Asking Petsmart to change their ways

[Kalyn876]

I bought my baby beardy 2 weeks ago from the pets mart in red deer Alberta. He was the only one in the ten gallon tank of 10 baby beardies who still had all his toes and tail he was also the smallest. I asked the associate when they had last been fed...(I was at the store at 5pm) she said to me "yesterday morning I think.." I couldn't find any crickets small enough in the store so I went to their competitor for crix afterwards. I also asked the associate very general questions and received a blank look in return accompanied with an "I dunno". I left the store praying for the other 9 beardies lives....

 

[TwistedCrayon]

I must say after reading up to this point that the Petsmart I work at seems to be the best. Our animals are well cared for! Clean tanks! Proper set-ups. We do have an issue with them being too small at times, but they are well fed and I've been there awhile and thus far we've had no toe nips or tail nips. Our petcare specialists are well versed in bearded dragons. Two of the guys have two of my babies, that aren't babies anymore. We don't advocate any loose substrate for any size dragon. We advise against pinkie's and mealworms and we don't promote the selling of our UV's. rather we direct them to petmountain.com and if there is a question they don't know the answer too, they aren't into bullish*ting their way through it. They come to me or they go research it online if I'm not working. Our manager has no problem with us encouraging customers NOT to buy something that would be harmful or just would be a waste of money. We have an EXCELLANT return policy. It's "bring it back if your not happy. We don't care if it's opened, and used.... Bring it back." we are the number one store in our area. everyone that works at our store is truly there for the animals not just the pay check.

Also the pet care manager asked me the other day if I'd be willing to adopt the beardies that customers return, as we can't re-sell them... Abso-freakin-lutly!

After hearing all the crappy stores out there. I now feel blessed I work at the one I do.

 

[Scoutthecorner]

San Antonio tx
My petsmart had more than 7 or so baby beardies in a single foot by foot aquarium and one of them i swear was dead almost.
However petsmart was the place that introduced beardies to me. If they hadnt i wouldnt be on this page and would be at turtles.org or what ever. I researched beardies more and went to a specialty store (river city exotics) to get my scout.

 

[hercircus]

Petsmart in the Clareview location in Edmonton, Alberta Canada.

I bought my very first beardies from there about a week ago now (check out my blog "Bearded Adventures"). Their first mistake was not mentioning anything when I decided to purchase 2 and put them in the same enclosure. They did tell me not to use sand which was good, but they also sold me meal worms to feed them and quite large crickets and when I asked them if they ate anything else they told me no. When I learned a little more and went back there, I looked inside their bearded dragon enclosure and noticed the basking levels for the babies were a mere 90°, and not very many of them looked very healthy. I wanted to buy them all right there and then so I could rescue them, but of course I couldn't afford that. I also noticed that Petsmart's prices on the dragons were waaay cheaper than anywhere else, they were even having a $20 off sale on them which I thought was kind of strange.

On a totally separate note, I checked out another local pet store the other day (PJ'S Pets) because they have better crickets, and I needed another thermometer. When I went to the counter to make my purchase, the 17 year old girl at the counter asked me what I had. I told her bearded dragons and she told me she had one too "cause they looked cool". She asked me questions such as "what do you need a thermometer for?" and continued to tell me that she should probably do some research before she killed the damn thing. I left there furious.

I don't understand how a "PET" store can be taking care of so many animals with so many undereducated employees. It makes me wonder, how many animals suffer because of their ignorance? I refuse to every buy an animal from a pet store ever again. Support breeders who actually have knowledge and specialize in specific animals.

 

[xmikeyx1026]

I work at petsmart and to be honest no one believes me when I tell them that mealworms cannot be digested. I tell them to house them on paper towel, newspaper, shelf liner, BUT NEVER SAND. I hate it when I get people who say calcium sand is ok it will be digested no it won’t it will kill them. I direct people to this site when buying a beardie and tell them to make a forum on things wrong with sand and you will get replies.

 

[VerriKerri]

I have to say the petsmart's and petco's here in RI all have very knowledgeable staff. It's the Pet Supplies Plus here that I have a problem with. All their beardies are injured missing limbs, broken arms etc. Guess it depends on the state. :/

 

[Taylor9582]

I'm not sure what # store my petsmart it, but it is located on Covered Bridge Drive in Lancaster, PA.

I got my bearded dragon as a birthday gift one year, so before we bought him, my mom went to petsmart to buy all of the supplies. They told her they only had ones for sale that were 4 months old, but the one we got looked much younger than that. Also, they told us to put him in sand and feed him large crickets. Luckily, my mom was reading up on them later and found out that the sand was bad for them and they should have size appropriate portions.

If I could, I would buy all of the bearded dragons that I see for sale at petsmart. While talking to an associate, my mom commented on how hard it must be to feed all of the reptiles, and she asked how many crickets each bearded dragon gets. The employee said, "No, it's not that hard. Each bearded dragon gets 2 crickets every other day." This shocked me because mine gets vegetables and crickets daily and always eats his fill.

 

[Fuzzyviper]

I'm not sure what # store my petsmart it, but it is located on Covered Bridge Drive in Lancaster, PA.

I got my bearded dragon as a birthday gift one year, so before we bought him, my mom went to petsmart to buy all of the supplies. They told her they only had ones for sale that were 4 months old, but the one we got looked much younger than that. Also, they told us to put him in sand and feed him large crickets. Luckily, my mom was reading up on them later and found out that the sand was bad for them and they should have size appropriate portions.

