From wet to Dry...

[Ed O]

Greetings all!
Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Ed and I recently became the new owner of an adult, female Leo.(See, I'm already in the "know" with the jargon ).
Let me preface all of this with saying that my first passion is aquariums. Currently I maintain a 90g reef tank and am very active in our local saltwater aquarium club, www.rasoc.org. Reefkeeping is my first and foremost hobby...and then came the Gecko.
Now, nobody start flaming me here, but I am also the manager of a local pet store(I know some of you may be wincing right now), and am in complete control of our aquatics/reptile department.
I am here today because I want to learn as much as I can about Leos and their care, requirements, and survivability. (Don't worry, I'll start a new thread).
For now, I just wanted to say hello and thanks in advance for any and all information.
-Ed

 

[eyelids]

Welcome!

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Hi Ed! YOu are in the right place to learn all about leopard geckos, and I'm thrilled to know there will be someone working in a pet store that will be able to improve the hobby. Welcome!!!

 

[Ed O]

Thanks, I know the stigma associated with local pet stores (lps), from both ends now. It's a tough line to walk between retail sales mgr. and hobbyists when a customer comes in for advice. Torn between selling them add-ons and whatnot instead of what they really need. Being an avid hobbyist, I am biased and always think about the animal first. Not the customer, nor his or her wallet.
What do the hobbyist want to see when they go into their local pet shop? What are some of the mistakes you see stores making in regard to leopard geckos, and other reptiles for that matter?

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

I think the biggest mistakes pet stores make is buying wholesale lots of baby geckos that are just too small to thrive, and then housing them in crowded conditions. Keeping babies on Calcium-sand is a huge mistake, as well and using overhead heat instead of belly heat. My biggest beef is that usually sick reptiles don't get pulled from the rest of the population and taken to the vet.

You are so very right about it being about the animals, but running a retail operation makes animals more like inventory items instead of living creatures. Promoting the proper husbandry and feeding of live reptiles can help sell them as well as eliminate the 'disposable pet' mentality.

 

[TWC]

i agree with you Marcia. i have been kicked out plenty of times from wholesale pet stores for telling people dont buy the unhealthy geckos unless they know how to nurse them back to health. or telling the workers there that they need to take the geckos to the vet before they die, or are permanently injured.

 

[moosassah]

Welcome to gecko forums. You'll be able to send out much healthier geckos after spending a few days here. One of the best things you could do for future customers is recommend this site. I've yet to find any book that comes even close to what this place covers or the care that its members dole out.

Good luck with the pet store gig & changing the way those geckos start out their days.

 

[Ed O]

Our store is geared toward the general public. And as you may well know, the general public is not all that educated, hence the reason/necessity for forums such as this one. So who does that leave to do the teaching, the store's staff.
The staff relies on current and personal knowledge, and from company policies and procedures. The company relies on owner education and the intelligence and ability of the supplier to supply healthy, captive raised animals.
But it all boils down to providing the creatures with the proper environment, a healthy diet, and a little TLC (in some cases a lot).
I have decided to put off purchasing any more reptiles until I am absolutly sure that we can provide the above. Meanwhile, I will continue to further my own knowledge, especially now that I own one of these fascinating critters of my own.
It's difficult to walk the line between salesman and hobbyists sometimes, knowing that my family needs to eat, and without the sales, I'd be out of a job.
I always try to put myself in the customers shoes first.
One of my great pleasures is telling customers, and this rings true for aquatics, that with a little ingenuity and a trip(or two, or three) to Lowe's or HD they can make their own equipment, for much less than buying a brand name product. I love DIY projects.
Stepping off my soapbox now....

 

[gaparicio]

Welcome to the forum. You will learn plenty here as well as be able to educate your customers on the proper care and husbandry of these great lizards!

 

[mkeg1]

Hello and welcome!!! I'm new here too, and also a huge reef enthusiast. I don't have a tank currently because I am at school, but I have big plans

 

[tibbs2]

hello, I am also a reefer! I own a 75 gallon reef tank and belong to
http://greateriowareefsociety.org.

Good to see another reefer in here.

 

[malt_geckos]

Welcome Ed! I too have aquariums, fresh water angels for me though. Then my boyfriend and I got our first gecko...it has escalated from there Have fun here! You'll learn bunches!