Petco and bearded dragon care

[asherology]

Hi,
So, I visited Petco today to buy a nicer food bowl for Sparks. I checked on the reptiles they had there and I found myself near tears when I saw that one of the baby bearded dragons was simply laying in the botttom of the cage - dead. I know this might not be Petco's fault but once I told someone working there about it, he didn't really seem to care much. Maybe this happens frequently? Again, I don't want to blame Petco but I've been to many other local pet stores (non-chain) and I have never seen anything like that before. I almost never go to Petco but it was on the way home from the vet. Also, I am positive the little dude was dead. I know people sometimes mistake their bearded as dead when they are really sleeping but this one was truly gone. He was laying on his side, almost upside down. It just didnt look right at all.

My question now is if anyone knows about the care they give to their reptiles. I know they have a lot to work with but has anyone ever witnessed consistent neglect from their care or do you think this guy just passed on due to his own issues? I know it probably isn't going to be easy to tell but I am just curious if anyone has had any issues with Petco and bearded dragon care. I might be making this a bigger issue than it really is but I am just trying to figure out if Petco isn't the best place to get reptiles from. He probably just passed away because he was dealing with something that wasn't visible to the naked eye, or maybe he just wasn't bound to survive past his baby years. Hopefully that was the case. (Sparks is from a no-kill reptile rescue so he's been treated very well. He was one year and six months when I got him so he isn't a tiny baby. Though, if I am considering getting a baby at any point, would Petco be good to buy from? Or should I stick to the local stores?)

 

[Zombiepanda]

I doubt you're making his a bigger deal than it actually is. Unfortunately those big stores have a bad reputation in this forum for those exact reasons. As a matter of fact a lot of us were talking in another thread about being in Petsmart and finally losing our cool on negligent employees. I actually just his last week saw some TERRIBLE advice being given and called them out on it. I had to go back a few days later and found the employee was fired due to heir uncaring attitude and negligence. I consider it a huge win and still one of my shining moments. I don't think these places are necessarily a "bad" place to purchase pets, but breeders will have a healthier reptile overall. I am also not one to judge because I got my Maggie from petsmart, kind of accidentally. I wanted to adopt a rescue and saw her being neglected and took her right on home with me.

If you really want to do something to help that isn't too confrontational you could always call up to petco and speak to a manager. Personally I would say something like "I was up there earlier and saw a dead baby dragon in the tank. I was intending on purchasing from you guys but after seeing that I am genuinely questioning the health of your reptiles and their care." Not only wil that bring it to their attention, but it'll also show them that they may have lost your sale and possibly even others depending on how many people saw that.

 

[Gormagon]

WOW!!! You managed to put Petco and bearded dragon care in the same sentence without laughing! I am intrigued, lol!

 

[asherology]

I doubt you're making his a bigger deal than it actually is. Unfortunately those big stores have a bad reputation in this forum for those exact reasons. As a matter of fact a lot of us were talking in another thread about being in Petsmart and finally losing our cool on negligent employees. I actually just his last week saw some TERRIBLE advice being given and called them out on it. I had to go back a few days later and found the employee was fired due to heir uncaring attitude and negligence. I consider it a huge win and still one of my shining moments. I don't think these places are necessarily a "bad" place to purchase pets, but breeders will have a healthier reptile overall. I am also not one to judge because I got my Maggie from petsmart, kind of accidentally. I wanted to adopt a rescue and saw her being neglected and took her right on home with me.

If you really want to do something to help that isn't too confrontational you could always call up to petco and speak to a manager. Personally I would say something like "I was up there earlier and saw a dead baby dragon in the tank. I was intending on purchasing from you guys but after seeing that I am genuinely questioning the health of your reptiles and their care." Not only wil that bring it to their attention, but it'll also show them that they may have lost your sale and possibly even others depending on how many people saw that.

