asherology
Member
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?)
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?)