In Defense of PetSmart

[hinoco1225]

Whoa! Controversial, I know. Lol

I wanted to post this as a thread, but it was too long, so I posted it as a blog. If you have some time and want to read some truth about PetSmart, check it out: https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/hinoco1225/540-defense-petsmart.html

For the record, I'm not just trying to make the company look good. My defending the company doesn't benefit me in any way. I just feel like the company deserves some credit for the things it does right, and I want people to realize that it's not nearly as bad as many make it out to be. The standards of care for many animals (like small furry critters and birds) are absolutely superb, in my opinion. And even the care of very particular and unique animals like chameleons is really not all wrong. Anyway, check out the blog if you care to read more.

 

[Pilotman800]

My local Petsmart is FANTASTIC! NEVER have I seen a chameleon dehydrated or out of shape. Same goes for all the other animals I have seen there. They also keep their cricket bins very clean. I haven't been to any other Petsmart other than my local one so I can not speak for them.

 

[Emcee101]

This blog entry was intended as a response to my thread, and I'm deeply sorry if it offended you. It was a established opinion, with a few others judgements aswell. I infact bought a lot of my supplies there and there education for animals and items in general were outstanding, but poor down to the root. Sorry if that offends anyone.

 

[chameleoman]

i totally disagree with your statements and blog and im saying this in a chameleons defense that i saw at pet smart. when i went to petsmart i went to get some crickets when i went i saw a full grown jackson chameleon in a 12x12 inch glass cage with no dripper just a water bowl and a bowl of undusted mealworms with bark all over the floor and only one piece of driftwood. i know that is because petsmart wants to sell it fast so they give it no hiding spaces for everyone to see it and buy it. and went i went to pay i told the lady and she just ignored me and said "i dont know" problaly cause im only 13 so she didnt care so i dont think they take good care of their animals

 

[ataraxia]

read the care sheet they put out. my local petsmart has a tag that says vieleds should be kept at 95* degrees (babies). somehow they are able to in a 5 gallon sized cage let a chameleon thermo regulate. have you seen dead or dieing chameleons in one of there set ups before? when you try to help give good information and the manager comes back with words like we are forced to keep animals by the way corporate wants. how about go ask any of the associates how to care for a chameleon. watch what kind of responses you get. then take in consideration that to someone that knows nothing takes this info and goes home with it. petsmart also only carries calcium with d3. ask an associate how to supplement. sorry they are another bs corporation putting money before an animals well being.

yes they do well for many other animals but that is where it should stay imo.

 

[okiroo]

read the care sheet they put out. my local petsmart has a tag that says vieleds should be kept at 95* degrees (babies). somehow they are able to in a 5 gallon sized cage let a chameleon thermo regulate. have you seen dead or dieing chameleons in one of there set ups before? when you try to help give good information and the manager comes back with words like we are forced to keep animals by the way corporate wants. how about go ask any of the associates how to care for a chameleon. watch what kind of responses you get. then take in consideration that to someone that knows nothing takes this info and goes home with it. petsmart also only carries calcium with d3. ask an associate how to supplement. sorry they are another bs corporation putting money before an animals well being.

yes they do well for many other animals but that is where it should stay imo.

thats how it is here. same kinda of care sheet...they get some stuff randomly right and i really wish it was better, but its not. even our rodent and birds come in sick. i talked to the people that work their and they HATE it. my boyfriend cussed out this poor girl last time we went becuz a cute baby girl cham was about dead and skinnier everytime we came in. its hard to watch.

 

[hinoco1225]

This blog entry was intended as a response to my thread, and I'm deeply sorry if it offended you. It was a established opinion, with a few others judgements aswell. I infact bought a lot of my supplies there and there education for animals and items in general were outstanding, but poor down to the root. Sorry if that offends anyone.

No, this blog was not a response to your statement. It was a response to the tons of threads I've seen that spread wrong information about PetSmart. (I've actually been writing it for a while - it was just coincidental timing that I posted it now, lol.) You didn't offend me at all - you were given incorrect information from a PetSmart associate, and that is not ok in the least. But my point is that the misinformation you were given is the fault of your local store - not the company as a whole.

 

[hallenhe]

I think we need to realize that PetSmart, PetCo and others are franchises - due to the chance mix of people running and working in a given place, they're going to differ from store to store. I certainly can't justify a care sheet that says to keep baby veileds at 95 degrees, but I think there's enough evidence from what people have reported on these and other forums that some stores in the chain do a poor job - but others do a good one. My local PetCo (not PetSmart) consistently supplies me with the healthiest crickets I've bought, and their employees seem very knowledgable. They consider chameleons demanding in terms of husbandry, and do not stock them, but will special order. I know there are other stores in the chain that do stock them routinely and keep them in poor conditions; all I'm saying is we can't paint all the stores with one brush.

 

[ataraxia]

But my point is that the misinformation you were given is the fault of your local store - not the company as a whole.

incorrect, the corporation should have better training prgoram, proper care guidelines and set ups for each animal sold.

 

[hinoco1225]

i totally disagree with your statements and blog and im saying this in a chameleons defense that i saw at pet smart. when i went to petsmart i went to get some crickets when i went i saw a full grown jackson chameleon in a 12x12 inch glass cage with no dripper just a water bowl and a bowl of undusted mealworms with bark all over the floor and only one piece of driftwood. i know that is because petsmart wants to sell it fast so they give it no hiding spaces for everyone to see it and buy it. and went i went to pay i told the lady and she just ignored me and said "i dont know" problaly cause im only 13 so she didnt care so i dont think they take good care of their animals

I truly hate hearing stories like this, and it is such a shame that this happens because it is not what the whole company is about. I absolutely encourage you to shop elsewhere since your local store is one of the reasons PetSmart has such a bad name.

