PETCO is out of control!

Yesterday, I stopped into a Petco...looking for ways to increase our humidity and happened to take a look at their bps. They had two - not babies, but not that old either, in one enclosure. One hide in the middle. Both of the poor babies were outside of the hide - bright daylight might I add - one curled into a ball, the other in a horrible shed. He was rubbing all around the glass and clearly was having difficulty.

I found an associate and informed her of the situation. She basically ignored me and when I asked her if she would do something about it, she indicated that she would after she waited on me.

Following our transaction, I gave some suggestions on increasing humidity in the tank. She told me "corporate" wouldn't allow it, but she would take the snake out, and soak it so customers wouldn't see it that way!

I tell you, if I had the $80 and enough $$ to buy a set up, I would have taken that poor creature home. I'm going by there tomorrow to check it out. I also logged onto their website and filed a complaint - but, boy, that pissed me off!

yea i went to a petco to and their was no humidity in their cages i felt real bad for them then had like thoes atomiatic dog water systems and they were so small the bp couldent soak or anything that was real sad

luckily, they don't sell any pythons in pet shops in NY.
But in petland discount i saw 2 garters snakes which were housed with what looked like a tegu...of course i had to buy all of them, but i bought 3 small critter cages and put them in and gave the garters to a garter snake breeder about 30 minutes away from my house and gave the tegu to a nearest herp shelter...at the store i asked why are they like that and they said "we ran out of room"...idiots...

man thoes guys shouldent be able to run a pet shop they realllllly suck at it i could run a better pet shop then they can

yep...I'm gonna go back. I'm working an extra shift this weekend - if it's still bad, I'll probably just bite the bullet and buy another snake!

hey if you do end up buying another snake the more the marryer . another snake wont hurt lol espcially a ball python

Though it is honorable that you want to buy the snake, doing so does nothing except let them know that they can keep them in these conditions and still make money. All that will happen is they will get more in and keep them exactly the same.

You are much better off complaining to the management/corporate and also filing a complaint with the local Animal control agency. If you keep doing this, AND stop buying things in the store, something might change. The only way to get big stores or, for that matter, any retail store, to change is to hit them where it matters. Unless they are losing money there is no reason for them to change.

but the snakes will still suffer throught their lives untill some one buys them and then like in a year or so they will go back to the way they were

While I too hate to see any animal suffer by buying the animal you are NOT helping the situation. Petco/Petsmart/Petland and the rest won't get the message about proper care until that message comes via lost sales. Once they figure out that people won't buy distressed ,sick or poorly taken care of animals then they will make changes for the better.

So send the right message that you won't support their store till they take care of their animals. :salute:

And a third time for good measure:

Buying snakes from bad places hurts more snakes. Buy responsibly, and don't give your money to the abusers.

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Originally Posted by cheryls

Yesterday, I stopped into a Petco...looking for ways to increase our humidity and happened to take a look at their bps. They had two - not babies, but not that old either, in one enclosure. One hide in the middle. Both of the poor babies were outside of the hide - bright daylight might I add - one curled into a ball, the other in a horrible shed. He was rubbing all around the glass and clearly was having difficulty.

I found an associate and informed her of the situation. She basically ignored me and when I asked her if she would do something about it, she indicated that she would after she waited on me.

Following our transaction, I gave some suggestions on increasing humidity in the tank. She told me "corporate" wouldn't allow it, but she would take the snake out, and soak it so customers wouldn't see it that way!

I tell you, if I had the $80 and enough $$ to buy a set up, I would have taken that poor creature home. I'm going by there tomorrow to check it out. I also logged onto their website and filed a complaint - but, boy, that pissed me off!

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I dont get it? What actually was wrong?? Everything you mentioned happens here all day long.. My petco Rocks!

Remember too, large chain store or not, PetCo is under the same laws as any other place. Many states do not cover reptiles in those laws specifically for pets stores but some are seeing the light. If you see obvious neglect or abuse, notify your local humane law enforcement department, then send details of that contact to PetCo corporate so they know you are quite serious about your concerns regarding their store and the condition it keeps it's reptiles in.

I'm with the above posters on refusing to spend a penny in bad pet stores. They won't get any money from me for a living creature and nothing for dry goods either. Money talks with corporate America. The reality is you aren't rescuing a snake from them, by giving them your cash you are supporting their poor care practises.

you have a good point, but there's no other pet place within 20 miles of here...all the small, good ones have gone out of business. Maybe I should just buy everything on line!

