» Site Navigation
1 members and 840 guests
Most users ever online was 47,180, 07-16-2025 at 05:30 PM.
» Today's Birthdays
» Stats
Members: 75,905
Threads: 249,107
Posts: 2,572,121
Top Poster: JLC (31,651)
|
-
BPnet Veteran
Re: Do pet stores help or hurt the snake hobby?
 Originally Posted by Ridinandreptiles
I personally do t think that any person walking into a pet store is ready to care for a sav, I mean they have them in a barely okay setup.
Yeah, but how many people start out by walking into petco NOT expecting to buy a snake, but do anyways cause they happen to have a spare fish tank it can "live" in. I realize a sav would take a lot more of a setup and have more specific needs but my point still stands.
Corns:
0.0.1 Normal; 0.1.0 Amel Motley
1.0.0 Butter Motley; 0.1.0 Charcoal
-
-
I'm not saying that it is bad to sell larger animals but the average joe that walks into a petstore buys the cute little lizard that has pretty insane requirements is crazy. One thing to spontaneously buy a Leo or bp. But a sav is another lever. No matter what people say I will stick to large petstores don't need to sell monitors, iguanas, burms, etc. Only responsible breeders and well prepared future owners and good owners should. My .02 take it or leave it. Anyways this is off topic so continue on...
Ryan Hatmaker - Hatmaker Reptiles-
Colubrids and Sand Boas
"Once you get your first snake, you've sold your soul to reptiles. You can try to leave or run away... but they will find you."
-
The Following User Says Thank You to Ridinandreptiles For This Useful Post:
-
I'd love to see a pet store with a full grown savannah monitor on display. There is a pretty good specialty store in a city about 1 1/2 hours south of me that I used to go to once in a while for live feeders. They had some pretty awesome dart frog displays, and generally had solid care information available for customers. I wish they had more snake stuff, but that's just my preference 
While I don't like how Petco and Petsmart care for their reptiles (generally, great to know there are good ones!) I would rather try and change company policy or help educate the staff than write off pet stores as a bad thing. There are some pretty twisted individuals who keep animals in MUCH less than desirable (or habitable) conditions, but for every ridiculous craigslist post and crap pet store I hear about I know 3 awesome keepers who have healthy loved pets at home (and work, sometimes ). Many of them purchase their first snake or lizard at one of the main chain stores, and I keep canned replies in my email now with breeder and resource recommendations
Last edited by Valentine Pirate; 01-02-2013 at 01:00 AM.
Erica Evans
Scourge of the San Juan Islands
High Tide Exotics
When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water.
"A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read"
-
-
BPnet Veteran
It really does all depend on the employees. My local shop (Birds and Beasts, love them) focuses mostly on tropical fish and birds. They raise their own birds from hatchlings, I've never seen such big healthy looking parakeets anywhere else. All their birds get social time. They have a great saltwater section, and they keep some herps and tarantulas too. They occasionally have chameleons, in proper caging - albeit a little plain but that's understandable for ease of care/cleaning and so customers can actually see them. They take in a lot of surrendered animals too, pretty much any mammal in that store was a surrender that is up for adoption.
I do wish that a basic level of knowledge was required to be hired at a pet shop, but then I also like people having the opportunity to learn on the job. I got a job at a specialty fish store after hovering around for months and getting a guppy tank (they were joking about charging me rent, I was there so often). I learned so much about different fish while I was working there, but when I started out all I knew was basic tank set up and care for only a couple of types of freshwater fish. I just wish that more stores would try and hire the sort of person who WANTS to learn about the animals they'll be working with, instead of somebody who'll just show up and do what they have to.
1.2 Normal BPs (Sekhmet, Tefnut, Vincent*)
0.1 Coral Albino RTB (Eisheth)
1.0 RTB (Cassanova*)
0.3 Nicaraguan RTB (Type 2 Black Eye Anery w/Genetic Stripe. Eevee*, Daeva, A*)
0.1 Corn (probably corn/rat mix. Trouble)
1.0 Splendida King snake (Freebi)
1.0 Leopard Gecko (Little Dude*)
0.2 Halloween Crested Gecko: (Thing1*, Thing2*)
1.1 Columbian BCC (Oolong, Pippin. Currently fostering with a friend)
*Long-term pet sitting, not actually mine
-
The Following User Says Thank You to LotusCorvus For This Useful Post:
-
The pet store I go to for feeders keeps their animals in display tanks but the employees are always cleaning, watering, and/or refilling food bowls every time I go in lol. They're always friendly and interested in the reptiles I own, and it's just a good time to get rodents. I can't ask for more. Perhaps if they brought me a drink once in a while .
Compared to the pet store I used to go to.... Rude lady is always on the phone, cussing out loud, rolls her eyes when I ask for rodents.. I go in and feel bad for bothering them, opposed to going in and feeling welcomed like a friend.. The animals seemed clean, but I don't care for that kind of attitude .
