Petsmart/Petland/Mom&Pop

[Ren]

Ok, I live in a small town, we have a pet store... I went in one day to buy some supplies for the Veileds and she asked what are you buying crickets mealworms and such for, I explained she said I would love to see them sometime... after a vet visit I brought them in... She loved them and told me she was going to order some in right away... Went back a couple of weeks later there they were 2 baby veileds about 1inch long and a female juvenile, about 3 inches long.... had on the sign $100.00 male veilded chameleon.... I told her she had a female and explained how you can tel and she still let the sign ride... I also told her you need to mist them often and supplement their food and give them the proper lighting.... has been months and still no lights, no dust, and finally no baby chameleons..... the female is still there and alive, I feel so bad, I want to go in there and buy the thing to try and help it out but I cant afford that price tag for her to buy more and NOT take care of them as well....I wish I could tell someone who could do something but Im sure thats a loosing battle, also I just got back from dinner some 50 miles from home and we stoped at a Petland, they have a lot of really cool fish and stuff for your animals, however they are the most overpriced place i have ever seen, $3,400.00 for french bulldog WOW, anyways, was walking around looking at a misting system and there are 2 Veiled Chams, in a 12x12x24 fresh-air enclosure, black as night both of them, both with broken tails, twisted spines , 1 laying on top of the mister system and the other hiding under the crap on teh bottom of the cage... I work @ Lowes, when we have new products we have training on the computers and such to learn about selling the product installation and so on, do these places that deal in animals who eat and drink and breath not do the same thing? Again no lights, no dustings and no life, there is no saving those 2 from the petland, makes me sick.... just thought I would share...Im glad there are folks like you all who take pride in caring for you animals and not just running some breeding mine....

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I can't look at the reptiles in any petstore anymore.
I have to go in to PetSmart or Petco to buy dog/cat food and cat litter, I zoom by the reptiles and look the other way.
I have fought for these animals more than once to no avail.
This is why some believe animals like chameleons should not be in the pet trade at all.
You can't win in these situations and it breaks my heart to see how they are kept....so I have taken the road of self preservation and don't look anymore.
I raise all my feeders or buy them online ...same with gut-load / supplements and supplies, so that I don't have to go into that dept. of a petstore.

-Brad

p.s. I can't ever go to the Humane Society or Dumb Friends League either...we simply haven't got the space or zoning for what would happen and it breaks my heart.

-B.

 

[Vegas Chad]

Ya I hate to go in most pet stores that have reptiles because they keep most of them in such a poor state... Some do very well and house them correctly but I would call that like 20%. It really sucks because alot of people will buy a reptile from a place like PetCo and then it will die a week later even though they took care of it very well, when it died due to months of poor care... In the end they just hurt the Reptile hobby, not help... Aw well... Hooray for online shop'n... Damn shipping...

 

[Fate X]

i sold 2 baby veileds to a reptile store a month ago and they are doing good i heard.i just sold 3 to a petstore at the mall.
they ask me all these questions to check me out .then i find out the women put them in a holding tank,i told her they need to be in a screen cage and she said she needed to set it up.in a few weeks i gotta go to the mall i can check em out.she said something about a dripper like they needed to be on drippers.
thern she pointed out one of the crickets in the cage and said it looked to big for the babies to eat.

i basically said some of the bigger babies eat big food.they are healthy enough too.

i had a bad feeling when i left is all i gotta say.all i can do is wait and check em out hope they made it.

 

[pohchunyee]

I sold my baby veiled and pygmies to some petstore. I ended up helping them setting up the enclosure. Check on those chameleon everyday. Monitor their food intake, water intake, misting. Giving them tips of the trade....until everyone is sold...LOL and i don't even work there!!!. But i care for my babies!

Recent incident in the petstore. They bought 2 male jackson (adult) from some supplier. When i first saw the setup a month later (i was out travelling) I told them that those 2 are going to DIE. Yeah, both of them die within weeks from fungal infection. They were housed together (DUH!!) in a glass tank. They mist them once a day. Never clean the enclosure, so poops all over the place. When I saw them, they looks like chameleon with barnicles growing on them, skinny and eyes closed. TERRIBLE!!! I wanted to save them, but I was too late.

