Hey just got some good deals in a random petco

[mypreludeisred]

Hey

i know we all hate petco here :main_laugh:

But today i was up at pittsburgh and i stopped in at a petco

They had a lot of reptile stuff on clearance.

I got 2 magnetic medium reptile rock dens ( exoterra) 14 a pop, marked for 35

2 vivcator dishes 8 bucks a pop, marked for 36.

When i say marked i mean original price.

when i got back to school at wvu, i went to petco and returned one of the vivicators cause i realized i spluiged and didnt need it.

They werent only sale there so they gave me 35 dollar giftcard.
Which goes to show that the sale isnt everywhere.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

People here hate how Petco treats and houses their animals, but I don't think anyone here hates them for their supplies. I sometimes feel like a kid in a candy store when I'm looking at their supplies lol. I wonder if they got the sale here, I really want one of those magnetic rock dens. Nice find!

 

[moosassah]

at that price you should buy them out & sell them on ebay

 

[Brian O]

I'ld rather pay double than support a place that is know to neglect animals.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I'ld rather pay double than support a place that is know to neglect animals.

See, I don't exactly agree with that. They are a pet supply store. They specialize in supplies. They are not known for selling pets, which is why they shouldn't, and why people shouldn't purchase animals from them. That has nothing to do with the supplies that they carry. Just my opinion though.

 

[Brian O]

No they are a pet store. They sell birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, mice, rats, reptiles, and fish. Granted these aren't where most pet stores make their money. They sell these animals so that you will need their supplies. This doesn't mean that they aren't accountable for these animals care when they are in their possession. As long as they sell the supplies they will sell the animals. So buy buying from them it encourages them to continue their practices.

 

[ReptileMan27]

I'ld rather pay double than support a place that is know to neglect animals.

I dont agree with that either, thats unfair to judge all stores because 1 or 2 in your area may be bad. We have 2 here, and their not that bad besides for a few things like calci sand for the leos, which I know people/breeders that call themselfs responsible keepers but use it anyway. I hear people complain about petco and petsmart all the time, yea their not great but their not that bad compared to many other pet stores I have seen, the ones here in the malls are far worse. Supplies and the animals are 2 totally different things:main_thumbsup:

 

[Scott&Nikki]

No they are a pet store. They sell birds, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, ferrets, mice, rats, reptiles, and fish. Granted these aren't where most pet stores make their money. They sell these animals so that you will need their supplies. This doesn't mean that they aren't accountable for these animals care when they are in their possession. As long as they sell the supplies they will sell the animals. So buy buying from them it encourages them to continue their practices.

Obviously, it is not ok, but the only animals I see in Petco with less than acceptable conditions are the leos (and maybe a few other lizards). Every other animal you just mentioned is kept in good conditions. They have good supplies and the majority of their animals are cared for correctly. Plus the fact that not all of the stores are even that bad.

 

[GeckoMandi]

I get my supplies at the petco or petsmart, but I have stopped buying any animal from them period.

I always check the clearance items as well, good finds you got!

 

[Double LY]

I dont agree with that either, thats unfair to judge all stores because 1 or 2 in your area may be bad. We have 2 here, and their not that bad besides for a few things like calci sand for the leos, which I know people/breeders that call themselfs responsible keepers but use it anyway. I hear people complain about petco and petsmart all the time, yea their not great but their not that bad compared to many other pet stores I have seen, the ones here in the malls are far worse. Supplies and the animals are 2 totally different things:main_thumbsup:

I agree. The Petcos/Petsmarts that I've been to in Kansas City have all been nice and keep all their herps in proper conditions. I have seen a couple of little, out-of-the-way, single owner stores that have been DISGUSTING and THAT'S what drives me wild.

 

[DAWNoftheLEO]

dooodahhdoodahh

 

[Brian O]

I'm just arguing so please don't be too offended.

Jason I'm not going by one or two stores. Just personally I have seen somewhere around twenty stores that were bad. I,ve been to everyone in the Chicago area not to mention some in the surrounding states. Everyone has a Petco near them that isn't bad and smaller pet stores are messed up also. Thats why I don't shop at any stores unless they are clean and the animals are well cared for. I just tend to single out Petco because as a chain I have seen them have more stores that were problems than any others.
I'm not talking about calci sand either. I'm refering to over crowded undernurished, and more than likely parasite filled animals.
Scott being on a Leo forum of all places I find it odd that you are ok with the fact that the Leos in these stores are even a little mistreated.
There are allot of stores that sell good supplies that don't mistreat animals. Not even one or two

 

[Scott&Nikki]

(I am also just arguing, so don't be offended)

Brian, I am in no way ok with that fact. Petco's leos are MUCH better treated than any petstore by me. Granted there are only 2 others here at school, but they are so much worse than Petco. I do not like the fact that they are terrible with leos but that is basically the extent of it. To say the store as a whole is so terrible that I would go spend twice the money on supplies somewhere else, to me is just ridiculous. The Petco by my house (Palatine) is even better than the one at school in DeKalb (other than being short-staffed). With Petco being the best pet store within 15 miles of me, there isn't much I can do about it anyway.

