PET STORES = HELL.

[katemonsterxo]

so i got a hamster 4 months ago at a major pet store... and he just died yesterday (RIP HOWARD). and i am not too sure what killed him... but i think it had something to do with the fact that i got it from a pet store...

now to the gecko

i got rex a couple months ago at the same pet store... and i am so afraid that he will not survive as long as he is supposed to... has anyone on here had a gecko for the full amount of time (or a happy healthy gecko for a long time, hasn't died yet) and got it from a pet store? i don't want to see rexy go ever... it was so hard to lose howard... and is there anything you could recommend to keep these bugs and diseases that he may have gotten from the pet store away?
does he look healthy to you?
30 grams, 7 inches

 

[Riyo]

Sorry about Howard

I have two geckos that I got from a petstore (end in co)

This is Solis, she's now a little over a year old:

this is how she looked when I got her last July:

And more recently, this is Freya. She's missing most of her toes but she's doing well:

this is her when I picked her up last month:

both were pooping sand like crazy for a while but cleared up in no time. Both were dehydrated when I brought them in (and a little thin) but that changed quickly, too.

Your gecko should be fine, he looks very nice

 

[katemonsterxo]

thank you very much, very reassuring, your geckos are beautiful!!!!

 

[Crasher_Insane]

The only thing you can do for sure is take him to the vet to get a fecal done. If you're not sure what this is, it's when they take their poo and test it for parasites. This will determine if your gecko is healthy on the inside.

Otherwise I say he looks outwardly healthy. I love his coloration, it's very bold and contrasting. ^_^ Post some pics of him from the top.

 

[katemonsterxo]

great, thank you! do you know how much this would cost? the fecal..

 

[hoppslover]

This is the first Leo that I got. She is now about 2 years old and I got her from a pet store. She is around 92 grams. She is a really nice big beautiful girl. Take yours to a vet to make sure it doesnt have any parasites. Feed it well and I am sure he will do just fine for you.

 

[corvettefan]

Both of my geckos were from pet stores, but they weren't from stores like *****, or petpeople or anything.

 

[larry26]

Most of the pet i get from pet stores seem to die earlier than the ones i buy from breeders but my leopard gecko i got from a pet store seems to be doing fine. I have had it for about 5 months now, only problem i had was it became impacted but i got that taken care of.

 

[Pepper]

That is a very pretty gecko!

I got mine in November 2008 from a Pet store, he was very thin, and was missing the tip of his tail. (That's him in my avatar maybe..3 months ago after I had fattened him up and he grew a ton) He is quite small, he doesn't look like an adult(hard to explain) I think he wasn't very young when I got him, but very malnutritioned so he looked like he was very young.. He was really healthy up until a few months ago and he just stopped eating for 2 months, but for the last week or two he has now been eating really well again..I need to get a scale to weigh him to see if he is gaining weight...

 

[Krow]

I really like that pic of your gecko. He's very pretty & looks to be happy & healthy, but yeah, I'd get a fecal done if you are worried about anything.

Kasey, your leos have very pretty colors, they look so much better than when you got them from the pet store.

 

[katemonsterxo]

thanks, does anyone know how much a fecal is? about how much? i'm in college, can't afford more than 100 dollars probably

 

[STUTFL]

I assume my gecko was purchased at a pet store; a breeder would've told his original owners how to take care of him.
They had him for at least four years, and I've had him for several months now. He seems healthy and lively, and he eats like crazy.

Here he is waiting not-so-patiently for me to hand him more mealworms:

I've had a few pet-store hamsters, for that matter, and while some of them keeled over at 6 to 8 months, others lived three years or longer. The one that lived the shortest is the one the pet-store owner *dropped* before she gave him to me....
(Also, they gave little and poor advice on hamster care, and even I could tell they got the genders of *all* of them wrong )

Even the box turtle from the absolutely terrible pet store across town lived for many, many years before escaping - however, some others acquired at the same time took ill and died very shortly after purchase.

I guess the main thing is to make sure the animal is healthy when you buy it. With tiny, shy things like hamsters or birds, that can be really hard to tell.
The upside is, if it survived life in a pet store, it can probably take just about anything.

Your gecko looks like a strapping young fellow. I think he should be just fine.

RIP Howard.

 

[STUTFL]

thanks, does anyone know how much a fecal is? about how much? i'm in college, can't afford more than 100 dollars probably

I have no idea, but someone on another thread suggested $20 ...
...confirmation?

 

[RampantReptiles]

depends on the vet... i thought it was closer to $40 but i havent gotten one done in a while. You should be able to call the vet and ask. Might not have to take the gecko in at all if there is nothing wrong with it. They should only require to see the gecko if they have to give medication.

Your gecko looks good and healthy.

 

[STUTFL]

depends on the vet... i thought it was closer to $40 but i havent gotten one done in a while.

So it sounds like < $50 is a good bet?

 

[EchoPet]

Rex looks fine to me. :main_thumbsup:



I got my girlie Pip Squeak from one of the big chain stores going on 10 years ago.

With the exception of some missing toe tips (my mistake of not having a humid hide when I first got her) and a re-grown tail tip (my mom dropped a rock cave hide on her tail about six years ago), Pip is in great shape.

 

[ajveachster]

You will have to call your vet for a quote on the fecal. Also we have a few pet store finds, and they are happy and healthy. As long as you take good care of your gecko now you should be fine.

 

[katemonsterxo]

thank you so much, guys, you've helped a lot! i'm planning on taking him to the vet for a fecal sometime this week, and i'm so glad to hear stories about long lasting pet store geckos haha thanks again, you guys are awesome!

 

[Andrew]

I've had animals from pet stores last for years.