The truth is, we could debate the merits of various pet stores until doomsday and never get anywhere. By and large, big chain pet stores care more about the bottom line than any animal. They only do adoptions instead of sales because it's a PR thing and it makes them look good. If they could get away with selling, they would.

As for local stores, don't be afraid to speak up. Do be as polite as you can, but at least make an effort to educate. Sometimes it does no good, but sometimes it does. I myself stopped the feeding of crickets to the ball pythons at my local petco, because I wasn't afraid to speak up. Put things in terms they can understand. If you notice a big lack of humidity and stuck sheds, do point it out, but also add, "You know, I bet if those snakes looked better they'd sell faster." This is something they can get behind. The faster they sell, the better profits are for the store. You have to be sneaky sometimes, but you might actually be surprised at how often that works.

Unfortunately, roughly half of the time it will get you nowhere. And that can be tough to swallow. The best you can do in that situation is to turn up the bad vibe a notch. Let a manager know you are not pleased with the condition of the animals and why. Let them know you have tried to be polite about it and get them to change, but if the situation continues to be ignored, you might be forced to involve the media. Sometimes that is enough to change the mind of a reluctant manager, since they don't want any bad publicity. Sadly, often it does no good, and there isn't much else you can do. newspapers and TV stations have little interest in the welfare of a pet that isn't cute and furry, so they are unlikely to help. Sometimes small local papers will help, but since their reading base is small, they can't always do much.

Do your best to avoid bad stores of any kind when you can. I know some of us have no choice, but it is important to do what you can. If you can find a private source for feeders, use it. Shop reptile shows and markets for supplies when you can. You may not feel like your $5 a week purchase makes much of a difference, but it does. If enough people get the word out, and enough people take their $5 purchase elsewhere, you can and do affect even a big chain store.

Gale