asked if we had any turtles that were "low maintenence" which i told her no turtles were like that. soon after she gave up and left, haha. and even last night, some parents tried to buy their kid a house gecko and all they had was the bedding and a 10 gallon tank. i asked them about the hides, plants, and heat lamp. the dad said he'd get that "tomorrow"(im used to being lied to) and i told them that if they wanna get the rest of the stuff tomorrow then they can come back tomorrow and then get the gecko but not tonight. i doubt they wanted to spend the money for it.

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Seriously? WOW! Shame petco, shame. Dirty people. (Now, not all of them, but I'm making a general statement.)

I worked at the petsmart in shawnee mission,KS when I was younger. Its true, they don't like it when you try to educate people, instead of selling what is in the store.
Its also true that people don't do the research either. Then there was a woman who wanted to buy a russian tortoise for her boys one day....we told her it would need a 40gallon terrarium but she decided to go with a ten gallon. Because it would look better in her living room.......And the people who returned the mice that they bought as pets for their kids because they smelled. And the people who dropped off guinea pigs in front of the store for god knows why, and people who ditched tree frogs in solo cups behind merchandise.
Or the people that insist upon feeding sickly cheap goldfish to their oscars without realizing the consequences even when they are educated upon the "why nots"
Those are the same people that come in down the road wondering why said pet didn't make it.
In short these places aren't that great. But, at least there are a few knowledgeable employees that can try to educate some of the customers. People would rather speak to a human being who knows or think they know how to care for their new pet, rather than do the actual research themselves.

My petco has one person who does do okay with the crested geckos, but other than that the rest is the same as most stores.

Their rats are the worst (at least at my store). If I really need a rat from them (which now is rare, thankfully) I make sure I pick it out myself or I risk having them give me the sickest rat of the bunch because they know where it is going. There were a few occasions where I got home and looked at the rats they gave me only to decide not to feed them to my snakes because I was worried about any possible ill affects for my snakes :mad:

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Originally Posted by seclark

What I don't understand is why petstores don't hire people that actually know things about the animals they are working with?

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So you expect a chain, with 1000+ stores, to find knowledgable employees for ALL of those stores AND get those people to work for minimum wage? Have you stepped out side lately, or on the internet for that matter. How many people are fully convinced they know what they are talking about when they have no clue? :P

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Originally Posted by stormwulf133

So you expect a chain, with 1000+ stores, to find knowledgable employees for ALL of those stores AND get those people to work for minimum wage? Have you stepped out side lately, or on the internet for that matter. How many people are fully convinced they know what they are talking about when they have no clue? :P

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We know it's not feasible for every employee to be knowledgeable, but it seems that petco/petsmart aren't hiring employees on the basis of knowledge, and aren't commending their workers for giving correct information. Instead, they are trying to do only one thing-sell their product, and this of course leads to the demise fo numerous animals that don't have the right care.

they dont even say anything when im at the store anymore especially when i tell someone to not waste money on bs that petco or petsnart wants to sell them

I don't really like Petco all that much. The weird thing is, every single pet I have purchased from them has died. I've purchased a tadpole, 2 Corn snakes, 1 Milk snake, and 1 King snake from them, all have died besides the King snake who I no longer own, but that King snake has an attitude. Though, the animals I purchased from Petsmart are in great health.

I know a few people in Petsmart who are really knowledgable with the snakes and reptiles there, so that's pretty rewarding because there are people there who actually know stuff about those reptiles rather than people who know nothing telling false information.

em, well. The Petsmart in central NY is extatic that I teach our customers about what they are buying before they do. o.0 . . . . . .

My store prides themselves on our knowledge. Then again, most of our customers are middle-class and will gladly spend $1300 just for a kingsnake.