Nothing like a verbal assault from Petsmart....

Needed some bedding for my mice so I went to Petsmart. While I was there I decided to add 2 female mice to my order to replace 2 of my older ones at home. Big mistake, I had to go through 3 employees, one of them was a manager to make the purchase. All 3 grilled me on how "I hope you aren't feeding these to a snake". Makes no sense to me how they can say it is company policy to not use small animals from their stores for feeders when they sell snakes, and sponsor reptile forums. For the heck of it I asked how they feed their snakes and they all said frozen mice. I asked how do you get them and with an attitude was told they come that way. Then I asked if they were born frozen and they got pissed.

I just think that the biggest problem I saw was that they can charge $6.99 for a mouse, and tell me that it must be used as a pet. Even the register girl wanted to know what I was going to name them...

For the record all of my breeders are kept in lab containers with food,water,treats a hide and a wheel which is better than most of their stores keep them.

I would have been pissed. Not everyone has a love for rats. Why would they, they're the ones that caused bubonic plauge and black death that wiped out half the european population.

I feed my BP live, the rest frozen. But I feel zero sadness while feeding it to her.

hahaha, I have gone through the same thing. I honestly think its just to gvie them a reason to charge 7 dollars for a mouse that u could find for 1.99 as a feeder. "they come that way" lmao smh

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Originally Posted by Bellabob

I would have been pissed. Not everyone has a love for rats. Why would they, they're the ones that caused bubonic plauge and black death that wiped out half the european population.

I feed my BP live, the rest frozen. But I feel zero sadness while feeding it to her.

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Fleas carry the plague, not rodents. Rodents, humans, and other mammals all can carry fleas.

Sorry to hear about your experience, your reply to the worker "Are they born frozen?" gave me a good laugh for the day. That is supposed to be all Petsmart policies though, they don't sell any of them as feeder rodents knowingly. Actually, if you can believe it, my local Petsmart has a policy where if you buy mice or rats three weeks in a row, they will ban you from buying them.

thats why you ask who their supplier is and buy direct from the source and pay $.50 each

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Fleas carry the plague, not rodents. Rodents, humans, and other mammals all can carry fleas.

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Originally Posted by Bellabob

I would have been pissed. Not everyone has a love for rats. Why would they, they're the ones that caused bubonic plauge and black death that wiped out half the european population.

I feed my BP live, the rest frozen. But I feel zero sadness while feeding it to her.

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The black rat was the rat that was the plague carrier, the brown rat (the rat we have as pets and feeders) out competed the black rat.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

thats why you ask who their supplier is and buy direct from the source and pay $.50 each

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LOL that would be ideal, but when I only need a couple to freshen my groups up I don't mind paying extra. Just a funny experience. There is a store maybe 20 miles away that sells mice as feeders, and that Petsmart knew about it and spoke of them like it was a slaughterhouse :D I am all for animal rights, but they sell feeder fish and feeder insects with no hard feelings. I just don't like when people pick and choose to pay attention to something.

And rats and ground squirrels still carry oriental rat fleas which carry plague mostly in California, glad there aren't too many out here.

Glad to see I am not going crazy, thanks guys and gals ;)

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Originally Posted by mainbutter

Fleas carry the plague, not rodents. Rodents, humans, and other mammals all can carry fleas.

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No fleas on THIS human!! :taz:

:P

Any store has the right to sell or not sell feeders.

That said, the store employees talking about the feeders coming frozen so it's not the same as selling animals for food is a bit ridiculous. I love your response.

I personally buy elsewhere, since I wouldn't want someone telling I can't sell rutabegas, because they don't believe in selling rutabegas. So who am I to insist that they sell live feeder rodents? They DO offer frozen feeders(at least the stores around here do), so it's not as if they don't offer any food for the reptiles that require rodent prey.

i had similar happen to me but i gave up when the first guy asked if i was going to feed them to my snakes which i told him honestly i wasn't going to feed the females i had them order for me 20 of them which they had in but wouldn't sell to me cause i told them i was going to breed the females for my own food (meaning to feed my snakes not me) so i went across town and picked out 50 females from petco think was Lil under half the price as petsmart


i go in there store all the time to luagh at them been kicked out twice for telling people where they could buy an animal cheaper they don't ask me anymore if they can help me find something cause i usually tell them no just here to look at inflated prices that they turn around and refuse to sell to people once they want to buy an animal to go in or with the other

Its a pet mouse, of course. It's had all its shots and everything!


(Thats why its 6.99).