But, the poor snake. I really felt bad for it.

my petco is actually pretty good... i was in there earlier and got a corn snake and the humidity in the tanks was about 65 and temps about 85 in all the snake tanks. granted some of the employees weren't the most knowledgeable but still they had pretty decent living conditions

The sad thing is, how many snakes have to die before they learn how to take care of them? We bought a columbian red tail from a petland store because it wasnt being taken care of, they swore they had fed it 2 days before yet it was as skinny as a pencil and wasnt drinking, and 3 days after we bought it it died and all they said was "Bring it back and we'll get the vet to check it out". . .Well needless to say one of the employees told us that the vet said it got dehydrated (No $hit) and that because we brought it back, the store got credit for it! They didnt offer to replace it or refund us or anything, and they STILL GOT CREDIT! We also bought a ferret who was "Very docile and tame" and when we got it home it started biting everyone who touched it, chewing up everything in the house, and wouldnt use its litter box. . .I called and complained because he was drawing blood when he was biting and they said "Sorry, all sales are final. . .you can GIVE it back to us and we can find it another home, or you can try to break it yourself. . ." I thought that was some crappy customer service. . .I went from going in petland 3x/week to not going in there in the past 6 months :)

i went to petco today to get some more digital thermometers and they had 5 baby balls in one cage about the size of a 20 long. the last time that I said something to them about it they told me that the company says its ok. I hate that place. I almost wanna get a p/t job there so i cant take care of there snakes.

Ok here is a thought. Maybe I am wrong...

If you buy the snake to "rescue" it, then aren't you just adding gasoline to the fire that is poor treatment of reptiles at Petco?

If their sales drop, they probably will stop carrying whatever it is people are not buying: ie: ball pythons from Petco.

But if everyone "rescues" them all the time, all they are really doing is sponsoring the treatment of the animals so the next guy or gal can "rescue" the next one.

Just my .02.... Maybe you should just leave it alone.

-Ben

I hate seeing those dogs locked up in those chain cages or those tiny little boxes too...Or a thousand parakeets flying around in one cage...at least PetCo doesn't discriminate

Ummm...Neither Petco nor Petsmart sell dogs or cats.

They do provide space for area rescue groups to come in and display their animals for adoption. Perhaps that's what you've seen?

The petsmart near us always has dogs and tons of cats. I am not sure if they are for sale or rescued /shrug

They also almost never have reptiles there though. The only pet store that actually has reptiles is a PetCo

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Originally Posted by mattciupak

luckily, they don't sell any pythons in pet shops in NY.
But in petland discount i saw 2 garters snakes which were housed with what looked like a tegu...of course i had to buy all of them, but i bought 3 small critter cages and put them in and gave the garters to a garter snake breeder about 30 minutes away from my house and gave the tegu to a nearest herp shelter...at the store i asked why are they like that and they said "we ran out of room"...idiots...

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That isnt true.. the petco near me sells not only ball pythons, but sometimes other types of pythons and boas as well.

i dont condone it, but i always talk to the employees when i go in there. I got my girl from a reptile specialist store. i wouldnt fuel petco's issues on animals by buying them.

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Originally Posted by Noek

The petsmart near us always has dogs and tons of cats. I am not sure if they are for sale or rescued /shrug

They also almost never have reptiles there though. The only pet store that actually has reptiles is a PetCo

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They are not for sale, I promise. They are brought in by various rescue groups hoping to find homes for them. It's a pretty good system.

I've shown at Petco with my rescues before, and the folks where very helpful and friendly. The dogs and cats you see in those cages don't live there...they are just brought in for the day so that people will see them and hopefully want to adopt them.

I'll add my voice to those others here.
Don't "rescue" the animals by buying them. Each animal you buy means they buy more to replace it. Each animal they buy brings at least 2-3 with it that die on the way, or in the holding facilty, since I doubt the holding facility for Petsmart/Petco is any better at caring and housing.
The Petsmart near me seems to do well. They do have two baby balls in one display, but the temps and humidity seem good. The Petco was worse last trip in, with four ball with NO hide, and three were in bad sheds, stuck all over, and skinny/dehydrated looking.
I don't spend any money in the store if they won't treat the animals right. I had a lovely petstore right on the route home, and they started carrying puppies. Right out of the puppy mills, and I had to stop buying there.
Too bad really.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

I'll add my voice to those others here.
Don't "rescue" the animals by buying them. Each animal you buy means they buy more to replace it. Each animal they buy brings at least 2-3 with it that die on the way, or in the holding facilty, since I doubt the holding facility for Petsmart/Petco is any better at caring and housing.

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That's a good point.

I remember reading about a lady who wanted to protest a certain comic book she disagreed with, so she went around her town buying every copy she could get her hands on, under the logic that there would be no copies for the kids to buy.

Of course, it backfired, because with the sudden boom in sales the management of the stores just ordered in even more copies the next month and the distributers were so pleased with the demand that they included bonus issues and give-aways.

Okay, snakes are not comic books, but the same logic applies; buy the store out of the snakes this month, and they will have even more the next.

The only way to stop a store from stocking a certain item is to prove that it isn’t profitable for them to carry it. When dealing with living creatures we care for, this makes for a hard line with no clear black and white answers. I immensely respect people who are able to ‘rescue’ snakes in distress, but at the same time, in the case of ill-suited pet stores, it can be a double edged sword.

