Why NOT to support Petco. - Page 5

mark24 · 09-18-12, 04:19 PM

The only reason why i support my local petsmart, is because I can't find 24 live crickets, or frozen mice/rats for cheap. On mice/rats I'm spending over $60 just for shipping.

ballpython1717 · 09-18-12, 04:22 PM

petsmart and petco are good places to get food and acessories for your pet and terrarium, but the animals kept there are neglected and unhealthy, and the staff have no idea what they are talking about!

Kingsnakechris · 09-18-12, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

Yes! and while I was there getting water bowls once, I picked up a Yamaha graphite shaft 5 iron with hand wrapped leather handle for $2

I don't golf, I keep it by the front door.

I make snake hooks outta the cheap metal ones. Real simple.
Lol thats awesome, you keep yours bh the door, next time your there, pick up a putter lol more reliable LOL

DeesBalls · 09-18-12, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StudentoReptile

Crickets = there are many online vendors you can order from. Set up a tub or box, and you can start have 1000s of crickets delivered right to your doorstep. This is what the petstores do! You think they breed crickets? You're basically cutting out the middle man and getting feeder insects in bulk, cheaper per insect, and you don't have to drive to the store and wonder if they're going to be out of the right size crickets. Or you can breed your own roaches or mealworms, or whatever suits your fancy and basically raise your own free insects.

Aspen = small bags can be had at Walmart. Large bag at Tractor Supply Co for $10. Of course, like most anything, you can order it from any number of places online.

Cypress Mulch = Lowe's or Home Depot....or again, online

Cheap Water dishes? = please. I like the little plastic crock bowls you get at walmart. I mean, I don't know exactly what animals you;re looking for, but seriously, nearly ANYTHING can be used for a water bowl. Now, if you want the decorative, rock-like bowls.....[wait for it]....you guessed it! Go online!

-----

True story...so the wife and I are preparing to get a beardie for our son, right? We're researching and price-comparing cages and tanks, and we both agreed we really like the Exo-Terra terrariums with front-door access. Amazon had it the cheapest, even with shipping. I had a 36x18x12 glass terrarium shipped straight to my door. I didn't have to blow my evening loading the wife and 2 babies into the car to drive 35 minutes to the nearest petstore and pay full retail price for the thing, and load it myself into the car (if it would even fit). My wife or I didn't have to lift a finger.

With Amazon Prime, I can have light bulbs, heat pads, temp guns, etc...shipped to my door in 2 days. Light fixtures can be had at the hardware or home supply store.

If you have internet access and a credit card, there is no reason for you to ever walk into a petstore ever again.

this is all helpfull, thanks!! 1st of all-

and i thought that cypress from those places were bad? or else i would of done that ALONG time ago....

Trust me, ive tried several times to keep 1000 crickets at one time.... they all always die, no matter what i do to keep them

trust me- i dont like pet stores in any way- like i said, i go there because its okay, and i can get crickets when i need them... if i could skip them, i would... take for example, frozen rats when i am in between shows and need some i run in there to get some, i am not going to pay rodent pro $75 JUST for shipping to get some mice/rats, ill wait to meet them at the show, so sometime i just have to go there....dont want to, but need to....

infernalis · 09-18-12, 07:12 PM

so why not support a little mom pop store?

**Aaron_S** · 09-18-12, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeEuGi

this is all helpfull, thanks!! 1st of all-

and i thought that cypress from those places were bad? or else i would of done that ALONG time ago....

Trust me, ive tried several times to keep 1000 crickets at one time.... they all always die, no matter what i do to keep them

trust me- i dont like pet stores in any way- like i said, i go there because its okay, and i can get crickets when i need them... if i could skip them, i would... take for example, frozen rats when i am in between shows and need some i run in there to get some, i am not going to pay rodent pro $75 JUST for shipping to get some mice/rats, ill wait to meet them at the show, so sometime i just have to go there....dont want to, but need to....

Buy a larger freezer and stock up more. They won't go bad...if they get freezer burn do you think your snakes care about the taste?

DeesBalls · 09-18-12, 08:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Buy a larger freezer and stock up more. They won't go bad...if they get freezer burn do you think your snakes care about the taste?

lol i doubt it..... but yea, i have a freezer just for them. right now i have about 300 or so assorted, but i was just saying in general "if" it would happen... a hypothetical scenario if you will.