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Originally Posted by Teclis

Its a pet mouse, of course. It's had all its shots and everything!


(Thats why its 6.99).

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All of their animals are "vet. checked and approved" lol must be a very busy vet. clinic

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Originally Posted by SNIKTTIME

Then I asked if they were born frozen...

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Well, the box does say it right on the front, in big, bold letters "ARCTIC MICE" Of course they are born that way... :rofl:

My opinion about Petsmart is this. People always complain about Petsmart employees lack of knowledge, but the problem is from people mis-pronouncing the name. People automatically assume it's pronounced "Pet Smart" so you have this higher expectation that they are knowledgeable and smart, which, as you know, many of their employees are not, so the result is usually anger, frustration, and disappointment. I believe that the most likely pronunciation is "Pets Mart". Saying it like that now makes them sound more like a convenience store. Yes, a convenience store for pets. I would like a box of frozen rats and a Slushee, please...:D

I went to my local Pet Smart yesterday to pick up some supplies for my dog. My boyfriend was with me and he made a joke about the rats and mice being snake food. I told the cashier that I have two ball pythons and he was like, Oh My Goodness! He said that it is very sad how people come into the store and buy the rats and mice for feeders. I personally do not buy rats and mice from Pet Smart for feeders. I go to a mom and pop shop that sells feeders.

I work at a Petsmart, so I suppose I'm here to give another side to this story. I don't work at that Petsmart the OP mentioned, but I know that in my store, we are bound by Petsmart policy. We are supposed to discretely fish for information about the purpose of mouse purchases. Several times we've had to turn people away from buying mice because they let it slip the mice would become feeders.

I think the reason for this "snakes should NEVER be fed live. Only feed frozen!" mentality from Petsmart comes from their need to be seen as a company that cares about its animals. The majority of people are very turned off by the idea of those cute little mice being sold as feeders. Put yourself in the shoes of someone who doesn't like snakes and loves cute little mice and hamsters. You come into the store to look at the fuzzy new additions to the store and you overhear someone adopting some cute mice. Then you here the mice will be used as feeders! How dare Petsmart sell such cute mice as food for snakes! Then this person might not want to bring their business there.

But if you put some frozen/thawed mice over in a fridge somewhere, where most people won't go looking and then that scenario never comes up and those people who are squeamish about feeding mice to snakes never have to think about while in the store. Do you see where I'm coming from with this? Its all about image and keeping your customers.

I'll admit, I don't like the policy. I think it is really stupid and have voiced that to my managers on numerous occasions. But there is nothing a lowly employee like me can do about it. If someone comes in looking for live mice, I am required by policy to tell them feeding frozen/thawed is better for their snake, though I usually sneak in that they can find live mice cheaper at other stores nearby. I mention that paying $7 per mouse is too expensive to use as feeders and they can find live mice elsewhere for about $1.50.

Petsmart also discourages breeding animals. They kind of have to with all the dog and cat overpopulation and their commitment to promoting adoption and such. That is why Petsmart stores either keep only males or only females. I have had to turn away people several times who were trying to buy hamsters for breeding because they wanted their kids to "experience the miracle of life". :rolleyes:


Just figured I'd give my two cents about Petsmart's policy. And not all employees at Petsmart are dumb so every now and then you will find a Petsmart location that is a Pet Smart not a Pets Mart. We don't get a ton of training on the care of the animals so it is usually up to the employee to find that information out for themselves. It is when Petsmart hires people that don't bother with doing this that you get the dumb people who give you bad information or are little puppets of Petsmart policy like you experienced. Thankfully my co-workers care about our animals and we are all constantly learning new things about our animals and are able to pass that knowledge onto our customers.

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

Well, the box does say it right on the front, in big, bold letters "ARCTIC MICE" Of course they are born that way... :rofl:

My opinion about Petsmart is this. People always complain about Petsmart employees lack of knowledge, but the problem is from people mis-pronouncing the name. People automatically assume it's pronounced "Pet Smart" so you have this higher expectation that they are knowledgeable and smart, which, as you know, many of their employees are not, so the result is usually anger, frustration, and disappointment. I believe that the most likely pronunciation is "Pets Mart". Saying it like that now makes them sound more like a convenience store. Yes, a convenience store for pets. I would like a box of frozen rats and a Slushee, please...:D

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LMAO good stuff... Another question to ask yourself is would the store react the same way to me if I was a 12 year old girl instead of a good looking :rolleyes: 34 year old? I doubt it. The whole marketing idea of Petsmart is not what bugs me, what bugs me is that I would never have been treated that way if I was buying crickets, mealworms, or guppies. There is still a bigtime stigma when it comes to snakes and that rubs me the wrong way I guess.