 

[MichaelJ]

I travel constantly for my work and whenever I have time to kill I check out local and chain pet shops and I've seen good and bad in both arenas. I agree that I don't like purchasing animals at the chain stores and pet shops in general. Breeders are always the best route because as we all know you get what you pay for. In general I've found that Petsmart has made great strides to get their pet keeping in line and is far above your average pet shop. The Petcos' I've visited by enlarge are pretty good and defintely have good sale on supplies. The nicest one I saw was in Phoenix and they had Leo juveniles for 20$ and were housed very well. They didn't know what they had as far as morphs and I picked up a sunglow and brought it back to Florida with me. It's doing very well but thats about as far as I go with their purchases of animals. Petsmart does support local SPCA's as far as their animal adoptions which is a great thing. I believe Petco has jumped on the band wagon with this as well.

 

[Double LY]

The nicest one I saw was in Phoenix and they had Leo juveniles for 20$ and were housed very well. They didn't know what they had as far as morphs and I picked up a sunglow and brought it back to Florida with me.

This is one thing that I LOVE about a couple of small petstores that we frequent in the KC area. Not only do they have extensive knowledge of their animals, but both stores sell at high prices compared to the chains. I think that deters a lot of potentially bad buyers (not that there's anything wrong with a great deal, but I don't think many people would buy from these smaller stores thinking the animals are completely "replaceable" like they might if they got a $20 bargain). Also, one of the stores is owned by a snake breeder, so everything is in pristine condition with the proper set-ups for all the animals, from snakes/lizards/turtles to fish and even rabbits/ferrets/hedgehogs/etc. I will gladly pay double for crickets/supplies knowing it is going to someone who cares so greatly for all of the creatures he sells.

Unfortunately, for every good store, there is probably a bad one. I have found a couple and absolutely REFUSE to even step through their doors again, let alone give them my money. Also unfortunate is the fact that as long as animals are fed, animal control/humane society/etc. will do nothing to get bad places on track or shut them down. Definitely a huge GRRRRRRR.

 

[Brian O]

Every store has the same setup. My wife went on a personal crusade a few years ago and is the reason that you will even see the humid hides in the cages now. Which is funny since they don't use their hide they sell and are using a tupperware bowl. I can walk into anyone in the chicago area and there will be five or more(I've seen 15) in a what I'm guessing is a 12"x12" cage. So lets say they all poop in the same day. So they all walk over to the same spot. Doing so they walk over each others poop. Which is just one way that parasites are passed.
The one by my home has improved thanks to my wifes nagging(which she honed on me). The cages are all clean and they try to separate by size to cut down on bullying. Most stores don't separate them.
Since you live in Palentine you know that there are many different choices of pet stores. I can understand being young and on a budget. What do you really need regularly? Calcium should last six months to a year. Two hides and some dishes, which are all a one time purchase. So how much are you really saving?
I used to live by you in Morton Grove. 15 miles is a pretty small radius. I know of an excellent store in Skokie. There used to be a great one in Glenview but Petco shut them down. This would be out of your realm as the shipping would make you vomit but I buy most of my supplies online. Some stores have great sales and reward you for being a frequent customer.
I see in the future we can get everything at walmart. Great selection with low prices. Who cares that they discriminate and don't pay overtime. Besides that dime Magill is making a day to manufacture there products is a fare wage in his country.
Michael, like most corporations they need tax right offs. Which they use to make them look good. I am generalizing here but I know of Petcos adoption days that they sponsor. They keep the animals in the stores which helps them in that it gets you to buy the supplies from them for the animals. A tax right off with increased sales.
I might be a little more understanding if they didn't use "it's corporate policy" every time you bust them on something.

 

[Scott&Nikki]

My problem is that I am at school in Dekalb. I live in Wheeling, and there is a pet store right by my house. I used to get all my fish there and thought they were a good store. When I went in there to see their leos, they had them in the same tank as house geckos. Another store I went to in Buffalo Grove told me they had plenty, then when I got there they "couldn't find them". The glass of their tank was completely cracked, so I am sure they were walking around the store that has free-roaming dogs and cats. The Palatine Petco usually only has 3 leos in a 15 gal. The DeKalb Petco has usually 2 or 3 in what looks like it would be about an 8 gallon enclosure.

All I know is that phone books and online searches here at school list Petco, 2 MUCH worse places, and about 6 Dog Groomers. That is all I have to work with. The phone book covers about 6 cities, so there is no way I am driving blindly outside of that area when the Petco here is not that bad at all.

By the way, what store in skokie? I have family there and I usually end up out there whenever I come home.

 

[marula]

i think the difference is about people working for them...
there is a nice pet smart in my area...they take good care of their reptiles because the respnsable of reptiles have experience with them (he own something like 20 different kind of reptiles)...
i don't buy nothing from a pet store because i'm again the animals in the store...
...and the 95% of pet stores are bad...
so...i'm soo happy when i see a good one,but i think the best solution for any kind of animals is a reputable breeder...

 

[GeckoMandi]

I've seen worse things in those little mom & pop pet shops than I have at petco, petsmart etc.

 

[MichaelJ]

the mom and pops are the worst and I posted a thread a month or so ago when i nearly pummeled an owner of an "Animal House", here in Saint Pete, FL. I agree with all of you and I generally stay away from the chains accept for certain supplies I can't find anywhere else or can't order on-line due to time constraints. Being a breeder myself I know what it takes to care of Leos and 95% all stores just aren't doing it. I'm a nagg too though.. I have no problems telling anyone at any store they need to change this or that just because it makes me at least feel like I tried event hough I can't save everyone..