Critters n creatures Patomac mills,VA

ThomasH. · #1 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 12:38 AM

Well animals were well taken care of but none of the workers knew anything about them. Most of the herp cages out of tons of them were just leos and Columbian boa. Not very interesting. My friend and I are both looking for a boa constrictor and he asked the lady if he could handle one. She said no. We are both juveniles and we were with his grandmother but we are both looking to buy boas and are serious customers! Not only did she say no but she started going on about how dangerous they were. She said they get 10 feet no matter what, male or female and said they could kill us. She said she got bit by an adult male the other day so we think she was scared. We asked if it bled, hurt, left a scar or anything! She would just change the subject. We kept trying to change it back but she wouldn't offer an answer. Although they call themselves a specialty pet store they did not offer one species I wouldn't find at a chain store. [petco/petsmart] Infact at least chain pet stores have more supplies.

X-Factor · #2 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 12:41 AM

Ok, so you are angry that a pet store owner wouldn't allow you, a juvenile, to buy a boa? Never mind that she was scared or unknowlegable. It's still her perogative to refuse you service.

_Sam_ · #3 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 12:46 AM

I tell teens all the time they can't handle our snakes at the store. No offence, but I have no way of knowing if you're a serious keeper or if you just think snakes are cool and macho.

we dont sell to kids or even teens (basically minors) unless there is an adult present.
even then, we run a store, not a petting zoo. too many people want to just come in and hold everything becuase it's free, and we can't let everyone handle the animals every 5 minutes, it's not fair to the animal, it can really stress them out.

Stigma · #4 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 12:47 AM

she does have the right to refuse service...but at the same time...if a younger person (child) where to come in my store and was curious about a species i would atleast be honest with them..i dont blame her for not selling the animal to someone that she didnt see fit to care for it...but to refuse to let u interact with the animal and say they are "dangerous" is a bit much... bciman...all i can say is dont ever give her any business...she is the salesperson...she just lost a sale... and when u do get older and want to invest your money into animals that particular store will not benefit from it...in the same way she didnt let YOU benefit by handeling her animals...

X-Factor · #5 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 12:49 AM

HANDLEING is one thing....buying is another. Theoretically that's a great way to learn to care for them....working/spending lots of time at a petstore and learning from experienced herpers. Reality, obviously, is skewed.

Stigma · #6 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 12:54 AM

yeah...its funny though...i remember buying my first BP when i was like 11...they where dyin to get it out the door...they didint even suggest buying a thermometer or anything...when i think back on it i dont think they told me anything except that it eats rodents...and heck...i already knew that

Jane · #7 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 01:15 AM

I was a month shy of 17 when I got my BCI Max from Petco. They talked to me for awhile. My mom WAS with me, it was a slight impulse buy but I was well-aware of what I was getting. I had actually handled a large boa before at work, on my own with plenty of supervision, one I'd estimate to be at least 10 ft. I've had him about 4.5 years now. It may be frustrating but surely you can admit how irresponsible MOST people in our age group are.

angrybananapeel · #8 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 02:38 AM

I've seen our local guy tell some kids no until they got the parent to come down. I appreciated the effort he put in to making sure someone was responsible for them.

X-Factor · #9 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 02:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angrybananapeel

I've seen our local guy tell some kids no until they got the parent to come down. I appreciated the effort he put in to making sure someone was responsible for them.

Sadly I know of only ONE private pet store that will do that around here. My GF will do it at PetCo too.

ThomasH. · #10 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 03:44 PM

We are serious keepers and serious buyers we were with his grandmother who said he could buy a boa! We have had many snakes. I have had 5 different rat snakes and I have had my fair share of health issues between them and have also owned many catch and release wildcaughts for a span of a few days. My friend has had corns, rats, and a pair of garters that he bred himself. We are both qualified and we should not have been refused service by some idiot who believed it would eat us! BTW it was only about 2.5 feet. Boas are just beginner/intermediate species anyway. We know its recommended to handle an adult before buying a baby and we had. A guy we know was willing to let us. It would have been nice to learn from experienced keepers at a pet shop. Point me to them and I will. I am always talking to breeders at expos not one of them said it could kill me. I don't have snakes because I think its macho. I have rats, geckos, a cricket colony and tiny wc spiders. I don't pick animals for a macho factor. I'm fine looking and not touching but they had to take the animal out of the cage for us to buy it anyway.
To clarify the things that made me angry in particular....
A sign on the door saying no one under 15 allowed in without a parent. I don't like being stereotyped.
I understand not selling to minors without an adult but we are allowed to have pets and were with an adult.
The way she said it would eat us or do permanent damage. I'll be surprised if he gets to own his favorite snake now! That's just wrong!

_Sam_ · #11 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 03:50 PM

you didnt SAY that wou were with an adult in the first one. That's a big difference.
I agree that you need handling experience before you buy one, but again, no one really knows your capabilities.
It's messed up that she was feeding you those lies, but that's another issue.