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Originally Posted by SNIKTTIME

Then I asked if they were born frozen and they got pissed.
.

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Epic Win :D :taz: :banana:

people at pet stores are dumb just how it is i worked at one for a bit and they treat the animals so bad its disgusting!

Born frozen! :rofl:

Next time tell them no, you're not using them as feeders; they'll be humanely kept in a medical lab that researches genetic links to cancer and diabetes.

I also work at PetSmart and i believe me and Jay have been through this once before on the site.

It's a policy made for the best interest of the customers and shareholders. They want to promote a good image of animals and PetSmart does a great job of that. If someone walked into my store and asked if we had live feeders, I would reply "No, but we carry frozen feeders if you snake eachs frozen, if he eats live, try another pet store." Most customers don't mind and will leave knowing that just down the street is another store where they can buy as many as they want. We charge $10 for a rat and $7 for a mouse because people use them as feeders.

If your going to be sneaky and sleezy and try to con an employee into selling you a mouse for a feeder AND pay $7 for ONE MOUSE, then your the idiot and nothing else needs to be said. I get my adult mice for $.50 and can get a large rat for $1.75, but i digress.

I work at a PetSmart and have 7 snakes at home, so if you have any questions about them, i will gladly help out, but just don't expect for us to sell you live food. I always recomend what is best for the owner and snake a like, so the situation will vary my answer.

Don't hate on all Stores just because you had a bad expierience at ONE of them. Do you know how many thousands of stores we have??

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Originally Posted by loonunit

Born frozen! :rofl:

Next time tell them no, you're not using them as feeders; they'll be humanely kept in a medical lab that researches genetic links to cancer and diabetes.

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Got a laugh out of that one...lol

I never had to deal with that but i used to purchase mice and rats from Petco all the time and they knew that i was feeding them to snakes and they had no problem with it but they made me fill out the stupid paperwork on the mice and rats everytime i bought them i tried telling them they will be dead before u get off work in an hour so it doesnt matter but they insist on making me fill out the paperwork some are a lil more lazy or watever u want to call it and they dont make me do it which saves me some time at the register.

dont go yelling at me sayin o well i work at Petco and its company policy and we have to do it cuz i know u do its just i like to rant and rave about stuff that makes me mad :P

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Originally Posted by steveboos

I also work at PetSmart and i believe me and Jay have been through this once before on the site.

It's a policy made for the best interest of the customers and shareholders. They want to promote a good image of animals and PetSmart does a great job of that. If someone walked into my store and asked if we had live feeders, I would reply "No, but we carry frozen feeders if you snake eachs frozen, if he eats live, try another pet store." Most customers don't mind and will leave knowing that just down the street is another store where they can buy as many as they want. We charge $10 for a rat and $7 for a mouse because people use them as feeders.

If your going to be sneaky and sleezy and try to con an employee into selling you a mouse for a feeder AND pay $7 for ONE MOUSE, then your the idiot and nothing else needs to be said. I get my adult mice for $.50 and can get a large rat for $1.75, but i digress.

I work at a PetSmart and have 7 snakes at home, so if you have any questions about them, i will gladly help out, but just don't expect for us to sell you live food. I always recomend what is best for the owner and snake a like, so the situation will vary my answer.

Don't hate on all Stores just because you had a bad expierience at ONE of them. Do you know how many thousands of stores we have??

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Absolutely agree! I've been with Petsmart for over 3 years. The policy is for the best of the animal. Petsmart does care about it's animals, they bring every one to the vet if any problem arise and that's policy.

Yep our store cares a lot for our animals. We actually have a hamster the store has already spent over $400 on because she has a disease (the other hamsters are okay. Its just her). They say as long as she keeps fighting, so will they.

Not all pet stores are dumb. Yes, you will find a few stores here and there (like you will with any company that has stores across the nation) that are managed and staffed poorly, but for the most part, Petsmart is looking out for the best interest of the pet.

Think of how many people feed live incorrectly. I've had tons of people come into my store and tell me about how mice or rats bit their snake. Some have even brought in their snakes to show me the bites. And at least in my area you get a lot of those people that think its cool and tough if you have a big mean snake and they like to watch the snake kill a huge rat and are only feeding live for the thrill of it. (We get a looooooot of these people in our store).

