Conscious-ridden

I just bought a milksnake for my husband and had to run into a big chain pet-store here in town to purchase a dome lamp for some heat. Well, as always happens, I went to look at the reptiles... they must have just received a large shipment of BPs because they had maybe ten or twelve baby BPs together in a 15 gallon tanks for sale. They were all so skinny and looked so unhappy and helpless.

Anyway, the store was selling them on sale for $40.00 a piece. And I'm standing there, my mind running wild. I can buy these guys, or at least a couple of them, feed them up and get them healthy again. And I know people that will give them good homes... there's all of you on here and there's people on other forums I visit. The profit I would make would be nothing. I'd sell them for what I bought them at, or cheaper for males. So, really, I'd be losing money. But who cares? I'm saving these little guys.

My one big problem... by buying them, I support the big chain. It SUCKS! So, I'm sitting here thinking about these little babies and it just burns me that I can't really do anything.

Did you buy them? If so, at least a couple of them have a better chance at having a happy life. The store. Hmm, you could try writing to their head person and telling them their set up is bad and their snakes are underweight and pathetic little things:(


I have a rescue BP who's really beginning to blossom. I adopted him from a rescue charity (I'm in the UK). I wish I could help all the unwanted/neglected/abused animals but unfortunately I can't help them all. I look at it if I can help at least some of them, then at least they will now have a good life and want for nothing.

Good luck.

Just remember if you buy a couple from them, they'll only replace them with more. I refuse to buy another one just for the sake of helping it out. As much as I would love to take them all in, it's just not possible. If you give them your money, it just supports them and they'll continue. Definitely feel free to have a word with them at the store and them write to the company to let them know about the problems.

I've been in those shoes too.

I talked myself out of it and eased my conscience with the logic that if i bought them it would only inspire a "hey those sold pretty well order another batch . . . in fact order more" on the part of the store owners.

Thanks for the support. I, too, have two BP rescues, with a RTB rescue on the way. I love taking them in. They're the only snakes I have... it makes me feel like I'm doing something. Unfortunately, when I see those little babies, I feel like I'm not doing enough.

There is a reptile chain here in Colorado that is on point for everything except the quantity of reptiles in cage. The last time I went in there there were at least 50 BP in one enclosure, granted it was a good size enclosure but the majority of the BP just piled on to one another and I just couldn't help but think about the ones at the bottom of the pile. You can vent at the owner but it will not do any good consisdering he does know proper husbandry but refuses to follow it, stupid is as stupid does.....

This just brings up the question in my mind....who actually, legally is responsible for the conditions of any creature sold in a pet store? Is it the local humane society? There must be some sort of guidelines in place for what is and is not negligent care of their stock? How do pet stores get licensed I wonder. Just a simple business license or do they have to fulfill certain ongoing requirements to both protect their stock from abuse and also protect the general public from buying sick/dying animals? I mean restaurants and food stores have laws they must follow....do pet stores that keep and sell live creatures not have anyone watching them?

I hate to say it but unless you are buying a snake for the sake of wanting it, there's not much point in rescuing from a pet store. They do just replace it and think they have a "market" for them so it's unending. If it's a chain I would definitely write to their head office. If nothing else I'd certainly pass the word locally that they are NOT the place to buy from....word of mouth can be awfully effective.


~~Jo~~

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

This just brings up the question in my mind....who actually, legally is responsible for the conditions of any creature sold in a pet store? Is it the local humane society? There must be some sort of guidelines in place for what is and is not negligent care of their stock? How do pet stores get licensed I wonder. Just a simple business license or do they have to fulfill certain ongoing requirements to both protect their stock from abuse and also protect the general public from buying sick/dying animals? I mean restaurants and food stores have laws they must follow....do pet stores that keep and sell live creatures not have anyone watching them?

I hate to say it but unless you are buying a snake for the sake of wanting it, there's not much point in rescuing from a pet store. They do just replace it and think they have a "market" for them so it's unending. If it's a chain I would definitely write to their head office. If nothing else I'd certainly pass the word locally that they are NOT the place to buy from....word of mouth can be awfully effective.


~~Jo~~

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Ultimately, Animal Care and Control in conjunction with Fish and Wildlife are in charge. At least in Florida. I recently had a store investigated and that is how it went. If its a chain store, contact their regional or district manager first and give them a chance to right things.

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Originally Posted by ladywhipple02

I just bought a milksnake for my husband and had to run into a big chain pet-store here in town to purchase a dome lamp for some heat. Well, as always happens, I went to look at the reptiles... they must have just received a large shipment of BPs because they had maybe ten or twelve baby BPs together in a 15 gallon tanks for sale. They were all so skinny and looked so unhappy and helpless.

