Quotes from customers and pet store employees

[cmb19]

This is an entertaining thread..I don't have much in the line of animals to mention...if I think about it, I'll come up with something.

I'm a waitress....I hate people.

"I want a banana milkshake..make sure I can taste the banana."
"This isn't enough food."
"This is too much food."
"Can I have extra ____? I have to PAY for it?"
"What kind of ice cream do you have?" While looking directly at the list. "I want ___." Um, that's not on the list, we don't have it...they then proceed to ask for 3 other flavors that are NOT ON THE LIST.
"What's the difference between regular and decaf coffee?"----coworker...I coulda slapped him.

 

[tyflier]

For tanks 100gals+ frequent water changes are not needed, anything under that is properly stocked absolutely does. He had a 55gal with African cichlids, indeed partial weekly water changes would be the best course of action. (25-40%)Most of your beneficial bacteria is in your filter media and the gravel, so removing large amounts of water may, at worst, cause a mini-cycle. But that doesn't usually happen, especially if you have enough bacteria built up. You NEED to do partial water changes during a cycle, or else you are very likely going to loose fish. You have to create a good balance between keeping enough ammonia for the bacteria to live off of and not leaving so much in that it kills fish. (this is why I always recommend a fishless cycle)

Good filtration can only do so much, you always have to do water changes to replace lost minerals in the water and to remove ammonia. You have to be there to remove physical waste or it just rots.

I'm not huge on fish, so I won;t debate the merits of these statements. I will say that my friend, who keeps many HUGE tanks, both fresh and saltwater, and who is a clinical biologist, never does more than a 25% water change on ANY of his aquariums...

As far as garters, they're solitary snakes unless they are brumating/breeding. At no other time to they live in groups and therefore should not be housed together.

Wrong. Plain and simple. Do I need to do a "facepalm" and tell you to do some research? Your information is inaccurate at best. It isn't dangerous, and certainly keeping garters solitary won't cause any harm. But your information is simply inaccurate. Garters are one of the few North American colubrids that do seem to be QUITE social in nature. They also seem to THRIVE in captivity in small communities of like species. :facepalm:

It's very similar to corn snakes. Some people keep them together no problem, others do it and end up with dead snakes. These are not social creatures, therefore housing them communally will most likely have adverse effects on them. Also, they had no idea of the genders or species of garter. I asked them what kind of garter snake they were and they gave me a vacant look. D:

Again...you're simply wrong. UNlike cornsnakes, communal living is not only acceptable, but recommended for most common species of gartersnake. Do some research. Go to Thamnophis.com. The "Kathy Love of Garters" is a member there. Ask him. Ask anyone else that keeps a high number of gartersnakes. Your information is inaccurate. It may not be "dangerous" but it is inaccurate.

Some of my co-workers are giving out spot on advice. The same worker may give someone in depth instruction on how to care for their saltwater reef tank including everything they'd need to know, then tell someone to put 5 goldfish in a bowl or sell them a tiny ass cage for a single parakeet and instruct them to feed nothing but bird seed. Some of the workers there, as much as I hate to say it, are very poorly educated on pet care and should not be allowed to give out advice. The owner has even told me some doozeys, some of which make me question his ability to care for the animals in the store properly.

Some of what I read in this post makes ME question YOUR knowledge.

That was my original point. Just because someone doesn't know some piece of information does NOT make them "stupid". You are obviously not well educated in the care of gartersnakes. Just that little bit of information, and the authority with which you "educate" us here, makes me wonder about the rest of your information. Afterall, if you are so insistent on your gartersnake info being accurate, and I know for a fact that it is not...what else could you be wrongly insistent and arrogant about? I have no choice but to question every piece of advice you offer, and do my own research to find out what the consensus is.

I mean, if your gartersnake information is so blatantly wrong, so could your cichlid information be, or your dog information(yes, can they do very well on a veggie diet, for the record), or any other information you might offer...

All the facepalming in the world won't make inaccurate information more accurate. A little bit of research goes a long way...

 

[Pasodama]

Ask anyone else that keeps a high number of gartersnakes.

I don't have a ~high~ number of Garters but, yes, with Garters, it is acceptable.
Some of mine are alone and there are those that are kept together (part time or full time). Those that are together do exceptionally well and seem to be quite content with being together.

