Went to a pet store yesterday...

[Pareeeee]

I should stop going to pet stores. They make me sad and angry.

I'm a very non-confrontational person by nature, but I had to say something at a particular pet store on Monday afternoon (even though I was shaking from social anxiety afterwards, lol). Somebody had to stand up for this poor animal.

They had a BRB for sale, asking a couple hundred dollars (the audacity!). It must have had a stack of like 4 eye caps on each eye and its mouth was all...dry looking, crusty and a little swollen. The tank it was in was so dry it might as well have been a desert and I saw tiny bugs crawling around that looked suspiciously like mites. I told the guy who was in charge of "snake care" that the reason it looked like that was because the humidity was so ridiculously low. He tried to make excuses "I'm also the saltwater guy" "I have so much to do" "sometimes I'm so busy I don't have time to check on every animal and their humidity" etc etc etc.

Well, misting a snake enclosure takes what, 10 seconds of your time? I basically told him that the animal is suffering and needs to be taken care of. Whether he wanted to learn or not, I instructed him how to bath the snake and how to remove eyecaps (carefully!). I finally told him (because he seemed lazy) that if they just couldn't find the time to check humidity to at least provide it with a large water dish - large enough for it to voluntarily soak itself in. At least it was eating (or so he said).

I wish there was something I could do, but the authorities just don't see snake cruelty as animal cruelty. Snakes, fish, lizards and amphibians: these are the silent sufferers. They can't cry like a dog or mew like a sick kitten. They just sit there and quietly suffer through it. Just because an animal can't communicate pain does not mean it can't feel it. Sadly, these "disposable pets" suffer cruelty and neglect worldwide.

Ugh. I had to share because I still find myself thinking and worrying about this poor little snake two days later. I feel so bad for it but know I can't buy (rescue) it and support their cruelty.

Remember, buying a sickly animal from a pet store to "rescue" it only supports them. If they see that they can sell even the neglected animals, they won't even try to improve the quality of life of their other animals. The animal you buy will only be replaced by another animal that will also be neglected.

[jay's reptiles]

Ohh.. This made my heart hurt . I feel so bad for that poor baby.

[Piggybuns]

I agree with what you said to the T, and I especially feel for that last part you mentioned. That's sometimes the hardest thing to do, to walk away, because you know you support them, but you don't want the animal to suffer anymore either. You want to give it a good life. But son of a bitch, I'm SURE they know that, too. :c

[Boots]

It must have been really hard to speak up, but I am glad that someone did for the poor little guy as he can not speak for himself. That is one of the problems with some pets from pet stores, as the pets do not show signs, unless you know what to really look for as they try to hide any sign of weakness as it attracts predators. Then by they time people realize it can be too late. I for one am glad you spoke up.

Jason

[Aaron_S]

I'm glad you didn't buy it to "rescue" the animal. (Not that you aren't capable, it just won't end the cycle.)

[Minkness]

I am so glad my local places aren't like that...

Sorry you had to see that, but in the snake's behalf, thank you. And good for you for not buying it. Sucks that the poor things must endure or die....but like other's have said, it only makes it worse for others.

One thing you can do though, is try and get photos then post them on social media along with your story. In my line of business, I have come to realize the power of social media. It gets more done than the cops or lawyers sometimes!

[Albert Clark]

Wow, that's very sad for sure. Then the lawmakers want to confer amongst each other and make it nearly impossible for responsible, KNOWLEDGABLE reptile keepers to even own snakes! Thank goodness for U.S.A.R.K.

[JellyBean]

Good for you, on all counts!
Sometimes it helps to speak to the store manager, because they do not want bad press.
But in the end, it's all about the people that 'currently' work there.

The big box stores are radically different from city to city, because it depends solely on the knowledge of the people they hire... that's how I ended up working for my local Pet store. Being a customer, they knew about my expertise in exotic rescue and voila. (I no longer work there)

If they have a good store manager, they'll be willing to listen :-)

... I hope you are feeling better too

[PatrickV]

My local pet store also has badly cared for snakes. I bought my BP there. they were underfeeding it and teasing it on purpose so that it would bite as a source of amusement. They had an underfed colombian motley also, and the blood python they have was brought to them from someone who was trying to downsize their collection and they too keep the humidity at about 0 and its scales are all try and ugly. Its too bad that most chain pet stores dont have people who are more knowledgeable and caring for reptiles.

[PatrickV]

dry, not try

[Tsubaki]

Pet shops around here aren't much better poor thing...