Do You Own A pet store gecko??

[Kristi23]

I don't have any chain store geckos, but I have two normals from a local reptile shop. They're both fat and healthy, but the owner buys them from a local breeder.

 

[ameh78]

I have 3 pet store leos - three different stores - two are just fine - one has had issues.

My one girl has had constant shed issues. Her eyes are dry a lot 1-2 times a week i must put eye drops in her eyes. when i got her, her eyes were shut and covered in shed. She was under weight and i really didnt think shed make it. She has done well and is a PIG! she is a fat lil gal hehe but is growing very slowly. She has some toes missing and again.. eye drops a lot. other than that she is fine =]

 

[Bling_my_leo]

Skyler, Bling, and Ebony are all pet store babies. Never once have had a problem with them in the two years of owning them. They feed good, and are healthy as can be. =]

 

[Khrysty]

I'm pretty sure the case is this:

If the gecko looks to have obvious health problems, it has obvious health problems (as is the case with Mallorie, my boyfriend's newest). And you can buy it to see if you can nurse it back to health or you can avoid it in lieu of an obviously healthier one.

If it looks obviously healthy in the store, ask to see it feed. Showing an aggressive hunting response is a sign of great health.

There will always be exceptions. Our Camille got really sick about a week after we brought her home. It was due to her prior care, not ours, and she showed no signs of illness prior to purchase.

I would say Cami's case is not the norm, though.

 

[Stomlin35]

I absolutely love my pet store leopard gecko. She's extremely active and growing like crazy. I honestly don't have any qualms about having pet store geckos based on the gecko itself. I don't like supporting pet stores, but they're going to get their money anyway.

 

[L-G-C]

Well I have couple diffrent ones so i don't know which one to pick.
I have 1 that is alive that I got from a petstore but is having health issues.
Four that have died.
And one that I just got from a petstore today so I can't tell if it will have health problems but doesn't seem to yet.
I've tried three diifrent petstores so if this new little guy gets problems I'm never buying from a petstore again....

 

[GeckoNub]

Mine are all from my local exotic pet store that breed their own leos and other than the sand seem to look after all their animals well.

All my geckos are healthy and as far as i can tell happy

 

[acpart]

I don't remember which one I actually selected in the polls since no one option was exactly right, but here's my count of what I got and what happened:

petstore leo --impacted and with parasites; lived about a year and died after ongoing health problems

petstore leo--got her 6.5 years ago and still have her

petstore leo-- healthy breeder; died after 2 years due to it getting out of the cage and encountering my cat

petstore AFT's: male from chain store and female from specialty store, both doing well.

Aliza

 

[rubym]

We have one gecko that came from a small pet store and 1 gecko that came from a big chain place. Both were gifts and both are over 3. We havent had any problems with either.

 

[Neo.Reptiliac]

My first leo was from a pet store. And I owned 2 others after that. They where all normals.

 

[larry1204]

I have a pet store leo and I have had no problems thus far.

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[STUTFL]

I assume my leo is from a pet store; he belonged to a couple of kids before I got him, and with what they knew about leos I doubt they would've known what a gecko breeder was.

He's 8 or so years old and, despite being a bit neglected for several years before I took him (crickets crawling all over the cage, UV lamp, no UTH, one hide, algae in the water bowl), he seems quite healthy, active and tame. There's a reason they're such popular pets - they're tough little critters and very forgiving.

 

[esmerelda]

I have a pet store "rescue"

Okay, in a nutshell...

A very close friend of mine is a vet tech and specializes in reptiles (the vet actually refers to HER for all reptile issues) Anyway, she rehabilitates all kinds of animals but has a soft spot for reptiles in particular.

A local chain pet superstore had this "sick" leo and brought it to her. (I personally think they just wanted to dump it off because it looks bad to have a sick Leo on display and not to mention hard to sell...anyone in their right mind would realize it is going to cost more for a vets office to rehab the Leo than they would sell it for) Anyway, she rehabs the Leo and surprise, surprise...they don't pick it up because they don't want to pay the bill. This is actually something that has happened to her countless times, it is actually how she got most of her personal pets, lol. I don't have a clue what was wrong with the Leo (who is now named Esmerelda aka Ezzy btw) back then, but I can tell you she has been healthy for years now!

Due to some health issues my friend has been having, she asked me to take pook pook pook (the Leos original name, lol) and now we have her...Ezzy! Okay, sometimes Ezzy pook. Normally I would not change a pets name, but she just LOOKS like an Esmerelda, lol!

 

[mascutt]

Hi have a relatively new pet store leopard gecko from a chain. She is a Juvie but grew faster than those she arrived with, so no one wanted her because people thought she was an adult. She was perfect, however, for what I wanted - one still young, but not so young. She has already shed and her color is better now than when I got her - plus she has put on weight - nice fat tail! She seems to be in very good health, eats well, wastes regularly etc. The only issues I am having may be due to my own lack of experience. She seems never to want to be held (unless she can see my arm is the way out of her tank). She's not aggressive, never bites, but she always tries to escape, and when I let her climb up to my shoulders, she poops on me (never in my hands, only on my shoulder). I wonder if it a sign of not having enough socialization because she was in the pet store so long.... or if all of this is just normal taming process (this is my first, so I have no other experience to compare it to).

 

[baseball]

i purchased my gecko from the local ********. when purchased he was healthy and so were his cagemates. the tank i which he was kept was exactly like the way i have read they should be online, no loose substrate. they were all in great health. talking to the staff who take care of the reptiles, i learned that he has several herps including 7 leo. geckos that have come from both the shop and reputable breeders. all of his were over 7 years old, the oldest being 13. he knew what he was doing and even helped me out.

 

[Smidget88]

I purchased my leo at a place whose catch phrase is "where the pets go" lol. Anyway my leo seems fine, eats well (tail has gotten a little fatter in the 2 weeks ive had it) and loves to be handled. Sleeps an awful lot and lays around alot but always rises to the occasion when hunting for a cricket or crawling around on my body. My little buddy has never pooped on me (Thank god). and over all seems healthy considdering some of its tank mates appeared emaciated (they told me they were just younger than mine... pffft if only i knew then what i know now about leos!)I probably would not buy from a big chain like this place ever again because it is apparent death or disordeers of their pets dont matter, its the buck they make. I wouldn't mind buying from a small pet store that has actual professionals (or at least knowledegeable) people caring for it, even though mine appears to have no problems i wont go the chain store route again but i did get a great buddy for the price.

 

[Plonar]

I own a leo from a pet store* and have had no troubles with him ^^ but does anyone know where the classifieds are? cause i cant find it D8

 

[nathan52789]

I plan on purchasing a pet store leo in the next few weeks. However, its a local petstore, not a chain, who buys directly from a local breeder so I don't foresee any problems of being from a petstore.

 

[Bongo]

I purchased a young leo from a pet store over a year ago. Within a couple months of purchase, he stopped eating and started rapidly losing weight. My vet confirmed it was a severe bacterial infection, probably from poor pet store conditions, and put him on antibiotics. I was also giving him slurry. A few days after his vet visit, he dropped his tail. I didn't think he was going to make it, but after about 2 weeks of the antibiotics and slurry, he started to reluctantly eat 1 or 2 waxworms every 2 or 3 days. He started to eat more and more waxworms, then he would eventually accept mealies and sometimes crickets. His tail grew back, and he gained weight fast. He is very healthy now. This was the last time I'll ever purchase a leo from a pet store.

 

[Mallie]

My pet store leo is doing just fine. I've had problems with 2 of my petstore frogs in the past though. They were both incredibly skinny and one died within the first week.