now I remember why I dont like pet stores

[Lupe]

My mom went to the dollar store to get cleaning supplies so we can start cleaning our other house in town which her and myself will be moving back into when I finish school. The store is right next to a pet shop so I when in to see what they had for sale, it has been over a year since I have been in there and this trip was just a reminder of just how much I hate pet shops =/
The kittens were $80 and not even pure bred. Only one would let me pet it, the others were scared and hissed. The fish tanks were grungy and they keep way too many animals the cages (there were two full grown chinchillas in a 10 gallon tank, the same with a few rabbits) and in what looked to be a 40 gallon tank were two beardies lounging in the basking light. It seemed like they had proper lighting but they were on a sand substrate, there was really dry lettuce in a dish, and there was poo EVERYWHERE! They couldn't have been more than 12 inches long and when I asked the man at the counter how old they were I was told;
him: 2 or 3
me: ... years or months?
him: years.
I was shocked at this! I went back an looked them over and there didn't seem to be any toe or tail nips but one wouldn't open it's right eye... I hope the poor thing is okay! There was also a baby dragon that was maybe 3 inches long... It looked so tired but it was by itself in a decent sized tank. There was a water dish deep enough for it to drown itself in and a cricket as big as the baby's head had already met it's end in the dish... I was appalled at the conditions these and other animals were kept in... I don't think I can ever go back now.

 

[Grixxly15]

I feel the same way in every pet shop I go in. The worst part is that when someone buys the animals at shops like that they are going to tell them they just have to treat them like the way they do at the store to keep them healthy.

 

[sweetiepie9]

I agree, I won't go into pet shops anymore either. My husband has to go to one pet shop for the worms our beardies eat, but that's it. Roger used to work in a pet shop as a reptile keeper, he did a great job, the beardies were very healthy and big. He was laid off in Jan, as soon as he left, the manager put the beardies on sand and put them in smaller tanks, at least they had proper UVB & basking temps. Since that last batch were sold in winter, about a 6-7 wks ago a new batch of beardie babies were bought. They were all put together in one large 40 gal, ok on UVB & basking light but not enough food. They hired me to make salad for them, so at least every day they got ground squash, with small pieces of collard greens, dandelion greens and baby bok choy, so at least they got some veggies. Roger said they were so starved they just jumped on it and picked away at it. Now they've decided that the salads are not cost effective. I told Roger I just won't visit there anymore. One of our members, Barbara, has some beardie eggs that just hatched. The babies were born about 4" long. When we saw the pics and videos, Roger realized that the little ones at the pet shop were really small for their ages and wanted to know what was wrong with the breeder to sell them so small & is disgusted with the owner and manager of the pet shop that they take such bad care of the beardies they're trying to sell. They sell lots of fish & snakes, who are all in good shape, but the reptiles, besides the beardies, are underfed and not cared for & slowly dying. It just breaks my heart but I just don't have the room to rescue any more. We have 5 beardies, 2 of them rescued from this pet shop and a golden gecko that Roger was given when he was laid off. All our beardies are very healthy and well loved. So I understand your point completely. I wish there was something we could do besides putting in a complaint with Animal Control, as my husband gets along well with the manager. I just don't understand why anyone would have animals in their shop and not take care of them, especailly reptiles. So that's my rant for the night!

 

[Lara]

I live in South Africa, and i have to say that even here, i cant go into a petshop anymore. at least, not in my town. 90% of the petshops in this town is owned by the same man, and i gave his daughter so much grief who worked behind the counter about the condition of the beardies, that she started shifting between the shops. they kept baby beardies, about 2 months old in a 11" x 8" x 9" tank, (5 babies), and all of them had missing toes, stumps for tails, feces everywhere, and no veggies.

and i agree, people who buy them are gonna think that's how my cage should be, what i should feed him etc.

Unfortunately i am not financially able to rescue these poor babies, and the worst part, is we cant even report it to the SPCA, because they say it's not an indiginist species, and therefor they dont protect or rescue beardies, iguanas, cornsnakes etc. if the SPCA here had their way, all these exotic reptiles would be deported. and they publicly announced this in the newspaper.

i feel pretty bad for all the baby beardies suffering around here, with no one to look out for them or help or rescue them.

 

[DragonLess]

The Petsmart near me isn't half bad. The Beardies are about 5 inches with 4-5 kept in a small 10-12 x 12 but they are very active and there is little feces. The other pets have clean cages and all have food. The Petco on the other hand is like a living hell with poop everywhere! The poor ferrets are almost drowning in their own poo.

 

[herps4ever]

I only go into pet stores to buy worms or caluicm. my buddy worked at one and they had scorpions (emperors) one sand didnt mist them. they had tokeys on sand as well. he went in fixed everything got fired and now everything is back to normal. the baby beardie is on sand has crap everywhere and is 110 dallors. the ball pythons dont get a clean cage have shed and crap every where as well. that is why i hate pet stores its over priced and they should be charged with animal cruelty.

 

[Amellio]

I hear a lot of complaints about pet stores. My petsmart is acutally pretty good. They have carpet substrate and is usually clean. Has good lighting and usually have crickets running around. They all look healthy. As far as other animals go.... i dont know much about them so I cant tell you.

 

[bradlush]

The pet's unlimited here just makes me sad... However the Jungle Pets around the corner from my apartment is pretty good, only a few budgies in each cage,1-3 baby Beardies to a tank, very knowledgeable and caring staff, etc. I got my Praying Mantis there, and its the only place I'll ever buy crickets, calcium powder etc. So really its just a matter of finding a good pet store. They're not all bad, if they were most of us wouldn't even have our Beardies... but if you find one that is bad, visit it every day, nag the reptile keeper, tell him what he/she is doing wrong (if you actually know what you're talking about), demand to speak to a manager, call you're local news station, boycott them, and encourage others to do the same. There are ways to make a difference.

 

[Lupe]

I talked to my mom about this store and I guess it has been a poorly run store for some time. She won't go in because the smell is so bad she actually gags... I didn't notice the smell just the poor care taken of the animals. There is a better store farther in town and a Petco and Petsmart, they are both new and I have only been in Petco but it seemed okay besides the fact the baby beardies were on sand.

 

[Pravius]

There are a select few pet stores here in Michigan that I will actually walk into and give my business. I respect a few of them for the way they care for their animals however there are some that are horrible. I walked into one the other day and they have two full grown beardies in the same tank with no lights, crusty iceburg lettuce, and carrots... it was horrible. Wish there was a way to get them in trouble.