PetSmart & other Pet Store Rants

[Pat B]

I went into Petsmart a couple of days ago to get crickets and I always check the beardies. They were sooooo tiny....maybe all of 3 weeks old if that. I mentioned it to the reptile person and she just shrugged her shoulders and said "I don't agree and I wouldn't do it. The demand outweighs is high for bearded dragons" That is so sad. I think I will copy some random Petsmart posts and send them to their corporate HQ in Canada!! Think it will do any good? I would be so afraid of buying a beardie that tiny....it's all about m-o-n-e-y!!

 

[Noella]

That's true. It's all about money. Corporations are greedy. Plus, I'd be afraid of buying a three week old bearded dragon. They're too young to be bought and sold. That's why they die because of inadequate care and so forth.

I was a breeder of gerbils. I was always careful around my gerbils. You see, I didn't give them away until they were weaned and older. I wanted to make sure they were actually hand trained first. I hand trained all of the babies before they went off to homes or the pet store who bought them off me. They gave me freebies and exchanged food or bedding for them, too. I would always put the needs of the baby gerbils and their parents first. It wasn't about money. It was about their health and how tamed they are. People want hand trained gerbils. So I took the liberty of handling them first. No one else handled them but me. I handled them when they had their eyes open and let them run around on me along with their parents. You can say that I was their baby sitter while their parents ran around. Their parents trusted me with their babies. Sometimes, I'd form a cave with one hand and the babies crawled into the cave and took a nap. The mother would always check on them and then look at me.

 

[Mungi's Buddha]

Unfortunately it is not only PetSmart that is selling too tiny and too young dragons(as well as other creatures). It is really criminal if you ask me because they are selling creatures that have very little chance of survival unless some experience customer just happens to purchase them. The majority however are going home with inexperienced customers and PetSmart is not even bothering to provide these new owners with correct and proper care info. That in reality means that they are knowingly selling a creature that is going to die within a short amount of time and truly robbing the customer of the money they are shelling out for that doomed creature. Their warranty is their cover however it is much too short a warranty period to be of real value because many things that can contribute to a creature's demise from improper care as well as symptoms of diseases that creature may already have when bought will not show up until well past the warranty period. PetSmart knows this.
I am sure that PetSmart will say that it is the new owners responsibility to educate themself before purchasing any new pet to which I would agree to a point but I also would say that PetSmart is well aware that most of these creatures are impulse buys...the customer comes in and sees the cute little dragon for instance and just has to have it...so knowing that and in fact counting on those impulses PetSmart (and other petshops) then has the responsibility to educate those owners and provide the proper info and supplies needed to ensure the well-being and survival of that creature. Sadly they don't because those green bills in that glassy-eyed customer's hand blinds PetSmart to any sense of doing the right thing for the creatures they are selling. Truly sad,indeed and not to sound like a fanatical zealot but in reality it is thievery and murder that is being committed by them.

 

[Noella]

Petland, I have heard buys puppy mill puppies and you know that shelters have puppies and dogs that deserve a good home too. Two of my dogs were rescued and one lived in a barn for most of her life until she was adopted. She never knew what love and adoration was until she came into our house. She never barked until she came here. I adopt from shelters. They deserve a chance in live instead of being put to sleep.

 

[Beardie123]

i went to petco today they are housing 5 , rough estamate 1 month old bearded dragons in a 10 gallon sized tank with a bowl full of just mealworms -.- and the meal worms werent even small...

 

[Noella]

(((Shakes head)))

 

[Reefgal]

I hate to say it but no one should buy any livestock at co or mart. If you think the beardies are bad, the crested geckos are as bad or worse and the saltwater fish, corals and inverts are misidentified, kept in tanks too small for a betta and not fed at all. I wish they'd stick to supplies and food. WE have to vote with our money. Don't buy animals from them!

 

[Beardie123]

my petsmart houses water dragons with iguannas -.-

 

[doug (Roaddawg)]

we used to buy our crickets at petsmart. but when you are going thru about 800 a week we started buying ours online and having them delivered live. we got 1500 3/4" this week and cost us just under 3 cents a crix. i will send you the info on where we get ours from as i do not wish to advertise. we have been very succesful using this company. ok now you are saying 800 a week is a lot i can hear you. we have 4 juv and 1 hatch that are the biggest pigs i have seen. we will be going to the dubias i think as soon as we know Baby Rose can chow then with out inpacting. PSST that is her in the picture. we have had really good luck with out local PS store. we also check the BD cages as well everytime we go in to make sure they are well taken care of and are clean. we will always have a voice for our dragons. they deserve the best care available like any other animal.

Doug

(P.S.) In the picture is 3 of our babies. (L) is Sunset (M) Baby Rose (R) Ms. Copper

 

[Germ]

It appears that you are housing multiple BDs together & different sized ones to boot. Please read over the this thread &\or watch the vid. Seriously consider it's message ...