 

[pridecity]

These are non-pet store related ones that would have gotten me fired. In my place of business, I spend a lot of time bagging items for customers. One one occasion, I was helping another co-worker bag and this male customer asked her something along the lines of "Do you ever feel like your job is pointless?". It was the way that he put it that was very insulting. I can't remember the exact way he put it. At any rate, I could have said a number of rude things to him for the way he said it. However, my co-worker took it in stride and said "Sometimes, but that's how it goes every so often". I give her a free virtual chocolate chip cookie for that one.

Not even a day later, another co-worker and I were helping check out a customer. I will be honest and say that I judged her family to the fullest extent of my abilities. Basically, I considered her rude white trash. It seems my judgement wasn't far off. She was not only completely rude to the both of us the entire time we were checking her items through, but also insulted my co-worker at the end. Because we handle a lot of food items, we tend to constantly use hand sanitizer and try to wash our hands as often as we can get away with. This woman had the decency to insult us instead of thanking us. We both kept our mouths shut and at the end of getting through with her items, my co-worker gently patted this woman's little toddler on the head (the kid was in the cart and the cart had to be pulled past my co-worker through the lane). The woman snatched at the cart and said "Don't touch my kid. Your hands are dirty". She gave a look that told us she thought she was the Queen and we were the scum on fleas.

After seeing people like this, I think it's no wonder that some servers spit on food for rude people. I would have spit on her and told her that my spit was probably cleaner than she was. I'm not claiming to be mature about it. I just can't imaging being rude to someone who just spent 20 minutes checking your items, bagging those items, re-bagging them because you didn't like the way I did it, and effectively moving 200 pounds worth of food for you. For me, I even warn people that I'm upset with them and would like to yell, but I never do. The post office for example, always seems to screw up my mail when I order packages. I have to call them about once every four months to "yell" at them. I tend to be very angry when I give this call and always say "Can I yell at you for a sec?". I then, quite calmly explain the problem and once it's fixed I say "Thanks for fixing it for me". They always thank me for not actually yelling and I always tell them there's no reason to because it's not their fault. I just find it to be common curtsey not to yell at someone for doing their job. I honestly feel that those who can't control themselves for some small reason are idiotic and not worth the time until they prove they are capable of being decent.

Rant over. Lol

 

[lumene]

I gotta put my stories in...

Vet: "This corn snake is 1.46kg."
Me: "Thats not normal, but she is a big girl, and she was overfed..."
Vet: "This animal has little muscle mass and lots of fat deposits, I'm prescribing baytril.
It will cure her respiratory infection."
Me: "I believe she's breathing hard because she's tired and anxious- we already tested her for RI and it came back negaitive."
Vet: When did we do that?"
Me: "Last Wednesday...."

And this comes from a friend who heard it from a client at another pet store.

Worker: "Oh sure! Ball Pythons need 60-80% humidity at all times! Didn't you know they're tropical?"

-- Funny, seeing as how they're from Africa... way to give your animal scale rot... I went to this pet store a few weeks later, pointed out that their ball python was in an arboreal enclosure with no hides- the snake in question was in a tree, trying to stay away from the thick sludge that was it's substrate.... sad.

And another one I love.
Friend: "Your cat's food dish is empty."
Me: "Yes, I feed him twice a day."
Friend: "Oh what do you feed him?"
Me: "Ground, raw cat food, meat and bones only, usually chicken."
Friend: "Thats not cool, Brazil should eat veggies too."
Me: "He's an obligate carnivore."
Friend: "What does that mean?"
Me: "Meat only."
Friend: "Oh... well you should still give him veggies, or bread."
*find nearest wall- bang head here....*

And I heard this from a woman, whom I respect, however, when it comes to our cats, I just smile and nod.

Her: "You should really feed Brazil dry cat food, it will help keep his teeth clean."
Me: "I feed my cat his natural diet. And I take the time to brush his teeth, with meat flavoured toothpaste."
Her: "Why would you do that?"
Me: "Well, it saves me paying to have his teeth pulled out."

**Just a note- my cat has not had dry cat food in over four months after I did some serious research and learned Exactly what I was putting in his bowl.**

 

[WingedSweetheart]

A little over a year ago at Pet Land before it mysteriously closed down *cough...puppy mills... cough*, there was a man and woman raging so loud at all the employees that I couldn't help but listen to their conversation.

