Is it just me?

[Jay_Bunny]

I used to work in a Petsmart and I tried my best to keep the reptiles (especially the snakes) healthy. Unfortunately, Petsmart has a few policies in place that make it hard for them to be cared for. They use the dial type temp gauges and those are very unreliable. We did our best with what we had though. There were several times where I broke company policy to save a snake. Sometimes (not always, but sometimes) the employees are very knowledgeable but the company policies won't let them care for the animals properly.

[Eric Alan]

Sometimes (not always, but sometimes) the employees are very knowledgeable but the company policies won't let them care for the animals properly.

Is it safe to assume you mean "...the company policies are in place to provide the animals with adequate short-term homes, but not long-term quality living situations."?

Personally, that is how I view all pet stores. I do not expect them to provide the same husbandry I would provide once the animal came home with me (or went home with anyone, hopefully). They are simply not meant to live in a store for a long period of time. The care provided for them when there are knowledgeable employees, or at least caring employees, is typically suited for this purpose - being the "middle man" between the breeder and the customer. I do expect basic husbandry practices to be in place, and agree that some do better than others, but I do not expect to see much more than this (and certainly can not fault a retail business for this decision).

Just my ...

Best regards,
Eric