Dead corn at petco - venting anger

[rachow]

I stopped by petco today for some frozen mice and saw a dead baby snow corn. I don't know how long it was dead, but it had a green spot in the midsection. I think I've seen that mentioned around here. The gall bladder? I remember reading that it shows up green on dead snakes. Anyway, the last time I was there 2 or 3 weeks ago, the same corn looked really bad. It's skin was wrinkled around its sides like it was either dehydrated or had lost weight. I didn't say anything then. Maybe if I had, it might still be alive. I mentioned it today to the cashier, who radioed to another employee to check it out. I didn't stick around to find out what happened. I also noticed that their baby ball python had some stuck shed. They were attempting to fix this by providing a much too small damp hide filled with moss, which the BP was not taking advantage of. On another note, my local petsmart no longer carries pinkies, because their supplier has been out of stock. I forgot to ask before leaving what they were feeding their baby corns. I hope they have their own supply and aren't trying to feed crickets.

End rant

 

[Outcast]

I used to work in the Petco here in Las Cruces NM... I can vouch for horrible conditions that these little guys show up at the store in roughly 70% of the time from the distributor. I, more than once, moved sick reptiles into our back room, where we can set them up in custom tanks with better humidity/temperatures, only to come back to work after a couple days off, to see the same sick snake, plopped back into its display.... More than once I had written letters on the tanks, noting that the animal was sick, and did not need to be out in the open with the others... It was always ignored, because those who had been working for Petco longer "knew more about the animals" than I did. Yet none of them had snakes of their own, or had been dealing with animals nearly as long as I had...

Unfortunately it is the nature of the beast, when it comes to pet stores in general, especially the big Box Chains.... One of the main reasons that I did not return to work for them after my first summer internship.

 

[Justine66]

mhmm.... sadly yes this is pretty much true.

this is why I don't buy from petsmart at all.. unless I really need something that is not sold at my local reptile shop..

maybe you can try and find a local shop that will help you out..

 

[Outcast]

Unfortunately Justine66, the local reptile shop out here is not much better. Not only do they cohab all of their adult snakes, but they leave sheds in the tanks for weeks before removing them. The place smells horrible... The only reason that I go in there is for mice, and to look at a couple of the snakes that they have that I would really like to get one day. But, I will not be purchasing any reptiles from them, considering the conditions they have them in. I think the biggest problem with that shop, is that the owner is never there, and all he ever has working for him are 18-20somthing kids that know nothing about reptiles at all... In fact, he has passed up hiring knowledgeable people before, under the excuse that he has to hire family only, or his family gets mad at him....

 

[HerpsOfNM]

Aaron...my ex (of almost 10 years now mind you) work(ed?) for that store; a girl named Sarah. The very problem you mention was something I routinely brought up from 2002-2004 under 2 different store managers. Sad that it's still a problem 11 years later.

What herp shop is down there now? There use to be one off of Solano, just north of Missouri. The owner took over the Las Cruces Herp Rescue. I remember him giving me a tour, with his back room having a ton load of rock rattlers and a few other hots all in unsecured racks. :blowup:

rachow...
petsmart generally has store use pinkies available for their own purposes, usually in 50 or 100 count bags.

If you need pinkies, and it truly is a vendor thing, then contact Reptile Industries as they are the supplier of frozen mice.

 

[Outcast]

If she is the same Sarah that I know. Then she still works there as the Assistant Manager.

Yes it is Awesome Reptiles on Solano. And I have also been given the tour. The old owner ran the "rescue" and was a pretty cool guy, from what people have told me. The newer owner kind of runs a "rescue" of sorts, but in my opinion, stores should not be able to "rescue" animals and turn around and make a profit from them, by selling them at their normal inflated prices.

 

[rachow]

There's a local reptile show every couple of weeks near me. Circumstances haven't allowed me to go to the last few so I have to get mice from petco. It's not economical for me to order online as I only have one hatchling, so I'm planning on getting frozen mice from a vendor at the show as soon as I can get there.

I understand about big chains and them not considering the loss of one animal to be a big deal. It just frustrates me is all. I'm sure it frustrates all of us who care about animals. How hard is it for them to just skim through a book? They're right there next to the cages.

 

[timothy (tj) jones]

Not surprising because they're not in the business to keep the reptile they are just trying to sell it as quickly as possible not caring what condition its in. that's why you must be careful and do research before purchasing from pet shops of any sort if they won't let you hold an exam the snake do not purchase it and if you cannot get it to eat within that 14 day period take it back to the store get your money back. because chances are its going to die on you. A few days after the little 14 days guarantee that they give you. In my opinion 14 days not long enough for a snake because it's a totally different animal for all the others.

