conglomarte pet stores

I posted this as a reply in another thread. I liked it so much as I am often not very eloquent or able to put down this many words with out loosing my thought process that I decided to copy and past it in my own thread and add a poll. Please tell me how you feel because all to often one voice is heard screaming above the crowd.

I would just like to point our just because the animal is alive and looks healthy that does not mean that it makes a good beginners animal. I have had pets for many years and the snake is the one that eats the least and requires the most attention as far as the housing issue goes. If you want a beginner pet go buy two parakeets and feed them and water them daily they will be just fine. But for a snake the word "beginner" belongs no where in the vocabulary.

Not trying to be rude but I hate pet stores such as petsmart and petco they have no business selling pet food much less pets. I find no defense for them. When you have some one cranking out puppies and selling them sick and with fleas usually some one calls the local SPCA but with chain stores such as these that sell sick fish, birds, reptiles, and other miscellaneous animals PEOPLE ACTUALLY PRAISE THEM because they donate to a charity or have animal adoption days!!!!! WOOOP-DE-FRIGGEN-DO!!!! I could care less I really wish people would open their eyes and take off the rose colored glasses and realize that chain stores like this really should not be in business and most people are just to dumb to realize it until it is too late and they have already bought a "pet" from this place.

I was one of these "innocent" by-standers. I bought pets from the conglomerate places and I always thought oh they take such good care of the animals until you start to learn what each animal requires for housing, food, attention, and medical attention. I mean what are these people thinking!!!!

Please some one tell me I am not crazy and that I am not making all this up.

I also know that there are a few people in this forum that run pet shops and do a darn fine job at it. You care about each animal that is there. You pay attention to them you ensure proper diet and housing. This is not directed to you few that don't just care about the "sale". To you few whom are to few I tip my hat to you.

I think some people in this forum would agree with me on this subject.

Ok I am off my soap box sorry you guys had to endure that.

conglomarte?

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Originally Posted by extensive

conglomarte?

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I think they meant conglomerate.

The pet stores we have in Canada are pretty bad as well. I bought my first bp from there, needless to say I didn't keep it for more then 2 days.

When it was sold to me, the guy selling it to me asked numerous questions, which I already had answers for and knew what I was getting myself into.

The pet store issues:
A) They sell the BP's for $192.00 + taxes for a normal.
B) They are full of mites.
C) I remember reading about how picky they can be as eaters and asked if they were eating and he told me the snake was.

Anyways, the snake had a slit up its stomach which I am still not sure what that was.. I called the petstore the day after and specifically asked for the person who feeds the lizards. Took me 2 days to finally talk to him. He was honest and told me the snake had never eaten the whole time the snake was with them, which was 4 weeks. When I brought the snake back they tried to tell me the snake should not have been for sale, but it was because the tag was flipped over showing the price.

After talking to that person for about 20 minutes on the phone, I put the snake back in the bag and brought it to them. I gave it to one of the workers and they way she was handling the snake was so rough. You could pet the snakes head like it was a cat or a dog, there wasn't any resistance from the snake what so ever.

They told me they would not sell the snake, but I have

I was up there the other day because I was out of mice and my supplier has moved now and I always check out the animals. They have an adult bearded dragon for sale for $249.99. Here's what makes that worse, half of the dragons tail is missing. :colbert:

They have another aquarium with a younger dragon for sale, a little less then for the adult, missing half of its tail as well and has a bunch of stuck shed in its ear. It's disgusting there.

I HATE the large conglomerate stores they're in for the sale. The only good thing is every once in a great great while there is someone actually knowledgeable working there that can tell people the truth about the proper way to take care of an animal but they are few and far between and has been said before they are going against company policy by educating people on the CORRECT way to keep an animal. Its freakin sad.

Ok, here's what it comes down to: the big chain stores are necessary for SUPPLIES, at least to allow people to pick up bedding or food quickly in emergencies and the like or for those poor people who can't afford the prices plus shipping of buying online supplies.

However, they should NOT be selling live animals. Period. Unless they were to update their policies, improve their sales enclosures/reduce the numbers of animals in stock at one time so each cage had ONE inhabitant, and train their employees with a Knowledgeable trainer in animal care. And of course, those thing will happen when pigs fly and the national deficit is paid off in one day.

I believe only breeders should sell live animals. Not that every breeder is a good one. But to rule out chain pet stores selling live animals entirely would be nice. lol

there is nothing wrong with large pet store chains selling animals. thats what drives the hobby.. HOWEVER!! They should be held to a certain standard.

Personally I woudn't pay pet store prices anyhow but they are good in a pinch for supplies.

I'm in between because without them, I wouldn't be able to acquire the supplies I need for my pet at an affordable price. If I order strictly through an online market, I'll end up paying crazy rates and shipping/handling. By having the pet store, I can get what I need the day I need it (within minutes if need be). The problem is that you have to do some bargain shopping and deal with (usually) uninformed and uncaring associates that aren't capable of doing what is needed. Having the corporate backing usually decreases quality with most things anyways.

That's just to sum up how I feel. I'm in between but lean more toward NOT liking them.

I had to go to about 4 different pet stores to get decent deals on everything I needed to set up my first tank.

