Petsmart beardies

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drgnfly2265

Sub-Adult Member
doodlelou":2335xdhr said:
Thanks everyone for your replies.

This will be my first beardie and I honestly would like to get one that is atleast a few months old rather than only 6 weeks old. The ones they have at Petsmart are sooooo tiny! I have handled these little ones a few times when visiting the store and they seem fine with this, just sitting in my hand looking around. These little guys were already eating greens and vegetables, it was feeding time when I was there so they seemed to be well taken care of.

Dana

I would suggest getting a beardie that is a few months old. I got my first beardie when she was 4 months old (from a breeder). The guy had her already really comfortable with being handled.

The good thing about getting a beardie from a breeder was that any questions that I had specifically about her past he was able to answer for me and you wont be able to get that from a pet store.

Also, the pet store might sound like they know what they are doing, but I have caught them a couple of times giving out the wrong information and with different types of animals. Like I heard a employee at Petco was trying to sell a sulcata to a family. I was listening in because I was being curious about what info he was going to give them ( I have a 3 year old sulcata ). When the mother asked "how big do they get?", the employee said not that big! Well, the employee said that he had to run to the back real fast and then he would return with a little box so they could take it home. When he left I told the family how big that the sulcata will really get. I showed them a picture on my phone of how big my 3 year old is as proof. After they seen that they said they only have room for whatever can fit in a 20 gal. fish tank, plus they said they lived in an apartment. So they ended up leaving.
 

mccallumpiper

Hatchling Member
Do not go to petsmart or petco. They are terrible at least the ones by me are. They will send you home with bulbs that only hurt them feeders that will impact them. There are mant reputable breeders right here on this site and the little extra money is worth it for sure. I have a Petsmart beardie and its a good chance they will have stunted growth due to their conditions and parasites. You will do yourself a big favor by going through a breeder. And like I said there are ones on this site that have beautiful healthy dragons.
 

HKzForDayz

Sub-Adult Member
You cant judge all stores like that, thats just ignorant. Like i said you need to spesk with whoever is in charge of reptiles and see if they know their stuff
 

Nasubi77

Sub-Adult Member
gimmexthexloot":1lao7zfq said:
You cant judge all stores like that, thats just ignorant. Like i said you need to spesk with whoever is in charge of reptiles and see if they know their stuff

Even if a store is lucky enough to have a knowledgeable employee, it is still a Petsmart/Petco and they still have horrendous practices which deserve a boycott. It comes from a corporate level, so even if location X is slightly better than location Y, they are essentially all the same and the money you spend there goes into the same pockets as if you had bought one from "location Y".

When you buy an animal from a pet store, you are supporting their habits and making room for even more beardie mill (guinea pig mill, parakeet mill, whatever) animals to take its place. You notice they don't sell dogs or cats anymore? That is because of the terrible way they take care of the animals. Enough people raise cain about "cute & fluffy" animals, so selling those types was banned at these stores. The general public really doesn't care how well a snake or a rat is taken care of, so enough "cain" hasn't been raised to eliminate the sells of exotics so they still sell them. As reptile hobbyists, we should be first in line to boycott these stores. Otherwise, we are just contributing to the problem.

My vote is breeder (obviously). If you can find a local one, still ask lots of Q's because any ***** can "breed". That doesn't mean they know a lot about husbandry or that they care a lot about the animals. It might just mean that they thought they would make a quick buck. Make sure you get one from a reputable breeder. The For Sale section of this forum is a great place to start.
 

doodlelou

Member
Original Poster
I thank you for all the advice given on my thread. I'm not sure which way to go here.

After talking with the head guy at Petsmart, he told me all the right things regarding care and set up for the beardie (it all matched with what I've read and what you all have told me). I'm not rushing into getting one at this point though. Want to get my tank and all the supplies set up before I bring my little friend home and make sure he's got everything he'll need.

With regard to a breeder, I'm worried about shipment. Isn't that stressful for the beardie? And how do I know that they are any better than a pet store. I mean I would just have to take their word for it that they're beardies are healthy and without seeing the beardie in person first, I'm really at a disadvantage.

So I've contacted the one and only local breeder here to see if I can see their beardies first before buying. I would rather not have to have one shipped.

Dana
 

mccallumpiper

Hatchling Member
Well I cant imagine how much would change from store to store. For the most part the people in charge are there cause its a job and to earn a buck not necessarily there to give the best for your reptile.I guess a good way to tell is to see if they send you home with reptiglos and sand. And if being ignorant is being safe then thats fine with me.
 

ziggy23

Gray-bearded Member
doodlelou":28u21ha0 said:
I thank you for all the advice given on my thread. I'm not sure which way to go here.

