Interesting animals at Big Box Store...

So yesterday my girlfriend and I stopped into our local Big Box Pet Store to pick up some fish food and look around...
Typcically, this store will have a few BPs and maybe a corn, milk or occasional kenyan sand boa. Usually crested geckos, beardies and leopard geckos.
Well, much to my surprise, they had a brazilian rainbow boa, a uromastyx, a fire skink and...a green tree python!! Is this store stepping up its exotics game? Or just bringing in some less common exotics to suffer? Only time will tell I guess. Full disclosure, the fire skink almost came home with me (still might).
Anybody else see their local Big Boxes stepping up their game?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

So yesterday my girlfriend and I stopped into our local Big Box Pet Store to pick up some fish food and look around...
Typcically, this store will have a few BPs and maybe a corn, milk or occasional kenyan sand boa. Usually crested geckos, beardies and leopard geckos.
Well, much to my surprise, they had a brazilian rainbow boa, a uromastyx, a fire skink and...a green tree python!! Is this store stepping up its exotics game? Or just bringing in some less common exotics to suffer? Only time will tell I guess. Full disclosure, the fire skink almost came home with me (still might).
Anybody else see their local Big Boxes stepping up their game?

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I've seen a fire skink recently as well. I think they try when they are available to bring them in

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Originally Posted by Oreocupcake

I've seen a fire skink recently as well. I think they try when they are available to bring them in

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I have been wanting a blue-tongue skink for a while, but after seeing the fire in person, wow!! Those are beautiful animals. I have been around blue-tongues before, but I had only seen pics of the fire til now. After doing some research, I might be switching my wishlist to a fire skink instead of a blue-tongue.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I have been wanting a blue-tongue skink for a while, but after seeing the fire in person, wow!! Those are beautiful animals. I have been around blue-tongues before, but I had only seen pics of the fire til now. After doing some research, I might be switching my wishlist to a fire skink instead of a blue-tongue.

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We owned a blue tongue skink before. He lived about 15 or so years. They can be picky eaters too lol

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Originally Posted by Oreocupcake

We owned a blue tongue skink before. He lived about 15 or so years. They can be picky eaters too lol

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Hmmm...I was under the impression they were very eager eaters. But, like BPs and all animals, I'm sure they are all different, with different personalities and quirks.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Hmmm...I was under the impression they were very eager eaters. But, like BPs and all animals, I'm sure they are all different, with different personalities and quirks.

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Maybe it was just ours. He did not wanna eat veggies or anything healthy lol

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Were the vegetables cooked?

The big box store near me had a manager that was a reptile lover, he always had Green tree pythons, Frilled dragons, fire skinks and even had some very nice BP morphs like Pieds and Pumas. If it's Petco you can score some very nice deals on those exotics when they do their 50% off reptile rally. A friend of mine picked up a frilled dragon for 80 and a Biak Green tree python for 150.

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Originally Posted by mdb730

The big box store near me had a manager that was a reptile lover, he always had Green tree pythons, Frilled dragons, fire skinks and even had some very nice BP morphs like Pieds and Pumas. If it's Petco you can score some very nice deals on those exotics when they do their 50% off reptile rally. A friend of mine picked up a frilled dragon for 80 and a Biak Green tree python for 150.

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Do you know when theis year reptile rally is? In my area it is always either june or october.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Were the vegetables cooked?

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We tried some raw and some cooked. When I started dating my fiance his skink was a very finicky eater. So maybe it's was just an old habit from before we met

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Originally Posted by Oreocupcake

We tried some raw and some cooked. When I started dating my fiance his skink was a very finicky eater. So maybe it's was just an old habit from before we met

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Ok, I have read that they tend to accept cooked more readily. They apparently are finicky with fruits and vegetables unless started on them young

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Originally Posted by mdb730

The big box store near me had a manager that was a reptile lover, he always had Green tree pythons, Frilled dragons, fire skinks and even had some very nice BP morphs like Pieds and Pumas. If it's Petco you can score some very nice deals on those exotics when they do their 50% off reptile rally. A friend of mine picked up a frilled dragon for 80 and a Biak Green tree python for 150.

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Wow, this store is usually lucky to get a few pins, spiders and pastels.
I'm really thinking about going back to "rescue" that skink. Haahahaha

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Wow, this store is usually lucky to get a few pins, spiders and pastels.
I'm really thinking about going back to "rescue" that skink. Haahahaha

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That is not a rescue, that is opening a slot for them to bring another animal in to possibly be starved and mistreated. Buy from a reputable breeder.


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Originally Posted by MidSouthMorphs

That is not a rescue, that is opening a slot for them to bring another animal in to possibly be starved and mistreated. Buy from a reputable breeder.


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I certainly understand your point. Maybe suggestions rather than demands would be nice though.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I certainly understand your point. Maybe suggestions rather than demands would be nice though.

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This has come up a few times before. I'm not making demands, I put the info out there. It's easy to find reputable breeders, and more often than not, you won't spend as much as you would at the big box store for the same animal.


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If you can get over the fact that your supporting bad treatment of future animals which is a debatable topic because depending on the place, some do have animal loving employees that do take just as good of care of the animals there that anyone else would, there is still one big problem. The reason I choose not to buy from those places is because their animals are typically exposed to a lot of nasties and even if they are getting cared for properly, they may carry something that you can expose to your whole collection. Now this can potentially happen with a new animal from anyone and why you should always quarantine regardless. But you are putting yourself at a much higher risk of getting a sick or infested animal. So that's why I always resist the urge to take anything home from those places. Same goes for their puppies and kittens. Puppy mills come into play but that's a whole new topic. I choose not to support live animal sales from those types of places and just wish more people would look into it a little more before making impulse purchases that can come back to bite you and also supports them to continue to keep doing what they are doing which in the long run puts a lot of animals though suffering.