You're all absolutely right. I understand that buying the animals leads to the stores wanting to sell more - and I won't buy the poor thing, but it sure is hard to see it.

I guess I'll just stop going in the store and try and find another place for any supplies I might need. If I never go in, I won't see the snakes!

Or maybe I'll protest the "old fashioned" way and slap stickers re: maltreatment on the tanks! I used to do that long ago when protesting the sale of toys promoting war. ;)

I guess I don't get it. You claim that these snakes are being horribly maltreated because one of them had a bad shed? I think you're over reacting.

I'll add it with everyone else.

DONT BUY SICK AND POORLY KEPT ANIMALS FROM BAD PET STORES. It's not a rescue!! It's giving them money to buy more animals!

I know for a fact from working in a Fortune 500 corporation in operations; they look at the numbers of what's been the hottest selling animal, and will "bulk up" more in the future. They are really about money!

Your better off complaining to them, then to the better business bureau. Get them in trouble instead of taking it into your own hands.

My petco is alright. Not perfect by any means, but they have improved. I do NOT buy animals from them anymore, after realizing that they always end up with more poor souls to torture. The only time I take in animals from Petco anymore is if they are out on the adoption table. Mainly because I know they have been through enough already, they don't need to go to someone else who doesn't know what they are doing. They are usually free, I bring them home, let them de-stress, eat, fecal sample, and watch over them for a couple of months and then adopt them out to people. It has worked well so far, I get updates from people all the time and the animals are very well cared for.

just up the road from where i work theres 2 petsmarts not even 2 blocks from each other the older one is open for 3 more years and the other one is right next to the new walmart. but since the new one is soooo big and everyone whos looking for reptiles cant seem to find any there they come to my store. and from reading everything on here about how bad other peoples petcos are im ashamed to be part of that because we take the most care of our animals we can i clean the small animals twice a week. birds once a week. and reptiles i spot clean every day and change wet aspen as needed though i hate the aspen. its policy. and all the reptiles are as best as they can be i mean i can't help it that they over stock i have no control on that. and everyone else follows suit at the store. well im done my rant just wish the store didnt have to be a petco.


if we have any animals for adoption i always make sure they are the first to go to a good home. and people looking for large rats as feeders if we have them out for adoption don't get them at all because they are pets that are for adoption not food.

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if we have any animals for adoption i always make sure they are the first to go to a good home. and people looking for large rats as feeders if we have them out for adoption don't get them at all because they are pets that are for adoption not food.

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Why can't they be food? What really differentiates them from feeder to pet? Not many people want a geriatric rat, might as well give it to someone to help sustain another precious life. (Vida Preciosa)

its part of our policy or you get fired

yeah im with monty. the petco here, given the people arent the brightest, is relatively clean. i think their fish section lacks a little but i got out of fish years ago!

yea i work with pretty dumb people too

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

I'll add my voice to those others here.
Don't "rescue" the animals by buying them. Each animal you buy means they buy more to replace it. Each animal they buy brings at least 2-3 with it that die on the way, or in the holding facilty, since I doubt the holding facility for Petsmart/Petco is any better at caring and housing.
The Petsmart near me seems to do well. They do have two baby balls in one display, but the temps and humidity seem good. The Petco was worse last trip in, with four ball with NO hide, and three were in bad sheds, stuck all over, and skinny/dehydrated looking.

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i agree here but may i add something. the petsmart i live by has another bp still at the store that i intend to buy later. and this is what i'm going to add if you are that intent on "rescuing" the animal wait until it has been there for at least two months and then buy it. think about it from their position if they don't sell the animal before it consumes its sell value in food they start thinking hey were losing money trying to sell these they won't get more

every one wins

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Originally Posted by serpents-prey

i agree here but may i add something. the petsmart i live by has another bp still at the store that i intend to buy later. and this is what i'm going to add if you are that intent on "rescuing" the animal wait until it has been there for at least two months and then buy it. think about it from their position if they don't sell the animal before it consumes its sell value in food they start thinking hey were losing money trying to sell these they won't get more

every one wins

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I dont entirely believe this. Most stores operations managers have to deal with the profit they have made, and they are the ones that come under heat first when they are lacking. When they order for more animals or supplies, they have to order a minimum amount of something, and if it sells, they will order more. By not purchasing the animal, they dont make profit from it, and they will not carry that particular animal anymore.

I dont know how petsmart or petco do their finances, but most overhead costs are taken care of by the corporation itself and not on a store by store basis. I have never seen a large corporation leave the petty finances to the store operators. If they go over budget, they will probably have a visit from corporate and have to first cut employee hours and work down from there. But I dont believe they view how much feed they've used compared to how many animals they have sold. I could be wrong though.

It's not just because of a bad shed that I felt the bp was being mistreated.

Bad shed + one hide + two snakes (one in defensive mode - the other clearly uncomfortable trying to remove his bad shed) + ok temps + no way to monitor humidity all in the middle of the day = mistreatment in my opinion....