Do you see sick reptiles in your local pet shops?

[DaveDragon]

I've seen that pic somewhere also. Stunning!!

Please tell us!!

 

[greentriple]

Unfortunately most most pet stores are in the business of making money and they know that getting you to buy the exotic or fish is the first step to getting you to buy all the fancy smancy stuff that you "must" have. It's the overpriced accessories that makes the profits.

Most people can't tell a sick animal from a healthy one. After all, if the herp. is simply sitting there listless, they tell you that's what they do, bask and not move much until feeding time.

 

[nat]

I've seen that pic somewhere also. Stunning!!

Please tell us!!

awww shucks ha ha

I may have posted it at thetegu.com for our mug shots, I don't have a lot of pics of me so I may have used it several times. I don't know!

 

[snakehandler]

most reptile stores have sick animals. the owners dont know anything or very little about reptiles. i think they should have some sort of exam first before allowing to sell reptiles.

 

[zigster]

you know i gotta say i love this topic BUT...... it just seems like a big ol ***** session. im hoping theres somthing more that could be done. im from canada my self and i dont see alot of that out here either. although about a month ago i went into pjs pets and they had a tegu taged as a ' black and white tegu' (not eaven a columbian or argentine). not knowing the most of tegus, just that they get huge and are carnivors i asked to see him. well lets just say hes been stunted, diet neglected and poor little dudes toes are falling off. he had a fresh toe falling off and i asked what they were using on it and they thought it was so norm (since hes missing 8 others) that not eaven a bath was given. so i had it! i droped 400 right there and then. ive called head office, the managers, spca, and also have a few animal activists on thier hands now. their enclosures have become bigger and as for as ive heard thier diets have been paid attention too. id realy like to hear what everyone is doing about what they have seen. not just what has happened.

 

[CaseyUndead]

I've definitely seen some pet shops with sick or poorly cared for reptiles. One shop here had an adult Ball Python that kept opening his mouth, probably a respiratory infection. And the Columbian Boas and Burmese python they have there seem to *always* have bad sheds whenever i go in... And i don't mean just one or two pieces not coming off with the rest, i mean in hundreds of little bits with pieces stuck everywhere. Same thing with some baby Ball Pythons at another shop around here. And a lot of the employees act like that's just how it goes, and don't attempt to change anything... And at that one last time i went they were keeping a couple baby burmese pythons in the same tank with a baby rainbow boa half their size, until i said something about it anyway. At least the people there that time did something about it.

 

[KoreanDeathKid]

i have 3 pet stores here, they're all good, execpt they have more than one snakes in a single tank and over prices their reptiles, i've seen a normal ball python for a 200 dollars

 

[Lexi]

I didnt think i had anything for this thread.. But i just got home from petsmart (which im surprised i didnt get kicked out). There was a Uromastyx (sp?) A full grown one at that...In in Half freakin gallon tank! His nose was reaching the back..and his tail woudl touch the glass in the front..He had nothing to hide under(because he was to big to fit under the small log they had in there)..And they where feeding him bird seed...I went to the fish deparment guy and ask him to tell someone to move him.. Then when i got home i called and spoke to a manager.. This poor lizard had a smaller tank then a little gecko. I wish i took a picture..
Now i like petsmart..and i always felt that they took good care to the animals there....
if i got in there tomorrow and he is still in the tank he cant turn around in.. Im gonna flip.

 

[ColdThirst]

I just have two petcos here and one petsmart, the petcos always have snakes with bad sheds, but thats about the worse i have seen with them, and the petsmart only has like 10 reptiles in it at the most and mainly specializes in fish (they have a ton of them!) I luckily dont have any hack reptile places here, cuz I would be on them if their were. Also when we went to the petsmart to buy an oscar, me and my roommate got a full line questionaire from the cute little girl there about tank size etc for like 8 min until we were really starting to get pissed off unknowingly because we knew we had the perfect setup for one all ready to go. I guess we took offense to her questions thinking we were idiots, but we did praize her afterwards for conpletely pre-qualifying us and told her good job.

 

[DZLife]

I didnt think i had anything for this thread.. But i just got home from petsmart (which im surprised i didnt get kicked out). There was a Uromastyx (sp?) A full grown one at that...In in Half freakin gallon tank! His nose was reaching the back..and his tail woudl touch the glass in the front..He had nothing to hide under(because he was to big to fit under the small log they had in there)..And they where feeding him bird seed...I went to the fish deparment guy and ask him to tell someone to move him.. Then when i got home i called and spoke to a manager.. This poor lizard had a smaller tank then a little gecko. I wish i took a picture..
Now i like petsmart..and i always felt that they took good care to the animals there....
if i got in there tomorrow and he is still in the tank he cant turn around in.. Im gonna flip.

Lexi, please try your hardest to get pictures to send me of the Uromastyx. I would like to contact the SPCA if they haven't fixed the problem yet. From what you have described, they could be put up for charges of animal cruelty. My father volunteers with the local SPCA, and so do I, on occasion. My father, however, is actually on call for the local SPCA. Also, please send me the information about the pet store (phone number, address, etc.) I will get a contact for the NY SPCA from my local SPCA, and have them follow up on it. We actually personally know the director of our local SPCA; she is a really great lady.

 

[Lexi]

I didnt think i had anything for this thread.. But i just got home from petsmart (which im surprised i didnt get kicked out). There was a Uromastyx (sp?) A full grown one at that...In in Half freakin gallon tank! His nose was reaching the back..and his tail woudl touch the glass in the front..He had nothing to hide under(because he was to big to fit under the small log they had in there)..And they where feeding him bird seed...I went to the fish deparment guy and ask him to tell someone to move him.. Then when i got home i called and spoke to a manager.. This poor lizard had a smaller tank then a little gecko. I wish i took a picture..
Now i like petsmart..and i always felt that they took good care to the animals there....
if i got in there tomorrow and he is still in the tank he cant turn around in.. Im gonna flip.

Lexi, please try your hardest to get pictures to send me of the Uromastyx. I would like to contact the SPCA if they haven't fixed the problem yet. From what you have described, they could be put up for charges of animal cruelty. My father volunteers with the local SPCA, and so do I, on occasion. My father, however, is actually on call for the local SPCA. Also, please send me the information about the pet store (phone number, address, etc.) I will get a contact for the NY SPCA from my local SPCA, and have them follow up on it. We actually personally know the director of our local SPCA; she is a really great lady.

After i left.. I called and spoke to a manager again..and he said he would take care of it.. I was up there today and he was in a semi larger tank..Which i feel is still to small for him.. But i still dont like the fact that all they are feeding this poor thing is Bird seed.. Is that normal diet for uro's?

 

[ZEKE]

i have read they can eat bird seed as a part of their diet. but i do not think it is good for them as the main part of their diet. some people use bird seed as a substrate for a uro because they can eat it. they still need greens tho i believe.