Do You Own A pet store gecko??

[M_surinamensis]

im not going to read all that.

Yeah, my bad really. You're not a reader. I should have known that, all the signs were there.

you obviously have not gotten laid in wayy to long of a time

My frustration has a different source.

im HONESTLY not going to read any of it.

Oh, I believe you. EMPHATIC CAPS LOCK or not. No need to try to convince me that you won't read. I accept that at face value.

 

[Thorgecko707]

P&P at petco has not, will not, and is not to kill an animal because it is too big. The animal being "too big" would be an oxymoron since everybody says they can't take care of animals. It's true they hire unqualified people (in my area, own experience). Seamus, I think someone is fishing to make you snap. Someone should close this thread. Banana, you don't have to use slander and cursing to get your point across. We are here to share our love of animals. Just my opinion.

 

[Chosen010]

As a fairly new leo fan and pet store leo owner, I have a question:

I haven't been able to find any form of reptile club or shows of any sort in my immediate area. (West Texas)

It's 5-6 hours to Austin or Dallas from where I am and I'm really interested in adding another gecko or two to my collection. By the time you factor in gas and time to make a show, you're talking some serious bucks for a decent gecko..

Shipping geckos is not something many breeders are particularly fond of (it seems) and is expensive itself..

Seems for some there just aren't that many options..
Thoughts?

 

[5HiddenLizards]

Where in west texas are you?
Texas in iself has many reptile shows throughout the year, but yes the majority of them are on the east side. San antonio usually has 2.

http://www.texasreptiles.com/


{Sent from Samsung Epic via Tapatalk}

 

[rchase54]

Seamus, I officially love you. Way to put that turd in his place xD

 

[jabronie]

except he didnt? he just wrote a wall of text to that guy with a whole bunch of random info that had nothing to do with the original statement, just a little piece he pulled out and focused solely on that. he didn't provide any info or facts for his side of the argument other then a huge wall of text aimed more at his anger with people "bashing pet stores like its a fad" then what bananaphone actually said.

 

[fsbulldog24]

cant we all just get along! if you dont like petco or petsmart dont shop there! if you think they dont take care of the animals well, dont buy one! but i bought my first leo on saturday at petco, and so far so good. a little timid but looks very healthy and eating like a champ!!!

 

[scm133]

Pet Store Leopard Gecko

I purchased my first Leopard Gecko from PetSmart two weeks ago. So far he/she is doing ok. I have seen some eating and pooping. But, know it stays in its moist hide a lot because of the beginning of shedding. My only concern is that it is very young...weighing only 3 grams. Thanks for all the info posted. The store person told me to put the UTH on the side of the tank and a infra red light on top for heat. I am controlling the temps for the hot and cold side fairly well. Any feed back on this heating method?

 

[jabronie]

gecko's abosrb heat through their belly so i don't see how an over-head light + heat on the side of the tank helps them. i would just go with an UTH under your tank/tub.

 

[contracteryin]

I get my leopard geckos from a local family owned pet store. They take good care of all their animals from the fish to the puppies. I would never personally buy from one of the large chain stores like Petco, Petsmart, and Pet Supplies "plus".

 

[BrightReptiles]

smear doughnuts all over their legs and lower torso before leaving the house.

Depending on the people doing this, I could possibly deal with this.

 

[Alex G]

except he didnt? he just wrote a wall of text to that guy with a whole bunch of random info that had nothing to do with the original statement, just a little piece he pulled out and focused solely on that. he didn't provide any info or facts for his side of the argument other then a huge wall of text aimed more at his anger with people "bashing pet stores like its a fad" then what bananaphone actually said.

Saying that chain pet stores kill off their stock when they get "too big" is an outright lie and falsehood and Seamus was very much on-topic with his reply. If you think that he was wrong to debate that point, feel free to post proof that points to chain pet stores practicing euthanasia on animals for growing too large. Considering the person who made that claim only had a typical "LOL WOW U HAVE TOO MUCH TIME ON YOUR HANDS IF YOU WROTE THAT, TL;DR" reply I doubt they have a credible source or reason for believing that's the case.
It's clear you just skimmed through his post as well. Is reading more than one paragraph really such a challenge these days?

By the way, to stay on topic... I have never purchased animals from a chain pet store. The PM near me seems to take good care of their animals but the PC is abhorrent. Their leopard geckos look like they're about 2g if that and thin as rails, their cornsnakes are the same, as are their iguanas (terrible that they're selling iguanas in the first place, so few people have the capability to care for a grown one) and the one tarantula they have looks like it's on it's last legs. I've been told I should apply there and try and turn it around but I'm sure whatever knowledge I have as a new herper would be subverted by "PC guidebook says this that and the other thing".

