Ugh...PetCo

I went to PetCo today to get some bird seed, and decided to check out their reptile setup, for kicks, particularly after hearing how people talk about how the box stores don't house their snakes properly.

First I noticed the red tailed boa they had. Small, and it was lounging half in and half out of its water dish. It struck me as odd, but I don't read the boa sub-forum here, so I didn't know if that was off or not. Good looking snake, though, I thought.

Then I looked at the BP tank. Sad...actually worse than I expected, despite what I read here. Four young snakes all in one tank (I have no idea how to assess how old they were, but they were quite small). Substrate of coconut fiber, soaking wet. One hide, which was a half log. None of the snakes were in it...there was one draped across the branch that was in there, and the other three were kinda tangled together. I assumed they were all grouped in the warm area. The glass was dripping with water, and only a stick-on analog thermometer was in the tank (reading 85...but that doesn't mean anything, necessarily). I didn't know how to assess the snakes' health, but I looked for a while at their eyes, noses, and mouths, looking for mites or a RI, but didn't see anything like that. The tank size itself seemed awfully large from what I've read here, but maybe the space wasn't such an issue, being shared among 4 snakes (if that makes a difference). I don't have any experience, so I couldn't tell if they were too skinny or not, but it sure struck me that they were having trouble being warm, if they preferred to lay out in the open rather than in the (substandard) hide.

Now, I don't have a snake (yet), but it didn't take much reading here to be able to see how much they were doing wrong. The BPs weren't roaming or anything, but I had to wonder how well they were feeding and all. If I actually had some personal experience, and not just knowledge from reading this forum, I might have questioned someone about their care, but without any real credibility, I was hesitant to do so. Besides, any regular employee wouldn't likely know anything, and what would my input mean to them, about housing them individually and meeting the other husbandry needs? I assume that their hope is to move them quickly enough that their husbandry doesn't make a difference...but with feeding being so tricky, I can't imagine how they could tell if one snake was feeding regularly and another wasn't...if they can't house them correctly, I doubt they could identify the snakes as individuals.

Sad. It made me want to buy them all just to get them out, but I'm not in a position to bring a single snake home, let alone 4 or 5...not to mention the correct housing I would need to purchase. Besides...buying them out would only encourage them to stock more...

It does make me feel good to know that I know enough to see what they were doing wrong and know how to rectify the situation...not to say that makes me an expert or anything like it, but the basic needs are pretty easy to understand, and this wasn't even close to an attempt to meet them. A lot of people here looking for advice may be doing things wrong, but not this completely.

I am very much looking forward to a snake of my own, eventually...I just need the space first.

i know what you mean about petco and there reptiles...i went there about a week ago and in a ten gallon they had about 7 BPs and they were all rather skinny and all of them had a bad shed, pieces of skin were hanging off from the shed...ugh its disgusting

Even though petsmart is a little better than petco they are usually all bad :( Once in PetCo, I saw mites all over the place in a tank with at least 10 BPs with stuck sheds. To add to that, a terrrible smell was being emitted from the cage. (I hope one of them didnt die!) It is very depressing :(

I hear what you are saying moonshae, but that does not mean ALL Petcos are BAD.I have been in some pretty bad ones,but I actually used to work for a Petco, as a specialist when I lived in DE... for 7 years! I certainly do know how to take care of snakes, and the guy there weas absolutely wonderful. he had BPs of his own, as well as other reptiles. I know it only takes one bad trip to any Petco to spoil it for a person, as far as reputation goes. But, i would be a little hurt if you came into my store and told me I don't know how to take care of snakes!! :( I knew the snakes were all fed and well taken care of to the best of what Petco provided us to care for them with.

The petco out here in my area is a good one, the girl who runs the reptiles and fish area ive known for 5 years before she started working at it. She had about 30-35 snakes when i worked with her now im sure she has more, shes very knowledgeable.

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Originally Posted by 4theSNAKElady

But, i would be a little hurt if you came into my store and told me I don't know how to take care of snakes!!

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Rather than feel hurt, feel glad instead that someone not only noticed bad conditions but had the guts to bring it to the store's attention.

The Petco that i live near by is not one of the best... there is normally 4-5 BPs in a single 10 gallon tank, and the last time i was in there to pick up mice for my two BPs I noticed shed left on the head of one of the snakes,,,,, well that Petco knows that I will say something and i did. I let the girl know that there was stuck shed left on one of the snakes and that it needed to be removed.... now I can not complain too much since I have gotten my three garters and my male normal BP from there, .... and there has been minmal issues... mainly that all of the snakes that I have gotten from that store love the fact that they get regular full meals here at my home and have grown by leaps and bounds living with me... that and they all seem to have shedding problems when I first get them.... my boyfriend has said that I should not be allowed to go in to that store since I always see a snake that I feel needs rescued..... hmm maybe that is how i have ended up with five snakes....

