How to find a reputable pet shop!!

[Kurzix]

Well since I've seen quite a few posts about bad pet shops, and not to ask employees at them questions; I figured I'd post a thread about how I determine the quality of a pet shop.

First I research the hell out of a few common snakes, and a few not as common snakes. (I tend to know about burmese pythons, rainbow boas, and redtail boas). Most stores near me carry burmese pythons, and red tails, and most places do not have rainbows, but can get them if I want.

Second I walk into a pet shop, and ask someone if they sell snakes, and then I enquire about those I know about. Basicly I pretend I know nothing about snakes.

Third If the employee answers my questions correctly, meaning he knows his animals, then and only then do I go and actually look at them.

I find it very sad to see animals in bad shape, and using this method helps avoid seeing the really bad ones. Hope this helps someone out there!

[Big Mike]

Ya, you have to be armed with a lot of knowledge when you go in. A good test might be to see what info they give you if you were going to buy a burm. If they even try to sell it to you without a strong warning and a check of YOUR snake knowledge then I would question their ethics. Burms should not be sold to the general public. Anyone who will be able to care for them properly should know where and how to get one. IMHO.

Also, it's one thing to have snakes in cages that need to be cleaned etc. but when a store does not clean them or has poor conditions over time...that's a bad store. IMHO.