I hate petco!!!!!!!!!!!

I went in to my local petco the other day to buy feeder mice. they were all out so i walked around and looked for someone to help me. i saw a dead beta floating in the water on my way, and remembered how i saw a lizard running around the last time i was there. i also got my boa chub-chub from there previously. , and he had mites, as well as all the other snakes. not just the boas, but the balls, and the little cornsnakes. i found someone who was cleaning out the tanks for the insects, which they keep right next to the reptiles. and asked her for some mice. the only thing left was fancy mice. i asked her for one of those instead, and seeing how they were a great deal bigger, i figured it was a nice step before rats. she refused to sell me the fancy mice, and walked away. i followed her and asked why she wouldnt sell them, she replied, "i have moral and ethical problems selling a fancy mouse for snake food". Thats a load of crap i said. i then pointed out the poor condition of all the animals, the dead ones, and pointed out how 8 snakes were kept in a 20 gal with 1 hide, and they were surrounded by bright florecent lights whit nowhere to go. i couldnt help it and i cussed her out, scaring 2 other employees. i then called the corparate office to tell them about the condition of the animals, and the hypocracy of their treatment of some animals, but not others. they told me they wont sell a "Fancy Mouse" for food due to them not being imbred, unlike the feeder mice. then i told her of all the other problems they had there, and she denied there was a problem, and said animals do not run on the loose there, and she knows for a fact. she told me there were no dead animals there, and the snakes did not have mites. i then told her of the costs to fix my mite problem, and more importantly the time and stress on the snake. she more or less pretending to half way care, but i had a feeling they could give a ratts A....... i am having a friend go in to buy a lot of "Fancy Mice", for his "personal collection". I am, then going to record the execution c02 style, and leave the tape on their doorstep.. My snake will eat like he is upperclass! I want to go back and kidnap the lady and all the employees, and feed them to an anaconda.. this might be why my g/f will not let me get one.. hehehe!

Yeah Petco is a serious pain down here in FL too.
Only thing I ever bought from them was hides.
Supermarket type pet stores don't usually have quality animals.

lol whats a fancy mouse? petco is so messed up. the one ive been to didnt look to bad actually, but i dont know they only had like one snake. at the time.

according to them a "Fancy mouse" is a mouse that is not imbred. a feeder mouse is just a bunch of retarded mice that have been rapidly imbred for feeding. i guess its okay to make mice even dumber and have more problems in the crappy little lives, and its alright to geneticly create a "fancy mouse", but it is not okay to feed that "fancy mouse" to a snake, that, according to petco would be unethical????? i asked if they knew this was an a$* backwards policy, but they said "we have morals and care for our animals. yeah enough to imbreed them. but i was willing to pay the costs, and they are all stinky rodents. they would not let me, so now all the fancy mice must pay, and petco must witness as my snake gobles each one down. i can make it just the middle eastern terrorist videos... but with mice... hahahah!

Where are you from? I just got a baby bp from my petco (reynoldsburg, Ohio) and it's doing great, I was weary about buying from them because of stories like yours. But thank god this one is well taken care of. I posted a form about petco too. Thease things make me so upset, that they don't care about the well being of animals. Everytime I go into a pet store I look too, I hate to see sick animals.Walmart always has betas in a teeny tiny cup and it makes me sad :(

ErRr Walmart doesn't sell pets here, thankfully!
Well yeah not all major pet stores are horrible ...
Thankfully Kitty found a nice one! :D

ErRr Kill ... Why did you tell them you're going to feed the fancy mouse anyways?!

Thankfully they have a vet in there thats a certified herp vet ad theres a dog one in the back too. When someone reports a sick animal at petco they treat them for free rite away and allow ou to watch what they do. they do fecials, chemical creme or food and injectiojn stuff ive saw at my local herp vet.

i didnt think anyone would have a moral issue with a fancy mouse being dinner. every other pet store i have been too has no problems selling any rodent for food reasons. i am in san diego. the petcos here are hit or miss. i will never step foot into another one again. i know some are better then others, but i dont want to support them at another store. thats what chains want you to do. unhappy with this location.. go here.. you think that class action lawsuit would have changed some things... this petco realy lacks in care for animals. theres always teens at this one, and they never seem to be able to answer a question. they couldnt tell me what type of wood their driftwood was made from.. i dont like putting in mystery things into my snakes cage. not many experienced adults want to work as a cashier at a petco, so they hire kids that just dont care enough about the animals. not that hiring teens is bad, it's just hiring people who dont know what they are doing.