 

[Chip]

The newer owner kind of runs a "rescue" of sorts, but in my opinion, stores should not be able to "rescue" animals and turn around and make a profit from them, by selling them at their normal inflated prices.

C'mon, you can't possibly imagine anyone can take herps in sub-par health, get them in shape to be pets, and possibly turn a profit???? Unless you are suggesting he just flips sick animals; that suggestion is laughable- just coming from a guy with many years in reptile rescue and pet shop ownership! As a member I hold in high esteem, I'm sure I'm reading your words differently than you intended...

 

[HerpsOfNM]

Chip...when I still lived down there it was pretty laughable, at best, and that was under original ownership. I distanced myself from him due to the illegal snakes and the other side of the coin reputation he had. Nice guy, but not exactly clean either. I knew him via a mutual friend and co-worker, plus he was also a fellow city employee when I worked for the museum system down there. Our own City of Las Cruces animal control dept looked the other way though they knew what he had. He was in violation of both city, NM state, and AZ state (in possession of closed species that he bragged about) laws. But out here it is very much not what you know but who you know -- this state thrives via nepotism and good 'ole boy clubs.

 

[beautifullywild77]

We do not go to any of the Petcos that are here in town. It breaks my heart. We really don't go to any of the big chain stores here. There is a Petland and the owner does work to take good care of her animals, but it goes as far as the employees you hire as well.

I order my mice through my husbands work, who gets them mostly from a local breeder. They do supplement their frozen with a few mice companies most people use on here. I did suggest them to try Big Cheese the next time they order. The small animal manager even can get live reds when I need them.

 

[Outcast]

Chip, in my experience with shops that 'rescue' snakes, around here... Unfortunately, they take turn ins and turn around to sell them for top of the market prices... And hold on to them for a long time, because people in this area cannot afford those top of the line costs... What you state, about taking in sick animals, getting them healthy, and moving them along while trying to recoup some of the cost it took to get that animal healthy again. I completely understand that... It is just not what I have seen happen around here. I have actually witnessed them taking in a snake, and immediately call the owner about it, slap an outrageous price on a tank and put it up for sale as soon as the person dropping it off left.

But again, this is only my experience with the local shops in the area.
The main one I have been talking about, and Stella's Jungle in Alamogordo. Except when something really nice got dropped off at Stella's, the owner would put it in the back room. But they never really knew how to care for their snakes in the first place, which was obvious in how they lost 90% of their snake room within a couple of days, due to no heating, and disease.

 

[Chip]

Gotcha. I have realized how quickly you have to turn around healthy animals to turn a profit! When my friend (who has now passed away) had his reptile rescue in Asheville, I saw the actual numbers of supplies, caging, labor, and food that went into them, and that's just the ones that didn't need veterinary treatment. He conservatively estimated he had a hundred bucks in ball python or red eared slider that he rehomed for free. And this doesn't count his endless hours of labor. Of course, iguanas, aquatic turtles and so forth are much higher maintenance and cost than colubrid snakes, but it doesn't take many meals of small rats to eat up the profits of a normal ball python, either.

Sorry for my assumption on your post, from being on the other side of this; it has always frustrated me how many see profit and loss. I have had employees see me buy a fish or coral for $50 and mark it for $75 to $100 and just assume I'm getting rich. Well, there is shipping, as most of us here are all too familiar with. And a percentage of livestock dies, even under the best conditions. Then there is labor -every week that animal is in my store, I pay someone to care for it (or do so myself). Then there is electric - all those pumps, heaters, lights, etc. don't run off of air. Then there is food, supplements, medications, etc. It is a brutal business model! If it isn't a game of hot potato, you are losing money. And then there is ethics, one of the greatest hurdles for me was trying to only place animals in good homes -it's easy to see why there are so few Mom & Pop pet shops any more. If anyone has a good one near them, I hope you'll support them.

 

[Outcast]

Yeah Chip. I wish that I had a good one near me..LOl.. Shoot, perhaps I will end up living in North Carolina one day, and then I can drive to your store for my pet needs..LOL

 

[HerpsOfNM]

Chip, if more people could comprehend, appreciate, and fully fathom the very aspects of pet shops, be they mom & pop or corporate then I think there'd be better views on them vs let me headhunt x store, post/ complain about it.

 

[the_edsta]

It's no easy business... But half the time I'm in a store I see a colubrid being kept like its a lizard. Sometimes people know one thing and then think they can run a store without understanding the different husbandry practices of all the animals they sell.