[Kristy]

I was at petsmart today getting cat and gerbil stuff. This one doesn't usually have cresties. There was a very young (younger than Ive seen at other stores) crestie. The sticker under him with basic care info said, maintain 80-85F with a basking spot of 90-100F. For a crestie not an anole!! I just about flipped. I told the guy who was getting me a few crickets and he didnt care so when I left I told the manager who was outside. I know the info comes from corporate, but someone at the store must know something. She said that the sticker is a recommendation for care, I said why dont you have a sticker with the actual proper care?

[chelseagrin]

i have not kept cresties and am not aware of care requirements but what is so wrong with those care suggestions?

and yes i know often times people at petsmart or petco just work there to get paid and dont know crap.

[Spyral]

Much too hot. It's important to not go over 85 degrees, even 82 can be pushing it for babies. Heat spikes in normal conditions can cause tail loss and death.

It's just an example of pet shops assuming all reptiles are heat-loving desert creatures. Cresties are a temperate climate, nocturnal gecko.

[calicat386]

It's really sad to me that they are so off on their care... So everyone who is new to cresties that purchases from them will learn incorrect care and potentially pass along bad information to family and friends inquiring about them... Unfortunately the bad care is a nation wide thing... I live in so cal and they have the same stickers up here too...

»

[mttycaz85]

some one at a chain petstore once told me i couldnt hold a crestie because the oils on my hands would burn it.

[luvmyfamily]

Aaaaahhh....makes me sooo sad & sick! Hopefully, though the person buying considering bying a gecko, or any kind of animal, will do research on their own instead of relying on just one source. I would never buy an animal at Petco or Petsmart. My son decided he wants a crested gecko and we just joined this forum....hoping to learn a lot before we get the little guy at the end of the December!!

[chelseagrin]

the only reason i ever purchase an animal from petco is if it just got there and is in okay shape or is doing bad and i save it, or try to in some cases but most often succeed.

[thebluejackal]

I was at PetSmart today and said something to an employee about how cresteds shouldn't just be eating crickets like they do there. She said that they give it babyfood sometimes and how a lot of people who breed cresteds do the same thing.

. . . I just told her that they need a proper diet and left it at that.

[Kristy]

I have seen GCD in the enclosures near me luckly!.

[Riverside Reptiles]

I've made a point for many years to not buy animals from pet stores. In this day and age, with internet, you're so much better off buying animals straight from the breeder. Let the pet stores sell supplies, but buy your animals from the people that know them the best.