How can I get this reptile store shut down

KyleKennedy · 05-31-15, 06:46 PM

I was in this sh*thole of a pet store last week to buy a few feeder rats. This was my first and last time I do business with these a*sholes. This place should be shut down and the owner should be charged with animal cruelty. Now you before you call me a prick or anything, please read my entire post. I called the store 15 minutes in advance and told them I will need three large feeder rats and asked them if they can have them ready for me when I show up. I arrive at the store, and the employees are nowhere to be found. But the first thing I noticed when I walked in was the smell. The overwhelming smell of feces and urine made it unbearable to breathe. I gave them the benefit of the doubt because I own snakes and I know they can smell. But as I was walking around the store looking at the snakes, I noticed that EVERY tank had sh*t and piss in them. None of the snakes and other reptiles had water and no source of proper heat (except for standard light bulbs). They ALL appeared to be underweight and a few of the snakes were in cages way too small. They have an 8 foot anaconda in a small 55 gallon tank that is filled with about 2 inches of p*ss water. Guess what the hell I discovered next? A huge DEAD boa constrictor in one of the tanks. It appeared to be starved to death and it was in the early stages of decomposition. I was shocked! Finally, the owner showed up with my rats. I was going to mention something to him about the DEAD boa, but I was at a lost of words and wanted to get the hell out of there as quickly as I could. When I finally got my rats, I noticed he did not place them in feeder boxes. They were just in a brown paper bag and they nearly chewed their way out by the time I got home. All in all, this sh*thole should be shut down. The owner clearly doesn't know to how to take care of reptiles (despite owning a reptile store), and he doesn't even know he has a dead snake in his shop. F*ck this place. I hope all his animals get placed in good homes or in zoos atleast. This owner is a piece of sh*t that just cares about profit. What can I do? I feel terrible about the living conditions of these animals.

that1guy · 05-31-15, 07:13 PM

I would start by contacting your counties animal control officer(animal shelter) and the health department. It may take awhile but that should resolve it, in either cleaning it up or closing it down. If that doesn't resolve it to your satisfaction go public, if you can make more people aware it can't be ignored.

KyleKennedy · 06-01-15, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by that1guy

I would start by contacting your counties animal control officer(animal shelter) and the health department. It may take awhile but that should resolve it, in either cleaning it up or closing it down. If that doesn't resolve it to your satisfaction go public, if you can make more people aware it can't be ignored.

Animal control only deals with animals that are a threat to the public, I believe. Since they are all locked in cages, I doubt they'd be able to retrieve them with probable cause. The health department (in my state) only deals with food related health hazards, not pet stores. I don't know what else to do. I really want to go back in that store and kick his a*s. I feel bad for those reptiles. They were all trying to escape their tanks because the tanks were filthy and they had no heat. All of them appeared underweight. He had a fire ball python about 2 feet long that was the girth of a pencil.

**Aaron_S** · 06-01-15, 02:53 PM

Call animal control or animal wildlife office. They either will have the answer or point you in the direction.

Also, why did you continue to purchase feeders from him when you saw how bad the place was? I would suggest not shopping anymore.

prairiepanda · 06-01-15, 04:07 PM

Alternately an animal shelter, while they may not be able to do anything directly, might also be able to point you in the right direction. I've actually called the RCMP about a similar case before(not 911, though; just a local station number) and they took care of it from there. I don't know whether you have a similar option in the states.

Albert Clark · 06-01-15, 07:12 PM

Wow, yeah I would contact the ASPCA here and let them advise me on the proper channels to take to rectify the conditions. Get your local herpetological society involved also. Some times members have direct contacts to accelerate a prosecution or something!

that1guy · 06-01-15, 07:23 PM

A pet store in Muncie, Indiana shut down by animal control.

200 animals rescued from Muncie pet shop - TheIndyChannel.com

A pet store in Indianapolis shut down by the health department.

Pet store shut down after health inspectors discover hundreds of animals dead in cages

I found both of these by going to Google and typing, "how to get a pet store shut down in Indiana"

David VB · 06-02-15, 03:22 AM

I would have just called the police and have that *aashole arrested!!! And NO WAY i would have taken those rats from him...

KyleKennedy · 06-02-15, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by that1guy

A pet store in Muncie, Indiana shut down by animal control.

200 animals rescued from Muncie pet shop - TheIndyChannel.com

A pet store in Indianapolis shut down by the health department.

Pet store shut down after health inspectors discover hundreds of animals dead in cages

I found both of these by going to Google and typing, "how to get a pet store shut down in Indiana"

It's going to be taken care of within a few days. My cousin is a police officer and he also has reptiles. When I told him about this he said he will take care of it and file charges on the owner.

KyleKennedy · 06-02-15, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Call animal control or animal wildlife office. They either will have the answer or point you in the direction.

Also, why did you continue to purchase feeders from him when you saw how bad the place was? I would suggest not shopping anymore.

I said it was the first and last time I go there. The shop is really small, so there is no way in hell he doesn't know he has dead animals. He just doesn't give a sh*t.