Woman: "I just bought a rabbit last week and the person I got it from said to feed it 'Tennessee hay'.
Employee: "I think they meant 'Timothy hay'. We have several brands to choose from."

The employee points to the bottom shelf of the aisle they are standing in.

Woman in a very rude manner: "NO IT'S TENNESEE HAY! WHAT IS IT WITH ALL YOU MOTHER ****ERS! I'VE BEEN TO 5 STORES ALREADY AND NO ONE HAS TENNESEE HAY!"

After this the man joins in and it becomes a screaming match. Everyone in the store is staring and/or giggling at this couple who couldn't get through their heads that their rabbit needed "TIMOTHY HAY" not "TENNESEE HAY".

I must say that the employees never got loud in return. I left before it was resolved so I have no idea what happened. But if it were my store I would have kicked them out or called the cops on them if they refused to leave.

 

[Riyeko]

I went to this petstore, still do since my mice dont have sex, and in the back where they keep a lot of the pinkies and mice, its just horribly unclean.
Like, were talking stuff you see off of ASPCA or the Human Society's website about getting animals out of hoarding situations.

Theres feces on the floor, all of the cages dont look like theyve been cleaned in a really long time.
They have two snakes there, a reddish cornsnake and a ball python.
The ball python has DIRT (i swear they dug it out back), for substrate, hes always either on top of his hide or in the branches of the terrarium. Theres never any water in his bowl, and they probably feed him F/T pinkies, but the cage looks so dirty all the time im almost to the point where ill put up the $125 just to get him out of there.
The cornsnake? Hes living in a 5 gallon fish tank (hes probably about 4ft long, an adult cornsnake here), and he has NOTHING in the bottom of his tank so he cant burrow, and the hide is just a piece of cardboard taped to one side so that the light (that is all over), doesnt reach the one part. The cornsnake is always crawling around and it looks like its freaking out.

Its depressing and it sucks. One of these days (probably when tax income returns come back), ill probably go over there and "rescue" both of them.

 

[TheJadeReptile]

I went to this petstore, still do since my mice dont have sex, and in the back where they keep a lot of the pinkies and mice, its just horribly unclean.
Like, were talking stuff you see off of ASPCA or the Human Society's website about getting animals out of hoarding situations.

Theres feces on the floor, all of the cages dont look like theyve been cleaned in a really long time.
They have two snakes there, a reddish cornsnake and a ball python.
The ball python has DIRT (i swear they dug it out back), for substrate, hes always either on top of his hide or in the branches of the terrarium. Theres never any water in his bowl, and they probably feed him F/T pinkies, but the cage looks so dirty all the time im almost to the point where ill put up the $125 just to get him out of there.
The cornsnake? Hes living in a 5 gallon fish tank (hes probably about 4ft long, an adult cornsnake here), and he has NOTHING in the bottom of his tank so he cant burrow, and the hide is just a piece of cardboard taped to one side so that the light (that is all over), doesnt reach the one part. The cornsnake is always crawling around and it looks like its freaking out.

Its depressing and it sucks. One of these days (probably when tax income returns come back), ill probably go over there and "rescue" both of them.

Instead of doing a "rescue" of the snakes you need to report that store. Not only for the mice, but for the snakes.

 

[Checkersthecornsnake]

I must say, some of these are really funny! Although i must say I didnt know that you had to change water on those huge aquariums, now that I know I would never try that path of animal keeping. Mind you before buying anything I always do extensive research so im sure i would have figured it out before i bought everything.

Heres a story from one of my friends...I think somethings wrong with him and he was probably high when he said this (hes kind of a stoner aha)

Him: Hey can we see that ball python?
Worker: Ya sure, you want to hold him?
Him: Ya!
*he holds him for a bit then say to the worker*
Him: Do snakes have brains or do they like just have a heart?
Me:...dude your an idiot
Worker: *looking completely stunned that he was asked that* ya man they have a brain
Him: *he laughs and pets the snake* but like do snakes like to be pet?
Me:...No dude its not a dog
Worker: ya, they dont really like to be pet... *still dumbfounded*
Him: ahh ok, by the way, can i get a job here?
Me: *i just had to laugh, nothing to be said*
Worker: ...Um ya maybe just hand in a resume
(i think he almost laughed)

Also a cool/scary story, which isnt funny that the worker told us, (by the way he was really helpful, knowledgeable and had many snakes himself)

He told us one time he was cleaning a tree pythons cage and was cleaning with one hand and had the green tree python in the other hand, and he said the snake stroke at him and bit him RIGHT under his eye. And he had two holes under his eye and it just started dripped blood (the visual was extremely scary). He also wasnt holding the snake that close to him he said it lunged quite a bit.

