HELP!!! Dying animal.....IN THE PETSTORE!!!!!!

[stkkts]

I went to a pet store today that I had never been too

P*** ****, in Philadelphia PA.

They had a Uromastyx, THAT WAS DYING. ITS SKULL WAS SUNKEN IN.

Its diet was completely wrong (all crickets, no vegies), its light was wrong (no UVB), its environment was wrong (no hide), it didnt have the strength to open his eyes, or the ability to fend off the crickets that were walking on its face!!!!
It was lying in water!!!!!! Uro's arent even supposed to have water!!!!! they are supposed to get it from its diet!!!!!!

I told the manager the animal was sick, and he told me it was just fine, and "I should do some more research because i dont know what I am talking about!!!!"

And then he said (and this is word for word) "They deflate themselves when they are scared"


DEFLATE THEMSELVES?!?!?!?!?!??!?!

HIS SKULL WAS SUNKEN IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

what can I do???

Who can I call???

THIS MAKES ME SOOOOOOOO SICK!!!!!!!!!!

[Rich]

Hello,
File a grievance with animal control in your area. That is neglect.(a felony when noticed and not rectified) You must have an authority that deals with mistreated animals in your area.

[Ladyhawk]

I agree. Notify the humane society immediately!

[sapphire_moon]

Notify someone! I knew of a pet shop that did the same thing, but I could never get any answers on who to call and when I did finally find out who to call and called them they did nothing!!!!!!! They had a 10-13 ft albino (boa/ python not sure of the breed) in a itty bitty 4ftx2ftx2ft (if not smaller) enclosure that was constantly wet! Do something while those poor creatures might still have a chance!

[lilyskip]

ugh, that's sickening. the humane society and PETA would definitely want to know about that.

[CDN-Cresties]

I agree with every post above, sadly this is seen to often :(

-Steve-

[Invictus]

That INFURIATES ME !!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!

RedDragon and I will go down there and beat some sense into that fricken moron.

In the mean time, PLEASE call fish and wildlife, and get that Uro out of there!

[Mr.Lizard]

Man,that pi$$es me off!!!! Definitely call anyone who can help.

[SCReptiles]

what can I do???
I say follow in the path of Jenn and apply for a job there. Be proactive in improving things rather then just looking for someone to complain to. =)

[Bryce Masuk]

There is another approch but I cant say it here......

[Jungle Jen]

The more people you have calling the SPCA or humane society the better. Take pictures if you can. We had a terrible store here in Vancouver (one of many) and we just piled in there each of us on our own personal time, to view, take pictures, lodge complaints, and in one case purchase the dying animal in order to save it's life. We never managed to get them shut down but the local SPCA did make several trips there and continue to do so.

I do however agree with Chuck and Jenn in being proactive and appling for a job there. Influence and knowlege from within is a great tool in educating the uneducated.

[XxRachxX]

thats awful :( i HATE it when people dont know how to care for their animals!!
recently we went to an aquarium while on holiday... it was awful.. huge fish in crap small tanks, horrid water... the fish were fighting some had no eyes, some had some had parasitic infections, some had obvious swim bladder problems... what made it worse was that we paid to go to this place! we funded those idiots to treat these animals badly! we thought of complaining, but then again... what do WE know?
to be honest i dont think you have a chance in hell of them listening to you personallu, but i think they would listen to someone with authority and someone who can actually take action.
i'd never buy anything from them, never buy a herp, never buy food, NOTHING! they dont deserve your money and the animals dont deserve to be treated like that!!

bryce: There is another approach but I cant say it here......
lol! that doesnt happen to involve that knife in our avatar does it?:D

[lordkovacs]

I visited a little pet store in hamilton area and it was obvious they had some guy/gal drop off some corns and leave without telling them how to keep them. IT WAS AWFUL. they had the corns on SAND as substrate, I would guess their age at one year because of length however were only a dime thick at best, finally, and this takes the cake, they had 2 heat lamps, one at each end, on all day long, with NO hide. The things could not escape the heat! they must have been boiling! ANyway, I talked to the owner and gave a mini lesson on keeping corns. since she has changed the above problems. awful, no?
Thanks,
MIKE

[LadyHawke]

i definately agree someone should be called, but for reptiles personally the humane society is not their number one protector, just to be aware
i worked at a pet store, and when angry customers stormed out of the store for whatever reason, 9 times out of 10 the called the humane society. they never had anything on this store, always got comments, BUT never once did they ever care to visit the reptile department, not that it needed it (it was my department), i just wanted to see how much they were FOR the animals.
what i am saying is don't be shocked if they dont do too much, reptiles aren't cute and cuddly.
its sad but true

[Mr.Lizard]

Too true Lady Hawke,cute and cuddly creatures get sympathy from everyone. The cold blooded creatures,sadly,do not evoke the same emotional response that bunnies and kitties and puppies do.

[meow_mix450]

ya i really hate how pet stores treat there animals not just reptiles but everything..but i think your doing the right thing at your pet store...animals shouldnt be treated like that. it makes me angry and upset. but best of luck to u.

[LadyHawke]

actually it was too bad that the pet store i worked at closed down, due to a bad location

[lordkovacs]

Invictus, let us know how your "meeting" with this manager goes.

[SerpentLust]

I say follow in the path of Jenn and apply for a job there. Be proactive in improving things rather then just looking for someone to complain to. =)

Hehe Oh Chuck is so nice :) He is right though. That was the best way for me. Now, not only are all the herps taken care of but I get money for doing so. It turns out that the pet stores care about the animals but they're either uninformed, or the reptiles are left as a last priority because they don't sell as much as the "cute little furry animals and fish".

You don't necessarily have to get a job either. Just make yourself known. Show up once a week. Take a look at things. Keep telling them they're doing things all wrong. Show them print outs of proper care. Ask if you can volunteer in the herp section.

And yes, you can also report them. But, alot of the time, the best way to get something done is to do it yourself...

Jenn