Pet Smart

[CalBears]

Bottom line is there are more and more complaints. Petitions being signed. People going to these stores and not getting accurate info. Poor care seems to be the protocal with these stores. If you look through this forum, you'll find a lot of complaints. But out of all the posting I have read including yours, you seem to be the only one in defense of these stores. An employee of one these stores has spoken of the bad conditions. Sorry you're tired of the "bashing" but seems to me a lot of people have a lot to "bash" about.

I'm not defending the stores, per say. I'm just saying to be fair to them. As far as your comment about your complaints and petitions, it goes back to my whole thought on how some of the people on this site have never experienced the bad conditions first-hand, yet still will sign petitions. Petitions are not really a popularity contest.

I do agree that some PETCO and PETsMART stores may not have the most knowledgeable people nor the pets living in the best conditions, but you also have to consider their parameters and the reasons why the pets are living in small cages or whatever. They are intended to be sold, so those houses are not permanent. Also, I cannot stress to you guys that it is not the fault of the employees or managers, it goes down to corporate (Since PETCO and PETsMART are corporations). If you have a complaint, file it with the corporate office and not the local store.

Like I said before, I don't mind them living in those small cages as long as they are not filthy. Some of the mom and pop owned pet stores never clean the pet's cages, which, in my opinion, is by far worst thing for the pet.

 

[MissingBello]

I agree that not all Petcos and Petsmarts are bad. My disgust is more at a corporate level. There are employees out there that do know their stuff when it comes to reptiles. It's just wrong that corporate big wigs don't allow those employees to do whats right when it comes to the care of these animals.
Breeders do send reptiles too young and these stores should set age minimums on the reptiles they accept in their shipments.
Secondly, I wanted to apologize to Calbears. I posted with a sharp tongue and hope I didn't offend you. We may not always see things the same but at the same time, we do share something in common and that's the love of these magical creatures and that's something I can respect. Again, I'm sorry for that.
I will end by simply saying - Do your research befor you buy. Make sure that you're ready to care for these animals. It's more than just buying one and putting it in a tank. It's a commitment that does require work. You can't slack or get bored with them. Their lives depend on you.
Colin, I hope you do get a job at one of these stores. It's people like you that can make a difference in the way reptiles and all their animals are cared for.

 

[derekpaul]

Hey as some one that works at Petsmart, first and formost I really dont think anyone should comment unless you work there..... and as for us selling the beardies to young, it is our supplier that you would have to talk to about that believe me we have... Im from canada and I work with 3 other people in what we call petcare to advise people and help out with the animals in our store. I dont believe that I have given any miss direction on how to take care of beardies. I also believe that there are some people that work at petstores because they think it will be a easy paycheck and they have never owned a reptile or bird or cat or anything... well anyways all I would like to say is dont judge untill you work at your own store and that your remarks are hitting a very wide range of folks. thank you

 

[dragons1222]

i agree i also work at petsmart and it is much different than people think

yes not all of the stores follow protocal but the majority of them do try

we take all our animals to the vet when they are sick we store use a bunch of stuff to make them happy

we even take the leopard geckos we get in that have too thin of tails and keep them in the back rooms until they have fatter tails again

i agree we get animals in way too young sometimes but we cannot correct what the suppliers give us

 

[MissingBello]

"There are employees out there that do know what they're doing" Pay more attention to what you read and less attention on how you think you're being "judged". I'm done with this topic cause you people are to damn sensitive when it comes to YOUR "feelings"

 

[dragons1222]

i dont think anyone is being too sensitive

and when you bring up topics like this you will always cause debate

i think the main problem is not that you feel this way i agree corporate is the issue

but many people that come on feel that it is the emloyees fault and that employees should know everythin and that they(the beardie parent) is not at all to blame for the fact that they did no research whatsoever and now their beardie is dying/sick

 

[opi]

.
Yes, I've had the same experience, people in the store gave me wrong advice all the way! Had I just followed what I was told, my little girl would not have lived long. But as some people here mentioned, we felt that as a pet owners it was our responsibility to learn everything about our new pet, so we got few books, found this site, found a specialized vet and now I've become the little expert......my son follows after me.

I posted a comment in the petco discussion......what bothers me about these stores is not so much their lack of knowledge/information, but the total lack of care ! Today I went to the reptile expo in Westchester, I also felt animals there were kept in poor conditions and sold to just about anyone willing to pay. I saw a group of young kids ( under 18) buy a huge snake!

I feel disappointed to see how commercialization hurts animals! You see it everywhere.....I treat my pets, plants with respect and care because I think there is a huge responsibility that comes from having living things at your care

 

[dragons1222]

yes i agree at the reptile expos

the vendors do not ask any questions

i have bought several different reptiles at reptile shows and have never been asked anything about the quality of care i am going to provide for them

the majority of them just want to make money

not all of them though

 

[Cyndi]

this is such a dead horse.

Most places that sell animals are in it for money. If you want to blame PetsMart or Petco, you need not bother with it at the store level, you need to deal with Corporate HQ. That's all i'm saying about the dead horse.