There is a nothwest seed area local petstore tha keeps major care fo all animals they have alot of rare ones too. like parrots,ant eaters, some rare geckos with weird names, awesome albino snakes, alot of bp's ect in excellent care all in seperate tanks and in back theres alot of breeding animals. Thats where i ought my last baby bp. for 40 bucks.

I bought my Ball Python from a Reptile Store, that has 90 percent reptiles 10 percent exotics (Skunks,Suger Gliders .. etc)
Sadly they weren't that educated in BPs.

I understand your frustration but 'getting even' or seeking revenge is really not the best use of your time. Instead, think of some way to be constructive about the situation. I agree that Petco stinks, I've had the same complaints myself, I've even written letters to the corporate office and of course have been ignored....I'm sure you're not going to follow through w/your threats, but I don't know you or what you may or may not do so try to relax a bit and think it over before doing anything rash. Next time don't tell them what you are buying the mice for....also, they sell frozen mice, did you ask for those? Frozen/thawed mice are what I would recommend anyway. Good luck!

I had a good experience at Petco, guess I am in the minority. The guy who works there owns over a dozen snakes himself, including 3 BPs. So he was very knowledgeable.

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Originally Posted by killpetco

...i am having a friend go in to buy a lot of "Fancy Mice", for his "personal collection". I am, then going to record the execution c02 style, and leave the tape on their doorstep...

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LOL :lol:

I've had no experience with Petco, thank God. They've been given a bad enough rep for me to stay away from them. :angered:

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Originally Posted by Cody

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Originally Posted by killpetco

...i am having a friend go in to buy a lot of "Fancy Mice", for his "personal collection". I am, then going to record the execution c02 style, and leave the tape on their doorstep...

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LOL :lol:

I've had no experience with Petco, thank God. They've been given a bad enough rep for me to stay away from them. :angered:

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Well its not all Petcos, some actually have good healthy animals.
I go there myself to drool at there vast variety of hides and climbs.

thats true in chicago to we went to buy some mice for my friends red tail and they made me sign a waiver saying i was going to take good care of these mice while their was like 3 mice sitting in the cage bleeding from being bitten and then the guy who grabbed them for us grabbed the two that were bleeding and tried to give them to us like we didnt see the blood

What bothers me is that they'll sell animals that eat rodents, but won't sell rodents to feed said animals.
I agree with Sophie, best thing to do is to try to turn it into something productive. You could be in legal trouble for gassing the mice and sending the videotape to them, it could be considered animal cruelty by a naive jury.

I agree PetCo is a very EViL place Petco is forever in trouble with reptial rescue and ASPCA I am talking about the Petcos in Southern Cali I too have seen snakes with mites crowded tanks poor lighting or over lighting dead frogs dead fish dead lizards I also hate the fact when you buy a snake from Petco they dont give you needed Info on snakes nor any reptial I think there should be a law that any pet-store must give info. to the buyer on the animal that they buy how to feed it keep it warm what not to buy for it ect... I know that I myself give every person that buys one of my snakes complete info. on what that snake needs and they have a care sheet to take home with them also my home phone number they know they can call me any time to ask questions I honestly think Petco should be shut down along with Petsmart it would make the world for Herps and animals a much better place =)

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I honestly think Petco should be shut down along with Petsmart it would make the world for Herps and animals a much better place =)

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I disagree, I think such large pet stores help make owning animals more affordable, especially if you live in a small area. The real issue is responsibility; they need more quality checks and tighter cleanliness/hiring standards so you're hiring someone you're *sure* won't allow the animals to get mites or leave the tank filthy. They just need better business practices, but the chain pet store has definitely helped me when I needed to buy new tanks/equipment and there wasn't anywhere else around for miles that had what I needed.

