Nothing like a verbal assault from Petsmart....

[Jay_Bunny]

As I said, I will switch to live as it will be more convenient for me to do so while breeding my own feeders and I am confident in my ability to feed live correctly.

But thanks for the info on how to euthanize rodents.

[rabernet]

its pretty easy, you hold the tail and catch the very back of the skull/front of the neck on the corner of a rack/desk/table/whatever. instant death and i do mean instant

It's fine to have discussions on different methods of feeding your snakes, but please remember to respect each keepers personal choice to feed what works best for them. I feed all of my ball pythons live (except for my albino - simply because I don't want any blemishes like insignificant scratches to show up on him, that the melanin doesn't show on my others).

I've fed well over 13K live prey items without incidence. It works for me and mine to feed live, and I have no compelling reason to change what works for me (and apparently neither do many other live feeders).

We encourage each keeper to feed what works for them, without getting judged or critiqued for their personal choices.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Feeding frozen is NOT better for the health of your animal. It's a biological fact that nutrients are diminished when most food is frozen. Then you have to wonder if the rodent which was killed or euthanized was immediately flash frozen with dry ice, or was it left to freeze slowly in a freezer? Was it set to the side for a few minutes while the freezing tray was filled with more PK rodents to be frozen? Was there any chance of decomposition between killing and freezing?

Considering that decomposition begins at the moment of death, it's impossible to believe or prove that the frozen rodents supplied by petsmart and petco are flash frozen immediately after being killed.

Not to mention, I've seen many complaints of said frozen rodents being dirty, having feces, bedding, fleas or mites on them etc..

I don't care what their company policy is, they are simply wrong. It has nothing to do with how they feel about the animals or animal rights. Otherwise they would know what's healthiest for snakes. Otherwise they would not hold fish and insects lower than rodents.

Remember this fact... Petsmart knowingly contributes to the HSUS. Petco does not. Maybe knowing that will turn some Lightbulbs on upstairs for the reasons behind this "policy".

Also, being pushy or rude or insistent is NOT being a good or helpful sales employee at all.

Nuff said..

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

http://www.arbreptiles.com/extremists2.shtml

There is another link which is an actual petsmart site with a list of organizations they contribute to and HSUS is there. It's in my postings somewhere but I can't find it right now.

Regular contributions and a $15,000.00 grant??

I know the economy is bad and you need to work wherever you can get hired but working for petsmart is working for the people who are trying to take your reptiles away from you. Not to mention all pets and animal agriculture.

Remember all the evidence the reptile community dug up on HSUS financially supporting the snake ban bills? Where did that money come from?

I don't care where anyone works and I fully understand defending the right of the employees to politely explain the policy, but I do not believe such a corporate policy should ever be supported or enforced. Especially when the poor naive employees and most likely the store owners/managers, have no real idea of the demons and motives behind it.

I'm going to stop now before I get in trouble. It just angers me that we all worked so hard and are still working to save our pets but there are still too many people out there with blinders on.

Kudos to the OP for saying what you did in that store!

[packer43064]

http://www.arbreptiles.com/extremists2.shtml

There is another link which is an actual petsmart site with a list of organizations they contribute to and HSUS is there. It's in my postings somewhere but I can't find it right now.

Regular contributions and a $15,000.00 grant??

I know the economy is bad and you need to work wherever you can get hired but working for petsmart is working for the people who are trying to take your reptiles away from you. Not to mention all pets and animal agriculture.

Remember all the evidence the reptile community dug up on HSUS financially supporting the snake ban bills? Where did that money come from?

I don't care where anyone works and I fully understand defending the right of the employees to politely explain the policy, but I do not believe such a corporate policy should ever be supported or enforced. Especially when the poor naive employees and most likely the store owners/managers, have no real idea of the demons and motives behind it.

I'm going to stop now before I get in trouble. It just angers me that we all worked so hard and are still working to save our pets but there are still too many people out there with blinders on.

Kudos to the OP for saying what you did in that store!

I've been with Petsmart for over 3.5 years now.I started at the store level and made my way to the distribution center. My GF has been there for over 4 years and is a Senior in the Petshotel. Your saying because we work here were supporters of the act of trying to ban reptiles. Are you serious. Maybe you live in a world like that, but I'm just trying to make a living. It's a job, I put in my hours they pay us. I don't support everything they do. That's like saying if you work for the Government then everything the government does you agree on. Not right at all.

