Speak out!!

[PMonsterTruckTheSulcata]

Please,Speak out against reptile pet stores that do not give you the correct,or ANY info about how to take care of your reptile or pet.

I bought my tortoises from a store,not a professional breeder or likewise,and they gave incorrect info about how to care for these tortoises.They told us to feed them incorrect diets,gave us harmful lights,gave us incorrect substrate,and didn’t mention that these reptiles (Sulcata tortoises in my case) are NOT meant to be kept in the same environment!Initially I bought three tortoises,and they said they’d be fine to be kept together.My first late tortoise,Michael Angelo,died in May of this year due to the same sickness that just recently took Princess monster truck.We believe she was killed by septicemia,which is most likely the case considering the symptoms and errors in her habitat.My other tortoise,Leo,who is perfectly healthy,showed and continues to show no signs of sickness of any sort,although we need to buy hides for him,which they also did not mention.
Thank you for your time.
-Mylasia

 

[TechnoCheese]

Yep, pet stores are terrible. Bad tortoise info might as well be an epidemic.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't believe there is any requirement for new hire clerks at pet stores to have knowledge about the animals they sell. I would rather "speak out" to anyone thinking of purchasing animals from pet stores. To those people I would say, "Remember, pet stores are in business to sell things and make money. Get your info on how to care for the animal from someplace that actually knows about the animals." And then, if they're buying turtles or tortoises, I'd advise them to look at tortoiseforum.org.

 

[daniellenc]

This is where research before buying becomes so important. Pet stores carry hundreds of animals and pay minimum wage. It shouldn’t come as a shock they aren’t experts and can’t provide proper husbandry and diets for the number of animals they carry. Research like it’s your kid, read lots of sources, ask tons of questions, and find a good breeder.