Reptiles in pet shops?

[Traceur]

When I went in petco to get a new bulb, I saw a ball python that was severely neglected. Poor thing had 20% humidity, was currently in a bad shed, underweight, had a mite infestation, and likely had RI. I noticed he had trouble breathing, and I felt so heartbroken for him. Honestly, why do pet stores exist? They should only sell pet SUPPLIES, and leave animal adoptions to the actual shelters and humane societies. Sure, they take decent care of their cats and dogs, but they do such a horrible job on caring for aquatic and reptile animals.
I did contact animal control on the situation, and asked them if there was anywhere else I can report that neglect. Hopefully they follow up with it, but just thought I'd share that horrid event.

[Sunnieskys]

I work for Petco and keep in mind not every big box store has neglected animals. I take very good...no great care of my animals. Also our enclosures do not ho,d humidity at all, I hate them. We literally have to spray every 30 min to keep the humidity. No, I'm not kidding. Do I have snakes with bad sheds...yes, but I immediately soak them to get it all off. Not all of us are bad.

Also...animal shelters and reptiles. They have even worse set ups and we just took a big turtle that they were going to euthanize so ya, that's cool....not. So this big box store just saved an animal.

Big rig box stores exist because for most peop,e we are the first time people see these animals. I am the first line of defense so to speak. I point them In the correct direction on supplies to get and what not to get.

Are we we all like me...nope. But some breeders are bad too. Keep that in mind.

and yes I get defensive when I have to keep saying the same dang thing over and over again lol. That store may be one of the bad ones, granted, but dont lump us all together.

[Bogertophis]

Ugh...I'd have talked to the Petco manager, & also found out who is above them to complain about this to. Holding them responsible is the most important
thing. Not sure what if anything "Animal control" will do about it...what did they say? The problem is that they may not know enough about reptile care to
know what constitutes inadequate care & conditions...they deal mostly with dogs & cats, or horses/livestock in rural areas. I would call them back as a follow
up to see what they have to say & maybe educate them.

[Traceur]

I work for Petco and keep in mind not every big box store has neglected animals. I take very good...no great care of my animals. Also our enclosures do not ho,d humidity at all, I hate them. We literally have to spray every 30 min to keep the humidity. No, I'm not kidding. Do I have snakes with bad sheds...yes, but I immediately soak them to get it all off. Not all of us are bad.

Also...animal shelters and reptiles. They have even worse set ups and we just took a big turtle that they were going to euthanize so ya, that's cool....not. So this big box store just saved an animal.

Big rig box stores exist because for most peop,e we are the first time people see these animals. I am the first line of defense so to speak. I point them In the correct direction on supplies to get and what not to get.

Are we we all like me...nope. But some breeders are bad too. Keep that in mind.

and yes I get defensive when I have to keep saying the same dang thing over and over again lol. That store may be one of the bad ones, granted, but dont lump us all together.

Nah, I ain't lumping you guys all together. Almost all petcos and petsmarts in my state do a really crappy job at caring for their reptiles. Keep in mind, I'm also aware about breeders: personally why I stand against them and I work for a humane society that spays and neuters all of their animals. Only reason why I spoke out was because its not the first time I've seen or heard of petcos and other pet stores mistreating their reptiles.
If I'm being honest, you're probably the first one I've heard who actually takes good care of your animals in a pet store such at petco; hence why I didn't say ALL petcos mistreat, just left it open ended. 'Cause even animal shelters and human societies have their fare shares of flaws. Seems like no place is perfect.

I apologize if I sounded like I was directing towards all pet shops.

[Traceur]

Ugh...I'd have talked to the Petco manager, & also found out who is above them to complain about this to. Holding them responsible is the most important
thing. Not sure what if anything "Animal control" will do about it...what did they say? The problem is that they may not know enough about reptile care to
know what constitutes inadequate care & conditions...they deal mostly with dogs & cats, or horses/livestock in rural areas. I would call them back as a follow
up to see what they have to say & maybe educate them.

Mate, I did inform them why his terrarium is unstable. I explained everything. I even mentioned the fact that if they only worked with certain breeds or species, to let me know who else I can contact. I barely emailed them over an hour ago, so they haven't gotten back to me yet. And if they link me to other contacts, I'll go from there.

Its likely they will follow up on anything else I can do; I basically live in a #1 pet state. So they usually get back to us on animals pretty quickly.

[Sunnieskys]

You have to call their DM and corporate.

I just reaaranged my ball python habitat because protocol be damned. I turned their hide so people couldn't see into it and added more plants. As soon as my stupid aspen is gone they are going on Eco earth to keep some humidity. I said to hell with it Saturday. My snakes, my way! Lol

[Traceur]

You have to call their DM and corporate.

I just reaaranged my ball python habitat because protocol be damned. I turned their hide so people couldn't see into it and added more plants. As soon as my stupid aspen is gone they are going on Eco earth to keep some humidity. I said to hell with it Saturday. My snakes, my way! Lol

Yeah, I'll see if there's anybody else I can also reach. Thanks for the heads up.

Also, thank you for caring for your reptiles by the way. I know some petcos make you guys look horrible, but it's nice knowing there are employees who actually CARE.
So props to you for doing a good job

[Bogertophis]

Chain store or independent, so many pet stores fall short. We just have to keep nagging them, sadly.

[Traceur]

Chain store or independent, so many pet stores fall short. We just have to keep nagging them, sadly.

I swear, sometimes their as bad as our justice system at times. You'd really think laws would focus more on these subjects, but of course, the community can only do so much. At least there are people willing to TRY helping an animal. Its better to try and report it than just letting it go unnoticed when help could've actually came.

[Traceur]

Update: Animal control got in touch with me and told me how they inspected him. While the humidity was corrected and they observed no mites, he was thin and had a bad shed. They said that the manager advised that they'll have their vet look at him, and that they also reached out to PACFA about my concerns.

Really glad that they inspected him and knew what to look for. Hopefully, the snake does much better