 

[Fate X]

yeah the breeding and selling thing turned out much different then i believed.

i mean when you watch them flourish and live and be strong selling them is not so easy as i thought. i see them as soldiers in a war and they gotta be strong and pray wherever they end up someone knows what there doing.

 

[karebear41486]

Alright...I've been waiting for a thread like this. I have a LOT to say. I happen to work at a petsmart. I must say that we have some very, very, knowledgeable petcare associates, me being one of them, and I can safely say that we do not sell things to customers simply to make a sale. I will not let a customer buy a reptile, or any animal for that matter, unless they are willing to purchase every single thing that I tell them they need to maintain that animals health and happiness. However, I get extremely upset, to say the least, when I see what goes on there. For example, a company as large as PetSmart should know everything there is to know about taking care of ALL of the animals that they sell. Afterall, their main goal is to please every Pet Parent, Every Time. I find it extremely irresponsible for petsmart to order in reptiles that they don't have the means to take care of. We have about $140 to spend on vet bills per month. The vet charges us $25 each time we bring in our dead animals to be incinerated (which petsmart requires us to do) and we are supposed to do that a few times a week (but we don't). I don't know about you guys....but that math doesnt quite add up to me. That leaves a negative amount of funds for us to take our animals to the vet. WIth that many animals, vet visits are BOUND to happen and ARE often necessary, so that tells you a little bit about how PetSmart cares about it's animals. We have a BABY veiled at the store that has been there for about 2 months, and he hasnt grown hardly at all. He is in a glass enclosure, he has wet soil as a substrate, and he lately keeps both of his eyes closed, all the time. I demanded that we take him to the vet, even though our vet knows NOTHING about reptiles, go figure, and of course she said that there was nothing wrong, he just needs higher humidity, and blah blah blah. I guarantee you that I know more about what he needs than any Vet in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. We also just received in a BEAUTIFUL male jackson's, bright green, good sized. About a week ago, he started keeping one of his eyes closed. WEIRD! He is also in a glass enclosure with minimal air flow. These animals also do NOT get misted as much as they should. It's just so frustrating. All of us who work in that department know that it's not right, but there's nothing we can do! Corporate cares about one thing....sales. The one thing that i dont care about at all. I would never tell a customer to buy something that I don't recommend, and i would never sell them anything that they don't need. I have lots of more stuff I could tell you guys, but I feel that I've been going on and on and I don't have time to compose or organize my thoughts. But if you guys have any questions or wanna know some of the inside dirt, I've got it. So feel free! I am in no way in favor of defending petsmart or any other petstore, and i KNOW that most of them don't know how to care for the pets that they sell.

 

[Parandrus]

Money is what drives the market and that's what the chameleons represent to the stores. They don't see a living being but rather a dollar signs and they simply don't treat them right, and definitely don't want to hear it when you offer advice. Some stores do but they are the minority for sure. Specialty reptile stores, which are rare, do care for the animals a bit better but some still try to do ther minimal care possible to increse profits.

Corporations such as PetsMart make most of their money selling the setups, food, decorations, etc. for the reptiles rather than making the money on the reptile itself. As such, you would think they would do the best possible to ensure healthy reptiles, but they don't.

In the end, it is sad to say but the best thing to do is ignore those poor animals at the pet stores so that, hopefully, the message is sent not to bring them anymore.

Ivan

 

[Ren]

Corporations such as PetsMart make most of their money selling the setups, food, decorations, etc. for the reptiles rather than making the money on the reptile itself. As such, you would think they would do the best possible to ensure healthy reptiles, but they don't.


Ivan

If this were true don't you think they would at least have the proper setup in the store so people could see what they are supposed to buy in order for their pet to thrive? I know what you meant but its just crazy..... just a bit of research.. and it wouldn't cost then that much to use a few of their enclosures as display thats for sure..

