Pet Store Hater

[DutchHerp]

Hey guys,

I'm gonna rant a little bit.

I go to a place called Char's Reptile Store (Houstonians, don't EVER go there) to maybe pick up some cypress mulch (I obviously decided not to).

First thing I spot is a few Ball Pythons in cages with half logs... lovely, they're all in the middle of the enclosure, not hiding.

Next I come across a beautiful JCP. The animal is super skinny and has some stuck shed. The worst part is, the back end of the snake is swollen and red, and still has shed on it. It looks like a bad infection along with scale rot.

I walk by a Leucistic Texas Rat snake which is chilling in his water bowl. Oh, you guessed it, there's a nice little tick on him. I mention it to the store owner, who says "That's not a tick. We don't have mites or ticks in our place. It's even offensive that you ask."

I assure them that it is a tick, but no, it's just a bug in the substrate (liar liar pants on fire).

Next she starts telling me that aspen is bad for snakes, and then goes on to tell me that racks are horrible.

For those of you that have racks, you guys are "puppy-mill breeders", according the the store owner and the "herp community."

I mention all of you that successfully keep your snakes in racks, along with Brian Barczyk, BHB.

But no, she's right, I'm wrong. Racks are bad.

She's right because her snakes have horrible enclosures (including burned flexwatt), ticks, nasty infections, poop, and stuck sheds. Brian Barczyk is wrong because he has breeding, feeding, and shedding snakes in CLEAN enclosures.

I hate pet stores.

Join me?

[DutchHerp]

bump.


Would contacting the SPCA have any effect? That JCP seemed to be a in a pretty bad state.

[dsirkle]

Animal Planet has a Houston edition of "Animal Cops". There is someone there that checks on these things in the Houston area but I don't know the name of the agency.

[stormwulf133]

I deal with a place here in Mo. called Brothers Pets. They are basically the same way. I have contacted every agency I could and everyone blows it off and says "not our jurisdiction" I am really sick of it and nothing I can do. But hey if you want mite infested burms at 40 bucks with a 10 gallon tank, they are a great place to go. Or if you want a dead tarantula laying in its water bowl dead and covered in maggots, they are awesome. Hey and according to them you can house a corn, a ball, and a boa all in the same cage...because they are.

[frankykeno]

I know how you feel. We have a pet store here in town (I even hate giving them the credit to be called a "pet" store) that has a sign outside. Occasionally when it says "ball pythons $25" I soooooo want to run over and stick another sign beside his.....

"get em quick before they die!"

[DutchHerp]

Is it legal to put up a sign next to the store saying something of the lines of

"Don't buy from these guys!" ?

[DutchHerp]

Alright I contacted the SPCA... they should check up on them within 48 hrs. I'll keep you guys updated.

[anatess]

How did it go, Matt? Any news?

[frankykeno]

Is it legal to put up a sign next to the store saying something of the lines of

"Don't buy from these guys!" ?

Probably. It would either be on their property or property owned by the city so likely you couldn't do it.

Alright I contacted the SPCA... they should check up on them within 48 hrs. I'll keep you guys updated.

Follow-up and make sure they did go. Please let us know how it all turned out.

[DutchHerp]

Well... I got a call from the Pasadena police department, but they claimed they never contacted me. I'll contact the SPCA later and ask 'em how it went.

I'll keep you guys updated.