I went to Petland earlier this year, and they had at least 10 baby balls in one setup, no hides at all. I pointed out that one of the balls looked really sick, and was on the bottom of the pile, and they took him in the back. I asked what they were doing for him, and they said they threw him in the trash, cause he was going to die anyways! I will never go back there again. It was horrible!

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Originally Posted by Swingline0.0.1

they said they threw him in the trash, cause he was going to die anyways!

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:(:(:(:mad::mad::mad:

Wow, the petco near me isn't that bad, thank god. But they aren't that good either. Most of the herps look pretty healthy.

But they sell normal bp's for 80 bucks, lol.

Sounds about right. For the record though, I have never been in a pet store that all snakes were in seperate cages.

The Petco down the road from my house has ball pythons in a cage with a humidity level around 15-20% but they were spot on with their bearded dragon display.

The Petland in Topeka actually has a great reptile section, even though some snakes are still housed together (not mixed species) the person that takes care of them is a well known Boa Constrictor breeder and was the first in the world to produce moonglow boas I believe.

I know that one store I go to sells about 5-10 ball pythons a week. Could you imagine the housing to keep each individual snake in their own cage for the short periods of time they have them in there? And that is just their Ball Pythons. Not condoning bad husbandry, but it is what it is.

I think after todays experience I'm goign to have to disagree that chain stores are bad. The important thing to keep in mind is that all stores are owned and operated by individuals and therefore any store is only as good as its manager.

todays experience: I've been working to set up a new tank for my BP which is on the brink of outgrowing his current home. Last week I stepped in and bought a new tank that was 3.5ft X 1.5ft, the manager herself helped me to find the best deal (one that was slightly smaller was mroe expensive) however the lid dint fit sunggly so they said they would order a better lid for me and it would be in this tuesday and that I could have it. Today I go in to buy 2 heat pads, a ceramic lamp for bulbs, and a new hide and they give me 10% off no problem. They know how to take care of their animals, and usually don't put animals together when its a problem (the worse Ive seen is maybe 2 BPs together or maybe 2-3 emperor scorpions (which usually isnt a problem if there are enough hides anyway); given that space is always limited this is easily forgivable. Bottom line dont live soley on the believ that all chains are bad, they are definatly worth exploring. On a side note our local small pet store fails epically and smells like dog poos

i dont go to petco but my local shop i went to to get feeders have no idea what african soft fur rats were, which was mildly suprising. i was kinda confused when i saw a 20 gallon tank a heat bulb and like 20 paper bags, when i asked what wa in the bag they told me it was their colombian boas. i dont know how good or bad of a setup that is but it was kinda weird looking and i know i wont buy one of those.

I haven't been to my local petsmart in quite sometime, but last time I went they weren't too bad. I mean I could of setup the tank better, but everything was clean.

Patricia, I think you missed my point. I am saying not all Petcos are bad...I used to work at one. Cause i knew our reptiles were taken care of. And if someone who had a preconcieved idea about Petco came into our store, I'd be just a little offended if they told us we didn't care for our reptiles, nonetheless feed them!

Petco is cool here.

Yea the petco near me is huge and is very clean their reptile section is huge the have a ton of selections of everything you need and they have tons of reptiles for sale all in healthy condition they have right size tanks and temps and humidity are all right. Though its the only pet store ill buy a reptile from all the others I don't trust they reptiles are all sick.

The PetCo here usually takes pretty good care of their reptiles. Although their BP tank has about 8 balls in it. But what more can you expect from a company like that?

I work within a few miles of two Petcos. One does a decent job caring for their reptiles...the other is horrible. I once spoke with them about a bp who was extremely uncomfortable due to a terrible shed. I then went on line and filed a complaint. The next day, the regional manager called me and indicated that he was going to check the reptiles the next day.

Once in Petsmart, I talked with them about how they were keeping one small bp. It's enclosure was clear and it shared a wall with another reptile. The crickets from the other kept jumping into the bp enclosure and there was no hide. When I spoke with the manager, he immediately set up a new enclosure - I was still there! - and moved the bp. He said that the snake hadn't been eating and they were concerned and didn't know what to do with it as none of them knew anything about snakes. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks later the poor thing died - but they clearly cared.