And no, we do not judge you by how you look. We have people from all walks of life coming into our store and just because you are an adult male getting mice, we are not going to treat one customer different from another based on age, gender, or whether you feed snakes live at home or not. At least, we are not supposed to. I know that crap doesn't happen in my store.

Look bottom line is. I don't mind if you come on to this forum and say you've had a bad experience at that particular store, but when you start calling out an entire company and all its employees based on your experience at one store, I get a little peeved. I am a Petsmart associate and I do my job well and being someone who keeps snakes, I know that feeding live is fine for the snake if done correctly. Heck, I even feed live about 50% of the time. But I do understand that some people are not so happy to find out that snakes eat live mice. They would rather go on with their day believing that Petsmart wouldn't dare sell those cute widdle fuzzy mice as food for snakes. And Petsmart is trying to respect those people.

I mean, if I go into a store and buy a hamster. Most people assume I'm buying said hamster as a pet. They are cute, fluffy, run in wheels, and stuff their cheeks. Adorable, right? But then you here that I'm buying the hamster to feed it to my ferret, alive. I'm going to set the hamster in the bathtub and watch as my ferret hunts, kills, and eats the little hamster. Would you not be a little put off by it? Petsmart sees it like this. They have to look out for all their customers and how that customer feels. That is one of the reasons why we are not supposed to feed the snake in the enclosure. We have to remove the snake to the back room in another container to feed. This is mainly so that people don't have to see us dangling a newly thawed mouse baby into the cage while they are on their way to get dog food.

So please don't call the entire company out on your experiences with one store. It does not represent everyone, including myself. When people come on here and say that all pet store people are dumb, that insults me.

Maybe I shouldn't take it so personally, but I see it on this forum all the time.

I just had a similar experience at Petco. I don't get anything there except things I absolutely can't get anywhere else... like cheap feeders. I raw feed my cat and she likes the occasional mouse/rat so I started breeding them for her...

Anyways, I got a couple of albino mice the first time and then went in today and saw a couple colored females so I asked for them and they were all up in my face asking if they were just going to be feeders or pets because how HORRIBLE of me to breed feeders in the first place let alone try to use their FANCY mice. :mad:

They actually refused to sell me colored mice once when I went in and asked for a couple of feeders... I was SO mad. Now they've raised their price for "fancy" mice from 2.99 all the way to 4.99, makes them so unaffordable :rolleyes:

Only thing worse is when they try to tell me how they'll kill each other if I put more than 2 together. Oh well, I've got 7 females and 3 males now so I'm good for a while!!

i only get my glass bottles forrodents there any more 9or petco what ever the store is ) i like picking up breeders/feeders when i can to keep the gene pull from being to straight lined. lol

i found it a real boom goingto the mom and pop places and getting rodents i come home several times over years with onthat drops pups with in 2-4 days and just happy lol..
just sucks still paying like 3 bucks a mouse and 8 a rat anywere down here.
not that i don't have my boa i need to figure out what to do with my retired rodents at some point .

be lucky you can have options i got 3 stores i can go get supplies without driving good 30 minutes to a chain store.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Yep our store cares a lot for our animals. We actually have a hamster the store has already spent over $400 on because she has a disease (the other hamsters are okay. Its just her). They say as long as she keeps fighting, so will they.

Not all pet stores are dumb. Yes, you will find a few stores here and there (like you will with any company that has stores across the nation) that are managed and staffed poorly, but for the most part, Petsmart is looking out for the best interest of the pet.

Think of how many people feed live incorrectly. I've had tons of people come into my store and tell me about how mice or rats bit their snake. Some have even brought in their snakes to show me the bites. And at least in my area you get a lot of those people that think its cool and tough if you have a big mean snake and they like to watch the snake kill a huge rat and are only feeding live for the thrill of it. (We get a looooooot of these people in our store).

And no, we do not judge you by how you look. We have people from all walks of life coming into our store and just because you are an adult male getting mice, we are not going to treat one customer different from another based on age, gender, or whether you feed snakes live at home or not. At least, we are not supposed to. I know that crap doesn't happen in my store.

Look bottom line is. I don't mind if you come on to this forum and say you've had a bad experience at that particular store, but when you start calling out an entire company and all its employees based on your experience at one store, I get a little peeved. I am a Petsmart associate and I do my job well and being someone who keeps snakes, I know that feeding live is fine for the snake if done correctly. Heck, I even feed live about 50% of the time. But I do understand that some people are not so happy to find out that snakes eat live mice. They would rather go on with their day believing that Petsmart wouldn't dare sell those cute widdle fuzzy mice as food for snakes. And Petsmart is trying to respect those people.

