Petco Geckos

[Gmantothemax]

Is it common to find rare and expensive geckos at petco? I have found albinos and snows at petco for only $30. Is it a bad idea to buy these geckos?

 

[TylerDurden]

I don't know about geckos there, but so far everyone I know who has bought a reptile from petco or petsmart has had a horrible experience. I bought a bearded dragon from a petsmart, which operates very similarly, and it ended up having parasites and dying within a few weeks (and several vet visits later). After I lost that beardie I asked around everyone I knew who had one, checked on forums etc, turns out a lot of people made the same mistake I did - going to a generic pet store like that, and most had similar stories.

So yea I don't know how they raise their geckos but but petsmart and petco have pretty poor track records with reptiles in general IMO

 

[BrightReptiles]

Talk to the local chain store, and ask them when their reptile order comes in. I've had luck being there right when the box is being opened and transferred to the display. I got my patternless from Petco, and he's growing super fast and super healthy, never had a problem with him.

 

[scm133]

I was lucky. I purchased Charlie in June of this year at PetSmart. He was tiny (only 3 grams). No signs of illness, and now weighs 20 grams. I waited until a new shipment came in, and grabbed him up the very same day.

 

[EnigmaEcho]

its pritty much russian rulet- you just dont know whats going to happen, what youll bring home- all you can do is be careful and you may just get a good pet- i took a big risk about a month ago getting a chain store gecko, i had to wait and watch him for a month befor that though. its taken a bit, but he is starting to thrive and he is so so sweet. on the other hand, i got a snake from petsmart, and his personality changed over night and is the most paranoid snake ever ( healthy atleast, but dumb as rocks at times)
if you do go for a pet store baby, be prepared to dish out more money than you intend depending on the condition of the animal.