Pet Store Feeders and Pet policy...yet another spinoff

[MontyAndMelissa]

If you do use a live chick, NEVER tell the feed store what you are planning to do with it. It's ALWAYS going to be a pet. I made the mistake once of calling a feed store to inquire if they had any small chicks and when they asked if I was going to be keeping them indoors or outdoors, I responded with "Oh they are gonna be food for my boa." That ended with her response of "We don't sell chicks as food for other animals, please try somewhere else." in a very stern and angered tone.

I had the same issue with petsmart and mice. I was kind of pissed. I called the manager and told them that I could use the mouse I bought for whatever (the hell) I wanted, and it was none of their (damn) business. He felt bad that I was treated so rudely and gave me three for free.

[Eric Alan]

I had the same issue with petsmart and mice. I was kind of pissed. I called the manager and told them that I could use the mouse I bought for whatever (the hell) I wanted, and it was none of their (damn) business. He felt bad that I was treated so rudely and gave me three for free.

Being treated rudely is one thing, and not having been there I'm not going to comment on the customer service of that situation. However, PetSmart does have a policy that any associate can refuse the sale of any animal to any person if they do not feel comfortable with the home the animal is going to. They also have a policy not to sell their pet animals as feeders. It's useless to get pissed over this because they're well within their rights to do so (and personally, I completely agree with it).

[MontyAndMelissa]

Being treated rudely is one thing, and not having been there I'm not going to comment on the customer service of that situation. However, PetSmart does have a policy that any associate can refuse the sale of any animal to any person if they do not feel comfortable with the home the animal is going to. They also have a policy not to sell their pet animals as feeders. It's useless to get pissed over this because they're well within their rights to do so (and personally, I completely agree with it).

I didn't tell them it was for my snake, I just asked how much they were, and the woman was incredibly rude and saying "you better not use it as food or something." the assumption was what pissed me off, not so much the food policy. And the fact that she hung up on me after giving me a price. That's not very good customer service if you ask me.

[Albert Clark]

I had the same issue with petsmart and mice. I was kind of pissed. I called the manager and told them that I could use the mouse I bought for whatever (the hell) I wanted, and it was none of their (damn) business. He felt bad that I was treated so rudely and gave me three for free.

I had the same problem at Petco! The salesman told me that he couldn't sell me the colored mice for reptile food but if I wanted white mice that would be ok. I said you have to be kidding me! When I asked for the manager the salesman changed his tune and was willing to sell me the colored mice. He explained it as Petco has to give you a different part of the receipt if you are purchasing as a pet rather than food for a snake. Sounded plausible, but a little discriminatory to me. Especially since their mice both colored and white are way overpriced. I think they just cater more to the people that want to keep mice as pets. Lol.

[MontyAndMelissa]

I had the same problem at Petco! The salesman told me that he couldn't sell me the colored mice for reptile food but if I wanted white mice that would be ok. I said you have to be kidding me! When I asked for the manager the salesman changed his tune and was willing to sell me the colored mice. He explained it as Petco has to give you a different part of the receipt if you are purchasing as a pet rather than food for a snake. Sounded plausible, but a little discriminatory to me. Especially since their mice both colored and white are way overpriced. I think they just cater more to the people that want to keep mice as pets. Lol.

I generally buy white when they're live anyways. Most people prefer colored mice for pets, so I'm just being nice. Lol. I switched over to f/t.

[Albert Clark]

I generally buy white when they're live anyways. Most people prefer colored mice for pets, so I'm just being nice. Lol. I switched over to f/t.

Some bp's don't imprint on white mice because the color is unnatural. Colored mice and rats are more of a familiar visual attraction for bp's. It's documented in the literature very clearly. Personally, I just wanted the colored mice because they were larger and fatter at the same high price as the white mice. Peace.

[MontyAndMelissa]

Some bp's don't imprint on white mice because the color is unnatural. Colored mice and rats are more of a familiar visual attraction for bp's. It's documented in the literature very clearly. Personally, I just wanted the colored mice because they were larger and fatter at the same high price as the white mice. Peace.

I suppose that's true. I've never had issues with Monty eating any mouse or rat. She's always been a good eater.

[Daigga]

I had the same problem at Petco! The salesman told me that he couldn't sell me the colored mice for reptile food but if I wanted white mice that would be ok. I said you have to be kidding me! When I asked for the manager the salesman changed his tune and was willing to sell me the colored mice. He explained it as Petco has to give you a different part of the receipt if you are purchasing as a pet rather than food for a snake. Sounded plausible, but a little discriminatory to me. Especially since their mice both colored and white are way overpriced. I think they just cater more to the people that want to keep mice as pets. Lol.

I don't know how many people actually keep mice as pets. Besides being really small, flighty, and smelling AWFUL; there are many other small mammals that make better pet animals like hamsters or gerbils. Rats I can see being better pets, if for no other reason than they're sturdier and easier to find should they get out, but there are still a good many alternatives. Rats and mice are cheaper of course, but I think it can safely be said that the reasons behind that are the abundance of them in the trade (mostly due to the need for feeders) and the relatively low pet demand for them.

If not for the fact that our pets eat each other, I would think rat and mice keepers would get along well with each other if only because both groups are very familiar with the "cringe" when you tell people what kinds of pets you have.

[Eric Alan]

I don't know how many people actually keep mice as pets. Besides being really small, flighty, and smelling AWFUL; there are many other small mammals that make better pet animals like hamsters or gerbils.

If not for the fact that our pets eat each other, I would think rat and mice keepers would get along well with each other if only because both groups are very familiar with the "cringe" when you tell people what kinds of pets you have.

I think you just answered your own question. Especially being involved with this hobby, I'm not about to judge another group of people for their choice of pet.

[Running Elk]

I don't know how many people actually keep mice as pets. Besides being really small, flighty, and smelling AWFUL; there are many other small mammals that make better pet animals like hamsters or gerbils. Rats I can see being better pets, if for no other reason than they're sturdier and easier to find should they get out, but there are still a good many alternatives. Rats and mice are cheaper of course, but I think it can safely be said that the reasons behind that are the abundance of them in the trade (mostly due to the need for feeders) and the relatively low pet demand for them.

If not for the fact that our pets eat each other, I would think rat and mice keepers would get along well with each other if only because both groups are very familiar with the "cringe" when you tell people what kinds of pets you have.

I keep several species of mice as pets. Domestic (larger and longer show bodied mice, different from "fancy" pet store mice, not available in pet stores), spiny, ASF, and deer mice. In the case of domestic mice, I highly disagree; hamsters are bitey, and gerbils are too jumpy to really enjoy handling. Mice are smarter, and colonize well. They have probably the largest genetic variation of any of those rodents (think morphs), which is fascinating to work with. Their largest downfall is thier link with cancer. Rats have the same problem.

Rats are great rodent pets, besides the health concerns. Very smart.

Also, snake people would never get along with rat and mouse keepers. Rat and mouse keepers rarely get along with rat and mouse keepers. I know a lot of amazing rat and mouse people, but it's a largely unfriendly community in my experience, with intense politics (LOLitics), castes, cliques, shunning, and bullying. A lot of "don't give any mice to so-and-so because I don't like her, and if you give your mice to her you're banned from the shows and off of the forums and you'll be shunned". Current drama with the mouse people in the east coast involves on of the "top" people making a fake FB profile in order to spy and see who is talking to who, as some people aren't "supposed to talk to other people." Never seen things like this in the reptile community.

A lot of rat and mouse people secretly or openly have reptiles, and feed all of thier culls to them. That's where all of my culls go.