I mean, if I go into a store and buy a hamster. Most people assume I'm buying said hamster as a pet. They are cute, fluffy, run in wheels, and stuff their cheeks. Adorable, right? But then you here that I'm buying the hamster to feed it to my ferret, alive. I'm going to set the hamster in the bathtub and watch as my ferret hunts, kills, and eats the little hamster. Would you not be a little put off by it? Petsmart sees it like this. They have to look out for all their customers and how that customer feels. That is one of the reasons why we are not supposed to feed the snake in the enclosure. We have to remove the snake to the back room in another container to feed. This is mainly so that people don't have to see us dangling a newly thawed mouse baby into the cage while they are on their way to get dog food.

So please don't call the entire company out on your experiences with one store. It does not represent everyone, including myself. When people come on here and say that all pet store people are dumb, that insults me.

Maybe I shouldn't take it so personally, but I see it on this forum all the time.

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Not sure who you are targeting in this message, but I never said anyone was dumb. But no one from your side of the fence has answered my question yet either. If I was a 12-14 year old girl would I have been harassed by 3 separate employees while trying to make the purchase? I also had a 4 quart bag of bedding in my hand the whole time. And $400- to try to save a hamster... I said before that I never called them dumb, but boy am I tempted now.

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Originally Posted by SNIKTTIME

Not sure who you are targeting in this message, but I never said anyone was dumb. But no one from your side of the fence has answered my question yet either. If I was a 12-14 year old girl would I have been harassed by 3 separate employees while trying to make the purchase? I also had a 4 quart bag of bedding in my hand the whole time. And $400- to try to save a hamster... I said before that I never called them dumb, but boy am I tempted now.

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If your under 18 they would have said "little girl, we can't sell any animal to you unless your 18 or accompanied by an adult or legal guardian, sorry" and that's that and nothing else would have been said.

It's policy to take sick animals to the vet. Ever been in petco or the like and see the nasty ragged looking hamsters that they DON'T take to the vet....it's gross. Petsmart even adopts these sick hamsters out after they go to the vet if it's not something minor. If they didn't adopt these out then my GF wouldn't have 6 hamsters right now, and they would still be all stuck at Petsmart or worse. Seems minor I know, but if your the animal in question it's not. Just see it in our minds. If you want to bypass the system go in and buy some "pets". I understand snakes and other animals eat live....I get it. But Petsmart has the right to refuse any sell if they see fit. Policy is policy is policy, they are NOT going to bypass this. I would not go to that Petsmart again and call our corporate office and put in a complaint. They will do something about it, I promise you. The customers are the backbone of this business, we need you. Someone might not get fired, but will get talked to or written up or at the very least it will be on their record. They shouldn't have treated you like they did, call corporate.

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Originally Posted by packer43064

If your under 18 they would have said "little girl, we can't sell any animal to you unless your 18 or accompanied by an adult or legal guardian, sorry" and that's that and nothing else would have been said.

It's policy to take sick animals to the vet. Ever been in petco or the like and see the nasty ragged looking hamsters that they DON'T take to the vet....it's gross. Petsmart even adopts these sick hamsters out after they go to the vet if it's not something minor. If they didn't adopt these out then my GF wouldn't have 6 hamsters right now, and they would still be all stuck at Petsmart or worse. Seems minor I know, but if your the animal in question it's not. Just see it in our minds. If you want to bypass the system go in and buy some "pets". I understand snakes and other animals eat live....I get it. But Petsmart has the right to refuse any sell if they see fit. Policy is policy is policy, they are NOT going to bypass this. I would not go to that Petsmart again and call our corporate office and put in a complaint. They will do something about it, I promise you. The customers are the backbone of this business, we need you. Someone might not get fired, but will get talked to or written up or at the very least it will be on their record. They shouldn't have treated you like they did, call corporate.

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Totally agree with you here, and did talk to customer care the day of the original post. Basically the care agent's reaction was the reason why I posted to begin with, she was 100% on my side here. I will obviously post again once I hear back from them, was told 3-5 business days. I am not expecting anything to change on their part honestly, but you never know.

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Originally Posted by SNIKTTIME

Totally agree with you here, and did talk to customer care the day of the original post. Basically the care agent's reaction was the reason why I posted to begin with, she was 100% on my side here. I will obviously post again once I hear back from them, was told 3-5 business days. I am not expecting anything to change on their part honestly, but you never know.