What do you suppose we do, quit? Bad times or not, I don't agree with everything this company does nor will I quit for something as foolish as that. Petsmart uses frozen because of ease, you unfreeze it and feed it. Simple as that. Plus why recommend live feeders, but then not sell it. You can think the way you want and we all can think the way we want.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Just like the people who work under crooked politicians may not agree with the way their bosses may be directly and knowingly helping to put an end to your constitutional rights..

They have a family to feed and bills to pay. In this country of free choice, we have none.

I don't condemn you for working there because I know you probably don't have much choice right now but knowledge and information are always good things to have.

Honestly, knowing what I do, if I had no choice but to work at petsmart I would but I would not be happy to. I would also feel a little guilt and betrayal of the things and people I love most but I would do it.

That said. I'd have a choice because I'd rather work at mcdonalds and get paid more and most likely be promoted to manager in much less time. I detest working at fast food places as well but they don't support killing my hobby and passions.

Your working there does not directly support the HSUS cause but petsmart does. Thus creating the partnership between employer and employee.

[anatess]

Just like the people who work under crooked politicians may not agree with the way their bosses may be directly and knowingly helping to put an end to your constitutional rights..

They have a family to feed and bills to pay. In this country of free choice, we have none.

I don't condemn you for working there because I know you probably don't have much choice right now but knowledge and information are always good things to have.

Honestly, knowing what I do, if I had no choice but to work at petsmart I would but I would not be happy to. I would also feel a little guilt and betrayal of the things and people I love most but I would do it.

That said. I'd have a choice because I'd rather work at mcdonalds and get paid more and most likely be promoted to manager in much less time. I detest working at fast food places as well but they don't support killing my hobby and passions.

Your working there does not directly support the HSUS cause but petsmart does. Thus creating the partnership between employer and employee.

For somebody who paints career choices in such black and white colors, I'm surprised you would want to work at McDonalds... you're saying it's a moral imperative to refuse to work at PetSmart because of their support for HSUS that is detrimental to your pets yet you are okay working for McDonalds whose food choices are detrimental to your children's health...

Okay. Whatever, man.

[anatess]

thats great and all, but trust me it CAN happen fast enough that even with you standing there with your tongs, you might not be able to be fast enough. and if you dont want stunned ones and they eat f/t why not just freeze it if the snake wont eat it? or offer it to another snake?

sorry for getting it off track but i just dont see the logic in switching snakes from f/t or pk to live

for the record, i kill mine instantly, offer them to a snake, and if that snake doesnt take it they get offered to another and so on and so on. if by some crazy event none of them would eat it, it would go in the freezer.

Okay, you believe we shouldn't feed live because of the rare but distinct possibility of injury, yet you are okay with feeding frozen/thawed?

For your information, there is a rare but distinct possibility of your snake dying after eating a frozen rodent that was not properly thawed.

In both cases, you mitigate the possibility of injury by PROPER FEEDING PRACTICE.

If you're going to sit on your high horse, at least be consistent about it.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Ok anatess, that is a silly comparison argument and most of the paragraph directed toward me made little sense.
You totally jumped track..

If I worked at mcdonalds I would not be endangering my 6 year old sons life and hobbies and pets.. Oh wait "man" you have young sons too.. Go figure..

So "whatever man" but this 33 year old MOM feeds her son healthy food and mcdonalds is a rare treat. This "man" of a mom also makes sure her son is being raised with many pets and a very moral and old-world upbringing on learning right from wrong etc.. Just like I was by a very uptight and proper old fashioned mom and dad.

Yes I'd work at a fast food place before I'd work at a petstore with such policy and crooked backstage practices.

Black and white? If that's what you want to call it, but I believe in supporting certain causes and condemning others depending on how it will affect my life and the life of my family. Just like everyone else. I just try to choose my battles a little more intelligently.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

Sorry Robin and other mods.. Im done on this one now. You guys know by now that I stand behind my beliefs and hate when people misinterpret or assume. I'm no innocent myself but this will end up in quarantine if I don't shut up lol!

Sincerely.. Monica the "man" the "myth" the "hijacker".