I stand corrected you are so right I am sorry I did not even think of pplz in small towns bad me for not thinking LOL I just have seen so very much bad things at the ones I have been to I am turned off *bigger fines* to anyone found neglecting any animal and the people who are giving the fines need to take they're job more seriously. I agree with giving them up to a week to get the animal in proper enclosures or getting them to a vet for medical care but after that week is up and they didn't follow the deal they should be fined. Alot of people in Cali get away with it since the ASPCA is pretty leanient when it comes to birds or reptiles out here. =)

I have never been to a petco but I dont know now if I want to go to one.I think I this might just be me but I dont think any pet store provides proper care for any of there animals. Also I have checked Petco has caresheets on its website for all of the animals it sells http://www.petco.com/PetcoOnline/Car...ts.aspx#Snakes I don't know I think all pet stores should have a set stantard for all of its animals like having the Scientific names printed on the tanks. Also I think whenever you buy an animal they should give you a caresheet or recomend a good book. Something! I see more and more high school kids or teens working in pet stores I mean that is all good and well just make sure they know what they are doing!

Argh, petco. I noticed that each individual petco has its unique merits and flaws, depending on who's working there at the time. What's sad to me is when the employees are afraid to handle the pets they're supposed to be selling! Why work there then? If I' the customer, have tpo be the one to open the cage and remove the animal for inspection, then something is wrong. I almost bought a cute rainbow boa frrom a petco, but decided "no" and got my BCI instead from a good pet store. I don't go in petcos anymore, it enrages me.

The problem is, even in a city (memphis, a medium town to some of you :) ) there are not quality petsores, there are also no herp shows that I have been able to hear about so we have little choice but to go to the dreaded petco. I got my snake from petco and he is fine, but I have been to different ones and they all are at a different standard. The other day I went to one that made me very angry, but the one across town, where my friend works, is fine in that department, possibly becuase she is a herp person, but I still wish I had somewhere else to shop. The other pet supermarket I have found is way worse and the private store didn't seem all that great either. Whats a girl to do?

I would really advise against buying snakes from petco. When I bought my babyball python there were 5 in one 20 gal tank with only one hide. I bought one just to get it out of there. And then on top of it she had a minor case of scale rot from the place too. I figured that it had to do with so many snakes being in one place that perhaps they couldn't keep up. When I called they asked if I was sure that she got it from the store and not from home. I was livid, I had bought a brand new tank, scrubbed it and everything else down with a "green friendly" cleaner, hosed it all down, let it dry out and then put it together and I had bought her 3 days prior. Luckily I had found it early when I was handling her regularly so she would get used to me. She's doing wonderfully now but it was a lot of hassle.

Basicly if you arn't up for a part way rescue mission, Don't buy a snake from petco.

I've been going to a petco 10 minutes from my house for my feeder mice. They are usually all healthy looking and well fed except on one occasion I noticed a sickly looking mouse & pointed it out to the worker. I'm pretty sure they took it out as I didn't see it again the next time I went in there. The rats at this store are way too large for my bp and everytime I go there it looks like they are the same group. Have a feeling no one buys them there. This store had 1 bp in a tank with 1 large hide in it. I didn't ask to look at so I am not sure what kind of shape it was in but I myself would not buy a bp from a Petco. Getting my feeder mouse is pushing it as it is especially after seeing a sickly looking one. I wish I knew of a place I could get my feeders from that was as close. The reptile store I know of is about an hour away from me.

Who dug up this dusty old thread? :rolleyes: The person who originally posted this joined in 2004, and hasn't been on since.....

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

Who dug up this dusty old thread? :rolleyes: The person who originally posted this joined in 2004, and hasn't been on since.....

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Yeah, but in 6 years...that message hasn't changed much, has it? :rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by killpetco