Hey as some one that works at Petsmart, first and formost I really dont think anyone should comment unless you work there..... and as for us selling the beardies to young, it is our supplier that you would have to talk to about that believe me we have... Im from canada and I work with 3 other people in what we call petcare to advise people and help out with the animals in our store. I dont believe that I have given any miss direction on how to take care of beardies. I also believe that there are some people that work at petstores because they think it will be a easy paycheck and they have never owned a reptile or bird or cat or anything... well anyways all I would like to say is dont judge untill you work at your own store and that your remarks are hitting a very wide range of folks. thank you

Freedom of speech. Everyone is going to talk about it and i don't blame them. As a PetsMart employee myself, I will comment. I've seen the 'training' that our petcare associates get and it is so sad and lacking. No wonder no one gets the proper info. i also understand from petcare associates that they have a vet telling them that it's ok to feed four or five inch beardies meal worms. So you can't sit there and tell me that they prospective owners get complete information. Yes people work at petstores for easy paychecks. They also work at fast food or any other retail giant for the same reason. you will come to find that anywhere you go, so get over it. PetsMart has an obligation to educate their customers as well as their petcare associates a lot better than they do and we wouldn't be sitting here complaining about this or that and they wouldn't have the deaths that they do. If they had better suppliers who weren't just in it to make a buck as well, the cycle would end. But, that will probably never stop no matter what anyone does or says.

 

[sandi0906]

I was at the expo yesterday and overheard a vender telling someone they should never feed their dragons suppers 'they eat their way through the stomach' and should only feed pinkies. This shows even ' qualified' if you want to call it that give out own personal preference, not whats best for the animal. I know petsmart here in CT may have their reptiles housed in small quaters but they are very well taken care of. On behalf of the employees they are doing as told whether it be right or wrong, and unless they are told otherwise they truly believe they are giving the correct information.

 

[gypsysdragon]

For what it is worth I have to agree overall that the large warehouse type of stores such as Petsmart, Petland and Petcetera <--(last one being a Canadian started warehouse style pet store) are just that warehouses. WAREHOUSE being a place to "house" or display "wares"/goods/merchandise, and in doing so selling these "goods" for profit.
Unfortunately people wander through with their kids and spot this or that critter and decide it is "cool" and want it. Parents/people being the way they are purchase them without knowing/or getting the best information. Consumers are just as guilty since if they didn't demand/continue to purchase the "products" such as reptiles from these places there wouldn't be the demand and these warehouse types of stores would stop selling - No demand for them - no money coming in on the "product" - not likely going to continue selling it. Again unfortunately most people spend more time on researching a car then a breed of animal and how it will fit their lifestyle. One thing I do have to say is that the warehouse stores (at least here in Canada) have most of their reptiles priced so high that chances of a truly IMPULSE purchase isn't likely. So if you do decide to buy one you are going to "try" to get the best for them to keep it healthy.
As someone else posted previously the training of the staff is insufficient and the employees cant be blamed for that. So train the employee it is OK to say "I am not sure" and direct the customer to someone with more knowledge or to the book section. As for the comments from employees of the warehouse type stores about "well that is what the breeder sends us" is a pathetic response since it is up to the retail purchaser to find and encourage "good reputable" breeders. So if they are buying from a breeder that is sending too young or unhealthy animals - STOP using that breeder - find another one!! But as with any BIG business the bottom line comes down to the almighty dollar and in the end most of them just don't care enough about the animals they are housing even if it is considered "temporary". I don't know if there are any real solutions but it does feel good to be able to "vent", but fingers cant just be pointed at one particular group, since there are so many that contribute to the problem from the supplier down to purchaser.
Just my humble opinion
Lisa

 

[dragons1222]

we actually are trained to say "i am not sure"

in the books we have to complete we are told to find another sourse if we dont know the answer

but not all employees do that they dont want to seem "stupid" i guess

but i will i willsay i dont know lets go find a book


now i do agree that the petcare books and the care sheets are what we are supposed to follow and anyone who didnt have knowlege about certain animals

would have no way of knowing that mealworms ,calcium sand etc are bad

if i didnt do my own research i would thing that it would be cool to have pink sand lol

 

[mike91383]

Hi this is mike. i just bought a bearded two days ago. His name is Ivin. He is a year and half old and is about 18 inches long. When i got them home for the first night the tank got below 65 degrees. So i purchased a heat mat to go under the tank . i put it under his sleeping and living area 11x17 mat. (tank size is 36x18x20) And swiched his lights around to the oppsite sides he is used to. is this O.K.? So the people i bought him from said he is in hibernation but in captivity they don't that. Right? I give them crikits and green the first day but he didn't eat the green. Also the last owners said he hardly eat any of his green in the last 3 months but he still had eaten crikits once a week. To me that sounds unheathly. Right? so i hand feed them some greens today and he eat them out of my hand. WAY COOL! But i don't want to feed him like that ever day. The other problem i had was to much heat during the day. Should i just have the heating mat on during the night so that it doesn't go below 65?

 

[dragons1222]

hey mike i asnwered you in your other thread

 

[Shakey90]

I would like to bring another major upcoming pet store into this. PETMANIA. I bought my first beardie from ther not too long ago. They seem to be educated enough to care for them but at the same time not that educated(if that makes sense). I was interested in getting a beardie a few days before i bought mine and i noticed ye talking about how people just walk in and pick up a pet without doing research first. Fortunately for Leo (my baby) I did my research. I read all i could in 3 nights and learned how to care for them. Also blew my xmas nd bday presents off for a big tank. But what really surprised me was when i went in to buy leo and i just double checked all the info i gathered, I realised i knew a lot more than the workers in there. The reptile specialist in there said i was being to specific and i didnt need things like a proper thermometer etc. I was just kind of stunned that an 18 year old (me) could earn more knowledge on the animals in there than they hav in a few nights. Nothing against pet shop workers only I wish they would spend even an hour researching one animal a night. The world would be a better place for beardies. Not directed at the pet shop worker commenting on this thread....you know your stuff