Do all PetSmart's suck?

[chapskis1]

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

[Spaniard]

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.

[cinderbird]

i agree 100% with the above poster.

[stratus_020202]

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.

[truthsdeceit]

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'
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.

[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

[truthsdeceit]

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.

[truthsdeceit]

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.

[mechnut450]

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.

[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.