Other Turtle Discussion :: A non-turtle rant

[jenaero]

So I walk into a pet store that I never usually go to just because I was shopping in that plaza that day. I'm not there 30 seconds before some girl is on my butt asking if she can help me. Fine. So I pretended I knew nothing about anything and told her I had an empty tank and wanted something to fill it. They had several tanks with different reptiles in them so I asked a bit about each one. I didn't know what some of them were but I could tell that the setups weren't right.

They had a large (2ft long) skink of some sort that looked pretty old and a bit sickly in about a 40 gal tank. Selling for $250. I asked how old it was (they said juvi...right) and where it was from...they didn't know where it was from and said it just ate lettuce.

On to the next, a pair of pacman frogs. They were in a plastic critter keeper on a shelf, sitting in gravel and water. I asked about how to keep them and she said you can buy them with their setup, as is for $45. Said they didn't need light or heat and they ate goldfish and crickets.

There was some kind of Uromastyx (sp?) that was all wrong too.

So I got home, got on the net because I knew the info was 'off' and of course, those frogs need heat AND light (85 degree day temp) and they should have a water dish to soak in but shouldnt be sitting in water all the time, and the gravel can cause impaction (surprise). They should have been in damp sphagnum moss. The skink was a monkey tailed skink, obviously sick compared with all the pics I found on the net and of course didn't have the necessities.

She offered me a care sheet on the frog...I wish I'd taken it. I just don't get why they wouldn't look some of this stuff up. I mean, if they're in it for the sale, why wouldn't they want to sell me $200 worth of supplies instead of a plastic critter keeper??

[reptilegrrl]

I have almost never seen a reptile being properly kept in a pet store. It's very sad and disturbing to me

[Tigris Tusha]

I actually work in a pet store, and it amazes me at how dumb my managers are when it comes to reptiles. (we mainly sell puppies, rodents and birds but also have snakes, lizards, fish and turtles). I’m sort of glad that I work there now because i do research at home whenever we get new reps in so that way i can make sure their getting what they need. Recently we had 3 iguanas die because they kept feeding them crickets...not knowing that iguanas were vegetarians. On top of that they were feeding them iceberg lettuce as well, which is a BIG no no with iguanas.

Now I’m on their --- about their turtles because they have waaay too much water, and no basking area...just some 4x6x1 piece of Styrofoam they found. I’m trying to get them to just make a separate tank for the turtles because the way the aquarium works is that on each level, there can only be one level of water for the animals in each partition...its so idiotic. They also kind of look like an apple after it has been cut and has started to brown... and they smell terribly. I think one of them even has shell rot! They even sold a turtle to a little boy whose nose...was gone...O_o; It gets me so upset, because then I think of my own little girl at home and I imagine her in those conditions, it gets me so riled up. (Anyone know what the brown stains are on their shells? Its not something that can be washed off like algae or anything.)

I tried saving some of our previous turtles, by setting up their own separate tank, with some water purifiers, uvb/uva lights and heaters and a basking area...but it was too late for them. So heartbreaking.

At least the other animals are better off

[cam722]

Well if they sell turtles they should have turtle supplies, like REAL basking docks. Heck they can even use it as a tax deductions... It amazes me the people who can run a business with no common sense

Brown stains?? could it be mineral deposits from the water? Maybe you could print some basic turtle care info and take them to work with you to show your boss and to give to customers??

[Tigris Tusha]

Heh, you would think right? but unfortunately they don’t, which is another think that drives me crazy. The most they carry are some way too small tanks, iguana food, powder supplements, turtle pellets, some water dishes, and bulbs that have way too high of a wattage to fit in our fixtures. It took me forever just to set up a 10 gallon tank for two of them, and it was VERY primitive.

I don’t have much hold over the stock we get in, but I’ve already taught them all i know about turtle/reptile care from my own experience, and I make sure to give every customer that comes in who’s interested in getting a reptile a long lecture on caring for it. God knows how many people put turtles and lizards in plastic containers with rocks and plastic palm trees and an inch of water....thinking that they'll survive without any proper equipment or that they'll stay those 2". Didn't they ever learn that reptiles were cold blooded?! Oy.

Besides our reptiles, we take magnificent care of our puppies, birds, hamsters, ferrets, guinea pigs, chinchillas and hermit crabs! I've learned a lot from working at this store, I'll keep pushing them to make a separate enclosure for the turtles, but I highly doubt their going to do it. For them it’s just a $15 loss compared to the $1000 and up puppies

[cam722]

Well then what the heck they doing selling a pet they can't even supply the basic needs for?? Sigh.... where are the turtle police when you need them??

I've had a lot of pets over the years.. puppies, birds, hamsters etc are much easier to care for .. well relatively.. than turtles. That is until you have the proper setup.. Or maybe it's just that we can relate better to things that don't live in water..

[TinySlider2]

Sigh.... where are the turtle police when you need them??

Hang on I will go get my hubby!

[Tigris Tusha]

Well if they sell turtles they should have turtle supplies, like REAL basking docks. Heck they can even use it as a tax deductions... It amazes me the people who can run a business with no common sense

Brown stains?? could it be mineral deposits from the water? Maybe you could print some basic turtle care info and take them to work with you to show your boss and to give to customers??

T.T trust me, me and a co-worker are trying But this store has like, 30 other stores and they have been around for a while. But we are trying.

[Tigris Tusha]

! Guess what! Apparently I made a dent and they are ordering in some docks for the turtles, as well as lowering the water level a tad and adding in some UVB lights since they have the UVA ones already installed. I will be treating the turtles for their shell rot, I got some tips from my favorite local pet shop (really great place, never had any complaints with anything I got from them or about their animals) ATM I’m using Iodine, if anyone knows what else I can use? I’ll make a separate forum. I guess they do trust employees somewhat huh?

And today I found mold in the iguanas food bowl, and i got so pissed off, apparently whoever has had charge of the reptiles during the week figured that they didn’t need to change the food (which is done every morning and every night, or at least its SUPPOSED to be done...) So there’s going to be some [---] kicking! I feel like I’ve accomplished something, yay.

[buddys_my_turtle]

You know what I think you Jenaero should open up a pet store and show these people what you can do with a little bit of knowlege comapred to their:)!