 

[ceduke]

Its depressing and it sucks. One of these days (probably when tax income returns come back), ill probably go over there and "rescue" both of them.

That's not rescue, it is supporting the store's practices.

 

[Floof]

One that came to mind after Checkers' post.

I was talking with a customer one day about corns, and she mentioned she used to have one, and proceeded to describe what happened to it:
"You know how snakes' hearts are in their tails? Yeah, well, mine got out and someone accidentally stepped on its tail and it died."
The worst part is, one of my coworkers was standing with us, and was convinced the heart-in-the-tail thing was true. Huh??? I was so busy trying to wrap my head around that load of crap that I forgot to correct it. Ha.

And don't get me started on the father and his son who came in the other day with a ball python and a hatchling gopher snake... Apparently they house the snakes together and they do just GREAT. Ok, so why is the gopher half the size it was when you bought it from us??? Not to mention Dad lets the kids pull the snakes' sheds off prematurely so the gopher's ventral scales were all shredded. Where do people get the idea that that kind of awful treatment is acceptable?

A woman came in today looking for an iguana. Her last one "disappeared somewhere in the house." She explained, "I already have the cage and crickets and everything for it, just no iguana!" She got mad and huffy when I tried to explain igs are herbivores and any animal protein is dangerous to them. Apparently she found a caresheet online that said they only eat crickets. And since it's on the internet, it MUST be true!
The good news is I talked her in to coming back to talk to the store owner about special ordering one (since we don't stock green igs), so hopefully he can set her straight.

People, really... Yuck. Lol. I'm loving this thread. It's a nice (or maybe not so nice, haha) reminder that I'm not the only one stuck dealing with unbearable, unwilling to learn people all day!

 

[Cassie16]

These are non-pet store related ones that would have gotten me fired. In my place of business, I spend a lot of time bagging items for customers. One one occasion, I was helping another co-worker bag and this male customer asked her something along the lines of "Do you ever feel like your job is pointless?". It was the way that he put it that was very insulting. I can't remember the exact way he put it. At any rate, I could have said a number of rude things to him for the way he said it. However, my co-worker took it in stride and said "Sometimes, but that's how it goes every so often". I give her a free virtual chocolate chip cookie for that one.

Not even a day later, another co-worker and I were helping check out a customer. I will be honest and say that I judged her family to the fullest extent of my abilities. Basically, I considered her rude white trash. It seems my judgement wasn't far off. She was not only completely rude to the both of us the entire time we were checking her items through, but also insulted my co-worker at the end. Because we handle a lot of food items, we tend to constantly use hand sanitizer and try to wash our hands as often as we can get away with. This woman had the decency to insult us instead of thanking us. We both kept our mouths shut and at the end of getting through with her items, my co-worker gently patted this woman's little toddler on the head (the kid was in the cart and the cart had to be pulled past my co-worker through the lane). The woman snatched at the cart and said "Don't touch my kid. Your hands are dirty". She gave a look that told us she thought she was the Queen and we were the scum on fleas.

After seeing people like this, I think it's no wonder that some servers spit on food for rude people. I would have spit on her and told her that my spit was probably cleaner than she was. I'm not claiming to be mature about it. I just can't imaging being rude to someone who just spent 20 minutes checking your items, bagging those items, re-bagging them because you didn't like the way I did it, and effectively moving 200 pounds worth of food for you. For me, I even warn people that I'm upset with them and would like to yell, but I never do. The post office for example, always seems to screw up my mail when I order packages. I have to call them about once every four months to "yell" at them. I tend to be very angry when I give this call and always say "Can I yell at you for a sec?". I then, quite calmly explain the problem and once it's fixed I say "Thanks for fixing it for me". They always thank me for not actually yelling and I always tell them there's no reason to because it's not their fault. I just find it to be common curtsey not to yell at someone for doing their job. I honestly feel that those who can't control themselves for some small reason are idiotic and not worth the time until they prove they are capable of being decent.

