Petco horror story...again!

LS84 · #1 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 01:51 AM

I dont know why i bother to go into Petco anymore because I always end up getting upset. Today I went into one in Eatontown, NJ (down the shore) I saw a baby water dragon laying on its side in its food bowl with its eyes closed barely breathing. I asked the man working if it was dead and he went into the cage, picked it up and started DUNKING it into its water bowl to "wake it up". He then lifted it out and it started flipping out, wiggling a lot and then went limp again. He accidentally dropped it back into the tank and it got covered in soil, so he proceeded to run the poor thing under cold water from a faucet in the fish department to get the soil off and wrapped it in a towl. He lifted it up by its head and wiggled its body in my face to show me that it went limp and asked me if I thought it looked dead! I said I didnt know but what will he do about it, it needs to be taken care of. It suddenly opened its eyes and the guy told me it would go into "quaratine" which probably means its getting thrown in a tank in the back and left to die. He wouldnt give it to me for free, even though it was just going to die at the store....I was furious!

spike06 · #2 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 01:53 AM

thats horrible

JTJaggs · #3 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 01:59 AM

When I worked at PetCo quaritine is a room in the back to put sick and dieing animals. Our store followed procedure and took the animals in that room to the vet twice a week for checkups but i can't vouch for your store. I also can't vouch for the store i worked for b/c the guy that was over the reptile department was a herper like us and he made sure everyone was well taken care of but, i went in not to long ago and things have kinda fallen apart. I think Rick (the reptile specialist) was promoted to a dm. I also heard that PetCo was bought out by a private company and they would be revamping al lot of the stores and closing down the bad ones.

LS84 · #4 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 02:03 AM

Yes, I thought that was happening as well. This is a brand new Petco, all new look, all different cage setups and when it first opened, it was perfect. The animals were all set up correctly and looked very healthy. This was my second visit and within a few months, it went downhill. The water dragon was the worst, but there was also a baby moniter that looked sick and thin, and very dehydrated snakes.

amercnwmn · #5 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 02:08 AM

Go to the store mgr and complain..if that doesnt get you anywhere, get the District mgr's name.

HadesBP18 · #6 (**permalink**) 05-03-2007, 02:14 AM

Definitely complain. Maybe you couldn't save this one, but you can hopefully save more! I think each PetCo needs to hire appropriate staff for the reptile and amphibian sections. They are much different than mammals and birds. You can't just expect their care to be common knowledge.

TongueFlick · #7 (**permalink**) 05-04-2007, 09:41 PM

Ugh! Those PetCo jerks!
DEFINATLY complain! :cuss2: :cuss2:

JasmineBoa · #8 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 06:14 AM

This is kinda off topic but on their MAIN website, under care sheets for sugargliders, it says to get their teeth trimmed. Um, they aren't rodents, their teeth don't grow, duh! What kind of "experts" do they have writing their caresheets? And if they can't even get it right on a NATIONAL level, can we expect them to do any better on a local one?
(Sorry I know its not herp related, but it really annoyed me! Imagine someone trying to trim a sugarglider's *permanent* teeth! - REALLY bad!)
-Heather

Allysen · #9 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 06:44 AM

Poor little water dragon! I stopped by the petco I used to work at today and one of the people I used to work with was so excited to see me because there was a BIG HONKIN' water dragon with mouth rot in the back... I went back there to see him, he looked like he was wearing lipstick over skeleton teeth it was so bad. COVERED in meal worms, too, so I mentioned to them maybe feed him in a separate container (this guy was in a friggin' 20 gallon with a bare floor, wash towel pushed to the side, margarine tub size water dish, no UVB) and maybe consider proper lighting, so they fixed that, but wouldn't give him to me until he was checked out by the vet that they use. (A total quack, too, I might add. His one and only solution for 'fixing' reptiles? Vitamin shots. Nothing more nothing less.) Of course the boyfriend says no, but I'm planning on keeping in contact. Poor guy needs a home with knowledge, after all, and I've been wanting a water dragon for SOOOooooOOoooo long.

Ameivaboy · #10 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 07:29 AM

it is horrible the conditions in some pet shops, but by no means is "saving" an animal from one helping anything, all you are doing is giving them more room to order more animals to be improperly cared for and that is a disservice the the reptile community

Adrya · #11 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 07:34 AM

Okay, this is kinda off topic but something that has always been a peeve of mine....

