Petsmart has once again sickened me!!!!!!!!

[alben909]

Ok so I'm at a family reunion in Oklahoma for two weeks. And yesterday I went to go to the mall with my family. Me and my grandpa went into the petsmart in the mall looking around. I found the reptile section and my heart instantly dropped. There were 4 tortoises in a 15 gallon tank!!!! And thants not even the bad part. 2 of the tortoises were Greeks and 2 were russains- all of the tortoises except one had shell rot and all looked sick!!!!. I felt like telling someone because they had two more tanks open but they wont take advice from a 13 year old boy . I asked my grandpa to warn them the consequences of keeping two species of tortoises together but we had to meet up with the family for lunch. I feel so bad that I didn't do anything but you never know, another tortoises lover might straighten petsmart up

 

[wellington]

Maybe you can print some info from this site and go back there, when you have more time and see if you can talk to the manager. Inform him you own tortoises and about your membership on TFO. Ask if he could please read over the info you printed for him and if he could please separate the species and have the shell rot looked at. Also, maybe print some self help shell rot remedies he might try. If you can't make a trip back, a phone call might be enough to help the torts even a little.

 

[CLMoss]

I always have the same problem at Petco. Too many russians in a tiny tank. I keep on telling the manager of the store that they at least need a warm place to bask. Nothing is ever done. They don't care. The tortoises are just "product" to them.

 

[chester tortoiseson]

Not all Petsmarts are like that. The one near me takes great care of there tortoises, and other.

 

[KimandKarasi]

True, theres a Petsmart right by my house, and the lady designated for the reptiles takes very good care of them. The Petsmart farther down the main road where my cousin works on the other hand isn't as good, because none of the employees have the slightest interest towards the cold blooded... So guess who is possibly getting hired as the reptile care manager next week thanks to her cousin's connections? ;D lol! TFO INFO WILL BE IN STORES SOON!! haha!

 

[Madkins007]

Not to take PetCo's side, but remember that the animals are not really 'living' in that tank- they are just there for a short time while being sold. Almost ALL animals at a pet store are being held in overcrowded conditions but as long as it is a short-term thing, it is not really a big deal.

They also will not change this practice as it would require too much space to give all the animals in the store the space they need and one way retail stores measure success is by 'sales per foot'. If the whole store (including bathrooms, storage, offices, etc.) is 1,000 square feet, and sales that week are $55,800, then they sold $5.58 per square foot. It COSTS the store some different amount to cover rent, paychecks, utilities, etc- say in this case it is $5.00/foot. The difference is the all-important number.

Spreading the animals out will LOWER the sales per foot. You see things they do to increase the sales per foot- higher and more crowded shelves, dump boxes and displays in aisles, stuff for sale outside...

I just share this to help you understand WHY they do some of what they do and know what fights makes sense.

 

[Casey666]

Don't buy animals at Petsmart because thats where I bought my tort and she was acting weird to we brought her to the vet. She had and still has a respiratory infection and she was probably dehydrated. BAD PETSMART!

 

[NudistApple]

True, theres a Petsmart right by my house, and the lady designated for the reptiles takes very good care of them. The Petsmart farther down the main road where my cousin works on the other hand isn't as good, because none of the employees have the slightest interest towards the cold blooded... So guess who is possibly getting hired as the reptile care manager next week thanks to her cousin's connections? ;D lol! TFO INFO WILL BE IN STORES SOON!! haha!

It's cool that you might get a job, but just so you know, "Reptile Care Manager" isn't a thing. There is only the Pet Care Manager, Pet Care Lead, and then Pet Care associates. All pet care people are responsible for all fish, reptiles, birds and small mammals. There is no specializing, except in-so-far as what you happen to know most about.

Madkin's, that was a really good explanation of why pet stores operate the way that they do. The 15 gallon with four torts that the OP saw was definitely too small (even short term), especially considering the illness & mixed species, but you can almost expect that is a store in the mall which would have even more limited space than normal.

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

It's cool that you might get a job, but just so you know, "Reptile Care Manager" isn't a thing. There is only the Pet Care Manager, Pet Care Lead, and then Pet Care associates. All pet care people are responsible for all fish, reptiles, birds and small mammals. There is no specializing, except in-so-far as what you happen to know most about.