Rant over. Lol

I'm so sorry you have to deal with horrific people like that! Sometimes I wonder where this sense of entitlement comes from - do some people think that because they're shopping at the grocery store that they've been elevated to the rank of king/queen and that for the entire hour they're there the employees are nothing but their measly servants? I mean it's insane. You're at the freaking grocery store. That does not make you special. Besides, every sensible person knows that they get a great deal better service when they're nice and respectful, no matter what the situation may be!

I truly sympathize, though. I've been called a b*tch for not filling vicodin too soon, complained on for "running around acting like I'm so cute all the time", accused of stealing someones credit card because they left it in the drive through bin, and told I need to find another job because I'm just a "dumb little ditz" The worst part is that I'm probably the friendliest person at my work to customers. I think a lot of mean people take advantage of that.

 

[Cassie16]

I overheard this convo last week at work...

Customer: Can I get 2 feeder mice, please?
Coworker: Sure. What are you feeding?
Customer: Green tree python.
Coworker: Oh. Aren't those venomous?
Customer: I don't get close enough to find out.
Coworker: Good. It could kill you!
Customer: That's why I'm selling it.
Coworker: Good call!

There was a posting for a green tree python on cinci's craigslist recently. Wonder if it was the same "venomous" one?

lol.

 

[VickyChaiTea]

I'm not huge on fish, so I won;t debate the merits of these statements. I will say that my friend, who keeps many HUGE tanks, both fresh and saltwater, and who is a clinical biologist, never does more than a 25% water change on ANY of his aquariums...


Wrong. Plain and simple. Do I need to do a "facepalm" and tell you to do some research? Your information is inaccurate at best. It isn't dangerous, and certainly keeping garters solitary won't cause any harm. But your information is simply inaccurate. Garters are one of the few North American colubrids that do seem to be QUITE social in nature. They also seem to THRIVE in captivity in small communities of like species. :facepalm:


Again...you're simply wrong. UNlike cornsnakes, communal living is not only acceptable, but recommended for most common species of gartersnake. Do some research. Go to Thamnophis.com. The "Kathy Love of Garters" is a member there. Ask him. Ask anyone else that keeps a high number of gartersnakes. Your information is inaccurate. It may not be "dangerous" but it is inaccurate.


Some of what I read in this post makes ME question YOUR knowledge.

That was my original point. Just because someone doesn't know some piece of information does NOT make them "stupid". You are obviously not well educated in the care of gartersnakes. Just that little bit of information, and the authority with which you "educate" us here, makes me wonder about the rest of your information. Afterall, if you are so insistent on your gartersnake info being accurate, and I know for a fact that it is not...what else could you be wrongly insistent and arrogant about? I have no choice but to question every piece of advice you offer, and do my own research to find out what the consensus is.

I mean, if your gartersnake information is so blatantly wrong, so could your cichlid information be, or your dog information(yes, can they do very well on a veggie diet, for the record), or any other information you might offer...

All the facepalming in the world won't make inaccurate information more accurate. A little bit of research goes a long way...

I... I never facepalmed in front of people, or was rude to them, or condescending. This thread was just about letting off steam because of all the people I encounter who neglect their animals. SOME of the people are blatantly stupid, others are just uneducated. Some of them learn from what I tell them and their experience and others don't. So I'd appreciate it if you were a bit more respectful, here.

I was not aware that ANY species of snake was social, I am mistaken. *shrugs* I don't know why you think I'm being arrogant, I was relaying information to them I thought was accurate, and now that I have been confronted with information that proves me wrong I'll admit that.

As for fish tanks and water changes, depending on the size of his tank, the fish involved, and the number of them 25% water changes may be absolutely fine. Heavily stocked tanks, tanks with fish like goldfish or turtles, and small tanks need frequent water changes often of large amounts, along with frequent water testing to make sure the waters clean. Which goes for all tanks, actually.

All I can say is that working so closely with the public has taught me how to have a poker face. I have learned only to roll my eyes or exchange 'that look' with my co-worker when the client is not looking. And to choose my words VERY CAREFULLY!

But yes, I agree we desperately NEED to let off some steam about the people we run into. We are also in the position to educate the public and while its true that some people will never learn, there's also a group of people that WILL listen to the advice and genuinely want to do better by their animals. We usually just never hear the follow up story on this so we don't know and so we understandably get discouraged on trying to educate people who have made mistakes.

