Bearded Dragons at PetsMart/Petco

[Beardy815]

So I know from reading about these stores they may not be the most reputable or responsible sellers of animals. I actually did get my dragon from Petsmart 2 weeks ago. This is a picture of him/her: http://imgur.com/mdIOXqE

It has been in good health, I haven't had any problems. I went today to a Petco to get Reptivitamin and saw they were selling 'Baby Bearded Dragons' at Petco. Now, the Petsmart I bought mine at had bearded dragons comparable size-wise to the one in picture, the one I got may have been a little larger and more active than the others... Anyway, the 'Baby Bearded Dragons' were incredibly small, like couldn't have been a few days old.

Are you supposed to even sell them that young? Also the temperature gauage(Three of the babies were in a tiny terrarium, had one gauge) read 79 degrees F.... That just seems really dangerous, no basking spot, top temp of less than 80. Especially them being so small right?

 

[kingofnobbys]

IMO that's a clear cut case of animal cruelty and mistreatment. I'd report this to the local animal welfare authorities.

 

[AHBD]

Some breeders sell babies that are barely a week old [ usually less than 5' ] but there are no regulations in place, and there are no animal welfare [ ASPCA, etc ] that knows enough or can do anything about reptiles. They don't know proper care from improper and rarely will bother checking on these type of situations. There are stores in some states in the U.S that have operated for years with horrendous conditions that never get cited let alone any intervention taken.

 

[DaddyGeek]

IMO that's a clear cut case of animal cruelty and mistreatment. I'd report this to the local animal welfare authorities.

Animal welfare will do nothing. These conditions are not new. Petsmart/Petco has a set of corporate rules in place for how their animals must be housed and rarely do they line up with the animals actual requirements. In a nutshell they simply don't care. They lose a few animals and they get them replaced in bulk from their suppliers. Occasionally you will find a store that has some rebel employees caring for them properly but the majority of them have employees with good intentions but no real knowledge of the care required for the animals. I've personally called on a few pet stores in the past and for the most part if it doesn't have fur they don't care. It's a sad reality =/

 

[Ed707]

Like ABHD said there's no rules, laws or regulations here in the U.S. for exotic reptiles. Companies can house them any way they want without fines or penalties, or fear of any reprocussions. Same for reptile products, companies can put bearded dragon pictures on any product they want even if the product won't serve as correct for a bearded dragon and is harmful or potentially fatal. Only things you or me or anybody else can do is try to raise awareness publicly about big chain pets shops and reptile companies. If you stood outside a petshop warning every person that walked in and held up a big sign saying the pet shop mistreated there animals, then they'd be forced to change the way they care for there animals or stop selling them altogether as there corporate offices would see a decline in revenue and that's all they really care about. This is ofc the extreme way to go about it and the fact is alot of people don't know what proper care is for a bearded dragon or alot of other reptiles and without that knowledge will continue to buy from a petco or petsmart

 

[Adriana0918]

I got my baby from a breeder, however I've really been considering buying one from my local PetSmart. I just feel so terribly for the little guys I see and so desperately want to help them Last time I went in I seriously considered buying one I saw. He was so so little and was so skinny. It seems his cage mates would eat all the food and he wouldn't get any. However, I have to wait a few months to get another. I ended up leaving and telling a reptile enthusiast in my family about him and the very next day he ran out and bought him. He's doing sooo much better now. It pains me to walk into the store and see them so helpless in the little 10 gallon tanks they keep 3-6 beardies in

 

[Beardy815]

I mean if the companies have regulations no matter how bad they are, why the big discrepancy between the PetsMart where I bought mine and the Petco which is also by my house?

The one I bought from had the same small tank, but the temperature was in the 80's with a 100+ degree basking area. The Petco one had same dimension but even smaller babies, like... half the size of the ones at PetsMart and their's was 80F no basking spot. Crazy...

 

[kingofnobbys]

I mean if the companies have regulations no matter how bad they are, why the big discrepancy between the PetsMart where I bought mine and the Petco which is also by my house?

The one I bought from had the same small tank, but the temperature was in the 80's with a 100+ degree basking area. The Petco one had same dimension but even smaller babies, like... half the size of the ones at PetsMart and their's was 80F no basking spot. Crazy...

All about $ , it costs money to run basking lamps and install UV sources and to feed them properly.

I would say PetsMart see each of their hatchlings as a costcentre and are not the least bit interested in their health or wellbeing , the faster they get rid of their stock of live animals the better, and if they loose some or even most along the way they couldn't care less. Plenty of unscrupulous breeders who are only too happy to sell more very young stock to them on a continuous basis dirt cheap on a volume basis (probably contracted to supply them).

I am very much against pet shops selling living reptiles and would never buy one from a pet shop for the above reasons.

Unfortunately it's open slather in the USA regarding who can keep and buy reptiles, unlike here in Australia where one must first obtain a keepers permit and present your licence to buy a reptile. This cuts out a lot of the impulse buying by people who are totally clueless regarding reptile husbandry and care who in the USA can easily obtain a lizard or snake simply by walking into a pet shop and paying over some $, no questions asked.
Add to this the fact that most of the staff in pet shops who sell reptiles now nothing about how to care for them and are interested in selling as much stuff (whether it's suitable or not) as they can to the know-nothing customer.

 

[WaywardChild]

My youngest beardie came from Petco. I just remember her being the biggest and most active amongst the others. However I like my Petco a bit more than the Petsmart we have. I was over there not too long ago and they sell babies at maybe 2-5 days old. They aren't big at all. The smallest I saw wasn't getting enough calcium,which is what I figured, and when I asked to pick it up, it shook its head wildly and it was the only red flag I needed. Not to mention I had noticed it just laying there. I told two of the workers at the store there and they told me they would have him seen the next day by their vet. I went back couple days later and was told it was doing better and that it was sick because of lack of calcium. I mean, either pet store can have bad conditions depending where you live, but I think Petco does a little bit more for the babies by selling them at 6 weeks instead of days.