Ditto. I used to work for PETsMART. You definitely don't get to just play with your favorite animals. You'll be responsible for basically every living animal in the store that's not a dog or a cat.

 

[Smokio]

I guess this is just an example that industrialisation doesnt mix well to animals. I worked in a pet store when I was in school, over crowding is sadly quite common, they just want to make lots of money. The store I worked in did keep the animals in excellent conditions, but the over crowding always caused health problems, even with our best efforts. I always buy from breeders or small family run stores, big chains are interested in one thing only, money!

The best way to hit a store is in their pockets, thanks to the internet this is really easy. Post about it on forums, go to sites and give them bad reviews, they will notice this is you really push for it. Online reputation management as it is called shows just how serious these big companies take an online reputation bashing. They can ignore a 13 year old in the street, but they cannot ignore potentially thousands of people buying somewhere else.

 

[KimandKarasi]

Even the small family run stores are doing the same thing. Maybe not all of them, but the one I got Karasi at was absolutely dreadful... At least the petsmarts and petcos clean the animals cages..... :-/

And I just meant (even if I will be taking care of all the animals, not just reptiles) that I would make sure the correct information about torts and turtles is out there in my location at least, unlike how it is right now...

 

[reticguy76]

While I do agree, that their "mentality"is well the animal is just here for a short time and they can be scrunched together, I would bet serious money that only happens about 50% of the time. At most of the petsmarts/petcos here in the valley, most of the reptiles are there for many weeks and many months for some. In my opinion, whether or not its for a short time, its unacceptable to keep any animals in unjust micro-environment(s). Keepign a ball python or boa in 20% humidity, in a 5-10 gallon cage with a generic lighting source ( with either no heat or minimal heat ) in the dead center of the cage, and a 2cm deep, big around as a silver dollar water dish, is unaccpetable, period. In my head, its the same for a tort, or a gecko or whatever. They are a pet store and serve the public with quality, healthy animals for RETAIL prices. They should act and treat/house the animals as such. These stores drive me insane. I get sick of that excuse, well they are only here for a short time. In that short time, sickness can set in, such as ri in snakes and torts, scale/shell rot, parvo in dogs, aids or leukemia in cats, impaction in geckos, i could go on. Fact is, they should provide proper care to keep animals in prime health and shape for potential customers.

 

[Neal]

Until the right people who authorize the tortoises being displayed in sub par conditions are educated enough, this will be a common sight in a lot of pet stores. I do understand the frustration...but I also try to think about the number of people that enter these pet stores that have never considered a tortoise as a pet, and had their curiosity sparked from seeing tortoises there. Besides the fact that they'd probably get bad information from the store employees, a new person would be brought into the hobby. I would be willing to bet that more often than not, that new person would want to obtain more information about their new pet and wind up finding information here or elsewhere that will help them keep a healthy animal.

I think pet stores are a great place to encourage new participants in the hobby, but that's about all they're good for.

 

[reticguy76]

I understand your point and its a very good point. However, if you cant keep proper care (short term or long term), of an animal (any animal, most people think that its a reptile and it will heal or be just fine once its adopted or purchased and thats just not the case), DO NOT KEEP AND SELL THAT SPECIES OF ANIMAL. I cant tell you how many sick animals (of all types) we see at my clinic from petsmart, petcos and other retail pet stores, as we do from rescues and shelters. The difference is, most shelters and rescues are non-profit and use the adoption money to keep that rescue or shelter afloat to do the best they can to help unwanted, abused and neglected animals. Petsmarts, petcos and other like stores profic from these animals. Their care should be above standard and advice should be right on the money. No one should have to pay double the going rate for a red-footed and come here for advice on how to treat it for this or that. Its wrong. I never buy any animals ever from those places, I hate even buying supplies for my pets from those places

 

[StudentoftheReptile]

Shoot, I don't think I would ever have to set foot in a petstore again. Everything I need for my reptiles I can either get online, a home supply store, a hardware store or a garden center.

 

[cemmons12]

Shoot, I don't think I would ever have to set foot in a petstore again. Everything I need for my reptiles I can either get online, a home supply store, a hardware store or a garden center.

I agree, online, or the other places you said work for me!

