Rant: Impulse buying pets

[simplechamp]

<RANT>

Pet stores allowing impulse buy pets, and consumers who make the impulse buys are the worst. It makes me so mad that both sides can be so greedy (stores) and irresponsible (consumers and stores). Unfortunately we live in a society that, in general, wants instant gratification while putting forth little to no thinking or effort.

I think I'll buy this cute itty bitty Burmese. Oh, it gets how big, and eats what? Meh, I can just ditch it in the woods after the first time it tries to choke me out.

What's that you say little whining offspring? You won't stop that incessant screeching until I buy you the cute little lizard. You promise you'll take care of it you say? Well thats good enough for me! While we're at it better buy all the wrong husbandry supplies and inadequate enclosure too at the advice of the salesperson! What's that now? It's only a week later and don't remember what a lizard even is? Don't worry, I'll do just enough to keep it alive until I finally get sick of that and flush it down the toilet. Problem solved

Uugghhh makes me sick, I've seen it at every reptile show I've ever been to. This young couple is picking out a little baby tortoise and when the breeder informed them the tortoise would be alive long after they were worm food they replied "Well we don't want him that long anyway, we'll give him to the zoo or let him go or something, we only want him while he's little and cute." and the breeder still made the sale. I know you gotta pay the bills, but have a little dignity. I can almost guarantee that tortoise is dead or close to it.

I decided I wanted a snake in November 07. I decided I wanted a BP in February 08. I bought my setup in June 08. I bought my BP in July 08. Not saying this is how long it takes to make a good decision. Just saying it really gave me time to think, learn, and make sure it was what I wanted.

So if you're reading this, and are all pumped up to go out and get a BP, or any pet, listen up. Take your time. Hang around the site. Learn as much as you can. Make sure you really want it. You will have a much better experience and a healthier, happier pet.

</RANT>

[casperca]

Well said .

[WizzySRT10]

The sad thing is that's usually what happens. When I decided I wanted a BP I did my research on what they need, the correct size enclosures and etc. I know that my BP will probally live till I'm over 50 years old (I'm 27 now). I have seen people buy puppies and kittens when they're cute and then just let them go out in the country when they are bigger or just chain them up in the back yard and give them minimal attention breaks my heart. Simplechamp you nailed it right on the head! Pet stores, the public and some breeders give people the wrong idea.

[mrmertz]

This is one reason I don't see why the true giants are out there for sale to the general public. Okay, yeah - money. Every time I see a small anaconda, retic, burm or afrock I wonder why there isn't some kind of special permit or SOMETHING you must have to prove you can handle the long term ownership BEFORE you purchase something that is going to weigh more than you and be twenty or thirty feet in length. Have the prospective owner prove prior exotic snake ownership, have them attend a class on what it involves to take care of such a large reptile, etc. Of course, this would open up a whole theory of "give them an inch, they'll take a mile" thinking towards federal/state regulation and our hobby. On the other hand I feel bad snakes like that since most will end up as mentioned above - in essence an eventual death sentence either way.

We live in a college town and I have seen frat boys go out the door with a baby anaconda in tow due to the "cool factor" and wonder how many years left on the snakes life until the "cool factor" gives way to the realities of size, money and commitment. We all here know what it takes to make a commitment to raising an animal that has double the lifespan of a dog or cat but most others out there have no idea what it involves. I have nothing against the giants, it's just that in my own opinion perhaps maybe 5 or 10 percent actually DO know what they are getting into and the other 90 percent haven't a clue. Just my opinion though.

Our 6 foot Columbian boa, Mr. Biggles, we adopted from the reptile trade show here just recently out of a plastic tub since the owner(s) dumped him off at the local pet shop for whatever reason. Their loss, our gain. He's so laid back and what a baby. That night we got him he drank water for about 10 minutes and the following day downed 3 large rats (he scented the one we were giving to our RTB and started going nutso in his cage like "...what about me?"). Needless to say I think he is content now. He's the best, though Gopher (RTB) and Humphrey (BP) might take challenge to that.

A little off subject but it never ceases to amaze me how nature created such a perfect eating machine - 200 razors in their head, pure muscle and camo to boot and yet whenever we reach our hand in to pick 'em up they are as gentle as a lamb. (I guess you can tell I've never been tagged - but I'll post pics if I am!)

We are truly a "throw away" society and unfortunately all the critters pay the price for impulse buys and inexperience. Sadly, I see no end in sight for any of it. It's the same reason I don't visit our local animal control website anymore and torture myself with all of the dogs that are on the "short-timers" list and will be put to sleep that night at 5pm if not adopted.

Ugh.

Jeff

[Ophiuchus]

There are similar threads like this one already in existence, so I'll try not to rehash what has been said before.

I agree it is sad. I've worked in petstores for almost a decade now. Of course, there are bad petstores and there are good ones, and we can't judge every single one on the ignorance of some.