I personally think if a pet store is going to sell reptiles, they should have to hire someone who knows how to care for them! That should be a law or something...otherwise it's just cruelty! If it were a puppy being kept in deplorable conditions, folks would surely put up a fuss!

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Originally Posted by Neal

I haven't been to my local petsmart in quite sometime, but last time I went they weren't too bad. I mean I could of setup the tank better, but everything was clean.

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ya the petsmart where i live is actually really sanitary and healthy. i buy most of my supplies from there and always can fit in time to look at the reps :D

the petco by me had like 4-5 baby BP's in probably a 10g or smaller tank, with 1 half log hide and another weird hidethat had a bunch of holes in it. half of them just lay out in the tank and dont even try to go in the hide... The petsmarts are usually better since ive only seen them with 2 ball pythons per tank. Also the petco had 2 boas in a 10g or smaller tank but they are still like new borns...

And the petco i noticed had like a area for the ferrets.... im not sure how many they had probably like 8 of them? but it was so horrible. the smell is horrible and they just have litter boxes over flowing with poop and all over the enclosure. Its horrible.

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Originally Posted by Swingline0.0.1

I went to Petland earlier this year, and they had at least 10 baby balls in one setup, no hides at all. I pointed out that one of the balls looked really sick, and was on the bottom of the pile, and they took him in the back. I asked what they were doing for him, and they said they threw him in the trash, cause he was going to die anyways! I will never go back there again. It was horrible!

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oh my. that made me die a little inside. what where they thinking? they could have given it away. like to you...:tears::tears::tears:

They aren't allowed to sell Pythons or Boas here in the city (SF), but they do have corn snakes, garters, kings, etc... they usually look perfectly healthy and clean, but I'm not an expert on those types of snakes. The most I've seen in one enclosure was probably three, and they were TINY little garters. So while there are certainly better places to go for reptile needs, I don't think they are too bad - I'd give them a "B+" LOL. ;)

I don't have a Pet co here but I have a Petsmart and they take care of their snakes pretty good! Their balls were in a 30 gallon long tank with three nice rock hides and coconut husk for substrate anda digital thermometer on one end reading 88 and humidity at 58%. They sell them for $100 for normals! I go to the reptile store by my work though because their staff knows what they are talking about. Petsmart just has some teens working and they couldn't answer any of my questions on balls but they must have someone caring for them that does!

There aren't any herp stores where I live just 2 petmarts and 2 petcos in the city. All four very on size, cleanliness, and care. I agree that the conditions aren't perfect but I do feel that they do the best they can with the knowledge and supplies they have. Plus if it wasn't for them I wouldn't have my ball! PS if anyone wants to move to Lincoln, NE and start a store I would be a regular customer!

I worked for petco for several years and there stock is horrible they are underfed bush babies that haven't eaten or possibly never been fed before they arrive at the stores.....2 out of ten come in dead or near dead it is so sad I just got disgusted had to quit there policies suck, It takes so much to get the company to agree to take any animal to the vet do to store managers trying to stay within there budget....

We don't have a Petco here, only a Petsmart, and I only go in there if I need something for my dog that the other pet store in town doesn't have. I've seen mom and pop shops do worse jobs at keeping reptiles than some of the chain stores. One in particular was sold to new owners and went downhill fast. Reptiles were kept in enclosures that were way too small for them, empty water bowls, stuck sheds galore and of course mites. They had a red tail boa in a home made enclosure that was meant more for an aboreal snake, as it was taller than it was wide. If he coiled really tight and overlapped a bit, he could fit his whole body on the floor of the cage. They also had overcrowded conditions with their rats, with 10-15 adults in partitions that were barely bigger than a 10 gallon so they all sat on top of each other. One even had a massive tick on his face. It was bloated, so it had been there a while. When I pointed it out the owner (a real jerk by the way) she told me it was just poop -round, silver, shiny poop with legs - and that rats don't get ticks. She also informed me that the black buildup in the Sphinx cats' ears was not ear mites, but dirt, and that it's more visible because they don't have fur. When asked why she didn't bother cleaning out the "dirt" from her $700 cats she just rolled her eyes and told me this was her store, not mine, and to buy something or leave. LMAO. Thank goodness the little shop of horrors closed recently. Now we just need the puppy mill shop to close.

I used to work for a Petco. They are the BEST at teaching their employee's a LACK of care for the animals they sell.

