A good Petsmart experience

[cristacake]

I went to Petsmart today specifically to look at the ball pythons there. First of all, they had a gorgeous pied that I wish I had the money for. I should have taken pics but I was too excited I'm still pretty bad at identifying morphs so I wasn't sure what the other one was. The colors looked strange to me but other than my own, those two were the only other BPs I've seen in person so it's probably just my inexperience. It was around $80 so maybe it was a pastel or something?

Anyway, there were two BPs in one tank, yes, but they both looked good and healthy. Additionally, the guy who was working there that I spoke to seemed to be pretty knowledgable although I didn't grill him with questions or anything. And, best part of the visit yet as far as I'm concerned, when I asked if I could handle one of the BPs, he told me that no customer is allowed to handle them unless they're purchasing! He explained that it was for their safety and to keep them free of "diseases." I'm sure that his explanation was simplified so that he could quickly tell that to customers with little knowledge of snake stuff.

What do you guys think? Should all pet stores prohibit customers from handling their herps? I thought this was a great idea, even if I was a teeny tiny bit disappointed I couldn't get a better look at the little beeps. Man, that pied was *cute*!

I found the visit to be great. The BP tank was properly small and crowded with safe decorations and closed-off hides, the bedding for the rodents was being changed (I was there about half an hour before closing time), and the cats were in cages with wire doors so they could be petted and played with, unlike at the other location in town in which they are in cages with plastic doors facing the public so they could only headbutt and meow but couldn't be touched But at this location the animals all seemed okay, and it seems that at least the one guy I spoke to handles the animals and gives them interaction at least once in a while. He showed me some holes in his shirt from where a guinea pig had chewed through earlier.

Okay, this was probably a boring post to read but I thought it was cool to visit a Petsmart and come away with a good impression like that. The other location was definitely lacking, so I'm glad to have tried out this one.

[Mstuppiello921]

Cristacake I think it is awesome that you had this experience at a petsmart. My local petsmart is exactly the same way. The two managers have several snakes and aquariums themselves so they are really knowledgable in both areas. I thought my store was just a diamond in the ruff but Im glad to hear you had a good experience too! My petsmart also does not allow handling for the same reasons as they stated to you. Also, the managers have become good friends of mine over the years and they told me 2 weeks ago that petsmart, as a company, will be carrying pied ball pythons as a regular item!!! Very cool post thanks for sharing!

[AllThatInThemGenes]

What do you guys think? Should all pet stores prohibit customers from handling their herps?

See the issue with this...their job is to sell animals. Like with many items, when a customer has it in their hands the impulse to buy is driven wayyyyy up. I would love to see the statistic surrounding customers who handled an animal and then bought vs. those who asked questions, looked, and then did not buy. yes, snakes are sold without the customer handling them first but again, if the mission is to sell as many animals as possible and sales reps are instructed to not allow customers to touch that store will not do nearly as well as it could. The general thought is people should not purchase a reptile (or any pet for that matter) out of pure impulse because they may not be prepared to care for the animal properly. <-- that is not PetSmart’s concern but rather an afterthought of the primary goal; sell sell sell

[BCS]

I have to disagree with the whole handling thing. The reason I do not buy a ball python that has to be shipped is because I must get my hands on it first. I must look in every nook and cranny for any problem. The thing is, if petsmart let you handle their BP you may be driven to buy or you may know someone who is in the market for one. Now that you have hadnled the snake, you can make a better judgment to offer to that friend. Petsmart should know this as it could help their sales. At my local petsmart I am known as the snake lady... hahaha and they have even asked me advice to help get a snake to eat and other pieces of advice. Also, handling helps get BPs used to handling. It is important to get them used to it. I wouldn't suggest petsmart have a long line of people wanting to hold it but one or two 4 times a day wont harm the snake.