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Good. Most people get angry and never come back and start bashing when the problem can be fixed. The careline is what everyone should do if they have a bad visit at Petsmart. :gj:

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Originally Posted by steveboos

I also work at PetSmart and i believe me and Jay have been through this once before on the site.

It's a policy made for the best interest of the customers and shareholders. They want to promote a good image of animals and PetSmart does a great job of that. If someone walked into my store and asked if we had live feeders, I would reply "No, but we carry frozen feeders if you snake eachs frozen, if he eats live, try another pet store." Most customers don't mind and will leave knowing that just down the street is another store where they can buy as many as they want. We charge $10 for a rat and $7 for a mouse because people use them as feeders.

If your going to be sneaky and sleezy and try to con an employee into selling you a mouse for a feeder AND pay $7 for ONE MOUSE, then your the idiot and nothing else needs to be said. I get my adult mice for $.50 and can get a large rat for $1.75, but i digress.

I work at a PetSmart and have 7 snakes at home, so if you have any questions about them, i will gladly help out, but just don't expect for us to sell you live food. I always recomend what is best for the owner and snake a like, so the situation will vary my answer.

Don't hate on all Stores just because you had a bad expierience at ONE of them. Do you know how many thousands of stores we have??

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But can you explain then why they sell feeder gold fish, feeder guppies, feeder rosies, feeder crickets etc? Just seems like a double standard to me. Furry pets are not allowed to be feeders but the cold blooded ones are fine?

I personally don't have a problem with someone refusing to sell me anything in their store, it's their store and they can sell to whoever they want to. It's the sneers and derision I get from merely asking that I'm not fond of. I can say from personal experience that I've been more rudely treated in petsmarts then in any other store I've ever been in. And I don't just mean pet stores, I mean ANY store. It's almost as if their company policy gives their employees a right to be rude.

Well I did hear back from the management team from the specific store I visited. There is no solution to my problem because it is their company policy. With that said both customer care agents from Petsmart agreed 100% with my argument and said that I should have never been treated like that. They even went to the extent of saying that just because they have to enforce a policy does not mean that they agree with said policy. They will however look into the customer service part of the complaint and see if there is a way to be more discreet than saying repeatedly " I hope you're not going to feed those to your snake".

Also agree with last post. Double standards really bother me also, and was backed on the theory by the customer care agent I spoke with last.

Trust me, we are not supposed to be rude for any reason. I was actually pulled into the office because I refused to sell a family two goldfish to live in a bowl. I was even polite about it, but that's another story.

In my store, we do not sneer or anything like that to ANYONE. No matter if you are a man, woman, child, senior, bird person, fish person, reptile person, or just someone coming in to look for a product for someone else.

According to Petsmart policy, we ARE supposed to RECOMMEND that you feed your snake frozen/thawed for the health of your animal. Like I said before, a lot of people that come into my store do feed live incorrectly, so my recommending frozen/thawed to them is a good thing. I also try and educate them about feeding responsibly. But we should NEVER look down on you for feeding live. That is something to take up with someone higher than the store manager (if you were not treated well by him/her either).

Are they being rude to you after they learn you have snakes and feed live? Or are they rude to you even without this knowledge? I've gone into a Petsmart near home (I don't work at this one but it is closer to my house) and I can honestly say that some of the people that work there are just plain rude and some are simply stupid. But again, this does not represent Petsmart as a whole.

Never thought I'd be on here defending Petsmart, but as an employee there, I do take a lot of pride in my job and I work hard to provide the animals with the proper care and give customers the right information without being rude. My co-workers are the same way.

As far as feeder fish and insects. Again, it is image. About 90% of the people that come in to purchase fish, whether for pets or feeders would not give a rat's behind if the animal died (most common excuse when I refuse to sell a fish to someone with a tiny tank "It only costs a dollar. Who cares if it dies?"). Fish are expendable and have no feelings. (much like people outside this hobby thing of reptiles). But 90% of the people who come in for mice, rats, gerbils, hamsters, etc, get them as pets and would be heartbroken if their little critter died. So for that 90% of people who get fish and don't really care about them, to them, who cares if fish are used as feeders? Its not like they care. But with those that like the small animals, it would be a big deal if they saw people coming in to get them as feeders, would not be too happy with Petsmart.

