Got a job at Petsmart. Really worried about one of their BP's

[cmack91]

Reptiles and dogs. 2 things that shouldnt be allowed to be sold at pet stores

and in the case of petco/petsmart, cats, birds, fish, rodents etc.

[AK907]

and in the case of petco/petsmart, cats, birds, fish, rodents etc.

I will give the PetSmart I worked at and our local PetCo. They have an "adoption center" where they donate space to cats taken in by the SPCA. I respect that. But that puppy mill crap, no thanks!

[Riv]

Mine has an adoption center for cats as well. By puppy mill do you mean the pet hotel? Petsmart as a company doesnt sell dogs or cats. Thye do the adoptions for cats, but any dog they keep there is dropped off by someone so they get attention and get to socialize with other dogs while the owner is at work or otherwise unable to give them the attention they deserve. Its not a bad program at all.

[ogdentrece]

And through all this, they blame all of us, the pet owners and breeders for the inhumane care and cruelty to animals, as well as the release of non native or dangerous species into the wild. Cruelty includes keeping them in a tub because it is boring and unentertaining, let alone small and confined, causing much stress. Dangerous can include anything that kills because it can kill a mouse, thus has the ability to kill a cat and a dog and thus a baby; it includes anything from a ball python which is the same as a boa constrictor and maybe an anaconda too. And so they consider banning pets altogether.

If anything should be banned, it should be such pet shops. Pets, especially special exotic pets, delicate in nature, with specific requirements, should only be sold by private breeders who actually care about the welfare of their animals and wouldnt sell to someone who has no idea. I've heard petshop staff asking why 'cold blooded snakes need heat, they are after all, COLD blooded'. Theres something majorly wrong with this world.

[AK907]

Mine has an adoption center for cats as well. By puppy mill do you mean the pet hotel? Petsmart as a company doesnt sell dogs or cats. Thye do the adoptions for cats, but any dog they keep there is dropped off by someone so they get attention and get to socialize with other dogs while the owner is at work or otherwise unable to give them the attention they deserve. Its not a bad program at all.

Nah, not PetsHotel. That is just doggie daycare. Great idea for people with money who really love their pets. I'd do it too if we had dogs/cats and had the money. I also fully support non-profit adoption centers like what they provide. It takes a little strain of your local SPCA and gives them a second chance at life.

I am referring to this bologna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_mill

We have all been to one of those shady pet stores that keeps dogs/cats in cages in substandard conditions. The ones that treat animals as a commodity. The only thing that matters is turning out a profit. I am NOT ok with that!

[Riv]

Jesus. Thats pretty bad. I think they just need to make a descision. Include hopw to properly care for said animals in the training, or remove them as an option. They arent going to sell unhealthy animals anyway, so its not even like theyre making a quick buck. They're just inadvertently killing snakes. Which is also costing them money. Its absolutely absurd.

[cmack91]

I've heard petshop staff asking why 'cold blooded snakes need heat, they are after all, COLD blooded'. Theres something majorly wrong with this world.

i agree, sometimes i feel like the government should just give everyone a test to see what job they get based on what they know and are interested in. but then i think of North Korea, and i feel like doing that could end very bad for us

[Riv]

Nah, not PetsHotel. That is just doggie daycare. Great idea for people with money who really love their pets. I'd do it too if we had dogs/cats and had the money. I also fully support non-profit adoption centers like what they provide. It takes a little strain of your local SPCA and gives them a second chance at life.

I am referring to this bologna: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppy_mill

We have all been to one of those shady pet stores that keeps dogs/cats in cages in substandard conditions. The ones that treat animals as a commodity. The only thing that matters is turning out a profit. I am NOT ok with that!

Im behind you on that one 100% Thats awful.

[Mike.P]

I was the GM of a Petco for about a year while finishing up my degree... To this day I hate that company. Within a month of taking over that store, I fired all but three employees for animal care issues (as well as general worthlessness.) Especially with reptiles, the husbandry was terrible. We weren't allowed to feed live until the snakes hadn't eaten for two months. So I forged quite a few feeding charts in my time. With sick animals, while they did let us take them in to vets, they didn't want to spend money on treatment. Most of the time, the decision was to euthanize the animal. The one saving grace, is that the vet that was actually on retainer, and came around to the stores for normal stuff was a herp specialist, and a totally awesome guy. I'm friends with him to this day. If you're in the Denver area and need a snake vet, he's fantastic. Drop me a line and I'll give you his name. He would always authorize any treatment I requested, as well as give me the green light to feed live whenever I felt it necessary.

Anyway, I'm rambling... But it was seriously the worst job I've had in my life. I dearly hope that company goes under. Which with how it's ran, will be sooner rather than later.

Nice job with what you're doing. You're making a difference. Snakes can't talk, but I'm sure he's grateful to you. Hope he pulls through, and finds a good home.

[loonunit]

Now that I have hatchlings of my own, I suddenly realize that most of the teensy tiny ball pythons I've seen for sale at Petco/Petsmart ARE hatchlings. I bet some of them die never having eaten.

And most of that is Petco/Petsmart's fault... but I wonder if the breeder could give these little guys a slightly better chance by getting them properly started?