Angry and disgusted!! (LONG post)

Forgive me, I just need a moment to vent....

I recently fell in love with a beardie I saw at a pet store nearby and was prepared to buy it on the spot without knowing anything about them really. Thankfully, or perhaps not, I was accosted by the girl working in the reptile section and she made it the high point of her day to point out how little I knew about caring for beardies. Not being the type of person to rush into things, and after the sermon I received from the reptile lady, I decided to do my research before I put any animals life in danger.

I came here, read tons, got the most valuable information from all of you, and now I'm much more educated and prepared to safely raise a beardie. :study:
I've been piecing together my viv and I'm confident that I'll give the lil dude a great home and lots of love. :mrgreen:
Ordered a bunch of things from PetMountain because of recommendation from this site (and the prices couldn't be beat) but I realized today that I forgot a few items so I ran to a pet store nearby... (PetStupid)

WTF is wrong with these people?? Now that I KNOW how a beardie needs to be handled and cared for..I'm just disgusted at how they treat their animals.
They have three beardies (maybe 6 inches in length) in a 10 gallon tank with "Repti-Sand" for substrate, those stupid stick on thermometers (which read 80 near the "basking area"), a bowl full of meal worms that were almost bigger than the dragons themselves, a bowl of green....mush..with banana slices the size of half-dollars on top, NO UVB lights, NO basking lights, NO water...
The poor beardies were the color of ash and their bellies were COVERED in stress marks..
My girlfriend saw the look in my eyes and grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the store. She's seen me moments before I rip someone a new a**hole and she knew it was coming so rather than bail me out of jail, she took me out of the store!!

I mean, I've read some of the horror stories here, I suppose I shouldn't have expected better from these people..but I just don't understand it. In a store stocked full of the required supplies, how hard would it be to make a healthy environment for them? I remember the "Devil Lady" from the other pet store telling me all about how to "care" for a beardie and although she was WRONG on 80% of it, she at least cared enough to make sure I didn't buy a beardie and put it's life or health in jeopardy....so I guess I'm not ripping on the employees because I know their hands are often tied. But come on people...
The icing on the cake? They had stickers on the tank that read "PetStupid cares! Did you know a Bearded Dragon needs UVB light to prevent bone disease?" and stuff like that... I didn't see any stickers that said "See our viv? This is what NOT to do..." which would have been more appropriate..

Thankfully, I have a "mom and pop" pet store closer to my house and the owner just got a beardie a week or so ago. My girlfriend had stopped in to see if they had any and she immediately put a retainer down on the lil dude to hold him until my viv is set up properly.
After she talked to the owner for a while and checked out his setup, we pretty much agreed that he was a great guy and knew enough to keep our lil dude healthy for a week or two.

Monday I should be receiving my shipment from PetMountain and I can finish my viv and get my temps stable and hopefully bring my beardie home. I don't know how long it'll take to get my MegaRay in (it's been almost a week without even a confirmation email), so I ran out today to get a ReptiSun 10 and fixture so I could at least keep my baby happy until the MVB comes in.

For what it's worth, all the excellent information I've read from people on these forums pointed me towards purchasing the following:

MegaRay SB 100watt
Ceramic 10" dome fixture (can throw a basking bulb in there until MegaRay arrives)
adjustable light fixture hanger/stand
ReptiSun 10 (24") - (just until MegaRay arrives, possibly used in additon to MegaRay)
8 outlet power strip with built in timer
2 x digital probe thermometers with humidity gauge and "hi/low" memory function (one for basking area, one for cool area)
Beardie hammock
food/water bowl combo
corner basking/cave platform
bonzai looking reptile tree/cave
Large cricket keeper (impulse buy)
Rep-Cal Calcium w/D3 (might not need this with a MegaRay??)
Rep-Cal Herptivite
Tons of love and affection (had this on-hand already :mrgreen: )

I just can't thank you all enough for the great information you keep this site stocked with. I know so many of you have had horrible experiences @ pet stores and as one poster mentioned (can't remember the post or author) I'm sure a lot of you all came home with the wrong equipment your first time, but thankfully there are so many people who care enough to teach all the n00bs the proper way to keep a healthy and happy beardie!!

Good job... you will love your new baby!

I totally know how you feel. Thats why I try not to go into petstores anymore

Your post made me a bit sad, and at times made me laugh. Laugh because even though I work at one of those petstores, and at one time was ignorant on bd care, I know how you feel! I even feel this way about where I work. The other day one of the managers was deep cleaning reptiles for the first time. She kept asking me how to do this and that... she knows how I am with bd's and asked me about the sand. I told her that at the present time, sadly, we have no choice and have to use it. I turned it over and showed her on the back where it reads exactly that it is NOT to be used for juvinille reptiles and can cause impaction. She just stared at me in like shock and disbelief. I was like, "EXACTLY!!!"

