Do all PetSmart's suck?

Hik --

I live near Rochester, MN, and am going to be purchasing a baby BP in the next month or so. I don't really know of any reputable breeders that live within driving distance of my house.

So, here's my dilemma -- I can pay about $100 to have a BP flown in from a breeder, or go to PetSmart and pay $80 for one.

Before you flame me -- I'm just asking -- are the PetSmart ones really that bad? I was at the store in Rochester a couple of weeks ago, and held both of the babies there. They both looked healthy, cage was clean, they had water -- I could see that the temps were acceptable, and that they had day and night lamps for them.

Would it be wrong to buy one from there? Are they all bad, or are some okay?

Thanks,

Chapskis1

To be honest if its only a matter of $20 I would go with the reputable breeder. Not only are you building relationships that will help you down the road if you decide to take the hobby further but you will also have someone there before and after the sale with any questions you may have. You will have an animal you know for a fact is healthy and the support from the breeder with any issues or problems you encounter.

i agree 100% with the above poster.

I would go with the breeder too. No, not all PetSmarts are bad, and a few are really good. However, you can't always see problems on a snake. Unless you can ask them where the little one came from.

I have one little girl from a pet store, and am getting two more from a breeder. My girl looked really good when I brought her home, but she shed around that same time. Since her humidity was too low at the pet store, her shed was terrible. She only removed parts from her face. I had to help with the rest. The pet store was also underfeeding her. One fuzzy a week, so she was small. Healthy, but small.

Then again, that was my pet store, and not yours. If you can easily check their humidity and temps, you should be fine purchasing from there. I love my pet store baby, and I wouldn't trade her for any morph. It's really up to you, but at least you know a breeder has been taking care of them probably from hatchlings, and the pet store can only tell you about them since they were shipped in.

20 dollar diff I'd probably go to a breeder too.

But I never have so I understand your delima. It's so much simple to drive to your local pet store and pick up a baby bp, vs. worrying about shipping and live arrivals ect.

You have to balance the pros and cons of the situations.

Breeder
Pros
Guaranteed health
" " sex
" " morph
" " age
" " feeding record
professional help
knowledgeable help

Cons
Shipping cost
Must plan to be home for package
Can't see snake in person till after purchase
Hassle of ordering
Waiting

Petsmart (any petstore)
Pros
Ease of purchase
Take home same day
Can physically see snake and shop environment
Can have a 'love at first site' moment before buying.

Cons
Unknown sex
" " health
" " morph
" " age
no feeding record before the store got the snake
Don't know the breeder/supplier
Un-knowledgeable staff
Risky/vague return policy


Basically with a breeder you know exactly what you're getting and so does the breeder/seller.
With a petstore you can never believe them if they say the snake if female (how do they know? I had a petstore staff member tell me the snake was male cause it was the "biggest one!" once) The people who work there could have chosen to work at McDonalds instead. They do not hire animal experts.
Occasionally you meet a petstore employee who knows his stuff. But more often than not they know less than you do, especially when it comes to chain stores like petco and petsmart.

I'm guilty of buying a snake from petsmart (this was before I knew about breeders and shipping)... but I still think I would have gone with the petstore because I was excited, it was my first snake, and I wanted it 'right now' :D
I may never buy a snake from a petstore again. But I may never buy from a breeder either, all my snakes after my first have been rescues/craigslist finds (talk about not knowing the health of the animal. lol)

But anyway, sorry for the uber long post. And hopefully that helps.

You all make valid points. I suppose you are right that for only twenty bucks more or so, I should just go with a breeder.

Now I just have to decide which one to go with...maybe since I'll already be spending $100, I'll just go with an albino het. Anyone want to breed snakes?

Thanks,

Chapskis1

To answer you actual question:
No not all petsmarts suck. Some have great managers and staff who genuinely care about the animals health and well being.
I hope your local store is one of the good ones.

If you decide to buy from them, it's not bad of you. They're a chain so people bad talk them, everyone would rather support the mom+pop store around the corner but sometimes petsmart is the only one who has what you need.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chapskis1

You all make valid points. I suppose you are right that for only twenty bucks more or so, I should just go with a breeder.

Now I just have to decide which one to go with...maybe since I'll already be spending $100, I'll just go with an albino het. Anyone want to breed snakes?

Thanks,

Chapskis1

---

I wouldn't waste money on a het unless you really plan on breeding someday. They look the same as normals at a higher price.

I go with the breeder you never know they might surpise you wit h a pastel when you ordered a normal.. I knowe the local pet shop I am dealing with had some pretty snakes but they owner claims they on ly need to be fed once every 3 weekes.I pointed out how poor they look now compared to when he first got them and I pointedo ut how fat and happy mine weer . I think the next time I go I want to take my complete ball python book with me and show them the feeding section. I also know they had a beautiful snaek that lost all most all it weight.. These snakes should weight in at 900-1300 grams and I bet bearly weight in at 400 grams.

Just another scenario to throw out there. Lets say you buy a snake which has an RI from both sources breeder and petstore. What do you think the odds are off having the petstore re-inburse you for the cost of the vet bills? Any reputable breeder that I know of will absorb vet expenses for any animal you recieve from them that has immediate health issues that were not a result of your care. Obviously we're going to a reputable breeder so we can avoid an unhealthy snake but sometimes stuff happens. I've seen breeders even offer to pay half the vet bills when people had animals for over a month that developed RI issues. There is just a lot more support you get from a breeder when stuff goes wrong and with tools like the BOI there is a lot of action you can take against them vs a petstore which will most often give you a too bad so sad response.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spaniard

Just another scenario to throw out there. Lets say you buy a snake which has an RI from both sources breeder and petstore. What do you think the odds are off having the petstore re-inburse you for the cost of the vet bills? Any reputable breeder that I know of will absorb vet expenses for any animal you recieve from them that has immediate health issues that were not a result of your care. Obviously we're going to a reputable breeder so we can avoid an unhealthy snake but sometimes stuff happens. I've seen breeders even offer to pay half the vet bills when people had animals for over a month that developed RI issues. There is just a lot more support you get from a breeder when stuff goes wrong and with tools like the BOI there is a lot of action you can take against them vs a petstore which will most often give you a too bad so sad response.

