How to improve petstores.

[iHAZreptiles]

I think in order to improve pet stores such as petsmart or petco we should all go apply for a job there just to make those reptiles lives happier.

[kitedemon]

The wholesale price of reptiles should be much higher! A royal is what 7$ wholesale there is no incentive to properly care for them.

[tcutting]

indeed! its funny because they usually have those nice display cases they just have no idea how to use them or actually care for the animals.

[SpencerShanks]

I'm thinking about applying for a job at my local Petsmart, but I need to work on getting transportation there first haha. Not old enough to even have my license yet XD

[llovelace]

No thanks, they couldn'r pay me enough to be an employee of theirs.

[SilverDemon]

No thanks, they couldn'r pay me enough to be an employee of theirs.

^^^^ This. The only thing I buy from the local Petsmart are a specific kind of rawhide that the family dog ADORES and nowhere else carries. Everything else of his I just get from Walmart. They may be an evil chain, but at least the only animals they care are fish (not that that's much better, but I'm going with the lesser of two evils).

[purplemuffin]

I know a few people who thought this..

Sad thing is, it's all protocol. Even if you know what you are talking about, with stores like petsmart and petco, there is someone in a suit you'll never meet making all the decisions for you. Very little is allowed to be changed. You can give advice, but often times get scolded for not selling calcium sand to iguana owners or breaking other rules.

It's more doable in a local store.. Chain stores.. The protocol on how to care for the animals is made with money in mind. How much do we NEED to spend to keep the thing alive long enough to sell? Etc. etc...

[SquamishSerpents]

rawhide is really, really bad for dogs. just throwin' that out there.

also, no.

what another said; you couldn't pay me enough to work there. in order to improve pet stores, you would literally have to remove greed from the world.

[Sama]

The problem with the big pet store chains is not always or even often the employees. The problem is the corporations which dictates how the animals are to be cared for and housed based on profit. On this forum we have had people as employees who have tried to improve life for the animals in their store only to be shot down and told to shut up by their employers. My sister worked for petsmart for a while and was told repeatedly that when someone was buying a ball python to always direct them to the pre-setup reptile cages or heat lights because that is what they want to sell (and will increase sales by having people coming back for more supplies i.e. bulbs). Even when the employee knows proper husbandry for the animals and can show that the environment the pets are in is causing problems, the bottom line for the big chains is can we keep the animal breathing long enough to sell it and make a profit while spending the least.

[Sama]

I know a few people who thought this..

Sad thing is, it's all protocol. Even if you know what you are talking about, with stores like petsmart and petco, there is someone in a suit you'll never meet making all the decisions for you. Very little is allowed to be changed. You can give advice, but often times get scolded for not selling calcium sand to iguana owners or breaking other rules.

It's more doable in a local store.. Chain stores.. The protocol on how to care for the animals is made with money in mind. How much do we NEED to spend to keep the thing alive long enough to sell? Etc. etc...

That is what I get for taking so long, you beat me to it, and posted it much shorter.