Sometimes now when people come in and ask for a care sheet, I don't even give them one. I state that there are some things that need to be upated on it and that for better and more accurate info to come here. I tell them I will give them a care sheet if they really want one, but that it is out of date and about 70% inaccurate. They look at me kind of stunned, and I am waiting for the day where I get yelled at by my GM for it. In a way I don't care. Working there I took that "oath" that "animals come first". In my opinion I am doing that without stepping over corporate toes.

If and when you go into a pet store and you see improper care, and those wonderful ignorant employees, try your hardest to understand that most of the time they just know what they are taught - by the store. Try to educate them, be patient. Send them here - I have given this site to so many people I am surprised hundreds haven't joined in the last week!! It is the first and last thing that comes out of my mouth!

It sounds like you are more than ready for your knew friend. You may not yet know it all, and you may not yet have all the supplies, but one of the most important things that is obvious - you love your bd and are willing to give it whatever is needed.

We of course expect pictures!!

thats really wierd the place i got my baby from now has ones just like the ones you said about but no lettuce no nothing not even 80 at the basking spot they were all gray and (this is really wierd) they all had red feet they would lay stacked on top of each other to stay warm and the only thing they had to eat was crickets the size of half there bodys the pet store also had "blue rock skinks" i dont knwo what they were but in the tank there was a dead one just sitting there rotting even his eyes were gone they also have corn snakes that are so small and there babys but there sooo skinny and you can see they trying to breath and its really heavy i can like almost hear them breathing and i woudl get them not to keep them just to get them healthy then i would give them to people that could care for them right but my dad haaaats snakes so i cant even do that

Youkai":d1bf5 said:

Forgive me, I just need a moment to vent....

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By all means we understand. :wink:

Youkai":d1bf5 said:

Rep-Cal Calcium w/D3 (might not need this with a MegaRay??)

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You're correct! With a MVB you need to use the Calcium without D3. (the green label)

Youkai":d1bf5 said:

Tons of love and affection (had this on-hand already :mrgreen: )

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You will make a great "Beardie Slave!"

I work at PetSmart, so I know how you feel. Completely.
I've been doing my best to talk to my Pet Care Manager about the things that they need, that they aren't getting.
For example, she sees me buying 50/100 crickets every day or two, and she goes "MORE crickets?" and I tell her that they eat like 20-30 each feeding and get fed twice a day. And she just looks really surprised and goes, "Wow, yours are pigs!" and I have to remind her that one I got from our store..

Thankfully we don't use sand. At the very least...
We use carpet. Which gets switched out once a week.
But it doesn't make up for the fact that the cages are too small and their lights are worthless and their crickets hardly ever get dusted.

The thing is, our tank setups have to follow a strict "Policies & Procedures" guide- we get a picture, basically, and have to replicate it. And if we don't, our store and Pet Care Manager/Associates get written up. It's not fair, especially for the animals we're supposed to be caring for. The reptiles are definitely the worst-off.

But, I've recommended this website to two different women in the last two nights I worked.
When people buy large amounts of crickets, I ask if they have beardies. :lol:
And when they say they do, I ask a bit about their enclosures... depending on how they reply, we have a lengthy discussion, or we don't.
Thus far I have only told people to come here, who really really need it because they are doing everything wrong.
But I think now I will just suggest it to all the beardie people who come in. I mean, who doesn't benefit from extra knowledge and a place to show off pictures?

Quick question, is it bad to use calcium with D3 while using a MVB? We're getting an MVB and wanted to see if we should buy a different calcium supplement since the one we currently use has D3.

In the short term it isn't bad. In the long run you will start to overdose them on the D3.

If you haven't recieved a confirmation you might want to call them. They are pretty good about sending out your tracking information and everything. Usually I get it next day if what I order is in stock.

Ernie

there are two things you can do to get these animals taken care of without buying and housing them yourself, because once u buy these animals that just gets the petstore to buy more and put more animals in danger.

1st get your information 100% correct because for every good point you will raise to the owner or pet care person at the store they will have seven more things doubting what you say. Unfortunately even with the best of information you give them even some petstores dont give a flying squirrel about it. Dont use a snobby know it all voice because then the petstore owner or pet care person will just flick their nose and walk away.

the second thing you could do if the 1st does not work is alert the local S.P.C.A and tell them the current state of the animals, and that you feel these animals are being mistreated and the comment of the blue sumthing skink just proves it, tell them just how sivere the health of the animals are. And they will definately check into the situation alert the owner and give the owner a time period to correct the situation or the animals will be taken and given to a herp specialist or be adopted right out of the local S.P.C.A.

I hope this helps you. It definately helped me with the local petshops near here, i saw some seriously inhumane things, some even gave me nightmares.
I wish you luck, And im glad you found a good little buddy.

Your set up looks fantastic - well done you for doing your research Your beardie is going to be very happy with you and it sounds like it is going to get very spoiled

midnight_962002":1c169 said:

In the short term it isn't bad. In the long run you will start to overdose them on the D3.

If you haven't recieved a confirmation you might want to call them. They are pretty good about sending out your tracking information and everything. Usually I get it next day if what I order is in stock.

Ernie

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They are on back order, I ordered one about two weeks ago and after I pitched a fit they told me they were out of stock currently.