 

[sativa420]

i agree with para. people just need to stop buying the reptiles in the store so they stop selling them. last month at petland i saw a decent sized yemen in a glass cage as big as my head. with nothing but a log for him to sit on. poor guy was scared shitless all he gets to do all day is sit and stare at his reflection. and to make it even better when i tried to "inform" the manager he tried to bullshit me like i havent been obsessing over chameleons and their care for the past few months. he finially said he would make the adjustments i asked and has still yet too. poor little fella. but again, we just need to stop buying them. by doing so you may save one but they will just get another one since it sold.

alex

 

[genie]

I am fairly new to this website, but thought I'd share a story on "BAD" reptile husbandry. There was a pet store in my area, that thankfully has gone out of business that always had sick or dying reptiles. I used to visit from time to time because there were all kinds of reptiles, and I am a reptile enthusiast. Every time I visited, there was always horrible things I saw. One time the petstore owner had spray painted his bearded dragons so they were on the "red" side. Of course these little creatures looked very stresed. Another time I went there and he had a short 20 gallon glass tank with approx 50 to 100 baby iguanas. They were all piled up on eachother, and of course, the ones on the bottom were dead. The last time I visited, I found a dead baby red foot tortoise and when I pointed it out to the owner, he said "it was sleeping". At the time I wish I had the knowledge and guts to report him.

 

[bucky]

Ya,I hate goin to pet stores and seeing these poor reptiles not getting the proper care,I wish i could just buy them all. One day i went to a tropical fish store,there were 4 chameleons,out of all of them only one seemed to have lights above it,and no UVB lights too!I just dont think its right.

 

[jefferzbooboo]

Hi, i'm new to the threads here, not owning a chameleon myself, but came here for reading about care and habitat, eventually getting a veiled chameleon.
I've had saltwater fish tanks for the past 4 years, and the care of fish are about on the same level as reptiles in the chain store business. What we did locally was start a club, posted some flyers up at pet stores about the club, and at each meeting we mentioned the bad care thats taking place out the chain stores. Word of mouth spread, now our local chain stores don't have any saltwater fish anymore, no one would buy em and they were constantly being asked why such improper care. Yes, the prices may be lower, but the question is "how long are they gonna live?" And me personally, I would rather spend an extra $10 for something at a local store than at a chain store, and you get alot better customer service, they know you by name.

 

[aquariumart]

Well. My mom has owned a small pet store since 1964. I grew up in the industry. The only place any of my pets go is to my mom. She works real hard to learn about the animals. She advises people to think before they buy. Learn about the proper care. And if she doesn't think they will be good parents, no sale. After 40+ years she does mostly fish and is better than any vet. I can't stand large petstores. Most, not all, of their employees have very little training and it is just a job. Some employees really care but big business doesn't. So for all out there support your little shops that do care so they will be there when you need them. Yes there are little shops that aren't any better than chainstores but many are.
Debbie

 

[Ren]

Ok Sorry to bring this topic back up, but the wife and I decided yesterday on our 10th anniversary to go out for a night on the town and to a nice restaurant and such, afterwards a little shopping and ultimately picking up some supplied to revive our 36 gallon bow front aquarium, so we go to pet smart.....again..... I spend about an hour and a half getting the things we needed and some new fish, and i couldn't take it any longer and walked over to the reptiles, i saw a card for a Panther Chameleon, $199.00 I want one really bad for my birthday on the 17th(winkwink) haha, and the wife knows this as well.. as I am very subtle with hints and tips. Anyways I look inside and cant find him , probably because the enclosures are so huge you guys know what im talking about, instead i see 4-5 chinese water dragons.... them from behind the driftwood, the panther climbs up and sits there terrified..... WTF? I said something to the woman helping us with the fish and she said if she could save all the animals that came in to her she would be broke and out of room in her home, so sad.....

 

[fluxanimator]

They had a Panther mixed with Water Dragons?! Holy *#$%! That is terrible man. You should report that.

 

[blackbetty]

I know this thread is super duper old.. Not sure how I stumbled on it..

My thought is.. why not do it yourself? If you work at a pet store and have access, why not give an extra mist to the reptiles? The store manager should be pleased that you are a real go getter and going above the call of duty, eh?

There was a chick who was asked to sell a chameleon at our Petsmart and she actually stood up and said she wouldnt sell it if they didnt supply/buy the right products. Her boss told her it didnt matter, she couldnt refuse a buyer so out the door with a 10 gallon they went..

I wish they could just stick a sign on the reptile cages and say "please ask us for proper husbandry to ensure along lasting life".. Simple.

Again, this is WHY My husband and I want to start our own pet store in a few years.


Dont know if Ren is around, but wondering if he ever got his Cham?

