and again?

[chastity]

so basically our local ***** got in about 50 baby leopard geckos and separated them with like 30 in one tank and 20 in another. i figured they would go fast because they were very pretty morphs and they are 50% off. about a week ago i went back in and noticed that the tank with 20 are now significantly smaller and looked to be starving. i've emailed people and talked to people about this SAME store before and they still continue to treat them badly. i came home with 2 more babies today because i brought home the ones that were the worst off.

here they are in the store in their ONE hide they have

this is the one that looks to be starving to death.

and here they are on the way home

we're keeping them in a small tank away from everyone and i'm hoping that they kick back in soon. going to try hand feeding them and starting them both on reptaid. vet visits are in order once they've settled in. wish me luck :/

 

[Lindz0518]

Those poor babies, good luck!

 

[GexPex]

Reason why I try not to look at the reptile section....I almost always end up walking out upset. Although, I personally never buy from these stores, as it simply "rewards" them for mistreating their reptiles and leaves space for more to arrive into the same conditions. I've even called animal control on two big-name pet stores (they were fined and ordered to take each reptile to the vet).

 

[chastity]

i've tried just about everything with this store. we go there for crickets and waxworms because we only order mealworms and supers online. i try to avoid it but i usually end up wandering past because i love tortoises i just dont have one yet. and even if i hadn't bought these two they probably would have just died in the cage. i have reptaid here at the house and critical care so i figure i'll start feeding them on that and see if they perk up. the one is sooo skinny it makes me sick. how did they honestly walk past this cage and not realize these ones are doing way worse than the ones they got at the same time that are now about twice the size?

 

[SC Geckos]

Its sad to see but I agree with Pex. If people continue to buy these sick looking geckos from these places they have no reason to improve there living conditions. In fact they may even feel that they sell more geckos if people continue to come in trying to "save them". Sad but true. I am sure its only a matter of time before most of the other 48 geckos left are skinny and sick looking.... ready to be rescued.
My girlfriend always wants to "rescue" these geckos too but I think I have finally convinced her that she can't save them all (as much as she would like too). If you "save" one or two they will quickly be replaced and the circle of suffering will continue.
Good luck with your new little ones.

 

[chastity]

i considered not getting them just to prove a point but i honestly do not think me not buying 2 of them is going to make a difference in a chain store. they needed me and i have the funds and room for them so we brought them home. i gave it a week after i noticed the thinning and contacted them but they did nothing for them so they're now part of the family.

 

[Ghostoftangerine17]

Sorry to hear about the terrible conditions

At least all the pet stores I've seen have leos separated into little critter keepers. No hides though, which is bad. My least favorite store keeps some in little plastic containers (like what are brought to expos) and has bright lights right above them!! wtf

 

[SC Geckos]

i considered not getting them just to prove a point but i honestly do not think me not buying 2 of them is going to make a difference in a chain store. they needed me and i have the funds and room for them so we brought them home. i gave it a week after i noticed the thinning and contacted them but they did nothing for them so they're now part of the family.

The two you bought will not make a difference, but when you multiply that with the many other people that "rescue" these animals from these places it adds up. I see so many threads about the same exact thing (too many to count) I just think if you see a place that does not take proper care of there animals to avoid them completely. Don't get me wrong, at one point I felt like doing the same thing but I came to realize a long time ago that it does no good. I mean.... are you going to buy the other 48 animals? From the pictures they all look to be in the same condition as the two you purchased. It's a losing battle. If the animals are not cared for properly report them, don't buy them.
Just to be clear I am not trying to say you are wrong in what you did, just that I feel there is a better way to go about helping these animals. If these places are force to improve the way they keep these animals, it will stop the next group of 50 geckos that comes in next month from going through the same thing.

 

[chastity]

it will make a difference to them and that's all i can do besides writing them and talking to management. i honestly doubt anyone will even realize that they aren't doing good. most people could care less or don't notice the few super thin babies. and the 30 larger ones in the bigger cage, although overcrowded, actually looked like they were eating well. even if they didn't have hides the babies were doing much better than this cage full of them.

 

[SC Geckos]

i honestly doubt anyone will even realize that they aren't doing good.

You did.... why wouldn't others?

most people could care less or don't notice the few super thin babies.

People in general or people looking to purchase these animals? Just people in general, I would agree 100%. As far as people looking to purchase a gecko, If they have done even the slightest bit of research before going to buy the animal they should be able to tell that those geckos don't look very healthy.
I would advise the store manager that the geckos are not housed properly. Perhaps it's not that they don't care but they don't know how to house them correctly and it should be the managers responsibility to educate them.

