Petco Questions

[pollunga]

I work at a Petco in Northern California and I have recently been arguing/questioning some of the things we do in my reptile department (I am the person who oversees it). Because of my constant nagging (hehe) my General Manager told me to write up a list of questions and she will send them to the "big vet" who decides what is right for the Petco animals and their habitats. So far I have questions regarding substrate (sand with small lizards, wet dirt with the snakes, etc.) and also the habitat setups in general (why no heat gradient, etc.). I am writing to him because I honestly want to know why we do things how we do them. If you guys could help me with some intelligent questions, that would be great. Right now I am only concerned with my reptile department because I am tired of putting soaking wet dirt in with the snakes (although I think we are now switching to aspen for them) and watching the leopard geckos swallow mouthfuls of sand. While my Petco is really good when it comes to animal care, we still have to follow planogram rules for habitats and I am trying to see WHY and if I can change it. So any help with questions for this high-and-mighty vet would be great. Thanks!

[_BoidFinatic_]

My 3 Petco stores out here in NJ that i go to have the proper substrate but the employees don't seem to care about humidity at all and sometimes temp. also.sorry i can't help you

[unluckyseventeen]

I would ask basic questions about gradient temperatures for every type of reptile you have, as well as the reccomended level of humidity. I would also include something regarding substrate, like the pros and cons for substrate, and what is generally harmful or acceptable for each reptile... (such as, no cedar, use substrate that can't be ingested, etc..), and last but not least, I'd definitely include feeding and vitamin needs, especially for the lizards.

I really, honestly commend you for trying to better the Petco chain of stores. In all honestly, Petco is terrible as a whole when it comes to reptiles. I'd work there for free, just taking care of the reptiles, but you know they wouldn't do that. And every corporation has cut and dry rules regarding things, whether they are right or not.

You have my support and it makes me happy seeing that you're not afraid to do the right thing.

[Yungair23]

I would also try to make a point about cage size and that if they get new animals in they should know what cages they should be in and make the swaps neccesary. Also i have noticed when they get new reptiles (excluding snakes) that they get alot of them i dont know why this is but it makes it more stressful for the animals and its is more work to clean anyways i think they should buy less of each and get them when it is necessary rather than over stocking up on geckos or iguanas for example.

	Iguana Iguana

[unluckyseventeen]

Ah, yes. Great idea.

I would also include the dangers associated with housing reptiles in the same tank.

[Fitch]

Originally Posted by lethargiic

first question i would ask this vet is if he or she.. has any kind of reptile related experience... dog and cat vets normally dont know jack about snakes and lizards..

YES.....they can relate to you if they have had experience. otherwise, good luck on getting the situation fixed...id like to see it fixed at every store but starting small is the best way to go

[Alika]

Originally Posted by lethargiic

first question i would ask this vet is if he or she.. has any kind of reptile related experience... dog and cat vets normally dont know jack about snakes and lizards..

That is a really good point. I don't know how PetCo is, but when I used to work for PetSmart they always chose the most inappropriate vets.

[jtrott]

In San Antonio anyways, I would ask how many Crested Geckos die unexplained?

It is simply because they have them at 90 degrees all the time. Cresteds cannot take 85 for more than a day or two before they die.

Also, who writes those crappy caresheets they hand out?
Just a question in general.

Jason

[pollunga]

Thanks for all of the replies. Regarding the supplements and vitamins, we do use Reptivite to dust our crickets and veggies, that's all though. (Better than nothing)
I don't know who writes the care sheets but I know they suck. I get them to help customers and I try to show them the "housing needs" and all it tells you is to get something big enough for the animal you are buying and then suggesst every subsrate in the store. Crazy.
When I became my store's "reptile specialist" (**cough**no special training **cough**) I realized that they don't really teach you anything except product information,and the rest you are supposed to magically know. I am constantly reading books outside of work so I can try to live up to my title, and that is why I am e-mailing this vet guy. Because when a customer comes to me and asks "why can't I use sand substrate and you can?" I have no idea what to tell them.
And when it comes to moving animals around the habitats, some we can do but others are planogrammed to be where they are and we aren't allowed to move them. I am getting kind of fed up with even my store because they say "well it works for us and the big vet says it's okay." This guys is the one who decides the animal issues for the entire Petco corporation.
I have told them though that I will not have iguanas or burmese pythons for sale in my department for some stupid associate to sell to 9 year old kid when I am not there. I feel that if you want something that needs that much care you shouldn't be able to buy 5 of them for $29.99 each at your local petstore. Just my opinion though.
Ayways, thanks so much for the input. I am looking foward to hearing back form the vet and seeing what his reasons are.

	Iguana Iguana

[unluckyseventeen]

Awesome. Hopefully you can knock some sense into these guys. I'm glad to see you're taking the steps and making the effort to give our reptilian children a better captive world.