That said, please keep in mind that petstores are a business. Their main objective is to make money; its how they stay in business. The one I currently work for is no different. Now try as we might to educate our customers about how difficult iguanas are to care for, or how aggressive oscars are, etc, we cannot refuse sales. Its simply not good business. Say I was to spend 30 mins talking to a customer, trying to convince them to get a leopard gecko instead of a nile monitor, and they still want the monitor instead, even though they are obviously ill-equipped to deal with such a beast. I cannot tell that customer that I refuse to sell them a monitor just because I think they're not ready. They'll get mad, leave and shop elsewhere.

I recently created a poll over on Rg that read: who is most responsible when a herp bought from a petstore dies from improper care?

- the customer who bought it for not doing enough research
- the employee who sold it for not giving enough information
- the petstore management for not training their employees better
- the corporation as a whole for worrying about makin a buck than caring for their livestock

...I forget the results, but the correct answer is: the customer. The potential pet-owner is ultimately responsible for researching and making sure they are equipped for the animal they are thinking of getting, regardless of where they get it from. True, there's some ignorant stores and vendors out there who just want to make a buck, but here in the Information Age where caresheets and info is only a click away, there's simply no excuse. Bottom Line: buyer beware.

I agree it is a sad situation all around and some people simply have more money than brains. We just gotta do our best to educate the masses and nip these little scenarios in the bud.

[mainbutter]

I hate the "we don't want to keep him forever" attitude some people have towards pets.. Any pet I have I WANT to keep for as long as I live!!

That's one of the reasons I'm so excited about getting a ball python, having a pet that if I take good care of can stay with me for 30 or more years!

How in the world could anyone want a pet to die or want to get rid of it at any point?? I just don't get it. They must not get very attached to pets I guess, and see them as just living decoration, on the same level as (or below) house plants.

[Debbienflorida]

I had wanted a snake, after a while I had decided on a BP. I was in my 20s. My husband at the time objected so I settled for birds and dogs and such that he did approve of. I raised different kinds of birds for 30 years. The kids are grown, I divorced and remarried during that time and now my husband, even with the normal aversion most people have to snakes he agreed to a BP when he realized how bad I still wanted one. He loves the first one and then next BP I got. He tolerates but isn't quite as fond of the 2 RTBs. He hates mice and rats (dead or alive) so I do the feeding but he will help observe. At the Reptiile Expo in Daytona we were looking at Bearded Dragons and Veiled Chameleons. We chose the Cham at that time and now he is even researching the care on the web. Usually I did it and instructed him in the past. He still wanted a Beardie tho, I could tell so for his birthday I picked up a baby at a local quarterly Pet Market. He is in love. It is a good trade. I do all the cage cleaning for all the animals and we share feeding chores except he does all the crickets cause those are my biggest dislike. Getting started in Reptiles in my late 40s seems like there may be a problem when they outlive me but my oldest grandson, now 14, shares my passion for reptiles but with 3 youger kids in the house cannot have them yet. He will be adopting all of mine when it becomes necessary. He has time to learn from me and olso be sure this is what he wants. Waiting for a household that I could have reptiles may have taken awhile but it was worth it. At times in the past it would have been rough finance wise and house wise but now I know I am able to properly care for and home the wonderful creatures! I hope someone reads this that is undecided and helps them think it through. It may not tyake you 30 years to be ready but waiting until you are is certainly worth it.

[wolfy-hound]

I myself think the customer is to blame. Unless they were blatantly LIED to by the store employee(i.e. "That burm will never outgrow the 10g tank..") then they are responsible for the pet they buy.
If a grocery store sold a person a potato and the buyer shoved it down their own throat whole until they choked to death, why would anyone blame the grocery store?
A pet store is there to sell pets. If the pet store gives decent information, then it's up to the buyer to decide if they can care for a pet they want. I get a pet to keep for it's entire life.

[mainbutter]

even with the normal aversion most people have to snakes he agreed to a BP when he realized how bad I still wanted one

I told my girlfriend about wanting to get a snake some time ago, and she made her aversion to "the big ones" known. I told her that I was getting a ball python and they around 4-5 feet fully grown, and she said "ONLY four feet???"

My corn snake was 6'2'' fully grown.. lol. It just makes me smile because when I think of "the big ones", I just remember my first time petting a big ol' 18 foot burmese at a reptile show when I was 8.

Also every time I've talked about getting a snake, she always asks "it won't bite me right?" She's probably asked me that 10 or 15 times now. I made sure to tell her that you can't control snakes completely, and young ones tend to bite a bit more, but if I thought the snake was going nippy I wouldn't suggest she hold it.

[RoyalGuardian]

That is the exact reason I want to work at a pet store!!!! I want to make sure people do not buy on impulse and get the correct supplies and are not cutting corners. the people at the petstore where I got Kyros were very sketchy with their info on Ball pythons. ask any question about corns and they knew. They told me that Kyros would only get about 2 feet long!! Of course I am the biggest researcher in the world. I research until I know everything about the animal I want and after that wait till I have absolutely everything I need then buy it... average joes do not....I share your frustration.