Are people serious. Why dont you listen to advice given

Status
Not open for further replies.
I work for one of the major pet stores. I fell in love with my Beardie when I first saw him. It took three months before I felt I was ready to set up a habitat. I set it up before going back to work to bring him home. It's been two months and I'm learning more every day. I'm in the process of custom building him his new habitat.

But because I am a Beardie Mom, I know a lot more about their care and needs than we are given in regular training. I do everything I can to give prospective new reptile parents all the pros and cons. Even if it means they walk away. I'd rather people are prepared for the commitment, than send home a reptile to a family who will either abandon it or worse, cause it harm.

There have been several occasions I've even refused to sell a Beardie to a family. In one case the guy wanted to put it in a 10 gallon on his nephew's window sill. He wasn't planning on heating, lighting, anything they need to thrive and then told me it probably wouldn't matter as his nephew would be bored of it in a month. My conscience over rules my work on many occasions. And if that gets me in trouble, so be it.

I hope my Dragon, Hesperian thrives with me. I love his personality and demeanor. And when I deal with people at work who are interested in them, I want them to understand it is a massive part of your daily life. If they aren't ready for that, then maybe it's not for them.

99878-6241729460.jpg
 

HippieLizards

Gray-bearded Member
Beardie name(s)
Daisy, Loki, Rocket, Phoenix, Mulder & Scully. Non beardie pets: Stan (Leo) Cayde (Hognose) Tillery (cat)
Kudos to you for being a awesome pet store employee! :D I'm glad that there is at least one knowledgeable pet store employee. :) I Also can't believe that somebody would want to do that to a beardie too. :angry5: If I Was there I also would've refused to sell them a beardie if that is what they're going to do. :angry5:

IMO The animals health is of my utmost importance. Money is just to pay for food and vet bills. So That's why I love it when I Go to a reptile expo and there is a breeder who actually cares about the animals more than the money. :) I Really do care more about the animal going to a good knowledgeable home and it living a happy life Instead of a paycheck.

You also are very correct about it being a massive part of your day. Beardies are not low maintenance IMO if you want to keep a happy healthy dragon. About 89%+ of my day is doing something with my beardies typically.

Also you have a very pretty beardie. :) Seriously I Wholeheartedly agree with you. View media item 60371 Cisco says hello. :)

View media item 60827
 

Steve1878

Hatchling Member
Got to say as a first time beardie owner there is a lot of conflicting information out there... I bought mine from a local reptile specialist and it came with wood chip substrate and a coil uv they also said 4x2x2 was the biggest area id need. The other reptile shop said to never use wood chip to only use tube uv and 4x2x2 was bare minimum. Now having spent nearly £300 it's not easy to then replace everything but the substrate quickly got changed to tiles. I still hear mixed views on the coils the original shop swears they are just as good and actually looking round sites it appears most the old problems with coils have been fixed eg they don't cause eye sight problems and in a 4x2x2 do provide enough uv these days. The real problem I have though is that the food around here is rubbish I can rarely get calci/pheonix worms and can only get silkworms online which when you're at work all day is pretty pointless as you can never sign for the delivery. Which leaves me with very expensive roaches she rarely touch's no matter how hungry she gets and locusts as the only healthy staple (I lost a cricket once and as a result couldn't sleep for ages due to the noise). So I grab calci worms when I can and then just have to make do with locusts and supers/wax worms as treats. Why no where regularly stocks calci worms or silks I will never know.
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
Steve1878":4nawo89d said:
Got to say as a first time beardie owner there is a lot of conflicting information out there... I bought mine from a local reptile specialist and it came with wood chip substrate and a coil uv they also said 4x2x2 was the biggest area id need. The other reptile shop said to never use wood chip to only use tube uv and 4x2x2 was bare minimum. Now having spent nearly £300 it's not easy to then replace everything but the substrate quickly got changed to tiles. I still hear mixed views on the coils the original shop swears they are just as good and actually looking round sites it appears most the old problems with coils have been fixed eg they don't cause eye sight problems and in a 4x2x2 do provide enough uv these days. The real problem I have though is that the food around here is rubbish I can rarely get calci/pheonix worms and can only get silkworms online which when you're at work all day is pretty pointless as you can never sign for the delivery. Which leaves me with very expensive roaches she rarely touch's no matter how hungry she gets and locusts as the only healthy staple (I lost a cricket once and as a result couldn't sleep for ages due to the noise). So I grab calci worms when I can and then just have to make do with locusts and supers/wax worms as treats. Why no where regularly stocks calci worms or silks I will never know.