If I could, I would buy all of the bearded dragons that I see for sale at petsmart. While talking to an associate, my mom commented on how hard it must be to feed all of the reptiles, and she asked how many crickets each bearded dragon gets. The employee said, "No, it's not that hard. Each bearded dragon gets 2 crickets every other day." This shocked me because mine gets vegetables and crickets daily and always eats his fill.

The reptiles are honestly the easy guys to feed. The small animals can be a pain and especially the birds (I had birds landing on my head today. It was horrible.). I hate hearing how most of the other beardies are being kept and have seen it myself at my local Petco (Petsmart doesn't sell live feeder mice so I have to go there for my snake, usually after work so I'm in my uniform :? ) The veggie bowl has become the hang out in the beardie cage in the past week or so at our store and all four of them will throw themselves into it in the morning and just chow down. I wish I was allowed to take pictures because four little beardies resting on their front legs like they're at a bar counter and chowing in the veggie dish is just too cute.

I thought I would share some positive Petsmart beardie stories from today though! I spent about 30-40 minutes on the phone with a woman that was rescuing beardies from her mother and it sounds like they're going to be spoiled rotten in their new home. Baths, tank upgrades, tons of veggies and bugs, the works. She doesn't have the internet at the moment (computer problems) but wanted to spend the money making the beardies happy first. I directed her here once she gets it back so she can spoil them even more. I also had a man buying crix for his young beardie (sounded like a 3-4 month old) and I gave him some tips for the little guy, including some bath time. I work mornings so I don't usually get to help people pick out their setups so helping some owners was nice. My day did end kind of icky when a 16 year old came in just wanting any reptile he could afford. I wasn't letting him get anything where he didn't have any appropriate setup so our pac man frog went home with him (I'm not allowed to not sell unless they are going to do something horrible with the animal or refuse to buy/have the right setup). I feel bad for the poor little pac man but the kid apparently buys herps and sells them after he gets bored in a month so hopefully it will go to a better home soon. I did not want one of my little beardie friends going home with him.

 

[SamusTheDragon]

Petsmart In:
Middletown, Ny
Newburgh, Ny

Both house several of their reptiles inccorectly. Beardies are housed with 5+ in one tank.
Also, when I bought my beardies from their, babies at the time, they told me to give them mealworms.

 

[lewisres]

Just thought I would add to this seeing to my recent frustration... Pasadena, TX

Dont get your dragon from Petsmart, I bought Twitch from them and love him to death but he was a little bigger then the rest when I got him. I thought this was because of good feeding and good lighting, I was completely wrong and it was bad! VIA My thread "Can anyone please help me..." in General discussion. Twitch was 3-4in when I first got him(Bigger then any other of the 15 babies they have) and over the past 3 Months he has grown to 15in, When I went to Repticon this weekend they told me he was about 5 months old and that I could buy him a Female friend and he would be totally ok because they don't sexually mature until they are almost a year old. Well due to a lack of food and proper lighting my almost 1 year old dragon looks like he is 5 months and I almost had a heart attack when he started trying to mate with the young female. According to the breeder I talked to the reason he grew so fast in the 3 months is because since I bought him he has Proper lighting and more food then he will eat, so please do research on any place your going to buy from/have bought from. Don't make the same mistake I did. I had to go to Petco and buy her a new 40gal viv I am extremely lucky they were on sale yesterday for a 1$ a gal.

 

[CHRISTLIKECHEF]

Sorry, my beef is with Petco. Told me BD's could be housed together, told me to get the calci-sand and a starter kit....that was worthless. Told me to feed 5 crickets a day.....losers. We did go to our petsmart afterward for supplies.....they said it was ok to put a water fountain in the viv, even after I asked if it would raise the humidity too much....I did not get it FYI

With these stores I have come to understand it is all about the oh mighty dollar......not the animals!!!!!!

 

[1beardie]

I Got my beardie from the Petsmart in Simi Valley, Ca. The guy told me he didnt know how old my beardie was. He sold me Mealworms and told me to feed it those and medium sized crickets. He told me to dust the crickets in calcium. He told me I could use sand or bark as substrate.... Luckily I found this sight or my Beardie would most likely be impacted by now with bark or mealworms being that you dont feed a 5 week old med crickets ( the medium crikets they sell are HUGE)..... nedless to say I have only had my Beardie for 5 days and I know more than the employee selling them...

 

[CHRISTLIKECHEF]

Yeah, no joke!! I have had Dylila now for 3 weeks and I have never learned so much so fast in all my life!! This site is AWESOME :headbang:

You don't necessarily BUY from a pet store, as you RESCUE from a pet store!!

 

[LoveMyHarper]

I think just plain and simple, if as a chain store you can't properly store your animals in the correct housing and the right requirements that type of animal and what it needs to live, and If only to properly display to people what they need and are getting into for that animal, then they have no right to sell that type of animal.

A few times it sadden me to hear employees have no idea that walnut shells for babies is bad and they give you super basic way over the top information. This was at Petsmart in Murrieta off Madison. They had baby beardies in there that were not more than 2-3 weeks old, with not nearly enough heat, they were skinny and sad looking. It made me sad.

 

[TwistedCrayon]

You don't necessarily BUY from a pet store, as you RESCUE from a pet store!!

Unfortunately "rescuing" from a pet store just gives them more revenue and allows them the space to get more animals and cycle repeats itself... if at all possible you should get animals from a breeder or rescue...

I hear they passed a law in San Francisco prohibiting the sale of animals all the way down to goldfish. Anyone know anything about this?