---

This is so true... it's part of the risky/vague return policy thing. A breeder will give you up front detail instructions on what to do if your animal is sick upon arrival and what they will do about it.
Petstores, using my local petco for example will only pay for vet bills if the animal is taken to one of their approved vets within a limited amount of time. If you take the snake to any other vet first they will not cover costs and it's not their problem anymore.

Just something to think about, for a little bit more money you could pick up a more common morph(pastel is a good example) from a reputable breeder.

Either way I'd get a snake from somewhere other than petsmart. My one and only reptile I ever picked up from a big box store ended up being, and still is, a problem feeder.

A big plus for me purchasing from a breeder also is knowing that I'm supporting someone's hobby and passion, and supporting small business. On something that is likely to give 20+ years of enjoyment, what's another $20(heck what's another $100)?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mainbutter

Just something to think about, for a little bit more money you could pick up a more common morph(pastel is a good example) from a reputable breeder.

Either way I'd get a snake from somewhere other than petsmart. My one and only reptile I ever picked up from a big box store ended up being, and still is, a problem feeder.

A big plus for me purchasing from a breeder also is knowing that I'm supporting someone's hobby and passion, and supporting small business. On something that is likely to give 20+ years of enjoyment, what's another $20(heck what's another $100)?

---

AND Pastels are so beautiful!!

If you look at Kingsnake you will find there are a few breeders up near you.
Also there is a big BP breeder in ****eyville WI, SWWreptiles
SouthWest WI reptiles, He might be able to cut you a great deal and may be able to meet you since he does IA shows too.
There are snakes available out there.
I did a quick search of your local Craigslist
and found these
http://rmn.craigslist.org/search/pet?query=snake
Here is a breeder/seller in MN
http://www.twincitiesreptiles.net/

and you can see if a breeder or seller uses
shipyourreptiles.com
hope this helps

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Spaniard

Just another scenario to throw out there. Lets say you buy a snake which has an RI from both sources breeder and petstore. What do you think the odds are off having the petstore re-inburse you for the cost of the vet bills?

---

Petsmart has a 14 day total satisfaction/health guarantee, and will take back sick or dead animals/fish with no arguments or hassle. They will take them back if you decide you don't like that animal. If the animal is sick, you should return it, not take it to a vet.

Not all of them are run by idiots. Some actually have herpers as employees.

Even if they have herpers as employers there is not much they can do. They cant ad hides or take them to good vets if they are sick. My friend who works at Petsmart said it took alot of work just to take the beardies off of calcisand.

Ben, how will you know the animal is sick? There is definitely no guarantee the snake will poop for you in order to get a fecal done in 14 days because of how poor their feeding records can be. Now your in even more trouble if the snake doesn't eat for a few months. Not to mention most of their snakes there are imports ( At least in my area, but im sure its the same for most.) And you really need to get those checked, so add on a $50 + any parasites they might have. Also do not forget that most do not wash hands between handling reptiles, so anything any other reptile at the store might have...just one... can easily be transferred to the ball pythons. you say the temps are alright? Those heat bulbs suck the humidity out of the tank which is the reason why you always see bps with horrible sheds... and also most of the time they measure with those crapy stick on thermometers that can be off by 20 degrees.

With a reputable breeder you do not have to worry about all of this, just make sure that the poop looks normal and that the snake has no physical problems. Id still take it to the vet but you have a much less chance of there being any parasites.


Just my 2c

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beardedragon

and also most of the time they measure with those crapy stick on thermometers that can be off by 20 degrees.

---

if they even work at all!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Beardedragon

Even if they have herpers as employers there is not much they can do. They cant ad hides or take them to good vets if they are sick. My friend who works at Petsmart said it took alot of work just to take the beardies off of calcisand.

Ben, how will you know the animal is sick? There is definitely no guarantee the snake will poop for you in order to get a fecal done in 14 days because of how poor their feeding records can be.




Just my 2c

---

If I plan to buy from a pet store chain, I walk in daily, or at least several times a week, and observe. I make sure they eat, I wait weeks to ensure nothing crops up.

That being said, I rarely buy from chain stores (except the fish). I don't often have time to ocd a petstore's stock.

I think it comes down to being a smart buyer. Not if a certain pet store sucks or all breeders are godlike because let's be honest that's just not reality. There are good pet stores out there, there are crappy ones. There are great, reputable breeders out there and there are scam artists.

Do your homework as a purchaser of any living creature. Do the work first and accept that in the end you have to know about the species, their care, what is and isn't a healthy specimen, who are the good guys/gals to buy from and who aren't and where the nearest herp vet is. So many people just jump into this without a lot of thought or planning then blame the source when they end up with a sick animal on their hands. Too many people look at saving a few bucks as being the most important thing.

Personally if I'm going to own an animal for the next 15 or 20 years, saving $20 isn't really the most important part of my decision making process.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mechnut450

I go with the breeder you never know they might surpise you wit h a pastel when you ordered a normal

---

have you had this happen?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ponthieux

have you had this happen?

---

store owner i know order a lot of 40 ball pythons from BHB of the 40, 2 were pastels (or the nicest dinkers on earth, they had to be pastels) and 3 were enchis

A breeder shouldn't be more than 70 dollars or so with shipping..

With vet bills resulting from a pet store train wreck, you'll be saving money.