Reporting pet stores?

[sbernstein85]

I've been lurking here for a while and am a very proud owner of a handsome Greek tortoise! I was checking out a local reptile store and was deeply appalled by what I saw. They had a tank of baby tortoises and in the middle was a dead baby tortoise. It looked like something had fallen on him- his shell was badly cracked. It was obvious he was dropped or had something fall on him, and they just let them sit there. I was wondering if there was any number or organization I could call to report this store. Their general set up and care of the other tortoises and reptiles is subpar at best. It breaks my heart to see such beautiful creatures not getting the care and love they deserve.

 

[Josh]

try contacting the local SPCA...?

 

[Itort]

The health dept may another avenue.

 

[Cam]

We had a similair incident with a local petstore here in MN.
I started by talking to the staff on the day we were there...you can imagine their concern (i am being sarcastic here).

I called the store once we got home and spoke to the manager of course she said they do hourly walk throughs etc...I pointed out with the amount of dead animals and feces there was no way there had been an hourly walkthrough done.
If you have a cell phone to snap pictures it can be very motivating to the store by the way.

I then called the main number listed on their website.
I have to say I am in there infrequently...only to do a quick check and never buy anything anymore from them. They have stopped carrying a few animals that were too hard to keep alive but the general conditions are not impressive. No more than the pet store with husky pups for sale...4 pups in a equivalent of a 100 gallon tank
Your local animal humane society will also have effective contact numbers for you. Ours does nothing with such situations but they do have a lot of resources to follow up with.

In MN we also have an animal investigator through the police department...you can call and report poor conditions anonymously if you want, I also did this with a different store. They will not likely call you back but the only way they know what is going on is if people start speaking up. They have 'bigger fish to fry' on a daily basis. So if no one alerts them the these 'small infractions' there is no way that 2 investigators for an entire state can know what every store is doing, or not doing.

Good luck.
Let us know what happens.

 

[Jacqui]

Like has been told to you places to try are local humane societies, animal controls, health department, and game and parks folks. Don't forget you can take your thoughts public like to newspapers and TV stations. Contact other types of local animal rescue groups or reptile clubs for thoughts and ideas. Don't forget to ask zoos and vets, too. Usually for something to change, a big splash has to be made and the public made aware of problems.



I personally would first try working with the store. Some of them do care.

Remember also, to make it work it takes commitment and time to move the wheels of change.

 

[Cam]

Yes, if you have a local Herpetological Society they would be of great help.

 

[Laura]

Since you stated the care and setups were great in other areas of the store, I would have brought it up to the staff while there.. its possible they did not know. Accidents do happen. If you had gotten a bad response or a lame excuse, then I would have called the local Animal Control and had them investigate it and look into prior complaints. If you dont feel confortable facing someone with the issue, then make a phone call. " oh btw,, When I was at your store earlier, I saw a injured tortoise in one of your displays. Not sure if you knoew abou it.'
Did the public have access to the torts? Maybe a kid took it out, dropped it and put it back and staff didnt know?
I was at our local shop the other day.. Old food, dried up, no waters, not real clean. Mid day, so its not like they just opened.. Im going back again to see if it looks better, if not. I might mention something to them.

 

[mayo1985]

http://www.tortoisetrust.org/