Regarding silkworms - buy them as eggs (a few hundred at a time) and hatch them …. this way they can be sent in regular post and it's OK if the eggs sit in mailbox for a day or two, as they usually wo nt be hatching for a week to two or three.
IS MUCH cheaper buying as eggs too.

Regarding the OP's views.... yes there have been many who come here wanting free emergency vet advise and home (free or very cheap) home solutions when they cocked up badly wrt the care of their pet dragon …. IMO they often fall into the category of never ever should have been allowed to keep a dragon (or any other pet).
Too darned easy in many countries to buy a dragon on an whim , especially were you only need to show the credit card or cash and it you have it. VERY BAD .
 

TracyMarie

Hatchling Member
:angry5: Grr...

I am so thankful that everyone helped educate me when I got my first bearded dragon, but I see so many dragons not getting what they need, not just here also craigslist, and even after I see you all let them know what needs to be done, often they will choose just not to do it.

Shouldn't you have to purchase the right equipment, or pass a test before you are allowed to purchase a bearded dragon?? They can't take care of themselves.

It breaks my heart. :(

I just want to say Thank you for everyone that helped me and gave me good information when I was new to this. I appreciate you. It must not be easy repeating yourself over and over again.
 

Peach

Hatchling Member
I am also still a newbie, though I've had Bleu for a month now! I spent weeks on here researching every single thing I could and days setting up tank and getting lighting temps right. Cooper even weighed an empty aquarium for me :) They are a complex and involved pet, unlike a cat or a dog. Just today I stopped in Petco here to get some cat food and they had two 'fancy' bearded dragons at $99 each. They looked to be maybe 2 months old and were in horrid shape. They were lying by the food dish not moving, skinny as rails, eyes closed, no heat lamp, and the temp was showing 80 - on sand. I told my husband I would be surprised if they were still alive tomorrow.
 

SydneyGaia

Hatchling Member
I can only imagine that, if a license was to be required for all herps - let alone if they became illegal to own -, access to proper supplies would dwindle as well. After all, when there is a drastically reduced, or nonexistent, demand for a product the supply is going to plummet. That would not be a good thing.

It's not so much the fact that people do not know what they are getting into when starting. as much as the decreasing cost barrier for reptiles. An anole is $5 - you can find beardies on sale for under $50. Reptiles are seen as disposable pets, and that is more of a culture thing than a license thing.

The average consumer does not understand that that $50 is only the very beginning -- tack on another $500-$1000 to start for a correct enclosure, lights, initial vet care, etc. To them, a disposable pet was only $50 -- no way are they gonna spend $300 more on it in vet bills when they could just buy another one once the current herp dies for 1/6 of that vet bill. That mentallity would cause outrage if it was concerning parvo with a dog, but not many people will bat an eyelid if it is pertaining to a reptile.

People realize that when they are adopting a dog because 3/4 of US households have a dog or a cat at some time. That is not the case for reptiles - most people do not even realize that you can, and should, take an exotic to the vet.

The same is true with parrots and the bird trade, and we are talking about highly intelligent animals with an 80+ year lifespan in that case. The fact is that ANY pets other than dogs and cats will not receive the attention needed in the headlines and financially - especially, when the animal is as different as a herp (cold vs warm blood). (I used to volunteer at an exotic animal shelter with 600 homeless parrots, who are capable of carrying baggage from past owners with them -- some sad stories to tell. I'll get off my soap-box though.).
 

kingofnobbys

BD.org Sicko
SydneyGaia":2zh0ux6l said:
I can only imagine that, if a license was to be required for all herps - let alone if they became illegal to own -, access to proper supplies would dwindle as well. After all, when there is a drastically reduced, or nonexistent, demand for a product the supply is going to plummet. That would not be a good thing.