Now here's an uplifting story that happened just recently. A client comes into our hospital complaining that her pom is peeing all over the house and that it's bloody. One urine test and an e-ray later and we find out the poor little dog is completely blocked with bladder stones. But the owner has let the dog go on shots. So in order to do surgery, we have to get the dog caught up all its overdue vaccinations. Which of course will add to the size of the bill. I thought they would try to skip as much as possible to make the bill more affordable. I was a little shocked when they chose to get caught up immediately and get the dog in ASAP for surgery. We did the surgery the next day and pulled enough bladder stones our of the dog to fill a LARGE pill bottle. We saved them for the owner to see.

The owner was shocked at the amount of stones that were blocking her poor little dog. She left singing our praises and saying that we saved her dog's life.

I think everyone who works in the animal business needs more stories to build them up like this. Remember for every one person who kills their fish by doing something stupid, there's at least 5 more who don't. You just don't hear about it when they come in to buy food because they do not engage you in conversation. They just come in, get their stuff and leave.

Devon

This is a refreshing story! Sometimes people come in and listen to everything I say, or they say "Tell me what I need for a ball python, I don't care how much it costs." and they buy everything but the kitchen sink. Things like that keep me from going insane.

I must say, some of these are really funny! Although i must say I didnt know that you had to change water on those huge aquariums, now that I know I would never try that path of animal keeping. Mind you before buying anything I always do extensive research so im sure i would have figured it out before i bought everything.

Heres a story from one of my friends...I think somethings wrong with him and he was probably high when he said this (hes kind of a stoner aha)

Him: Hey can we see that ball python?
Worker: Ya sure, you want to hold him?
Him: Ya!
*he holds him for a bit then say to the worker*
Him: Do snakes have brains or do they like just have a heart?
Me:...dude your an idiot
Worker: *looking completely stunned that he was asked that* ya man they have a brain
Him: *he laughs and pets the snake* but like do snakes like to be pet?
Me:...No dude its not a dog
Worker: ya, they dont really like to be pet... *still dumbfounded*
Him: ahh ok, by the way, can i get a job here?
Me: *i just had to laugh, nothing to be said*
Worker: ...Um ya maybe just hand in a resume
(i think he almost laughed)

Also a cool/scary story, which isnt funny that the worker told us, (by the way he was really helpful, knowledgeable and had many snakes himself)

He told us one time he was cleaning a tree pythons cage and was cleaning with one hand and had the green tree python in the other hand, and he said the snake stroke at him and bit him RIGHT under his eye. And he had two holes under his eye and it just started dripped blood (the visual was extremely scary). He also wasnt holding the snake that close to him he said it lunged quite a bit.

Yeowch! I've been bit but never on the face. That would suuuuuck.

One that came to mind after Checkers' post.

I was talking with a customer one day about corns, and she mentioned she used to have one, and proceeded to describe what happened to it:
"You know how snakes' hearts are in their tails? Yeah, well, mine got out and someone accidentally stepped on its tail and it died."
The worst part is, one of my coworkers was standing with us, and was convinced the heart-in-the-tail thing was true. Huh??? I was so busy trying to wrap my head around that load of crap that I forgot to correct it. Ha.

And don't get me started on the father and his son who came in the other day with a ball python and a hatchling gopher snake... Apparently they house the snakes together and they do just GREAT. Ok, so why is the gopher half the size it was when you bought it from us??? Not to mention Dad lets the kids pull the snakes' sheds off prematurely so the gopher's ventral scales were all shredded. Where do people get the idea that that kind of awful treatment is acceptable?

A woman came in today looking for an iguana. Her last one "disappeared somewhere in the house." She explained, "I already have the cage and crickets and everything for it, just no iguana!" She got mad and huffy when I tried to explain igs are herbivores and any animal protein is dangerous to them. Apparently she found a caresheet online that said they only eat crickets. And since it's on the internet, it MUST be true!
The good news is I talked her in to coming back to talk to the store owner about special ordering one (since we don't stock green igs), so hopefully he can set her straight.

People, really... Yuck. Lol. I'm loving this thread. It's a nice (or maybe not so nice, haha) reminder that I'm not the only one stuck dealing with unbearable, unwilling to learn people all day!