 

[Neal]

I understand your point and its a very good point. However, if you cant keep proper care (short term or long term), of an animal (any animal, most people think that its a reptile and it will heal or be just fine once its adopted or purchased and thats just not the case), DO NOT KEEP AND SELL THAT SPECIES OF ANIMAL. I cant tell you how many sick animals (of all types) we see at my clinic from petsmart, petcos and other retail pet stores, as we do from rescues and shelters. The difference is, most shelters and rescues are non-profit and use the adoption money to keep that rescue or shelter afloat to do the best they can to help unwanted, abused and neglected animals. Petsmarts, petcos and other like stores profic from these animals. Their care should be above standard and advice should be right on the money. No one should have to pay double the going rate for a red-footed and come here for advice on how to treat it for this or that. Its wrong. I never buy any animals ever from those places, I hate even buying supplies for my pets from those places

I agree with you on all sides. The welfare of the animals should be priority rather than introducing people to the hobby. But, until the powers that be educate themselves, or enough of us make enough noise, things will continue the way they are. Maybe I'm grasping at straws, but I try to find the positive where it is not always obvious.

 

[reticguy76]

Oh, and more respect for you I could not have for trying to find positive in that. Its tough, for me, the times I do go in there for supplies and I graze by the reptiles and see the subpar standards, not to just get one to get it out of that place. However, that would just advocate that I support them keeping animals that they are unable to keep and sell healthily (at least some of the time). I walk by the guinea pigs and hamsters and other pocket pets and birds, and those are, at least in my experiences, ketp very very well. Im just saying, either they need to step up and hire people or have people properly educated in reptile keeping, or stop selling them and concentrate on selling the other animals and their products. To me, they view reptiles as, just reptiels, they will adapt to whatever we put them in and will get bought and put into better environments, while they seem to take pretty emmaculate care of the furry "cute" cuddly animals. Its wrong, plain and simple. Unfortunately, people keep feeling sorry for the reptiles (as well they should, as do I) and keep giving money to them to go out and get more reptiles to improperly take care of. Its a vicious revolving door

 

[Madkins007]

(snip) I walk by the guinea pigs and hamsters and other pocket pets and birds, and those are, at least in my experiences, ketp very very well. (Snip)

Actually, ALL of the animals for sale in a pet shop are kept in conditions that are just as subpar as we are saying for the reptiles. Go to any bird, small animal, fish, or cat forum and you will see almost exactly the same comments. One difference, however, is that some of these animals turn nasty if too crowded, and others sell well enough that the crowding is rarely as severe.



Let's have a reality check here for a moment. We are blasting the pet business for caring about money over the welfare of the animals. How about the commercial breeders of all kinds of animals that keep the animals in the most minimal possible habitat to get them to breed, then sell the young as fast as they can before they have to spend money on them? Many of them even encourage unnaturally rapid growth to get young faster, even though it affects lifespan.

Or the shipper that overcrowds animals so much that 50% losses are normal? or the wild collector who destroys dens, habitats, and local populations to collect enough to satisfy the trade?

Or the common keeper who is feeding his tortoise the classic cabbage and hamburger diet that worked so well for his dad?

As for me, I would rather focus my ire on things like the human food industry that routinely lies to us about what we are buying. At least most of the pet shops I've seen half-way care about the animals.

 

[Redstrike]

(snip) I walk by the guinea pigs and hamsters and other pocket pets and birds, and those are, at least in my experiences, ketp very very well. (Snip)

Actually, ALL of the animals for sale in a pet shop are kept in conditions that are just as subpar as we are saying for the reptiles. Go to any bird, small animal, fish, or cat forum and you will see almost exactly the same comments. One difference, however, is that some of these animals turn nasty if too crowded, and others sell well enough that the crowding is rarely as severe.



Let's have a reality check here for a moment. We are blasting the pet business for caring about money over the welfare of the animals. How about the commercial breeders of all kinds of animals that keep the animals in the most minimal possible habitat to get them to breed, then sell the young as fast as they can before they have to spend money on them? Many of them even encourage unnaturally rapid growth to get young faster, even though it affects lifespan.

Or the shipper that overcrowds animals so much that 50% losses are normal? or the wild collector who destroys dens, habitats, and local populations to collect enough to satisfy the trade?

Or the common keeper who is feeding his tortoise the classic cabbage and hamburger diet that worked so well for his dad?

As for me, I would rather focus my ire on things like the human food industry that routinely lies to us about what we are buying. At least most of the pet shops I've seen half-way care about the animals.

Well said Madkins!