DeesBalls · 09-18-12, 08:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

so why not support a little mom pop store?

none around me

there was one in the city i USE to live in, it was awesome, would NOT house anything together, except baby corns (usually 3) and they had around 4 hides, and 2 water dished and you could just tell it was a nice set up for them, and they would tell people not to house anything together. I was a regular there, but since then i moved way away and miss them.

moshirimon · 09-18-12, 09:42 PM

here in canada we don't have petco i don't think. but we've got lots of petsmarts, and although i do NOT support them one bit, they really have improved over the years. their animals have sufficiant space, food, and hygene compared to a few years ago when i was seeing leopard geckos with veggie dishes. I have gone off multiple times about the care etc..

There is a petstore in my area and i'm not sure if they have it any where else called the "urban zoo". I usually don't like naming things but i am going to anyway because their animals and the way they care for them, SICKENS ME to the point where i've been asked to leave for correcting the employees. They have chameleons in 10 gallon fish tanks with tried up tails they can't even curl up anymore, they have bearded dragons on the verge of death, MULTIPLE baby savannah monitors in one tiny tank, water dragons in FULL WATER enclosures, etc, etc.. One time i saw a baby bearded dragon laying on the flooro of the cage practically dead. Face and head still fully active but it seemed almost paralyzed, other than the tips of it's fingers twitching. it was really bugging me so i asked the guy why he's doing that and he tried telling me its normal it's what they do blahblahblahbssss. another time i asked why the leopard geckos were in a tank that was SPRAYED down to the point where there were water droplets on the glass and the guy told me it's becuase they are from tropical areas. WOW. I know i typed alot but just thinking of it gets me MAD... sorry guys lol

**Pareeeee** · 09-19-12, 07:20 AM

moshirimom, that place sounds horrible! There is only one 'good' pet store around here (where I got Boaz) but it's about 40 minutes away. They sell rescues, drop-offs, etc. The lady that owns it seems genuinely concerned about the well-being of her animals. Granted, I've seen mistakes there before, but they didn't get upset when I voiced my opinion, and actually wrote down the info I gave them

The lady that owns the store was showing me a Crested Gecko that came in as a drop-off the other day, its jaw is crooked and its tail is limp. She was very upset about the person who brought it in, saying he most likely was not using calcium. She went into this little rant about people who buy pets from her, she tells them the needs of the animal etc, then about a month they come back asking why their pet is sick. "Did you do what I told you" she asks them and they always say "no". She sighed saying how tired she is of people who simply don't research animals before buying them.

This is the only 'mom & pop' store I support out of all the ones in the area.

PS: Also, others have mentioned 'cypress mulch', is it better than aspen? What's good/bad about it? (intruiged since apparently you can get it from Home Depot)

Tango · 09-19-12, 07:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by infernalis

so why not support a little mom pop store?

There are a few of these in my area, which I unfortunately find to be just as bad.

I went into one not that long ago, just to browse. There was a tank on a shelf that said "ANOLES - $6.99". I looked in the tank and thought they must be sold out. I then looked closer and saw that they were all dead at the bottom of the tank. They were so petrified that they blended in perfectly with the bark at the bottom of the tank. The dried out water spots on the glass and empty water dish indicated to me that the workers actually forgot they were there.

StudentoReptile · 09-19-12, 07:34 AM

I have been using the $3 bags (2 cu ft) of cypress mulch (undyed, organic) from Lowe's for about 4 years on various snakes and tortoises. I have yet to have any issues with it. It looks nicer and retains humidity a little better than aspen bedding. True, it is not the ideal substrate for every species of herp, but it works well for me. It beats buying $12-$27 bags of repti-bark or Jungle mix or whatever at the pet store.

It also works well enough when you mix it with topsoil (plain ole dirt) or the coconut coir.

It should be noted that it is easier to obtain in the east. For some reason, people in the western U.S. have trouble finding it at their local Lowe's and Home Depots.

Slcburm · 09-19-12, 07:49 AM

I just use papertowels for my bedding and its great. Maintains humidity pretty well, get perfect sheds and its way easier to clean then cypress, aspen etc

iBaman · 09-20-12, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StudentoReptile

It should be noted that it is easier to obtain in the east. For some reason, people in the western U.S. have trouble finding it at their local Lowe's and Home Depots.

The excuse I've been given as to why they don't carry it is because it's to dry here. I face palmed. Isn't that the POINT of cypress, to hold humidity?!

StudentoReptile · 09-20-12, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iBaman

The excuse I've been given as to why they don't carry it is because it's to dry here. I face palmed. Isn't that the POINT of cypress, to hold humidity?!

Maybe because when it dries out, it doesn't look nice? This is from a landscaping perspective, as that is the target demographic for this stuff, not reptile keepers! I dunno...just venturing a guess.