Anyway, the store was selling them on sale for $40.00 a piece. And I'm standing there, my mind running wild. I can buy these guys, or at least a couple of them, feed them up and get them healthy again. And I know people that will give them good homes... there's all of you on here and there's people on other forums I visit. The profit I would make would be nothing. I'd sell them for what I bought them at, or cheaper for males. So, really, I'd be losing money. But who cares? I'm saving these little guys.

My one big problem... by buying them, I support the big chain. It SUCKS! So, I'm sitting here thinking about these little babies and it just burns me that I can't really do anything.

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Was it by chance Pet Supplies Plus? If so, I can tell you as a former employee, they will just replace them with more. Furthermore, thier stock is usually wc, however, they will not admit to this. I only know because I worked there long enough to know exactly where thier animals come from. It is best, even though it breaks your heart, to leave them there.

Also, the conditions of the animals are monitored by the kids who work in the store, at least when I worked there, I kept the conditions as good as possible even with the over crowding and lack of hides, adiquate heat, etc. Unfortunately, animal control will do nothing about this situation with them,they are just not in the situation to go in and take reptiles from aplace like that and house them/care for them properly till homes are found. Local animal control knows ZIP about caring for reptiles.

It was actually PetCo, but I have a Pet Supplies plus just down the road from me and they're just as bad. I went there a few days ago and they had three little baby BPs that looked healthy enough (actually looked a little chubby and moving around) but were having terrible sheds. One had retained eyecaps that looked like they'd been there quite awhile. So, yeah, I hear that.

Pet Co, where in the world is that exactly? Is there a pet store I am unaware of? I am in Mansfield, I thought I knew all the pet stores within 20 or so miles from me.

PetCo is a huuuuge chain - similar to PetsMart.

We have one or the other up the road from us in Mo'town that just opened.

We have like three of them here in Columbus. It's a fairly large chain... I've been to them in Indianapolis and various parts of Indiana as well. I live in Grandview, Columbus, Ohio and have three big chains right within five minutes drive: PetCo, PetSmart, and Pet Supplies Plus

Isn't PetCo the chain that has or had as their tag...PetCo where the pet's go? (hopefully the pet's survive the experience!)


~~Jo~~

Yeah, PetCo where the Pets Go.

They really are great for cats and dogs and smaller animals like rats/mice/hamsters/birds/rabbits and such... but their reptile knowledge just stinks.

I'm "lucky" in that the gal who cares for the reptiles at the PetCo near me seems to know her BP knowledge. Nothing she's told me when we've chatted has contradicted what I've learned here.


If I were to rate this particular PetCo and the Mom&Pop shop that I ranted about (and remember the owner of the mom and pop has owned snakes for 37 years, so his word is gospel - like 4 sub adults in one tank with no heat source or hides, and oh yeah, and did you know that all houses have mites, so you can't avoide getting mites? Nevermind that there's a difference in regular mites and house mites - oh yeah, and don't forget you should feed your BP prey that is at LEAST 3X their size in girth). Now why did you have to go and get me started??? LOL

But seriously, while I wouldn't purchase a ball from a chain (just like I wouldn't purchase a puppy from one), I am at least relieved that the woman at the one by me gives out good husbandry information to her customers. She said herself she hates the housing arrangements for the babies, but they simply don't have enough tanks to house them all separately. She just hopes they get purchased quickly into single enclosure homes.

Oh, I also read somewhere that Flukers Farms is the snake distributor/breeder (not sure how much breeding they actually do) for PetCo. Anyone know if that's true?

lol, petco is huge. i actuall went there today. i got a BP book from there. my petco isnt too bad, its clean and everything the only thing i didnt like was i say a couple of skinny anoles, and the dye from the sand(which should not be in there anyways) was staining the beardies undersides, oh yeah and they were using sand for the leos. but the BP's, and RTB's looked goodhttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/images/icons/icon10.gif. i do agree that they do take good care of there mammals and birds.

From what I read on the net, Fluker Farms does not raise/breed snakes. They do a few reptiles, but no snakes from what I saw on the website.

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Originally Posted by rabernet

Oh, I also read somewhere that Flukers Farms is the snake distributor/breeder (not sure how much breeding they actually do) for PetCo. Anyone know if that's true?

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It may be for some species, but not for ball pythons.

-adam

yeah i have no qualms about petco (there are 2 near me) when it comes to there fish and birds and rodents but their knowwledge of reptiles is horrendous the dude there (he was called the reptile specialists) told me that ball pythons are carrion feeders in the wild! and thats why u have to feed them dead rats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! :fork:

look at the bright side. He didn't say you have to feed live.