Thanks! Yeah, I'll probably say something along the lines of that. I'm sure they'll react much more if I show some doubts about their care, resulting in a loss of sales for them. I'll just stick to breeders if I want a healthier beardie. Though, I might consider "rescuing" one from those stores in the future if I happen to see one in severe pain.

 

[asherology]

WOW!!! You managed to put Petco and bearded dragon care in the same sentence without laughing! I am intrigued, lol!

Eh, just me being a newbie I guess. That's the exact reason why I asked the question. I didn't know if there were any reoccurring issues with the stores. I have no shame in asking! I love asking questions, it's just what I do.

 

[Zombiepanda]

WOW!!! You managed to put Petco and bearded dragon care in the same sentence without laughing! I am intrigued, lol!

Terrible ?? don't apologize for asking lol you're just getting you leg pulled

Yep that's what I would do. If I ever decide to get a second it'll most likely be rescue from somewhere. There's lots of posts in here about people rescuing neglected beardies from Craigslist and such. But if you want to get a baby from these stores don't feel terrible just research and take time to compare them and a reputable breeder

 

[asherology]

WOW!!! You managed to put Petco and bearded dragon care in the same sentence without laughing! I am intrigued, lol!

Terrible ?? don't apologize for asking lol you're just getting you leg pulled

Yep that's what I would do. If I ever decide to get a second it'll most likely be rescue from somewhere. There's lots of posts in here about people rescuing neglected beardies from Craigslist and such. But if you want to get a baby from these stores don't feel terrible just research and take time to compare them and a reputable breeder

Hah, alright! I'll make sure to do loads of research before I decide on getting another. Especially if it's a rescue. That'll probably be a while, though, as I have my hands full with Sparks right now. He's a trouble maker.

 

[Gormagon]

WOW!!! You managed to put Petco and bearded dragon care in the same sentence without laughing! I am intrigued, lol!

Eh, just me being a newbie I guess. That's the exact reason why I asked the question. I didn't know if there were any reoccurring issues with the stores. I have no shame in asking! I love asking questions, it's just what I do.

Nothing bad intended, I like your innocence and, style

 

[kingofnobbys]

I doubt you're making his a bigger deal than it actually is. Unfortunately those big stores have a bad reputation in this forum for those exact reasons. As a matter of fact a lot of us were talking in another thread about being in Petsmart and finally losing our cool on negligent employees. I actually just his last week saw some TERRIBLE advice being given and called them out on it. I had to go back a few days later and found the employee was fired due to heir uncaring attitude and negligence. I consider it a huge win and still one of my shining moments. I don't think these places are necessarily a "bad" place to purchase pets, but breeders will have a healthier reptile overall. I am also not one to judge because I got my Maggie from petsmart, kind of accidentally. I wanted to adopt a rescue and saw her being neglected and took her right on home with me.

If you really want to do something to help that isn't too confrontational you could always call up to petco and speak to a manager. Personally I would say something like "I was up there earlier and saw a dead baby dragon in the tank. I was intending on purchasing from you guys but after seeing that I am genuinely questioning the health of your reptiles and their care." Not only wil that bring it to their attention, but it'll also show them that they may have lost your sale and possibly even others depending on how many people saw that.

Thanks! Yeah, I'll probably say something along the lines of that. I'm sure they'll react much more if I show some doubts about their care, resulting in a loss of sales for them. I'll just stick to breeders if I want a healthier beardie. Though, I might consider "rescuing" one from those stores in the future if I happen to see one in severe pain.

Personally, I think it's destestable that they would let a little innocent hatchling suffer and die and just leave it there, very obvious that they are more interested in making $ than the welfare and care of their animals in their store.

I would make a very loud issue of this if had been me and made sure I created maximum disruption and embarrisement and maximum loss of sales while I was there and would have demanded I speak to the manager/ franchise owner about this.

As I've said before, pet shops should not be allowed to stock / sell reptiles and more restrictions and regulations are needed to get these cowboys out the trade / hobby.