sick vields in pestore

[OOOst16]

Making this short. Was in jacks aquarium/pets in eastegate ( near cincinnati). They had a vield, completely brown with black stripes (stressed) eyes were moving, not sunken...but they were shut,moving like there open but shut, it couldn't lift itself up it was sooo frail. Petstore FAIL.

 

[supermrchameleon]

Pet stores really shouldnt carry any animal if they dont know how to care for it. Like Petsmart. More like PetDumbAss. However there is an excellent store in my hometown called Reptile Kingdom. They take WONDERFUL care of their pets.. I REALLY want to work there.

 

[dmaizer]

thats really sad did you say anything?

 

[boj3434]

There are some good stores out there but most of the time they are pretty small all the nig named ones usually know absolutly nothing about half the animals they sell

 

[Elizadolots]

There are some good stores out there but most of the time they are pretty small all the nig named ones usually know absolutly nothing about half the animals they sell

I think that's a little harsh. Particularly as you didn't narrow it to chameleons or even reptiles. We bought a Golden Tree frog from Pet Smart and had it 5 years. Obviously nothing they did to it caused its demise (we think it might just have been old...it was an adult when we got it). We have a hamster we bought there who seems perfectly healthy. It's only been 9 months, but I feel pretty comfy saying that if she dies young, it wasn't there fault.

Chameleons are special and definitely "exotic" so I really don't think the big box stores should carry them. With the rotating staff and other needs for the staff, there's really no way they can provide for chameleons well. That's a far cry from them knowing absolutely nothing about half the animals they sell.

Big box stores like Petco and PetSmart are often the only source of feeders now!. They stock a lot of very useful stuff for any pet owner (even a chameleon owner) and are opened far longer and more reliable hours than the family owned reptile store where they know everything, but are located miles away and don't feel compelled to be there when they say they will.

Okay...that might be a personal thing...my reptile store, from whom I bought both my chameleons, has a posted open time of 10am--not exactly crack of dawn--yet the last few times we've gone at 10 no one was there even though we waited 20 minutes one time and 30 minutes another...I'll be calling to ask now before making the drive, which takes me past 2 big box stores which are open and doing business.

There is merit to "opens early, closes late and actually works the hours posted" especially when it comes to buying feeders.

 

[AlexPalmer]

Pet stores like Petsmart & Petco are reliable only for the smaller things like fish. In general, they'll also have a wider variety of supplies and brands, but also at a higher price. It's disgusting how Petsmart keeps their juvenile jackson's in like a 3 gallon tank. Definitely not your place to get exotics.

 

[CAMerchant]

I went to a pet store one afternoon and the reptiles were in horible condition. There was even a Tokay Gecko that was dead on the floor of it's tank. When I asked the manager on duty how long it had been since someone checked on the reptiles her response was "an hour. I know it had been dead longer than that. She didn't even have a clue how to open the tanks to get it out!! When I got home I went online and sent a letter to their HR department and just got a generic letter back. I doubt they did anything. Even this stores tanks aren't clean, they were full of feces! It's not that hard to maintain them if you know what you are doing.
When I find stores like this I will not support them, and I have yet to go back to that store. They need to find people who know about animals and reptiles!

 

[Elizadolots]

When I find stores like this I will not support them, and I have yet to go back to that store. They need to find people who know about animals and reptiles!

I think that's reasonable. I'm a huge fan of the personal boycott. I do hope you let the store in question know that you would not be coming back to their establishment until they changed their standard of care. Don't make them guess why they are losing customers, tell them why they are losing customers. If you are not the confrontational sort of person, send them a letter or, if it's a big box store, send a comment to corporate.

You might think that sending a comment via a corporate website is pointless, but I once sent in a complaint about the dirty outdoor play area at a local Carl's Jr. (Carl's is Hardy's in other parts of the U.S.) and not only did I get a "thank you" e-mail from corporate and a discount coupon, the next time we went, the play area looked like it had (finally) been cleaned (we still call it Dirty Carl's).

There's a basic rule in corporate thinking: if one person bothers to voice an opinion, there are 100 people who share that opinion but are too meek or uncaring to express it. Don't be meek or uncaring. The big box stores all have "contact us" links...they might be hidden at the bottom of the page, but they are the. Contact them and complain.

 

[DJ Richey Rich]

Pet stores really shouldnt carry any animal if they dont know how to care for it. Like Petsmart. More like PetDumbAss. However there is an excellent store in my hometown called Reptile Kingdom. They take WONDERFUL care of their pets.. I REALLY want to work there.

Reptile Kingdome that place is a joke Look at the panther with the eye problems that if i remember right is $299 its right side eye looks like a marble should not be on the market for sale or the veiled by the tortises that are caughing up a lung that veild looks like a cole black as can be. They sell 3 week old chameleons. all the wood in the chameleons cages are dry dosnt look like they ever mist it.

 

[OOOst16]

I did say somthing, the guy said there replacing it.....but you know they will send it back and itl just die. Boycot petstore. All there is to do

 

[astroprojector]

I fortunately or unfortunately has only one dedicated store in my area and it is Reptile Depot. I first found them on the web and store photos looked great. However, when I visited the store I was shocked. Cages are dirty, chameleons cages are not taken car of at all. All plants are almost dead if not dead already. Chams are all dark and definitely stressed. And to think at one point I was considering buying a vailed from them.

 

[Elizadolots]

I did say somthing, the guy said there replacing it.....but you know they will send it back and itl just die. Boycot petstore. All there is to do

Boycott! Just make sure they know why. Also...if you want to increase the impact, contact reptile owners in the area and enlist them in the boycott. Make sure they write letters or e-mail corporate. If you're going to do it, do it right.