Housing Beardies Together aka 'Is Bearded Dragon Co-habitation A Good Plan?'​

 

[Noella]

No. It's not a good plan. It's heartbreaking to see so many special needs dragons now. I wouldn't dream of housing two together.

 

[Triciag]

I am going to rant a little if you don't mind, but not about the treatment of the bearded dragons but of the food, I went to PS today to get Lizzy some crix they were all out :-(, I have never had a problem buying them at PS and I have not had any ones from there die on me either, so I hopped back in the car and drove over to PETLAND went to the reptile section and asked for crix and was shown to a shelf where they were all lined up in tubs in most of the tubs 80 out of the 100 crix were dead and they wanted $ 11.00 for the tub, I questioned the guy in there and he just shrugged and said I should come in on a Thursday when they get delivered to get some that are alive... I know these little creatures are only food for our dragons but it really upset me, at least in our local PS they are kept in a big bin with food and water crystals and are at least alive not rotting at the bottom of a plastic cup....

 

[Noella]

I was jipped out of my crixs twice from Petland. They asked how I knew if I got 200. Well, I told them I counted each and every cricket I give my beardie. I was supposed to have 244 to be precise. They only gave me what they wanted me to have. (If you don't have the 244, then tell me. Don't assume I don't know. I do know.) I fought with them and they weren't happy. But tough! I paid for 244 crickets and I want my money's worth! (I still go there because it's the only place where I can get my crickets because everywhere else, they die on me.)

 

[Pat B]

I feel your pain....PetSmart is the only place I can get crix. Good for you for counting them. Like I have said before....it's all about the almight dollar....for shame on Petland for trying to cheat such a smart lady!! You go girl!!

 

[RoccosKeeper]

I was at PetCo and met a very unfortunate family of a man with two little girls. Unfortunate meaning they bought a bearded dragon a little while ago and had no clue how to care for it or how big it will get, so I showed him pictures of my beardie, Rocco, who is now a year. The man almost had a heart attack, the pet store people told them that they only get about 4" long. I was able to guide them in the right direction with its care and they were talking of just getting rid of it. I couldn't bear that so I gave them my number and if they want to get rid of it, to call me. They seemed very happy for that but very overwhelmed with the truth of their cute pet. The man said they bought the bearded dragon starter kit and has been using all three lights 24/7 so I told him what each light is and when to use it. He just complained about more stuff he has to buy. He also had a bag of calcium sand but i persuaded him to get the reptile carpet instead.
Moral of the story: do your own research in advance of getting a new pet, and never trust pet store employee at PetCo or Petsmart.

 

[Pat B]

Oh my.....I hear you all the way to Columbia SC. Pet stores are notorious for misinformation....never listen to them! I was told ' I HAD TO HAVE' a night light for my beardie....NOT!! It is all about selling 'stuff' that you don't need. I hope this young family understands the work involved with owning a beardie. At the Petsmart I go to they have a 12 x 12 tank for about 6 very tiny beardies....DRY pellets and dry veggies to big for them to eat and poop all over the tank. Truly disgusting!! You were very generous in offering to take him. I hope everything works out.

 

[Henry X Stella]

don't even know what to say on this topic anymore. What can be done??

Just waaaayyyy too many different products of the same type on the same shelf. They should update the care sheets and hand them out upon checkout..maybe take a moment to ask what kind of pet you have and see if you need help or care tips. It's just insane to me.
I'd love to own a pet store and do it the right way! Only carry the products I use and trust, caring about the customer, maybe training my employees?!

 

[ashley7988]

I went to Petsmart today to get some stuff for my dog and I looked at the bearded dragons there and it just makes me sad... They're SO tiny... I can't believe how small they sell them.

Petsmart also gave me false information when I was getting the stuff ready for Draco's arrival. The girl there kept telling me a MVB was the best bulb and its heat and UVB in both, she said it would be perfect for a 40 gallon breeder... It wasn't until I found this site that I found out those are only meant for bigger enclosures. All I can say is thank god I found this site and all the wonderful informative people so I know my beardie is as healthy as can be

 

[PatsyB]

There is a pet store near my house that has bulbs and such for a good price but I don't like to go in much because the husbandry of their reptiles/amphibians is bad. These were the first guys we saw today. I felt bad, some of them looked like they literally just hatched.

 

[CMahoney]

Great post. You have inspired me to email Petco about my local store. Every time I go there I see their bearded dragons and they are in terrible living conditions. They are all very inactive and 2 of them are very skinny and look like they have MBD because they are consistently just laying in the sand and are usually covered in it as well. Also, the last time I went there I checked out their worm section and literally every single container of every kind of worm was expired! All of the containers on the shelf and all of the containers in the fridge! I mean at least take them off the shelf! The store does not get very much business because there is a more popular Petsmart down the street. For this reason they are stocked up with an excessive amount of beardies which are all forced to live in these conditions.