This reminds me of this one lady. She was talking about how she missed her Iguana. I asked what happened to it and she said "The heat lamp killed it." Confused I asked what she meant and she said "It got too hot, like 90F!" and I'm like "That's the average basking area temperature. What did you feed it?" and she says "Crickets." She would not believe me when I told her THAT was the problem, along with super low humidity. No matter what I said she refused to listen.

 

[Pasodama]

I... I never facepalmed in front of people, or was rude to them, or condescending.

I think most of us know that the "face palming", etc., are just "for show" here ... not that it occurs when with a customer. So, please do not take what had been said, about that, too much to heart.

I was not aware that ANY species of snake was social, I am mistaken. *shrugs* I don't know why you think I'm being arrogant, I was relaying information to them I thought was accurate, and now that I have been confronted with information that proves me wrong I'll admit that.

Again, don't let what was said bother you too much.

Believing, as you did, is very understandable. Most snakes are not what could be considered social.
As you have learned, Garters are just a "rare exception to the rule".

 

[eskye]

I haven't been around snakes long, but I do know a bit on other reptiles and amphibians, as I care for many.

I go in to a locally owned store to get some African dwarf frog juvies to add to my large dwarf frog tank with other juvies and adults. The store clerk proceeds to tell me that I need to watch them because "The larger frogs will drown the smaller ones." What bull! I've been keeping these guys for years. I think he mistook shedding behavior, as they help each other pull sheds off.

Another employee was telling me all about how their African fat tail gecko bites and it hasn't been sold in the two years it was there because nobody wants it after hearing that. I was like "No . Have you been bitten by it?" and she proceeds to tell me that she never has, and only one other person has the entire time. I took the poor girl out, held her, then brought her home. She is by far the most chill and loving gecko that I have, never shown a single prick of aggressive or even skittish behavior! I hate it when pet stores say things like that with no basis, and the pet doesn't end up finding a home.

Of course, every time I go to that store I have to battle with them on something. I've had major fights picked with employees that escalated to a final complaint to the manager on their care of axolotls, as I keep many of those. You won't believe how many stores treat them as fish, and sell them to customers as such!

Personally. I like to research before I buy things. That way I know when employees are giving me bull answers.

But the worst interactions I have are at the local reptile store. The older male owner takes one look at me as a young woman and writes me off completely. He's always rude to everyone, and makes you feel like a dip for asking legitimate questions such as age or what diet they currently have their animals on. But he won't even answer my questions anymore. He tries his best to ignore me, even though I've bought many animals from his store.

People!

 

[cmack91]

I gotta put my stories in...

Vet: "This corn snake is 1.46kg."
Me: "Thats not normal, but she is a big girl, and she was overfed..."
Vet: "This animal has little muscle mass and lots of fat deposits, I'm prescribing baytril.
It will cure her respiratory infection."
Me: "I believe she's breathing hard because she's tired and anxious- we already tested her for RI and it came back negaitive."
Vet: When did we do that?"
Me: "Last Wednesday...."

And this comes from a friend who heard it from a client at another pet store.

Worker: "Oh sure! Ball Pythons need 60-80% humidity at all times! Didn't you know they're tropical?"

-- Funny, seeing as how they're from Africa... way to give your animal scale rot... I went to this pet store a few weeks later, pointed out that their ball python was in an arboreal enclosure with no hides- the snake in question was in a tree, trying to stay away from the thick sludge that was it's substrate.... sad.

And another one I love.
Friend: "Your cat's food dish is empty."
Me: "Yes, I feed him twice a day."
Friend: "Oh what do you feed him?"
Me: "Ground, raw cat food, meat and bones only, usually chicken."
Friend: "Thats not cool, Brazil should eat veggies too."
Me: "He's an obligate carnivore."
Friend: "What does that mean?"
Me: "Meat only."
Friend: "Oh... well you should still give him veggies, or bread."
*find nearest wall- bang head here....*

And I heard this from a woman, whom I respect, however, when it comes to our cats, I just smile and nod.

Her: "You should really feed Brazil dry cat food, it will help keep his teeth clean."
Me: "I feed my cat his natural diet. And I take the time to brush his teeth, with meat flavoured toothpaste."
Her: "Why would you do that?"
Me: "Well, it saves me paying to have his teeth pulled out."

**Just a note- my cat has not had dry cat food in over four months after I did some serious research and learned Exactly what I was putting in his bowl.**

sixty to eighty percent is perfectly fine for ball pythons since their native range is more of a tropical environment.

