working at a pet store???

[krrc]

ok I dont know if you think I'm crazy or what. but do you think if I was to work at a petstore that needed work on careing for their reptiles that they would let me help them make it better and not make me scrap dog poo? (I rather get bit by every snake in the store! :toilet:)

[katev17]

Hmm.. I'm sure you'd probably have to ask what the job description was first, because I'm sure that you'd probably be stuck doing that type of stuff at first. But that doesn't mean you'll never get to care for the reptiles, it might be like "Clean the dog poo till you've proven yourself THEN we'll let you care for the herps" Don't forget that it'd be worth it in the end if you have to clean up the dog poo to work with the reptiles!

[krrc]

I have 5 going on 6 years of exprince (not bosting I'm sure most of you have more) wont that count for anything you think?

[andrea88]

It really depends on the store and the kind of people that are running it.
Some stores only care about $, and wouldn't give a rats bum if you wanted to care for and improve the lives of their herps.
Although some might genuinely be pleased that you would offer to do this...

You might want to do some "hanging out" at the store first and get to know the staff and find out how they run things before you apply for a job.

Good luck!

[krrc]

ya thanks for helping I guess I'll have to make some calls!

[Youkai]

You'll have better luck if it isn't a chain store you're dealing with.
Also, some stores have a 'reptile expert' who really couldn't tell their own @$$ from a hole in the ground. In such a case, those individules get angry when you're on 'their turf' even though you, and everyone else, knows they are an incompetent fool.....

But I'm not bitter. :D

[Linds]

Never hurts to try, right? Good luck :thumbsup:

[Dom]

its worth a shot .. what do u have t loose!

[katev17]

Yea, good advice about the non-commercial pet store... I know that a woman at a local commercial pet store that's in the Reptiles/Fish section is a total snot... they keep the chameleons in a very poor cage, (10 gallon long glass cage where they've got to hang on to the tube going into their water bowl) and when I talked to her about them she acted as though they were worthless and proceeded to tell me about her 5 foot bearded dragon at home that is so much better than any reptile she'd ever seen... I got annoyed and walked away from her.

So yea my point is that it'd be better to work somewhere where your efforts aren't a lost cause... GOOD LUCK! I hope you find a place!

Keep us posted
Kate

[Them and Us]

yeah I'd say its worth a shot . I was at one point trying to get a job at a pet store about 25 minutes drive from where i am now. they actully do take good care of their animals as they don't have a huge amount. they have a variety in husbandry merchandise and smaller variety in animals. reptiles they have mostly.a few chinchillas and rabbits. but they are the only place that I've seen where their snake enclosures have thermometers and good temps. they even use flexwatt on rheostats.

[Lisa]

5 foot bearded dragon... gee, I guess that's like the star's 10 metre ball python.

[katev17]

Yea exactly! I asked her if she was sure it was 5 feet and actually a bearded dragon and she got all uptight and defensive saying "Well I've got experience, y'know, I wouldn't just make something like that up! It's rude to question a professional" ... yea, a professional... the woman who works at Pets... in the fish/reptiles section and thinks she has a 5 foot bearded dragon.

[Gorelith]

LOL, I know exactly who you mean Katev17, I used to live in Gloucester and heard the same story from the same person. Pet Haven is my favorite pet store in the Ottawa Region, they keep their animals in great shape, and really care about them, unlike pet..the corporate giants. There's another one in the Place d'Orleans i'm not too fond of, but anyhow, I love Pet Haven, great staff, and their animals are well cared for.

[Alicewave]

If you are planning to work in a pet store that sells dogs I wouldn't work there in the first place. Most ethical dog breeders will not sell puppies to Pet Stores because they have signed a contract with the AKC not to do so. Therefore most if not all pet store puppies come from puppy mills (inbred and inhumane). This means that the pet store is dedicated solely to making a profit from the pet trade regarless of the well being of the animals. That being said for dogs, a popular pet animal, I can't even begin to imagine how their reptiles are treated. I wouldn't want to support a store that supports puppy mills in any way so if it were me, I would rather put them out of business. I personally wont set foot in such places. That being said, more power to you if you work there and can help the reptiles in any way but don't be surprised if they don't let you because its not "cost effective" or whatever. I know it's a bit cynical but it's reality and that's life.