 

[ace bomer]

i hav 1 leo from pet smart, i bought him when he was just 2 weeks old. ive had him for 3 months and no problems

 

[kizzer182]

I have had no problem with my gecko I brought from a large pet shop but when my girlfriend brought her first 1 from the same pet store it suffered from cryptosporidiosis and that one didn't last long. Should of checked the belly first

Iv hurd cryptosporidiosis is common when you try to breed brother and sister geckos together, this disease is highly contagious in geckos and will wipe out all your pets/stock

Larger pet stores will do this to try and expand there stock.

 

[EnigmaEcho]

my first one, Ms Sophie, was from a private breeder store, and though she has bad boughts of enigma syndrome, she is fat and happy and i have had not problems health wise.
my new baby, Wolf, i got from a small pet store chain that i hate. id seen him for a month, and decided ( since he was no longer growing at a normal rate and other frustrating conditions) he had to come home with me. be pooped sand and un digested crickets the first night, and hasnt pooped since, and doesnt want to come out of his hide. he will eat a little though and has energy. he is sweet, so hopefuly he will warm up soon.
oh, btw, its sister store, when i would try not to rescue every singe herp, had a worker there who told me there were only two types of leopard geckos- regular, and morph - it took ALL my will power not to argue with him ( i tried to ask more about what he thought, and he was adament about it, i didnt not mishear.) or rather, i tried to ( politely, biteing my tounge), but he refused to listen.
this is not the first case of misinformation from this store- the one about a ball python eating a small child was legendary.

 

[MissLyssx3]

Dos

I own 2 leos, both bought from "pet stores." I say pet stores in quotes, because I got my male from this little in-town, homey place called the Nature Nook. The guy takes fairly good care of his animals and you can tell he enjoys having people come in, even if it is just for a look. I found Absolut under a rock, and wanted to see more of him, and when he climbed onto my hand, I just couldn't leave him there. I figured he'd be a good mate for my mack snow female.

My female I bought from PetCo. She was small, skinny, and had zero fat on her tail when I first got her. She has gotten bigger, but she isn't as big as my male, and she hasn't been growing like I'd hoped she would. She loves being held, loves running around on the bed, and is so friendly. The only problem I've had with her is her growth. I've noticed it, my bf's noticed it. She has a nice fat tail and everything else seems to be perfectly fine, but she isn't getting BIGGER, and I kind of feel she needs to if I want her to have babies.

 

[lillith]

I own 2 leos, both bought from "pet stores." I say pet stores in quotes, because I got my male from this little in-town, homey place called the Nature Nook. The guy takes fairly good care of his animals and you can tell he enjoys having people come in, even if it is just for a look. I found Absolut under a rock, and wanted to see more of him, and when he climbed onto my hand, I just couldn't leave him there. I figured he'd be a good mate for my mack snow female.

My female I bought from PetCo. She was small, skinny, and had zero fat on her tail when I first got her. She has gotten bigger, but she isn't as big as my male, and she hasn't been growing like I'd hoped she would. She loves being held, loves running around on the bed, and is so friendly. The only problem I've had with her is her growth. I've noticed it, my bf's noticed it. She has a nice fat tail and everything else seems to be perfectly fine, but she isn't getting BIGGER, and I kind of feel she needs to if I want her to have babies.

So basically, you have no idea what hets either of your geckos carry.
Please don't breed them.

 

[MissLyssx3]

So basically, you have no idea what hets either of your geckos carry.
Please don't breed them.

So basically, you're right.
However, I also don't have a couple hundred dollars to go drop on a few geckos from shows, because around here that's what breeders like to charge for them. Live and let live. Learn from mistakes. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.

 

[lillith]

Do more internet searches.

There are breeders that aren't yet bigtime that have quality genetics for less.
There's a whole world outside of this forum that has what you would be looking for, and isn't involved in pet store wholesaling.

There are pros and cons, of course. Here we have a community and you know the people involved and can hold them accountable with community backup.

Going elsewhere is like going to shows, unless you know of a breeder before the shows, you're taking an educated guess at how well they run their shop. You can usually tell by looking at their animals: if they sell healthy, established subadults or if they have a table full of hatchlings; if they can tell you about the genetics involved of their offspring or if they give you a quizzical look, etc. Going online-only outside of forums is tricky, too. That's what the BOI over at Fauna Classifieds is for, though.

I'm sorry I rubbed you the wrong way, but breeding petstore geckos/geckos of unknown genetics is kind of a big no no around here. It's a great way to learn husbandry, but not so much establish breeders. I do however know of some smaller petstores that ARE versed in genetics and label their enclosures accurately. Those are the good ones to watch for.

 

[KTyne]

Nope. 2 of my Geckos are from Breeders and 1 I adopted from the Humane Society.
I wouldn't be opposed to buying from a pet store though if they took outstanding care of the animals.