Pet store torts - yay or nay?

[barefootpoetry]

I'm sure this has been asked before, but hey, I'm a newbie, I'm allowed to ask annoying questions. I've heard debate that's it's not a good idea to buy a tort from a pet store - why or why not? I have no vested interest in either side, I'm just curious.

 

[Meg90]

NAY.

They only carry WC animals (wild caught) and these animals are always stressed, and can come with some horrible diseases and parasites.

nay.

 

[Millerlite]

Not all petshops carry WC animals, all the big ones, petco, petsmarts do, but some local ones, or smaller ones might get tortoises from breeders. But best bet is getting one from a breeder.

 

[Meg90]

A lot of petshops too, if they don't get wild caught, they will get farmed animals, which is one step above. These shops get their animals from suppliers, and suppliers are only in it to make money. I've seen some real cuties at the petstores, but I don't buy them

 

[Jacqui]

Yay. I myself like the fact you hand see what your getting and do a hands on check of them, something you can't do online. At a show you have the same chance, but not a lot of time to think things over, so shows tend to be more impulse shopping. Ideal of course, would be an in person visit to a breeder.

I myself have no qualms with it being WC. The animal is already lost to it's native home, why also lose it's genes? Would much rather see it going to a home with proper care where it might thrive and reproduce, which may then lead to less being needed WC.

Also if the animal is sold for money to come to the US (for instance), is it not better then being used as food in it's native country because they don't have the money from selling it to live on? Or in many cases, there is no native country left for the torts to live in and thrive.

Pet stores sometimes actually have folks who know their animals and having somebody who can help is handy.

As to pet stores being it for money, yes they are a business. It's not always just about money with them any more then it's only about money from breeders. I have met some who are more interested in sharing their love of animals or the animals getting a good home, then making as big of a profit as they can.

 

[Tim/Robin]

We believe your best bet is buying from a reputable breeder. We are always happy to give recommendations in breeders we have done business with and had good outcomes. You are not expecting too much (in our opinion) to ask multiple questions and ask for photos of the actual animal being offered for sale. A reputable breeder will offer all of this without hesitation.

In general we do not support the purchase of reptiles from pet stores. Though not true of EVERY store out there, in general pet stores have a high turn over of staff who care for the animals. And these people are not the best at knowing every nuance of a species' care and history the way a breeder does. Think about it, a breeder has a whole lot more invested in the animal offered for sale (feeding, keeping of that animal, its siblings, parents, etc, permits required for breeding some species, relatively larger habitat setups, etc) than a pet store does. And I (Robin) do know a little bit about the workings of a pet store as I worked in numerous stores as a young adult (uhhh..I mean I am still young ... adult...well most of the time).

 

[krissy2288]

it's better to buy from breeders because you get to see the parents and check if their healthy. i did the mistake of buying from a local (small) pet store and i don't no any background of my tortoise.

 

[Meg90]

If anyone remembers my recent posts about Charlotte the homes hinge back, they will see why I say nay.

She was being practically cooked alive. Her temps were too high, her humidity too low, her diet incorrect (no insects or protein offered AT ALL-and the guy looked at me like I was an idiot for asking how often she ate crickets) and her water dish had high sides she had to strain to even make it over.

And she had been kept in that condition for over a year. After Heather from serpent sanc got a hold of her, she also informed me that there was enough shell polish on her, that she could scrape it away with her nails. All of this to make the poor sick tort LOOK better, so somebody might buy her.

She also had a very profound URI and even I, a novice noticed it, after only seconds of handling. The pet section manager, assured me she was fine, and said she was supposed to be like that. That is why i bought, and brought her to a rescue.

Heather contacted the store about the issue and was told that they have a 6,000$ setup, and very capable people running their pets section.

I just can't bring myself to support the pet shops any more after this, and seeing online how animals, like Russians are still be inhumanely shipped in.

Its horrifying.

 

[Madkins007]

"Pet shops yay or nay" is too simplistic. It depends on many things.

While I would prefer to buy from a reputable breeder, I will buy a well-priced, healthy looking animal from a pet shop even if the staff I am talking to is not up on the cares.

A lot of people are against farmed animals, and I know they can have problems, but... they are usually raised in very naturalistic habitats with usually pretty natural diets. Certainly, they are often parasite-ridden, but by supporting proper farms you should be reducing the pressure on wild populations- especially for those species that are not being bred locally enough.

Certainly, we should not buy ill, stressed, or badly cared for animals at full price- this just rewards the store for the mistreatment. I also know from personal experience on both sides that sales people don't like being 'taught' by customers- even if the staff is poorly trained in the first place. I also know how hard it is to be 'up' on everything in the store. How many people do you know that earn that little but are knowledgeable about birds, hamsters AND tarantulas?

I've purchased two pet shop tortoises in the last twenty or so years- one impulse I know better than, and one I went and re-visited several times before purchase.

Personally, I think pet shops can be viable option, as long as you shop as smart as you should no matter who you are buying from.