[Kathy]

Totally agree Alicewave, I was in a store awhile ago, forgot where it was, but they had really nice looking herps that looked like they were taken care of properly. Then I noticed that they had a lot of puppies for sale. While the dogs did have food and water and their cages were clean (much better than some other stores i've seen) they were still supporting the puppy mills and backyard breeders who dont give a rats @ss bout the dogs they are producing.

In my oppinion you should either get your dog directly from the breeder, or rescue one from the pound or shelter. Same with any animal realy (although I think fish can make an exception, how many people really breed fish?) With the breeder you know the background of the animal and have a guarantee that the animal is healthy. Although shelters you don't get the health guarantee and background, you get a chance to save an animal and give it a second chance, and plus you arent spending $800 on a Cocka-Poo

[krrc]

ya I was thinking of asking petland as they seem to have the most potetial for getting fixed up. their is a reptile store close to me but it's a small place and I bet they are stuggleing for money as it is. I've met the stupid reptile managers and the ones I met seemed ok with the fact I knew much more than them I had one call me an expert wich was kinda scary.:rolleyes:

[Lisa]

one of the problems with chains is they have a budget to work in for supplies/food/meds/vets. Often the only thing pushed is sales sales sales. It's worth trying, but prepare for frustration if it's going to cost the company profits.

[katev17]

Originally posted by Gorelith
LOL, I know exactly who you mean Katev17, I used to live in Gloucester and heard the same story from the same person. Pet Haven is my favorite pet store in the Ottawa Region, they keep their animals in great shape, and really care about them, unlike pet..the corporate giants. There's another one in the Place d'Orleans i'm not too fond of, but anyhow, I love Pet Haven, great staff, and their animals are well cared for.

HAHA! Gorelith, yea, she's such a snot.... Where's Pet Haven?? I don't think I've been there....

The one in place d'orleans closed (Thank goodness)... One day I walked by on my way to work and a handwritten sign was up that said "Little Friends is closed. There is no other pet store in the mall. Goodbye." It was freaky....

Kate

[katev17]

ALSO there's an aquarium store near the ... er... pet place that we're talking about and Heather (Punkuponastar) and I went in to ask them about what Wattage of light bulbs to use (They sold them there) for her crested gecko... The one they pointed out to us was COMPLETELY wrong and would have totally fried poor Murdoch! We were so unimpressed... :devil: GRRR

Kate

[paul_le_snake]

never work for a pet chain, they only care about one thing...money. this may sound dumb, but offer to volunteer for a few hrs a week, show them u know ur stuff and they'll be impressed
cheers
paul

[krrc]

ya maybe I'll try that but I may just end up haveing to work for a chain or something.

[paul_le_snake]

trust me if u know of a decent reptile store and they see ur entusiatic and passionate about ur work u'll get a job before too long

[eyespy]

I was totally shocked and very impressed to hear that my friend ParticleMan was given a job as reptile manager at one of the Pet____ chains in Phoenix, AZ. He is a stickler for proper husbandry and also talks people out of buying reptiles if it sounds like they are unwilling or unable to provide proper care. He's pulled almost all the animals off bark and calcium sand and put them on safer substrates and has wangled a grocery store budget to buy greens, veggies and fruit.

Still the store manager stands by him and defends him to the district manager because they no longer have so many returns on sick or dying animals and have not lost a single animal in the store excepting dead on arrival shipments in the time he's worked there. Sales of reptiles are down since he took over, but profits are up significantly. They love the fact that he sells the proper setup items along with the animals. That's where the real money is for chain stores anyhow. Plus he will suggest a pet that might fit their lifestyle better, such as a bird, chinchilla, etc. to try and help sales in other departments.

Once in a great while even a chain store has management that will allow a dedicated reptile keeper room and a budget to get things done. Don't rule a chain completely out if you have a chance to talk with management and they seem to have open minds. It's good to get folks working on those chains from the inside as well as protesting their practices from the outside.

[Kyle Barker]

I dont know anything about the stores where you live, but at the one i worked at over the summer there was no way. I would consantly try to get them to put heat in their cages, fedd their animals, and provide light in other cages. I was sent to clean mice, untill i quite. In my experience with them, they would not want to do anything that would coat money, they even told me to only give 2 crickets a lizard (of coures i would pile the crix into the cage, maybe why i was sent to do mice), and most of their lizards are over 9". Hope you have better luck!

kyle