[Mstuppiello921]

BCS I found your post to be a really good perspective. I originally thought it was a great idea to not have people handle snakes because of those customers who just want to touch one with no intention of buying and could possibly harm the snake. After reading your post I think there needs to be a balance. I don't think they should allow just any customer to handle the snakes, but I do think handling should be allowed for anyone interested in actually buying a snake and not just those who want to cause they think its cool. Myself being a perfect example, I drove 4 hours before I bought my snake because I wanted to touch and hold it and make sure it was healthy. I really enjoyed your post, I love when people expand my horizons.

[cristacake]

Great perspectives, thank you guys! I personally don't feel the need to touch a snake in order to buy it. Pictures of it from different angles suffice (I've bought two that way so far), so seeing it in person is not necessary for me, but that is a good point I hadn't considered.

Perhaps at locations like these one could ask the employee to handle it for you? Like show you the belly, head, tail/vent..? They do handle the animals, I assume the employee I spoke to was referring only to letting customers handle the snakes, not that nobody at all handles them. But I would have to ask for sure, that's just the impression I got. It seems like a good sign that he handles the guinea pigs enough for them to chew his shirt, haha.

Next time I go, I'll ask him or whatever employee is there what their policy is on taking the herps out to show a serious potential buyer. Thanks for the insight!

[Timelugia]

What do you guys think? Should all pet stores prohibit customers from handling their herps? I thought this was a great idea, even if I was a teeny tiny bit disappointed I couldn't get a better look at the little beeps. .

I'm glad you had a good petsmart experience I find care at Petsmarts vary by area since they have different managers and employees.
However I disagree with only letting buying customers handle Bps. I've let customers hold bps who weren't considering buying bps and I found it created an excellent opportunity to teach people about snakes and show them that bps aren't scary. I've seen a lot of people change their minds after handling/seeing someone else handle a snake.
But that's my opinion. I also understand not letting people handle them.

[Ax01]

Cristacake I think it is awesome that you had this experience at a petsmart. My local petsmart is exactly the same way. The two managers have several snakes and aquariums themselves so they are really knowledgable in both areas. I thought my store was just a diamond in the ruff but Im glad to hear you had a good experience too! My petsmart also does not allow handling for the same reasons as they stated to you. Also, the managers have become good friends of mine over the years and they told me 2 weeks ago that petsmart, as a company, will be carrying pied ball pythons as a regular item!!! Very cool post thanks for sharing!

yeah, it really depends on the individual store and their team. one local Petsmart has a staffer who has 10 BP's herself and she does a great job with the reptiles they sell. lol another Petsmart i drop by sometime, they have staff who are afraid of the snakes. their upkeep is not so great and i see alot of stuck shed on their snakes. it's the same with Petco.

I'm glad you had a good petsmart experience I find care at Petsmarts vary by area since they have different managers and employees.
However I disagree with only letting buying customers handle Bps. I've let customers hold bps who weren't considering buying bps and I found it created an excellent opportunity to teach people about snakes and show them that bps aren't scary. I've seen a lot of people change their minds after handling/seeing someone else handle a snake.
But that's my opinion. I also understand not letting people handle them.

i go to Petco to pick up feeders for my picky BP's if my local mom and pop is out of live ones. they always have the biggest adult mice. they also have some nice decorative stuff for tanks and tubs. anyway i find it's an excellent opportunity the other way also - i could teach and give their staff some tips on BP husbandry.

[cristacake]

I'm glad you had a good petsmart experience I find care at Petsmarts vary by area since they have different managers and employees.
However I disagree with only letting buying customers handle Bps. I've let customers hold bps who weren't considering buying bps and I found it created an excellent opportunity to teach people about snakes and show them that bps aren't scary. I've seen a lot of people change their minds after handling/seeing someone else handle a snake.
But that's my opinion. I also understand not letting people handle them.

That's a very good point, I hadn't even thought of that. I can definitely see how different places would have different policies. As I'm learning from this thread, there's a whole lot to consider!

[Mstuppiello921]

Hey guys ....so I really liked this thread so I went on a little bit of an investigation. I went to a couple different pet smarts (as I am buying supplies to finish my t8) and all the ones that would not let people handle snakes or exotic mentioned that one of the reasons why they don't allow handling is because of the chance of being bitten. I had never thought of that before and wanted to share.