Not all of africa is a desert.

 

[RobbiesCornField]

What about hotel guests? I've got a BOATLOAD of those.

Guest: "Hi, I'm a (highest rewards level) member, and I need a room."
Me: "I'm sorry, but we're sold out."
Guest: "I don't think you understand. I'm a (repeats level)."
Me: "That doesn't change the fact that every single room here is occupied."
Guest: "Well, I'm more important than them. Go kick someone out."
Me: "....... No. Please leave."

In a similar incident (let's just assume that everything up to my second to last statement is exactly the same)

Guest: "That's unacceptable."
Coworker: "What do you expect us to do? Build you a room?"
Guest: "Yes. I'll wait here while you do that. Tonight will be free for the trouble, right?"
Me: *faceDESK* (for when a *facepalm* just won't cut it).


During the Rolex 24 Hour race. My hotels are right next to the Daytona International Speedway.
Guest calls down to front desk: "Hi, I need to make a complaint about the noise."
Me: "I apologize, sir. Is there another guest in the hall being loud?"
Guest: "No, it's louder than that. Sounds like engines or something."
Me: "Sir, that would be the race."
Guest: "What race?"
Me: "The... Rolex 24 Hour... race..."
Guest: "Shouldn't that be over by now? It started at like 3pm!" (It's currently 1am)
Me: "No... that's why it's called the 24 hour race."
Guest: "Then can you at least tell them to keep it down?"
Me: *faceDESK* "I'll get right on that for you."

After delivering a few towels to a guest room during a Jehovah's Witness Convention-
Female guest: "Thanks, honey. There's a tip for you on the counter. And if you want, you can come back later for a bit of *flashes $100 bill* room service. "
Me: "... Sorry, but I think my husband would object."

While checking in an (extremely) intoxicated male guest:
Me: "And how many keys would you like for your room, sir?"
Guest: "Two. One for me, and one for you."
Me: "Well, I have to get home to my partner when I get off."
Guest: "Then three. You can send him in first."
Me: "... So the elevator is down that hall. There's water in our market, and I highly suggest having a bottle or two before going to bed."
Guest: "Are you saying I'm drunk?"
Me: "Never. You did, however, just try to use a stirring straw as a pen."


I'm sure I'll think of more later.

 

[Outcast]

I nearly punched a lady for this one.... and I don't hit girls.

This lady came in looking for a turtle and a tank.
Me: "The Red eared slider can get the size of a dinner plate and live a really long time, I have been keeping these things for roughly 21 years."
Her: "My friend told me that if I don't feed it very often, that it wont grow, so I am going to do that"
Me: "Your friend doesn't know what she is talking about, not only is she causing an early death for her turtle, she is causing many health issues down the road."
Her:"So you aren't going to sell me a turtle?"
Me:" I would if you were going to take proper care of it. Telling me that you are going to starve the animal is the same as me telling you to starve your kids because you want them to be small forever."
Her: "I am going to go down to the other store, I know they will sell me a turtle."
Me: "Suit yourself, but don't come crying to me when you kill your turtle in a month."

Needless to say, I got in trouble for that conversation. And, for refusing to sell a pet to someone.

 

[ceduke]

I have a funny one from the day I bought my leopard gecko...the dummy selling the gecko threatened to refuse the sale if I didn't buy a UV lamp...

Him: Do you have everything you need for this gecko?
Me: Yes, I've had a 20l up and running for a week to make sure the temps will stay where I want them. Paper towel substrate, warm hide, cool hide, moist hide...
Him: and a UV lamp?
Me: They're nocturnal, they don't need UV.
Him: yes they do, I can show you our care sheet that says they do! And a book!!
Me: I can show you books that say that using heat rocks is ideal, that doesn't make it true.
Him: I used to work at *Store X* and they had a gecko get MBD and the vet told us to put him under a UV lamp.
Me: I also used to work at *Store X* and their husbandry was atrocious. No doubt that gecko was under-supplemented. A gecko with MBD needs to be treated differently than a healthy gecko, which does not need UV.

Back and forth and back and forth and back and forth.

Finally he says he'll have to get his manager, and eventually he agrees to sell the gecko. Gecko is thriving, despite my negelctful lack of UV lighting for a nocturnal creature. -_-