Petsmart Atrocity

[gizmo143]

yeah, people need to wake up and realize that reptiles, amphibians, fish etc. need care to. it's not like they are simple little creatures that when they die or get sick we just get another one, NO! we love our geckos and they are family members with personalities and quirks and are just as important as any living thing! I mean, my leo has had a ton of health problems and I didn't give up even though most normal people would. with some work and multiple trips to the vet he is better than he's ever been! i could never even think about treating him the way the pet stores would.

 

[Metal_Gecko]

I went back again last night, and the Mack Snow hasn't returned to the sales floor....
I was gonna ask about him, but I couldn't find a single friggen employee other than the single cashier with a line about 2 miles long... :roll:

-Wes

 

[thehotchik1000]

The really sad part is most of the time they just freeze them instead of trying to get them healthy. Alot don't want to take the time and $ to take the animal to the vet. Poor little guy.

 

[Metal_Gecko]

The really sad part is most of the time they just freeze them instead of trying to get them healthy. Alot don't want to take the time and $ to take the animal to the vet. Poor little guy.

Awww.... Don't tell me that...

I feel soooo bad for him, he was the sickest animal I've ever seen...

-Wes

 

[gizmo143]

you should just go and DEMAND to see the leo, then if they still have him and are gonna get rid of him ask if you can have him for free especially if they are just gonna freeze him! He has a better chance with you then anyone else. If he doesn't make it, at least he knows someone cared...

 

[thehotchik1000]

Actually I've done that 2x with petsmart. Ask if he is still around that you'd like to see him and then offer to do an adoption with them. Petsmart adopted out a sick Leo to me and a sick ball python. They have adoption contracts that pretty much say they aren't selling the animal to you and they are adopting him to you as is and they can't be held responsible for any problems that the animal has.

 

[Metal_Gecko]

Thanks guys, I'm gonna try that tonight then.
I'll demand something from them....

-Wes

 

[gizmo143]

ya... give it to em!:fight:
It's gonna be hard to bring him back but at least the little guy would know someone cared:sad:

 

[Metal_Gecko]

Like I said, I'm definitely gonna try!

If they start to play dumb, believe me when I say that I can become quite an @$$hole.... :biggrin:

-Wes

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

My local Seattle Petco had a vet on call for sick animals. I ordered some Lygodactylus kimhowelli who arrived with mites. These are fast little buggers, and I was reluctant to catch them to apply my vegetable oil treatment, so I returned them. Even though the vet on call for the store treated them, at least one of them died.

 

[Turtlestork]

MY Petsmart has been worse in the past. Lately, though, they have been good. They have chinese water dragons, and even have some black plastic around the edge to prevent nose rubs. All the animals are in nice enclosures. I don't like that they house anoles and long tail lizards together, nor the veiled chams in glass tanks, but at least its better than these. We really can't wish for laws because we've seen what happens before with legislation about reptiles. We get them all almost frickin banned! It's politics, and I guess we just have to deal like so many other hobbies and trades. At least ours are alive, though. ugh.

TS

 

[Supreme Gecko]

I can certainly feel your pain with this one. There are great pets stores around my area (Milwaukee) and there are some bad ones.
Zilla, great comments!
There are proactive actions that can be taken- such as educational sessions.
I wrote an article on this a month ago- Pet Stores and Neglected Reptiles.

 

[Metal_Gecko]

Well.... No dice.
Once again, no one, "knew what I was talking about."
The manager I had originally talked to wasn't there, and the current manager swore up and down that he didn't know anything about it.
He said he'd find out from her what happened, and get back to me, or I could come back when she was there next... *SIGH*

-Wes

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Wes ~

I hope that you will follow up on her.

 

[Metal_Gecko]

Wes ~

I hope that you will follow up on her.

OKAY......

I literally JUST came back from checking up on the Mack Snow.
After questioning I swear to god, just about EVERY friggin employee in the joint, I found a girl in the fish department that had some revealing info:

The Leo IS still alive in the back, and SHE watched it feed sometime YESTERDAY for sure.

I asked if the Leo had seen the vet the next day, just like the reptile manager had told me she would. Answer: "No. We have a policy that prohibits vet visits until 7 days AFTER an animal is assumed/seems sick or injured. In this case, he/she will see the vet on Monday if he/she isn't better by then."
Obviously the manager LIED!!!

Me, "What will happen to the Leo if the doctor deems it a "lost cause"?"
Her, "It will be euthanized, or if the Vet deems the condition, "non-fatal", and it becomes a "Special Needs Animal", and it will be adopted out."
Me, "Okay, so if it needs to be adopted out, can I be first on the list?"
Her, "Yes."
Me, "Great! Who do I talk to about this?"
Her, "One of the two reptile managers."
Me, "Are they here?"
Her, "No. They'll both be here tomorrow."
Me, "That's all I wanted to know, Thanks!"

I'm going to stay on top of this.
I'm going back tomorrow.

-Wes

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Wes ~

Keep up the great detective work! Must be frustrating indeed to have gotten the runaround from so many people.

If you can adopt this guy, be sure you quarantine him far from your other animals! Hope the vet can figure out what is wrong.

 

[gizmo143]

wes~
Good for you!!!!!!:yahoo:
I have been following this post like my life depends on it:lol:
Post some pics and we will get this little guy better!
Just bother the heck out of them about the gecko;-)

 

[thehotchik1000]

Ya keep bugging them. They usually need a good kick in the pants. It's annoying to me that an animal has to be sick for a week straight before getting help. Also what deems untreatable? What deems special needs? I hope you get him anyways. I'm sure it can be treatable.

 

[lemonjello]

if u see stuff like that, call local animal control , a store can still get in trouble for animal cruality like everyone else! especially in that bad of shape!

Animal control doesn't care about things unless they are cute and fuzzy or dangerous. A little gecko that's dying in a petstore? Yeah right....

 

[l-i-z]

I bought a leopard gecko from them, my first one, and he died two months later; He a birth defect or somthing and they still sold him, I was so attached it broke my heart.