 Originally Posted by reixox
BPs are like pokemon. you tell yourself you're not going to get sucked in. but some how you just gotta catch'em all.
-
-
I would say to expect every store on the planet to have every snake/reptile/animal in an absolutely perfect environment is doable but expensive. Keeping a proper number for sale and healthy keeping is a tuff balance and a line often crossed for profit. Knowledgeable empoyees are a huge benefit and a good owner would employ only those but not all owners are good. I wont bad mouth a pet shop if i see one animal with a bad shed or one has a dirty water bowl. Mention it to the employees and see how they handle it. Make your decision by educateing yourself on the establishment. Walking in the door and seeing a few snakes in each cage and saying your a deplorable pet shop isnt always a good practice. Though i dont agree with how most pet shops keep their animals i will say if they are Healthy, in clean conditions and the employee's seem responsible and somewhat informed. I will go the next step at asking more questions and go from there. One local pet shop is a bit crowded IMO on animals but the owners take in a lot of rescues and lead the herp society out here, and never once have i been in there where 3 or more employees arent cleaning out cages. They are very knowledgeable and though their shop isnt picture perfect i havent had any issues with the feeders i get there regularly. A couple of their employees are new and learning as they go but their main employees are all breeders themselves of the various species sold and are more then willing to help. If i had walked in and walked right back out i would never have learned any of that and would never have entered into snake ownership myself. This is my 2 cents worth.
-
-
Re: Do pet stores help or hurt the snake hobby?
 Originally Posted by wilomn
Mighty big hat you got on there bucko, you always worn em that size?
You know wilomn, insulting a kid over a forum is what quite frankly makes me use Facebook more than forums. It is one thing for you to disagree with me and state your opinion. After all, that is what these things are for. But name calling and childish insults would be expected from a new member not an established respected one like yourself. Honestly, this is why our hobby is in such a mess; we can band together and fight for our rights. So what are we doing bickering like children? So I'll leave it at this; please state your opposing opinion in a respectful, adult way. Dont insult kids over the Internet and we can have a healthy discussion and eventually come to a mutual agreement. That is all
Ryan Hatmaker - Hatmaker Reptiles-
Colubrids and Sand Boas
"Once you get your first snake, you've sold your soul to reptiles. You can try to leave or run away... but they will find you."
-
-
Re: Do pet stores help or hurt the snake hobby?
 Originally Posted by Ridinandreptiles
You know wilomn, insulting a kid over a forum is what quite frankly makes me use Facebook more than forums. It is one thing for you to disagree with me and state your opinion. After all, that is what these things are for. But name calling and childish insults would be expected from a new member not an established respected one like yourself. Honestly, this is why our hobby is in such a mess; we can band together and fight for our rights. So what are we doing bickering like children? So I'll leave it at this; please state your opposing opinion in a respectful, adult way. Dont insult kids over the Internet and we can have a healthy discussion and eventually come to a mutual agreement. That is all
Hey kid, go stuff yourself. YOU have opinions with which I disagree. I am not, nor is anyone, obligated to be nice to you when you say stupid things. How about YOU edit yourself so I don't have to? Want to shove your inexperienced opinions down the throats of others? Be prepared for some to say no thanks. I'm not bickering, I'm mocking and being sarcastic.
I may not be very smart, but what if I am?
Stinky says, "Women should be obscene but not heard." Stinky is one smart man.
www.humanewatch.org
-
-
Re: Do pet stores help or hurt the snake hobby?
We've got quite a few horrible pet stores here, but we've also got a few really good ones. The owners personally breed balls and other herps and the employees are knowledgeable. One of our local Petsmarts the reptile department manager is definitely very knowledgeable and I see him at some of the shows. I think it just depends on how the store is run and the knowledge of the owner and employees.
Imo in a retail situation where the product is a living thing, you can't put profit first over all else, the animal's well beings should be above all else.
Balls:
*0.1 Mojave *0.1 Pinstripe *0.1 Bumblebee *1.0 Super pastel butter *1.0 Mojave orange ghost *0.3 100% het orange ghosts *0.1 Pastel 50% het orange ghost *1.1 PE Lemonback fires *1.0 Fire *0.1 Pastel *1.0 Albino *0.1 Spider 100% het albino
Other critters:
*1.0 Anery motley corn *G. rosea tarantula *G. pulchripes *P. metallica *0.0.2 A. versicolor *C. cyaneopubescens *A. geniculata *B. smithi *B. boehmei *Nhandu chromatus *H. maculata *C. marshalli *1.0 Australian shepherd mix
-
-
I have nothing to add here. I just wanted to ask what the OP has been doing since his one-hit wonder song "Rico Suave" back in the 90's.
-
Posting Permissions
- You may not post new threads
- You may not post replies
- You may not post attachments
- You may not edit your posts
-
Forum Rules
|