Is it stupid, yes. But it is also business. At least in our store, we skirt around the policy and tell people where they can go for cheaper live rodents for their snakes. :P


I'm glad you heard back but that sucks they couldn't do anything for you. :( We are supposed to discreetly fish to see if you are purchasing the animal as a feeder but we are not supposed to come right out and ask "Are you feeding it to a snake?" Now, if you let it slip that yes you will be feeding it to a snake, we can and usually will refuse sale. But just keep it on the down low that you are buying them as feeders and there shouldn't be any problems. We have had people do that before. Just say you are buying it as a pet and have all the supplies at home, and we usually won't ask any other questions than that. Also do not mention if you are intending to breed the rodents either. They also will refuse sale for that as well.

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Originally Posted by SNIKTTIME

Then I asked if they were born frozen and they got pissed.

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People who are being irrational don't want any holes poked in their "reasoning." Hulk Smash!

Some pet stores are weird. I laughed when asked to sign an anti-cruelty form at PetSmart when buying a dozen rats in a feeding emergency, and pointed out they were for food. A management crowd formed, and after a brief conversation they sold me the rats to feed my snakes. Some store managers are more reasonable than others and grasp that not all snakes eat f/t.

But why would you pay $10 per rat and get a dozen rats? We don't even keep that many rats at one time. We only keep about 4 at a time.

ive seen this before, in the pet box here in va beach,

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Originally Posted by MarkS

But can you explain then why they sell feeder gold fish, feeder guppies, feeder rosies, feeder crickets etc? Just seems like a double standard to me. Furry pets are not allowed to be feeders but the cold blooded ones are fine?

I personally don't have a problem with someone refusing to sell me anything in their store, it's their store and they can sell to whoever they want to. It's the sneers and derision I get from merely asking that I'm not fond of. I can say from personal experience that I've been more rudely treated in petsmarts then in any other store I've ever been in. And I don't just mean pet stores, I mean ANY store. It's almost as if their company policy gives their employees a right to be rude.

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Only thing I can say to this is....the feeder crickets and comets and etc. are bred for the sole purpose of a feeder. They are shipped to the store with the intentions of being used as a feeder. The rats, mice, hamsters are not. Petsmart hopes to sell each and every rat, mice, and hamster and etc. as a pet, not as a feeder. That's how I see it. If they refuse to sell the said animal to you because the petcare associate wants it to be sold as a pet not as a feeder then so be it. It's Petsmart's policy, I can't blame them for wanting to sell a "furry critter" as a pet than a feeder. Plus why would anyone pay Petsmart's price on these rats or mice, their not cheap as a feeder. You wouldn't buy a $150 chinchilla(pet) as a feeder when Joe Schmoe sells them for 30 bucks down the road. Petsmart sells feeder crickets, comets, goldfish, etc. but NOT feeder mice, rats, or hamsters. It's simple as that. Should they be rude about it...no not at all. Understand this is their store, their policy, their animals, if they refuse to sell them as a feeder than go on with your day, if their rude talk to the store manager and call the corporate office. If their always rude to you then don't go in a Petsmart again. I personally dislike Target for several reasons, which is why I don't shop there. End of story.

i been doing some thinking and seeing how petsmart refuses to sell to those in the reptile world live feeders then i think as a group we should all picket them for there heartlessly selling other feeders off live as every type of feeder can be kept as a pet by somebody even crickets that means no buying even cages or water bottles from them

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Originally Posted by ice#1

i been doing some thinking and seeing how petsmart refuses to sell to those in the reptile world live feeders then i think as a group we should all picket them for there heartlessly selling other feeders off live as every type of feeder can be kept as a pet by somebody even crickets that means no buying even cages or water bottles from them

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Two wrongs don't make a right, yes?

Um. I wouldn't picket McDonald's for not selling their burgers as a pasta dish just because I want them to. Petsmart has every right not to sell you something. Now if they sold snakes but only sold carrots as snake food that would warrant a picket. Petsmart sells frozen feeders for your snake not live ones. Don't like it don't shop there. Simple!

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Um. I wouldn't picket McDonald's for not selling their burgers as a pasta dish just because I want them to. Petsmart has every right not to sell you something. Now if they sold snakes but only sold carrots as snake food that would warrant a picket. Petsmart sells frozen feeders for your snake not live ones. Don't like it don't shop there. Simple!

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LOL we can save the picketing of McDonalds for when they start getting their beef from overseas, where the rules and regs. are non existent compared to the USA. :confused:

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Um. I wouldn't picket McDonald's for not selling their burgers as a pasta dish just because I want them to. Petsmart has every right not to sell you something. Now if they sold snakes but only sold carrots as snake food that would warrant a picket. Petsmart sells frozen feeders for your snake not live ones. Don't like it don't shop there. Simple!