I now work for Petsmart. Never have I EVER seen a company take care of the animals they sell better. That's not just the Petsmart here, thats Petsmart company policy. If you ever see a sick/mistreated animal in a Petsmart store, report it and it will be taken care of promptly. I wish Petco would show some concern for the dollar bill signs they are selling.

most chain pet store i have seen have not taken care of their animals very well. I purchased my normal bp from a petland in dunwoody, Georgia, and it did not eat for 7 weeks. They had probably 15 to 20 small bp's in a single large enclosure. Some were in the one hide they provided and some were not. it was clean though, and the snakes did not seem to be ill. Petsmart near where i live was bad. They had an extremely small enclosure for 3 good sized bps', one had shed stuck all over him and looked miserable. the rest looked very thin and had very saggy skin. the temps and humididty were WWAAAYYY off. the petco near where i live did not look to bad. They had an appropriate sized tank, a full water bowl, and several pretty healthy looking bp's. they were roaming and not using the hide, so the were probably very stressed from some factor unknown to me. Idk how long they had been there.

I know that I take care of my bp to the best of my ability, and that is all I can do. My bp from what i can tell is happy. I monitor his temps constantly, change the water every 2 days, and maintain humidity. He is always in his hide and does not show signs of any illness or infection/mites. He strikes every mouse I give him in under 8 seconds. His sheds are always clean and come off in one piece. I wish I could rescue all the abused/mistreated bp's from pet sores, but that is not realistic. If I was a breeder, i doubt I would sell to chain stores. The person who wrote about the baby BP that got thrown into the trash really made me sick. Idk what to think about that. nobody would throw a kitten or puppy away. That really made me angry to hear that shops mistreat their animals like that :mad:

The pet smart by me is , happy to say, pretty good. They have one or two ath the most in one tank. Not the best equipment but i'm assuming it's just temporary because they usually sell. But man those prices. I feel like telling people to get a pastel for not much more.

Both the PetCo and PetsMart near me appear to be decent--the conditions for the reptiles are right, the cages are clean, and the vast majority of the animals appear to be in good condition--you do see the occasional new import that isn't thriving, but if it's pointed out, it's taken into the back for special treatment--that doesn't involve a garbage can.

I think it IS important to remember that you can't lump all locations of a chain store into a single pile. One PetCo is not the same as another PetCo--they should really be treated as though they were completely seperate pet stores. One advantage is, if you see something wrong, you can report it to corporate.

Locally, there is one good, knowledgeable small pet store, some good PetCo and PetsMarts, some bad PetCo and PetSmarts, and several bad small pet stores (some absolutely horrible). I think the most 'interesting' thing I've seen was the Petland that had a tropical rainforest setup in a small exo-terra tall cage, and a white-striped gecko. All good, right? Well...it was sharing its home with a couple of leopard gecko hatchlings.

I'm lucky enough to live in the Toronto area, where there are a lot of experienced reptile keepers and bad shops simply don't last long enough to do much damage in the community. Plus, we don't have PetCo up here and PetCetera only sells fish.

The PetSmart on Stone Church road in Hamilton has a dedicated reptile guy, last time I was in they had a yearling BP. It was in a 'decent' sized enclosure, douglas fir substrate, but it had a half log hide. At least the half log was turned so that people couldn't see into it. The BP itself was alert and well fed, the girl working that section happened to be the one who has the most contact with the snake and she told me he'd shed a few days previous, it hadn't come off in one piece but she'd asked the reptile guy and he advised her to use the soaking method we advocate on this forum. She knew the sex of the snake (male, she'd witnessed the popping, in her words "really gross, but educational, eh?") and it's feeding schedule. All in all a solid B+.

There are two Big Al's that I frequent, a franchise location in Hamilton and a corporate location in Oakville. The one in Oakville doesn't carry BPs, but they have two full time employees for their reptile section who are very friendly and knowledgable. I was in recently and overheard one discussing with a customer a good starter lizard for her young son, he advised her of all the pros and cons of beardies (good with handling, but require large enclosures) and leopard geckos (stay small and easy to feed, but are VERY fragile). Their reptiles are in display racks with controlled temps and humidity, I witnessed one of their pine snakes shedding and it was a good one piece shed. I give this one an A.

The reptile authority for this area is said to be Port Credit Pet Centre in Port Credit, which is a small privately owned shop. I don't frequent this one often, but the owner is very active in the reptile community. I have heard disturbing things about their invertebrates from invert forums though. I don't know enough about them to give an opinion.