ThomasH. · #12 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCI MAN

We are both juveniles and we were with his grandmother but we are both looking to buy boas and are serious customers!

Look Closer!

_Sam_ · #13 (**permalink**) 03-08-2008, 04:31 PM

so i skimmed it, sorry/

Jane · #14 (**permalink**) 03-09-2008, 12:29 AM

No one is saying you shouldn't be allowed, we don't know you. Personally, I'd rather they stereotype people from your age through mine, erring on the side of caution. I'm sorry but like it or not, as I said people our age are irresponsible. Even people older are irresponsible. Yes, she may have been tactless but if you don't like it, find a different store or breeder. Life isn't always fair, and we all experience it. Good luck with future places.

sesshomaru 15405 · #15 (**permalink**) 03-09-2008, 01:10 AM

just go to another store. and as for the stereptypeing thing.......well get used to it. about half a year ago i asked some people here if a burm was a good idea to have. even tho i got space,money,and im bigger than the average person just becuze i was 18 at the time they looked at that and keped telling me no. even tho i litened to them its just an example of what you got to go thru some times. but remember this: only you know what you are capible of handeling. well good luck to you in the future.

ThomasH. · #16 (**permalink**) 03-09-2008, 03:55 AM

Well this thread is not going where I wanted it to. The bottom line is I'm not just saying all this in spite of one employee. I give this store a bad review because the bad selection of animals, none of the four or five employees we talked to knew anything about animals besides dogs, tiny place, and no good supplies [or any really]. There was one tiny shelf with all the bird, reptile, and rodent stuff they had. They had supplies that I've ever even heard of before! If there was a pet FDA all that stuff would have been taken off the shelves and the store would have been closed. They had the weirdest rodent cakes. They looked moldy and black. YUCK!

Stigma · #17 (**permalink**) 03-09-2008, 05:15 AM

ummmm...ok bci i understand u dont agree with the way the employee handeled the situation...but ummmmmmm................... let it go...

if yer tryin to blackball a store for taking responsibilty for who they sell their animals to...yer gonna get no support here..

ThomasH. · #18 (**permalink**) 03-09-2008, 03:15 PM

Dude chill, I would have let this go after the first post if people interpreted it insted people just kept talking about me being a juvenile. That was one reason nobody seems to be reading the other parts of my posts.

Jem_Scout · #19 (**permalink**) 03-10-2008, 06:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BCI MAN

We are serious keepers and serious buyers we were with his grandmother who said he could buy a boa! We have had many snakes. I have had 5 different rat snakes and I have had my fair share of health issues between them and have also owned many catch and release wildcaughts for a span of a few days. My friend has had corns, rats, and a pair of garters that he bred himself. We are both qualified and we should not have been refused service by some idiot who believed it would eat us! BTW it was only about 2.5 feet. Boas are just beginner/intermediate species anyway. We know its recommended to handle an adult before buying a baby and we had. A guy we know was willing to let us. It would have been nice to learn from experienced keepers at a pet shop. Point me to them and I will. I am always talking to breeders at expos not one of them said it could kill me. I don't have snakes because I think its macho. I have rats, geckos, a cricket colony and tiny wc spiders. I don't pick animals for a macho factor. I'm fine looking and not touching but they had to take the animal out of the cage for us to buy it anyway.
To clarify the things that made me angry in particular....
A sign on the door saying no one under 15 allowed in without a parent. I don't like being stereotyped.
I understand not selling to minors without an adult but we are allowed to have pets and were with an adult.
The way she said it would eat us or do permanent damage. I'll be surprised if he gets to own his favorite snake now! That's just wrong!

Can you tell me what happened to all these snakes you USED to have? Where are they now? And what happened to them and why? If you're a responsible keeper, you would have no problem answering me....
I have no problem with a minor having a snake. It's the irresponsible minors I worry about.

KyleZ · #20 (**permalink**) 03-10-2008, 09:12 AM

Why worry about supporting a pet store in the first place? I began keeping reptiles when I was young also, but all of my animals (to this day) came from either rescue or a breeder I actually met and spoke with. I basically only support pet stores (if at all) thru buying some basic supplies, as most of their animals - from reptiles, right down to dogs and birds - come from questionable, if not inhumane sources.

IMHO, if you are truly interested in owning a boa...which, if a grown adult, technically *can* kill you (it's happened before)...then continue to do your research, I recommend attending maybe some reptile shows (they have some in Manassas, very close to Potomac Mills), talk to as many keepers as you can, get some "big" snake experience, and really think it thru.

The biggest thing I would remind you of however, is...and this applied to me years ago too, is think about the FUTURE...where do you plan on being in a few years? College? Military? Travel for work? All of those situations make it difficult, and many times impossible to own an 8+ ft. snake responsibly...If you properly take care of a boa, expect it to live a good 20 years or more...Are you able to commit to an animal for that long, or will your parents have to unwittingly house it, or will you just "get rid" of it when life interferes...which BELIEVE ME, it does, especially at your age and for the next 10-15 years or so...just some food for thought, especially when it comes to owning a large snake.

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