I went in to my local petco the other day to buy feeder mice. they were all out so i walked around and looked for someone to help me. i saw a dead beta floating in the water on my way, and remembered how i saw a lizard running around the last time i was there. i also got my boa chub-chub from there previously. , and he had mites, as well as all the other snakes. not just the boas, but the balls, and the little cornsnakes. i found someone who was cleaning out the tanks for the insects, which they keep right next to the reptiles. and asked her for some mice. the only thing left was fancy mice. i asked her for one of those instead, and seeing how they were a great deal bigger, i figured it was a nice step before rats. she refused to sell me the fancy mice, and walked away. i followed her and asked why she wouldnt sell them, she replied, "i have moral and ethical problems selling a fancy mouse for snake food". Thats a load of crap i said. i then pointed out the poor condition of all the animals, the dead ones, and pointed out how 8 snakes were kept in a 20 gal with 1 hide, and they were surrounded by bright florecent lights whit nowhere to go. i couldnt help it and i cussed her out, scaring 2 other employees. i then called the corparate office to tell them about the condition of the animals, and the hypocracy of their treatment of some animals, but not others. they told me they wont sell a "Fancy Mouse" for food due to them not being imbred, unlike the feeder mice. then i told her of all the other problems they had there, and she denied there was a problem, and said animals do not run on the loose there, and she knows for a fact. she told me there were no dead animals there, and the snakes did not have mites. i then told her of the costs to fix my mite problem, and more importantly the time and stress on the snake. she more or less pretending to half way care, but i had a feeling they could give a ratts A....... i am having a friend go in to buy a lot of "Fancy Mice", for his "personal collection". I am, then going to record the execution c02 style, and leave the tape on their doorstep.. My snake will eat like he is upperclass! I want to go back and kidnap the lady and all the employees, and feed them to an anaconda.. this might be why my g/f will not let me get one.. hehehe!

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YES!!!! do that!!! buy 100 of those fancy mice, i wanna see the vid when u do it

I didn't read all the replies, but if you actually read the signs about feeding live, then you'd know their stance. PetCo feeds their snakes f/t and they encourage you to do the same.

If you wish to get a live mouse or rat, just buy it. You have no obligation to tell them what you're purchasing it for.

God forbid they care more about your snake than you do :rolleyes:

oh boy..

LOL, I was reading this thread and looking at peoples join dates. Kept seeing 2004 and thinking "Wow, that's weird how a bunch of people who joined in 2004 came back to talk about Petco. Oh wait... When was this posted?!"

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Why work there then? If I' the customer, have tpo be the one to open the cage and remove the animal for inspection, then something is wrong.

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Just pointing out something here. I work for a major-chain pet store (not PetCo but one of their direct competitors) and frankly, not every employee is there to attend to the animals. I was originally hired as a cashier...switched to core/stocking...later trained into the actual pet department...and am now comfortably settled as a groomer/petstylist in the salon. Hiring in as a cashier, it didn't matter that I'm hesitant of handling hamsters (those suckers bite HARD, man. SRSLY) and am outright afraid of most birds. Likewise we have several people who are afraid of catching feeder crickets. However, on days where we are slammed, if someone calls out or is otherwise too busy to cope alone, people who are crosstrained get called into those departments and have to try and cope with it as best they can. Yeah, I get really anxious when I have to catch a hamster for a prospective buyer...dwarf hamsters are usually vicious little pricks and syrians are more mellow but far more damaging when they DO bite. It isn't that I'm an animal-hater or unfamiliar with them or that I'm uneducated...it's just personal prefference. My job description, TECHNICALLY, is to wash and groom a dog's coat, NOT handle hamsters...but because of my crosstraining, that's just how it goes sometimes.

Frankly I'd rather get tagged BAD by my biggest python than get nipped by a hamster.

That being said...I would never buy a reptile from the store I work at or any of our major competitors. I always feel so badly for the little Balls we sell...especially since they removed the "CBB" tag on them and replaced it with a little notice that they're all "captive hatched"...that makes me very upset. I occasionally bring my big ol' male Mojave in for social calls...and let everyone see what a Ball SHOULD look like: nice a plump, no missing scales, no jutting spine and no blatant agression. :P When people stop me and ask "Did you buy him here?" I always say "No, I got him from a breeder" and explain how buying from a reputable breeder is ALWAYS better than buying from a pet store, be it a dog or a snake, and I try to push the nearest reptile expo, held every other Sunday, as a great way to meet local folk who like herps.

Likewise I never buy feeders from the store I work at OR PetCo...had too many issues with sickly, skinny, damaged or in one case outright ROTTING feeders. Seriously, I pulled a frozen pinkie out of the container to thaw for my Milk Snake, and it appeared to have been thawed and allowed to ROT before being re-frozen. It was black and gunky and had mould all over it.

Thankfully I found some nice folk who are at the local expo every month to every other month who have much better feeders, and a lot cheaper, too. :)