It's not so much the fact that people do not know what they are getting into when starting. as much as the decreasing cost barrier for reptiles. An anole is $5 - you can find beardies on sale for under $50. Reptiles are seen as disposable pets, and that is more of a culture thing than a license thing.

The average consumer does not understand that that $50 is only the very beginning -- tack on another $500-$1000 to start for a correct enclosure, lights, initial vet care, etc. To them, a disposable pet was only $50 -- no way are they gonna spend $300 more on it in vet bills when they could just buy another one once the current herp dies for 1/6 of that vet bill. That mentallity would cause outrage if it was concerning parvo with a dog, but not many people will bat an eyelid if it is pertaining to a reptile.

People realize that when they are adopting a dog because 3/4 of US households have a dog or a cat at some time. That is not the case for reptiles - most people do not even realize that you can, and should, take an exotic to the vet.

The same is true with parrots and the bird trade, and we are talking about highly intelligent animals with an 80+ year lifespan in that case. The fact is that ANY pets other than dogs and cats will not receive the attention needed in the headlines and financially - especially, when the animal is as different as a herp (cold vs warm blood). (I used to volunteer at an exotic animal shelter with 600 homeless parrots, who are capable of carrying baggage from past owners with them -- some sad stories to tell. I'll get off my soap-box though.).


No problem getting live insects to feed our pet lizards here (in Australia) with our very strict restrictions on native reptile keeping and access....

regarding not being home to take delivery of feeder insect deliveries that need to be signed for, don't they leave a card telling you they missed you and the parcel is waiting at the post office or local courier depot ?

Other option is have them delivered c/- your workplace.
 
I luckily have a lot of really great, and informed, young ladies at my local Petsmart. They all had owned bearded dragons and one even directed me to this site, which I learned a lot from. I understand how not every employee may know from experience with certain pets though, especially exotics. I also have a store about 40 minutes drive that is a licensed breeder and are really great at helping to avoid big vet bills. I have only owned my first bd for about four months and am still learning everyday, but my dragon is happy, and healthy... Kinda lazy :?, but SUPER cuddly and I love it.
 

Blackenedsabbath

Hatchling Member
I also work for one of the big chain pet stores, and the standards we have for the knowledge required about ANY animal disgusts me. To top that off, we have pamphlets to give basic information and "care needs" about certain animals. The bearded dragon one labels the pet as a "beginner" animal, which in my opinion gives the wrong impression about how much attention and care these lizards really need. Secondly, within this pamphlet it says they should be kept on sand, the temperatures listed are incorrect, for appropriate staple food choices it lists lettuce and banana, and to top it off it says to never feed the lizard something that can't fit into its mouth all at once rather than nothing larger than the space between its eyes. I'm hoping I can get our head office to correct the information.

Overall, I think if employers paid more attention to trying to adequately train employees (or at least hire ones with experience with various animals) about the different care requirements of animals (especially when it comes to reptiles and other exotics) it would make a large difference in the care they receive.


That kind of turned into a mini rant, I'm sorry :lol:
 
No it’s cool that you have that goal to make that change! Seriously, work your way up in the company and be that change! That’s the cool thing, we always keep learning new things, and maybe at one point those pamphlets were the known standard of care, but it’s obviously become outdated as we learn more and more about their metabolisms and how they handle this, that, and the other thing. It’s science. If that’s what you love, I don’t know where you are at school wise, but get a degree in zoology and 2 year business management and combine them to be the change.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Members online

Latest resources

Latest profile posts

I miss you so much, Amaris 💔
What is a quick way to warm up a cold beardie? His heating element went out overnight and now he's very cold.
Pearl Girl wrote on moorelori1966's profile.
i feel so sad reading your about me 😢
Clapton is acclimating okay I think. He's quick as lightning so I'm not sure how much I should bring him out of his house yet. He's not at all interested in his salad though. I wonder if I should change what I'm giving him. Least he's eating his crickets.

Things to do:
Buy calcium powder
Material to raise surface for basking spot
Scenery decals for back of tank

Forum statistics

Threads
155,899
Messages
1,255,688
Members
75,966
Latest member
georgiarichmond
Top Bottom