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but what about people where there isn't another store?
I think the high price Petsmart charges is good enough for protecting mice from being "snake food". For 7.00$ most of them will become pets. I think ultimately, in the long run, none of them will be bought at all, though, since they are charging a lot for a mouse. :/
Besides, what about snakes that won't take F/T? 2 of mine do. 2 won't. I'd happily feed F/T to all of them, but these two are stubborn and will NOT eat it. Not even after a live one :(
I wonder if they (Petsmart) worry as much about their snakes becoming pets as they do mice. Or their fish...or birds...:rolleyes::rolleyes:

I was put off when i found out they don't sell feeders as well, especially when i found the frozens and they were a) way too small, and b) way overpriced. Petsmart is now reserved for my dogs and maybe the pet rats. But snake stuff is from Petco or online.

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Originally Posted by shelliebear

but what about people where there isn't another store?
I think the high price Petsmart charges is good enough for protecting mice from being "snake food". For 7.00$ most of them will become pets. I think ultimately, in the long run, none of them will be bought at all, though, since they are charging a lot for a mouse. :/
Besides, what about snakes that won't take F/T? 2 of mine do. 2 won't. I'd happily feed F/T to all of them, but these two are stubborn and will NOT eat it. Not even after a live one :(
I wonder if they (Petsmart) worry as much about their snakes becoming pets as they do mice. Or their fish...or birds...:rolleyes::rolleyes:

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PetSmart is a privately owned company. They're under no obligation to make sure your snake is healthy. Just like they're under no obligation to make sure your dog is healthy. After they sell you a critter, that's pretty much the end of the transaction. They don't have to provide you with the ability to feed it just like they don't have to provide you with vet care.

Really, if you think about it, that's a GOOD thing. It's called Freedom of Commerce.

so whats up with petsmart selling normal ball pythons for $250 claiming they are "fancy ball pythons"? idk about you guys, but i never heard of a fancy morph lol

Fancy ball pythons are supposed to be pastels. Petsmart already sells normals for $80. $250 for a pastel in a retail store is not much different. Only problem is when they accidentally ship you a normal as a pastel to people who don't know the difference. I've had to tell my manager once we were sent a normal corn as an Anery.

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Originally Posted by shelliebear

but what about people where there isn't another store?
I think the high price Petsmart charges is good enough for protecting mice from being "snake food". For 7.00$ most of them will become pets. I think ultimately, in the long run, none of them will be bought at all, though, since they are charging a lot for a mouse. :/
Besides, what about snakes that won't take F/T? 2 of mine do. 2 won't. I'd happily feed F/T to all of them, but these two are stubborn and will NOT eat it. Not even after a live one :(
I wonder if they (Petsmart) worry as much about their snakes becoming pets as they do mice. Or their fish...or birds...:rolleyes::rolleyes:

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We sell tons of mice as pets at $7 so that is not going to stop people who want pets.

It is not Petsmart's fault you cannot get live feeders for your snakes. They don't want to see live, and they should not be boycotted because they don't. Lets say I breed and sell snakes. I also sell and breed mice for the sole purpose of being a feeder. Someone comes up and wants to purchase one as a pet, but I only want to see them as feeders. That is my right to refuse to sell said mice as pets. They should not be held responsible for making sure your snakes are fed.

And yes, we care a lot about our snakes, birds, small animals, fish, etc. Heck, we have a small little corn snake that won't eat. I hand feed him several times a week because otherwise, he would die. This isn't Petsmarts fault he won't eat. Some hatchlings are just like that. I have one at home that won't eat on his own either.

not saying you are by any means, but the people at the petsmart here are absolute morons on the grandest scale. corporate too apparently, if they think a very well established morph with a name already is a "fancy". the one here and a different one a few counties over had very clear normals marked as "fancy". when i asked the guy about it here, he said oh it has a different pattern.

as far as mice and rats as pets, $7 is pretty normal. i work at a pet store here and we sell fancy rats for 7.99, if we ever have them ( mainly the other people just throw them in the feeder bins though ). out of my personal stock/business i sell pet rats at anywhere from $5-$10 depending what they are (fancy,rex,dumbo, and soon hairless).

Yea, it sucks. The problem is, WE know the difference between a pastel and a normal but most of the time the people working at Petsmart have no clue about the reptile hobby, especially the snake hobby. They are clueless about morphs and sometimes even species of snakes. It's not their fault. They just don't know and it is up to them to find that kind of information for themselves.

We don't get "fancy" balls into our store. We do get corn snake morphs before that were labeled incorrectly.