 

[hinoco1225]

I think we need to realize that PetSmart, PetCo and others are franchises - due to the chance mix of people running and working in a given place, they're going to differ from store to store. I certainly can't justify a care sheet that says to keep baby veileds at 95 degrees, but I think there's enough evidence from what people have reported on these and other forums that some stores in the chain do a poor job - but others do a good one. My local PetCo (not PetSmart) consistently supplies me with the healthiest crickets I've bought, and their employees seem very knowledgable. They consider chameleons demanding in terms of husbandry, and do not stock them, but will special order. I know there are other stores in the chain that do stock them routinely and keep them in poor conditions; all I'm saying is we can't paint all the stores with one brush.

I agree completely.

About the keeping babies at 95 degrees, that is not what the guide says at all. I can't necessarily vouch for the stores I haven't been to, but the information is not supposed to be different from store to store. The Care Guides refer to the adult reptiles (as indicated by several things, including the recommendation of a terrarium that is at least 3 feet tall, etc.), and it says the basking spot for veileds should be 90-100. Now I'm not saying this is correct and I know that many people have different opinions about temperatures. But I'm trying to correct misinformation. The Care Guide on PetSmart's website and distributed at all the stores I've been to does not say baby chameleons should be kept at 95 degrees.

 

[hinoco1225]

My local Petsmart is FANTASTIC! NEVER have I seen a chameleon dehydrated or out of shape. Same goes for all the other animals I have seen there. They also keep their cricket bins very clean. I haven't been to any other Petsmart other than my local one so I can not speak for them.

I'm very glad to hear that. This is the kind of store I work at, and I know there are others out there.

 

[hinoco1225]

read the care sheet they put out. my local petsmart has a tag that says vieleds should be kept at 95* degrees (babies). somehow they are able to in a 5 gallon sized cage let a chameleon thermo regulate. have you seen dead or dieing chameleons in one of there set ups before? when you try to help give good information and the manager comes back with words like we are forced to keep animals by the way corporate wants. how about go ask any of the associates how to care for a chameleon. watch what kind of responses you get. then take in consideration that to someone that knows nothing takes this info and goes home with it. petsmart also only carries calcium with d3. ask an associate how to supplement. sorry they are another bs corporation putting money before an animals well being.

yes they do well for many other animals but that is where it should stay imo.

It's unfortunate that you have had bad experiences with your local store, and I totally feel for you, but I'm trying to make the point that not all are like that.

And just for the record, our baby chameleons are absolutely not kept at 95 degrees, nor do we recommend that.

About PetSmart not stocking calcium without D3, that is very common among all pet stores, and it is in the process of changing with PetSmart.

And as far as many associates giving out wrong information, yeah, it sucks. It's terrible. But that happens at all pet stores, not just PetSmart. Many locally-owned shops are actually a lot worse about it. And regardless, I am a firm believer that it is ultimately the owner's responsibility to take care of an animal properly. When a chameleon gets MBD because the pet store didn't mention it needs UVB (which would never happen at my store), it is just as much the owner's fault, if not more, for not doing his or her own research.

 

[hinoco1225]

thats how it is here. same kinda of care sheet...they get some stuff randomly right and i really wish it was better, but its not. even our rodent and birds come in sick. i talked to the people that work their and they HATE it. my boyfriend cussed out this poor girl last time we went becuz a cute baby girl cham was about dead and skinnier everytime we came in. its hard to watch.

I really hate hearing that. Sucks that so many people just don't care

 

[hinoco1225]

incorrect, the corporation should have better training prgoram, proper care guidelines and set ups for each animal sold.

It does! The corporation has all of that. The set-up requirements, feeding charts, etc. are practically children's books because they spell everything out so plainly. And you should see the books I had to read when I first got hired. Like I said in my blog, the reason that not all stores do everything right is because of individuals not caring enough to do things right for all the different animals. And yeah, it would be great if the corporation could scrutinize every store more closely to prevent that from happening, but it's very difficult given the number of stores. That's the problem with corporations - even with the best of intentions, the numbers become unmanageable in certain ways. I know that and I readily admit it.

 

[JackP308]

I wouldn't defend the OHIO stores

I don't know a single pet store in OHIO that carries reptiles or calcium w d3 and does not have regular calcium. So its not common. You can actually order calcium and a lot more non bought items online though through Petsmart.com if people really wanted to buy from them. I think they even carry repti sun online which is a plus.

 

[ajb28221]

I will admit petsmart does a waaayy better job taking care of their animals than petco, I get pissed when I go in the petco by my house

 

[bechsgaard]

i dont know about pet smart, but i worked at PJs Pets. The conditions for the chameleons were horrible. a 10 gallon aquarium, no UV or heat, a spray every other day. i sent a formal complaint and got fired

 

[hinoco1225]

I will admit petsmart does a waaayy better job taking care of their animals than petco, I get pissed when I go in the petco by my house

This is true, based on corporate policies. PetSmart's policies and standards of care are much more humane than Petco's. I hate when those two companies are grouped together. They are not the same at all.

 

[chameleoman]

know one please take it offensive in any way but this is a stupid thing to argue about i hate petco and petsmart some else loves them so what who cares who hates what and who likes what i surely dont give a rats crap about who thinks what its a free world so everyone think what you want