 

[Argentra]

Ok...I know this thread is really old, but I must say this:

You'd think management would be thrilled, but they actually get very angry and even discipline employees who "Do things not according to policy". Petsmart and Petco have ARCHAIC policies that are dreadful, but no one cares. When I worked at Petsmart, I tried my best to help make the reptiles more comfortable and get them used to people...and got threatened with firing for my efforts.

Remember this: Chain pet stores make most of their money on supplies. Animals are just garnish merchandise to get folks to buy more supplies. They don't care about selling live animals, which is why the prices are so ridiculous. Because they don't 'intend' to sell animals, the space they give the ones they have is seriously small and the equipment they use is totally wrong.

Bottom line: Never buy animals from large chain pet stores!! The store I worked at kept ferrets, but while I was there they ordered 9 at once to live in a two level cage together! People reacted strongly to that by not buying the animals anymore (mostly because they were all so aggressive) and the store finally stopped carrying them. If you don't buy, they won't restock.

 

[blackbetty]

Yea, until the critter dies and they just replace it...

My q: If they make the most $ off supplies, why not do everything RIGHT? The reptariums they carry are super overpriced (65 for a 36 gallon) but at least they are appropriate.. and UVB lights are almost $30 a pop, fixture another $40, plus a clamp lamp, another $15 and heck, even a basking bulb, which isnt necessary as a household bulb works but why not, another 9.99... plus crickets, vines, ect ect ect.. Sheesh, one could spend $100 easily on supplies alone.. a 10 gallon and screen is like $25.. I dont get it..

 

[warpdrive]

My q: If they make the most $ off supplies, why not do everything RIGHT? The reptariums they carry are super overpriced (65 for a 36 gallon) but at least they are appropriate.. and UVB lights are almost $30 a pop, fixture another $40, plus a clamp lamp, another $15 and heck, even a basking bulb, which isnt necessary as a household bulb works but why not, another 9.99... plus crickets, vines, ect ect ect.. Sheesh, one could spend $100 easily on supplies alone.. a 10 gallon and screen is like $25.. I dont get it..

the simple anser is, they just don't know any better.

I just went into two different petco's yeasterday.
each had about the same stock of items in the store.
they both had two screen cages each, 18x18x20 size...like from zoomed or zilla or something.
(at both locations, you would be had pressed to find them amonst the glass tanks they market/sell for reptiles.)
the cages were on sale for $69.99...$10.00 off. you would think that they would at least put them out on display.
at the first store, I was there about 20 mins before I stumbled apon them. it was only by shear luck that I found them, and took almost another 5 mins to find out the price.

but let's face it. to most in the large chain stores, they have absolutly no idea how to take care of such reptiles like cameleons. never mind just what type of inclosure they need. never mind what lights, food, and so on.
it's a shame, but it's true...most people who work there have no experiance with reptiles.


now I also worked at a pet store chain when I was younger...petland discount.
I was hired because I had alot of knoladge with fresh and salt water fish, as well as small animals like hamsters/mice/rats.
at the time, I knew almost nothing about reptiles and birds. no training was given other to tell me how to provide basic care for them...or how to kill them slowly.
it's not that the managers didn't care, it's just that they had no real knoladge of many of the animals that we offered, and no real way to learn.

show tanks (the tanks that house the reptiles) were mostly to help display the creature and take up the least amount of room. they were never ment to house reptiles for long periods of time.
in most cases, they were sold fast to people who were waiting for us to get something like that in.
in other cases, they became long time residents if they lasted.
sad again, but true.

the realy sad thing is that most mom and pop stores, while providing better care, are closing up shop faster then you can say ambilobie.
they just can't match the lower prices of many of the chain stores.
I've already seen two shops close in my area in the past 10 years.
the first was a pet store, the next was an aquarium shop.
both provided better care but could not stay open.
they both were open for over ten years, but could not last in todays market.

to me, the mom and pop stores are like a dinner. good food at reasonable prices.
the chain stores are like a fast food joint. tasty food that is realy not good for you, at bargin prices.
you get what you pay for it.

sadly we can talk about any pet on this topic. dogs, cats, the list is endless.
it's not going to change.

the good news is that I did see some chameleons at a petland discount last year that were housed properly.

Warpdrive