After talking with the head guy at Petsmart, he told me all the right things regarding care and set up for the beardie (it all matched with what I've read and what you all have told me). I'm not rushing into getting one at this point though. Want to get my tank and all the supplies set up before I bring my little friend home and make sure he's got everything he'll need.

With regard to a breeder, I'm worried about shipment. Isn't that stressful for the beardie? And how do I know that they are any better than a pet store. I mean I would just have to take their word for it that they're beardies are healthy and without seeing the beardie in person first, I'm really at a disadvantage.

So I've contacted the one and only local breeder here to see if I can see their beardies first before buying. I would rather not have to have one shipped.

Dana

There are some very good breeders on this site, and they all seem to make it through shipment just fine. I haven't purchased from them myself, but they post frequently on this board, and I've seen them grow up through pictures. They are VERY nice and healthy looking dragons.

Another alternative is reptile shows. Breeders and suppliers come from all over to those shows. My state has them every month. You can get anything you'd ever need or want at very good prices at those shows.

Once you do the math, it really isn't that much money. The dragon + setup is about the same price you'd pay for a good dog nowadays. At least at the low end of dog prices, some of them really get up there in price.
 

HKzForDayz

Sub-Adult Member
I manage the reptiles at my petco and the only policy i have to uphold is to have my reptiles healthy. Other then that i have free reign to a reasonable degree
 

carpedraconum

Hatchling Member
I really have to advise with the breeder. The dragons are healthier and started off a lot better. The shipping is stress full on them, but compare that to hundreds of people walking by, tapping on the glass, improper temperature, and competing for food. I have four dragons ordered at the same time, all doing great, now. One had a minor eye problem but was fixed with his shed. The breeder dragons are also used to being handled. You need to give the dragon a little space to acclimate, but then they grow used to you and are great new additions to the family. The Head at my petco & petsmart were both knowledgeable, but the care for the lizards wasn't there. No hand time, and the guys were skittish. The cost as well is not an issue if you are only for a plain color dragon, as well though there are breeders that need to make room for new clutches occasionally and sell the dragons cheaper. I know a couple good breeders if you want to PM me. They are great at communicating over the phone and by e-mail so that you are comfortable with who you are ordering from. But in the end, it is your choice, and your dragon. Go with who you feel is the best candidate to give you the best dragon and lifetime heart-string puller. You will get attached instantly so make sure that you go with exactly what you want.

Take care,

Drew
 

alenke

Member
I got my two babies from a petstore (not knowing how bad some if not all of them are) My beardies are almost a year old and really undersized for their age. My vet said he doubts they will reach 16 inches even though they eat like pigs now. They have a tendency to not feed them enough in the pet store which stunts their growth or feed them the wrong thing.
 

GunRack

Member
spyder79":2q602evr said:
You realize that by going through petsmart you are still going through a breeder just the long way and the "lower end" stock. Petsmart is supplied by Sandfire dragon ranch in mass quantities. They have their "normal" lines that they ship out by the dozens to the petsmart hub which then ships them out to the local stores around the country. So in essence when you purchase from a petsmart you are purchasing the same way you would with a breeder just double the shipping (from breeder to head office from head office to store). Typically they havent even acclimated to their new setting when they are purchased and moved again to yet another new place. The reason so many people have problems is because of this severly compounded stress from all the changing of hands.

None of the pets supplied to most major retailers are shipped to the office first, just about everything is shipped directly from the vendors. Otherwise it would not be very cost effective.
 

spyder79

Extreme Poster
GunRack":itsbrq0d said:
spyder79":itsbrq0d said:
You realize that by going through petsmart you are still going through a breeder just the long way and the "lower end" stock. Petsmart is supplied by Sandfire dragon ranch in mass quantities. They have their "normal" lines that they ship out by the dozens to the petsmart hub which then ships them out to the local stores around the country. So in essence when you purchase from a petsmart you are purchasing the same way you would with a breeder just double the shipping (from breeder to head office from head office to store). Typically they havent even acclimated to their new setting when they are purchased and moved again to yet another new place. The reason so many people have problems is because of this severly compounded stress from all the changing of hands.

None of the pets supplied to most major retailers are shipped to the office first, just about everything is shipped directly from the vendors. Otherwise it would not be very cost effective.
I doubt that. From what I understand the Corporate head office will place an order for x thousand animals, then disseminate the animals to the regions. Either way the animals are still overly stressed in relation to a breeders animal.

by the way they pay under 7 dollars a pop for the animals so cost effective is not an issue lol.
 
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