Pet Stores

[Urtle]

So, today I decided to drive out to a few of the pet stores around my area to see if they had anything good. Unfortunately no. I was amazed to find baby sulcatas in horrible shape looking sick and unhappy, already pyramiding. Their conditions were sooo bad, I cant believe store owners can barely take care of them.

What do we do with these people?

 

[Tom]

Educate them. Help them to understand. There are as many ways to accomplish this as there are pet stores in the world. Each store and each person needs to be handled on a case by case basis. The right approach might make some progress.

Sometimes they just have to understand that the tortoises are not selling because they are in bad shape. If they start keeping them correctly, they will sell better and make them more money.

 

[Snapper925]

Its terrible thing, and we cant do anything, a guy who owns a shop near by and I showed him my rescue and he recommended all the care I know that is wrong, its kinds sad to see

 

[matt581]

Same at my pet store and there asking 179.99 for them in a 10gal tank with no place to sleep under just uvb light and a food and water dish ppl make me sick i'm going to turn them in next time not right for the animal and its not even legal to sell them under 4inches in MI

 

[Neal]

Sometimes they just have to understand that the tortoises are not selling because they are in bad shape. If they start keeping them correctly, they will sell better and make them more money.

The problem with that is that tortoises apparently sell very well, even the ones that aren't kept the best...at least with the pet shops around here. One of our weekly family outings is to the local reptile shops around here. Just about every time we go there is always a different stock of tortoises in all of the stores.

 

[Tom]

We all spent a couple of decades explaining and promoting the whole desert thing. It will take some time to undo all that damage and help people to un-learn what they think is the right info. It won't happen on its own, so its up to us, the people who DO know better, to tell everyone who doesn't. I think the breeders are the first place to start. They produce all of those babies and start them all off the wrong way. Everyone regards them as the experts and follows their directions for how to keep and raise them. If we can turn some breeders around we can start to get everyone else turned around too. I talk to people about it every chance I get. I have even been able to convert a few old timers...

 

[Jacob]

Yes I Have also seen lots of sulcatas in bad shape lately, sad to see.
The only thing you can really do is try to educate the storeowners sellers.

 

[Angi]

I have had the pet store people tell me "that is what the breader recomended" We were talking about baby Sulcatas on rabbit pellets with no hide. It is sad when the breaders are giving out bad info.

 

[Urtle]

And also these people who own these pet stores act like such animal enthusiasts you would think that they would notice something wrong with their tortoises? I don't know, beats me. I will, however, call them tomorrow and make a complaint.

 

[Bow]

The pet store I used to work for, since I've gone, has entirely stopped caring for all animals. It's sad but everyone can really see how little they care now. When I was there my manager was always horrible about saying I was uninformed and talking about her knowledgeable self, now whenever I make a rare stop through to look at my old tanks and critters it's depressing, you can see that the tanks have problems, the ammonia is so bad that they stink! There grossly overstocked and she just keeps getting more. Last week I even had to point out that they haven't cleaned cages since I left MONTHS ago. Most of the rodents didn't even have food or water dishes.