I have been able to find all items on line that with shipping are still cheaper than the big chains. If I cannot wait for mail orders, I go to a local mom and pop store. Do not think much of big chains and their care for reptiles.

There are some Petstore chains that just plain suck. I had an issue where I was trying to find frozen feeders, and I was directed to the "Reptile expert" or so they called him. I asked if they had frozen Mice Hoppers, and his reply was "What are Hoppers?" I then stared at him for about 10 seconds without saying anything, and just thinking "This is their Reptile Expert!?" then I just turned around and walked out, never to return! I also walked into a diff pet store and seen some guy I knew from a Local Car lube shop, now working in the pet store selling puppies as a second job. Customers where grilling him with questions and he had difficulty answering 80% of them. WTH is that?

I find most Pirvately owned shops are much better. (But not Perfect). I now feed live due to the low quality of frozen in my area. One shop will spend 30 mins or more (or until I was happy with the selection) picking out the best sized meal to make sure it is not too big or too small.. I tip my hat to shops like this.

just my $0.02

I find one of the best places for supplies is at herp shows/events. Alot of the equipment i have is used and in good condition, from such events. :)

I'm repulsed by the care pet stores around here give to their animals. I'm almost positive the BPs I've seen are DYING not being sold. Because every time I check on them they get smaller and smaller and then their gone :confused: I highly doubt they are selling that many normal BPs for $80 all the sudden when they're half dead. :( In fact, I went into one of the big pet stores and there was a dead BP in the tank!

Once picked up a green rat snake at Petco, they didn't even know what it was, they had labeled it "Green tree snake," and didn't tell me about proper care (I was about 8 at the time), so I took it home, and in a few weeks it died. Probably mites.

Got my male from a pet store (Pet Supplies Plus), and I love it. Had him for 2 years.

I like them because around here they are the only place to get live food if you need them (my babies refuse to eat frozen, so I'll have to work on them later, right now I'm more concerned with them eating than what they eat). Not to mention the little non-big name stores are usually dingy and not clean.

Personally I'd rather find local breeders and get things off of them.

I've pretty much eliminated the need for shopping at chain pet stores for anything at all.
We have a pretty awesome reptile store around here that's good for supplies like bedding and such. ebay is good for finding better prices on heat mats and such. feeders we get from a local breeder. Other supplies (tubs, hides, bowls) come from walmart.

Even for our other pets- we buy our dog food from a local feed store. The same brand and size costs at least $12 more at petco than what we pay for it at the feed store. Even stuff for my rabbits comes from the feed store. The only time we need to go to a chain pet store is for our cat food, and that's only because one cat is sensitive to many brands, and the brand he does the best on is only available at petsmart.

Buying live animals from a chain pet store is not a good choice. Still, the responsibility is shared equally between the pet store and the buyer. Even if the pet store gives improper care information, its the responsibility of the buyer to do their research ahead of time, and know what they are getting into. Anything else is lazy, and can end up costing way too much money, and even the life of the animal.

I tried getting feeder mice at a non-chain store today and was denied service by one of them employees, he claimed they didn't have mice, then asked if I wanted them as pets or food, as if the answer would be different, when I said feeders he gave me a disgusted look and said no, then walked away.

Yeah, then I walked for 2 hours to a chain store and was given service. The only reason I had to walk was because of where I was I couldn't catch a bus there, but I could get one from there back home. So yeah I'm done shopping there. The other nearby non-chain store doesn't carry lives. And thanks to Pittsburgh being lame with their bus service I can't get out to Robinson which has like 4 pet stores. There are only a handful of buses during weekdays that go out there now-a-days, so yeah. I'm sorry but I really don't like the non-chain stores around here. The chain places are clean, their animals are always healthy and I've never seen any with problems. At the same non-chain place I went they have a ball python that has scars all over it's body, and they don't clean out the cages as often.

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Originally Posted by Argentra

Ok, here's what it comes down to: the big chain stores are necessary for SUPPLIES, at least to allow people to pick up bedding or food quickly in emergencies and the like or for those poor people who can't afford the prices plus shipping of buying online supplies.

However, they should NOT be selling live animals. Period. Unless they were to update their policies, improve their sales enclosures/reduce the numbers of animals in stock at one time so each cage had ONE inhabitant, and train their employees with a Knowledgeable trainer in animal care. And of course, those thing will happen when pigs fly and the national deficit is paid off in one day.

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You took the words right out of my mouth!:O :evileye: mwahaha now I know you have psychic abilities and I'm going to share your secret with all of BP.net!:D:D:D;)

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Originally Posted by Argentra

Ok, here's what it comes down to: the big chain stores are necessary for SUPPLIES, at least to allow people to pick up bedding or food quickly in emergencies and the like or for those poor people who can't afford the prices plus shipping of buying online supplies.

However, they should NOT be selling live animals. Period. Unless they were to update their policies, improve their sales enclosures/reduce the numbers of animals in stock at one time so each cage had ONE inhabitant, and train their employees with a Knowledgeable trainer in animal care. And of course, those thing will happen when pigs fly and the national deficit is paid off in one day.

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I totally agree with this statement.