Who says that any woman should get permission to get or do anything from the boyfriend/husband? The heck with the boyfriend, I'd get the water dragon anyway.... lol you know?? I mean, honestly.

Allysen · #12 (**permalink**) 06-02-2007, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adrya_Webb

Okay, this is kinda off topic but something that has always been a peeve of mine....
Who says that any woman should get permission to get or do anything from the boyfriend/husband? The heck with the boyfriend, I'd get the water dragon anyway.... lol you know?? I mean, honestly.

Lol, I know what you mean, but I kinda live at his house, so I don't tend to bring animals into it unless he agrees. He doesn't bring things home without me agreeing to it, either, though, so it does go both ways.

Sleepy_FF · #13 (**permalink**) 06-04-2007, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ameivaboy

it is horrible the conditions in some pet shops, but by no means is "saving" an animal from one helping anything, all you are doing is giving them more room to order more animals to be improperly cared for and that is a disservice the the reptile community

true, but my little one-eyed sweetheart came from petco... they werent going to sell him, they were just going to put him down. so the manager gave him to me, cos she knows i love my kids and take good care of them. yaknow?

either way... be put down, or go to some crazy shiny-obsessed ladys home to be pampered....

project_evolution · #14 (**permalink**) 06-04-2007, 10:25 PM

Quote:

it is horrible the conditions in some pet shops, but by no means is "saving" an animal from one helping anything, all you are doing is giving them more room to order more animals to be improperly cared for and that is a disservice the the reptile community

as terrible as it may sound, a mess of dead animals in the back room may even be a wake up call for a manager.if they get sold at a discount or even given away he may not even know the extent of the problem.however if he walks to the back and sees twenty dead herps there will probably be a meeting.

Hartsock · #15 (**permalink**) 06-06-2007, 03:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ameivaboy

it is horrible the conditions in some pet shops, but by no means is "saving" an animal from one helping anything, all you are doing is giving them more room to order more animals to be improperly cared for and that is a disservice the the reptile community

So the thing dies a horrible death and the space just opens up anyhow? Come on! It's a living thing, they don't make the choice to "take one for the team" and that their death will be justified by not giving money to the store. If you don't like the way they treat their animals don't shop, complain, protest, tell others what is going on to attempt to clean it up. But going into a store and seeing an animal that is suffering and needs treatment and walking away saying to yourself, I won't support them by not buying that animal and nursing it back to health, is a greater disservice to the reptile community than buying the sick thing to care for it!

People complain about certain breeds or morphs of herps and say they should be bred, maybe so, but you can't just ignore the ones who are already there!!! Sick ones the same!! You see something suffering and sick, it is time to put your cursades to the side and help what is in front of you!

Hartsock · #16 (**permalink**) 06-06-2007, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by project_evolution

as terrible as it may sound, a mess of dead animals in the back room may even be a wake up call for a manager.if they get sold at a discount or even given away he may not even know the extent of the problem.however if he walks to the back and sees twenty dead herps there will probably be a meeting.

No way! Don't tell me that a manager is not expected to know what is going on in his or her store. Retail managers walk thier store every day, they know what is going on. IF you have a petco that has sick herps, they know it, they just don't care. What you don't realize is the whole profit and loss situation. Whether they sell that animal or they write it off as a loss, they make money on it. They aren't going to see 20 dead herps in the back, they are going to see more orders placed to get more stock in. that means more money. I had worked in retail for years and come year end you always wanted a nice loss to claim, that's what these animals are a write off. So a mess of dead animals is just going to be a testimony of the horrible deaths that can come from neglect and irresponsiblity.

NycFlip22 · #17 (**permalink**) 06-06-2007, 04:26 AM

Very weird. I always go to my local Petland and Petcos and always look at the reptiles and they always seem healthy. Maybe I don't look hard enough.

project_evolution · #18 (**permalink**) 06-06-2007, 06:05 AM

yea other than housing multiple animals together the ones around here seem for the most part to be okay as well.

heterodon · #19 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 05:05 PM

I have seen a rat snake with mites all over him at petco.

mpgt · #20 (**permalink**) 08-31-2007, 05:57 PM

I'd like to work in one! I think the right store would be cool. Otherwise, someone who cared could make all the difference if they found an influential position.

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