 

[chastity]

the only reason i noticed is because i have other reptiles. i do think maybe it is a lack of education on the employees part but i've tried telling them before and they never fix things. :/

 

[GexPex]

Ugh...just came home from the dreaded big-name pet store (Where the pets go...to die). Calling animal control on this one again tomorrow. They had 2 larger juvies in with 6 skin-and-bones babies. They had a DEEP dish of un-dusted mealworms that the babies don't seem to be able to reach. The crickets that I did see in there had no calcium dust on them and were way too large for the babies.
Actually asked if they would adopt out the skinny ones since it was clear that they should NOT be sold. The manager said she wasn't comfortable adopting them out in that condition.
"Then why are you trying to SELL them in that condition? At least they'll be adopted out to someone who KNOWS that they're in very poor condition and will know what to do to get them back into shape."
"Well, I'll tell my employee to put them in the back."
"Oh sure, put them in the back so no one sees them dead the next morning." and I walked out.

Main reason why I'm calling animal control is because this manager just didn't seem to care (and not because I'm upset that she wouldn't even adopt them out). Her attitude told me that she was just saying that they'll be put in the back in order to shut me up.

Why did I even look this time? (Fortunately I did, though...and managed to walk out without any of them). My brother was with and wanted to look at the reptiles, so I simply went along.

 

[Ghostoftangerine17]

Hope animal control actually does something. :main_angry:

 

[Embrace Calamity]

the only reason i noticed is because i have other reptiles. i do think maybe it is a lack of education on the employees part but i've tried telling them before and they never fix things. :/

Maybe try calling animal control on them? Someone else mentioned they'd done that and had some luck.

And I can understand both people's points here. Reminds me of the starfish parable.

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.

He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"

The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean."

"I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.

To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."

Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"

At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."

~Maggot

 

[cassicat4]

I, too, can see both sides. I try to avoid looking at the reptiles at both big name pet stores in my area too, but morbid curiosity compels me to look anyway.

I've been tempted so many times to rescue the sick ones as well.

However...

I've spoken with a manager at one of the big name stores in my area, and she has said that they order in reptiles that get sold the most. That's why at this store, for example, you rarely see things like mountain horned or chinese water dragons, or any type of skink, crested geckos, or collard lizards. Yet you almost always see anoles, leopard geckos, bearded dragons, ball pythons, chameleons, frogs, and various types of kings and corns.

As per the manager, the less people buy of a reptile, the less they order in, because it's bad publicity for them to hold onto a reptile for a long period of time.

As well, they admitted that they don't necessarily keep the animals in proper conditions because "it's too difficult with what we have to work with". Therefore they need these animals to sell ASAP, so they'll avoid bringing in any animal that they usually have a difficult time selling or is high maintenance.

Therefore, if I were to rescue, say, the chinese water dragons (which I've been tempted by so much), all I would be doing is adding to the sales statistic of how many of these guys get sold and condoning pet store practices. While I may have made a difference to that dragon, 3 more will just take its place that I can't save. Had I not bought it, they may not have brought any more in.

That's the problem with rescuing them. You really are reinforcing the store's choice of inventory and they'll continue to bring in more animals that are subjected to the same conditions.

In another instance, one of the stores had anoles that were dead in their tank. As in, crickets were feeding on them, that's how dead they were. I chose to say nothing at that point...I wanted as many people as possible to see the dead animals so they hopefully can begin to understand what these stores are like.

I came back to that same store 4 hours later and the anoles were still there. That's when I mentioned it to the supervisor on duty, who seemed shocked by it (tells you how much they check on their animals, eh?).

However, this was several months ago...and I haven't seen any anoles being sold there since.

As hard as it is, maybe we need to let some of these animals be martyrs for a cause.

I like the suggestion that was mentioned of phoning animal control. Or even the local SPCA or animal welfare groups. Even PETA would be something. The solution is two-fold: stores need to be held accountable for what they're doing, and people need to realize the poor conditions the pet stores feel they can keep their animals in, and stop buying from them.

It worked with cats and dogs...you can no longer buy "breeder farm" kittens and puppies from these pet stores anymore, the only ones available are all rescue animals that came from the SPCA, the shelter, or otherwise.

Maybe it's time the same is done with reptiles.

 

[katie_]

Thats very sad but you just opened up two more spots and put money in their hands.
STOP SUPPORTING PETSTORES LIKE THIS!
Dont even go look! I know its hard but taking home sick geckos DOES NOT HELP GECKOS!
Only accept free geckos from stores, STOP giving them business if you want them to change.

Yes 2 geckos makes a difference. If you buy two, and I buy two, and someone else buys two...you see what I mean?
We ALL need to boycott them for it to work..
The star fish story is nice but different, as the ocean is the ocean and a petstore is a petstore..