A very upsetting Petland story

[Nate]

Guys i never thought i would post such a story, especially about this Petland. This petland is local to me, sells mice for a half decent price, keeps things neat and organized, and overall I am impressed with how they keep their reptiles and such in good conditions...That is until tonight when I went to pick up my mice.

A big fella walked up to me and says "hey man can I help you with something?"

"yeah I need 2 mice"

"ok hang on a sec"

I continue looking around at the reptiles...looking at a nice bright colored ball python thinking "gosh i wish I had room for that one...he looks nice"

Then i venture over to the Monitor section and I see a 2.5-3 foot monitor in his cage...AND AN IGUANA!!..

the next thing I notice is the monitor ATTACKING the iguana...foot in mouth, shaking it like it's dinner time. i was absoloutly disgusted in what I was seeing...so this one chick that worked there was near by, and I say

"um HEY! there is an iguana in here and they're fighting"

and she replies with "oh my god there's an iguana in there again!"

AGAIN?!?!?!

and i'm almost about to lose it...i just wanted to leave..quickly.

then to top it off...and this is just completely uncalled for, unprofessional, and unbelievable...the guy who just got the mice for me says...

"heh..that's the coolest thing i've ever seen"....

i could not believe the words that just came out of his mouth...after a monitor just destroyed an iguana...

I am pretty upset with what i saw, and i'm even more upset at myself for not saying or doing anything to voice my thoughts on this matter. I simply kept my mouth shut and left with what i went there for.

you guys think it's too late to take any action?

[AzureN1ght]

That's terrible! And really irrisponsible of employees. Not to mention what that guy said!

If you still want to do something, contact the store manager. If you can be more forceful with writing, write him a letter. Otherwise, call and tell the store manager what you saw and how much it upset you. If the store manager gives you lip, tell him you'll report it to corporate--then do so.

That isn't to say that what you do will change things...because likely they'll shoot you a $20 gift card or apologize and do absolutely nothing, hoping that it'll be enough to satisfy you...

Don't know what else to tell you, except that I'm sorry you had to see what you did

--Kim

[herpmajor]

No it is not too late. Please take action before this happens again. Try and get ahold of the owner and let him know everything. If he does not take action call the department of agriculture or some agency that deals with animal creulity.

[Het4Something]

the monitor went after the iguana cuz he knew he had no business messin with the python....

[bigballs]

write a letter or speak to the manager. it will still have an effect. that is ridiculous. i cant believe they allow people to handle animals with that sort of attitude and lack of knowlegde...


speak up or it will keep happening!!!

[BPGirl]

Thats just aweful!


I was at one of our local pet stores and they have never taken good care of any of their animals, but I went to the back to see if they had any BPs and I spotted two of them together in one cage with two mice pinkies and one pat pinkie. The rat pinkie too big for them and I only saw two BPs (that were also infested with mites and old patches of skin stuck to them.) Soon enough a redtail comes out from behind the rock in the cage. It had to be at least twice the size of them! I couldnt believe that they were in the same cage let alone being fed together! I was so mad that I just left then and there before I could see what happened next. I was going to write a letter to the owner, but my dad tried to offer him some advice and the owner just blew him off, so I decided it would be no use.

I cant believe some people.

[wolfy-hound]

I would have made a huge scene I'm afriad. People who think its cool to see two animals fighting and damaging each other do NOT belong in the pet industry. What a total effing moron.
I probaly would have snatched the poor iguana out myself and put him elsewhere WHILE yelling at the top of my lungs.
wolfy

[joepythons]

the monitor went after the iguana cuz he knew he had no business messin with the python....

Umm the ball python was NOT in the same area as the monitor.Nate i would inform the manager at your first availiable moment.It could be those employees playing games with the iggy life .I would also inform him what the moron stated about the monitor tearing up the iggy!

[frankykeno]

Remember Nate this is a chain store and every chain has a chain of command...use it. Contact the store and request to speak to the store manager. Calmly lay out what you saw and the two employees reactions (don't come off as a crazed PETA person, they'll just write you off as over exaggerating and nutsy). If you do not know the employees names, describe them fully and what time of day this occurred (do not let them go with the "not sure who did what" crapola...they know full well who is working when). Ask what the manager intends to do about this situation and before you hang up ask for the managers full name and who they report to directly at corporate. This will show them that you mean to follow up on this and take it up the chain of command if this sort of thing ever occurs again.

It's always best to not cause a scene in a store but rather to come at management with a businesslike, calm but very firm approach. Basically something along the lines of "Are you aware of this occurring, that is represents your store very badly, that employees are allowing stock to kill other stock and waste your profit (it's about profit), that employees are offending the pet loving public who are your customer base"...that sort of thing. Always tell them what you expect to occur (no reoccurrence, employee reprimanded, better supervision, etc.) and that you are a frequent customer and expect to never see this sort of thing again.

Thank the manager and note down his/her bosses name and contact information for future use if need be. Everyone has a boss and most people do not want the boss to hear about complaints coming up the line.

[Nate]

Turns out they have a "MySpace" page. Here's the messages exchanged between the owner and myself:

From: ~Nate~
Date: Dec 11 2006 10:00 PM


Do you own this particular petland? If so, can you...or somebody, please explain why..or how..an iguana was inside a monitors cage being thrashed around like it was food? I was not happy about seeing this iguana almost killed, or maybe it was disposed of after I left... and for your employee to say "that was the coolest thing i've ever seen" is very unprofessional.


From: petland
Date: Dec 12 2006 9:27 PM


Nate,
The reason that the Iguana ended up in the savannahs cage is a rather long one. It started with the rescue of a 9 1/2 foot Burmese python that we rescued after its owner threatened to let it go. after rescuing this snake we had to house it properly. that meant that the Iguanas had to be moved. we did not realize that the Iguanas could squeeze through the small holes in the grating above thier cage. they managed to do just that however and ended up in with the savanah. being a predator he took advantage of a meal. we also managed to free the iguana from the savanah and he is currently being rehabilatated in our back room. I would be happy to let you see him. I do not appreciate accusations that I dispose of any animals in my care.
people are entitled to have opinions. that is part of what makes this country great. people buy animals like savanah monitors because they are predators and it is a part of nature for them to feed. we would not have done this on purpose but it happened. I dont hear anyone protesting when animal planet shows a crocodile eating a zebra and i am sure plenty of people find that to be cool.


From: ~Nate~
I saw the burm. and I understand your reasoning behind moving the iguanas to a new enclosure. I don't mean to "accuse". My apologies for making it seem that way.

The only animals I own are reptiles. I love reptiles, all reptiles. One of your employees said "oh there's an iguana in there again?"...implying that this isn't the first time an iguana squeezed in there.

I understand that Savannah's are predators. I come in weekly to buy mice for my snakes...it just upset me to see what i had to see...and it wasn't that big of a deal, because, yes, your employees reacted to the situation to remove the iguana...it was the comment "that was the coolest thing i've ever seen" by one of your employees that upset me. It's not "cool" to watch an iguana struggling for its life like that in a pet store. I adore nature. Animal Planet is one of my favorite channels! I love watching animals do what they do in their environment. I guess because it was in a controlled environment, it just rubbed me the wrong way...but that's my opinion.

It's not necessary for me to see the iguana. I've been satisfied with the way you guys have run this Petland every time I've come in, except this one instance. I have confidence that you're doing the right thing for the iguana, and I apologize for making accusations.

I appreciate your response and the explanation on the situation. I'm pretty confident that you are or already have taken action to ensure that it doesn't happen again.

Thanks,
-Nate