Petco

[Coby78]

I don't think it is fair to paint all kids with such a broad brush, we have several very knowledgeable and responsible teenage breeders here. I bought my first pair of red eyed tree frogs when I was in the sixth grade and they were with me until my senior year in high school...

In my opinion, it makes sense to generalize, since only a very slight minority of young teenagers and kids (that's under 16) are independent cost wise of their parents. So any pet that kid might have is also money dependent on the parents. That doesn't mean all kids are bad owners in most situations, it just means that they are limited to how far the parent cares about the pet.

Like I said earlier, I've owned a large variety of pets, and I'm lucky my parents were able to give me money to actually buy them food and normal supplies. But I know people who's parents have told their kid to just let their pet go into the woods when anything happens.

 

[PaladinGirl]

Yeah, you're right. Financial support of the parents and the kid taking good care of the pet go hand in hand.

 

[M_surinamensis]

This thread and the hundred like it are just further proof that kids under 18 shouldn't "own" pets as they can NOT legally and financially be responsible for their care.

The way I read that post, and I am sure Kel will correct me if I am wrong, was putting an emphasis on ownership and the way that responsibilities default to a parent if their child is unable to fulfill them. That ultimately, ownership of a pet falls on the parents for a few reasons; minors aren't legally independent entities, the parent has the final say about allowing or encouraging a pet to be obtained, the parent should be involved and aware of the costs and responsibilities so that the animal is guaranteed to receive care regardless of the money, attention or ability of the minor.

If it comes down to it, a pet owned by a child is also owned by that child's parent.

I don't think it is fair to paint all kids with such a broad brush, we have several very knowledgeable and responsible teenage breeders here. I bought my first pair of red eyed tree frogs when I was in the sixth grade and they were with me until my senior year in high school...

There absolutely are knowledgeable and responsible pet owners who are minors. I also kept animals as a teenager that I consider entirely mine.

Part of that responsible ownership includes prioritizing to ensure the animals have everything they need. The responsibility informs a number of other decisions. It changed what I spent money on and what money I saved. It required that I have my parents' permission and involvement, along with their assurance that they were there to support the animals if I ended up unable to for some reason. It changed how I spent a lot of my free time, animal care and an after school job earning animal money sometimes took the place of other recreational activities.

It's not impossible to be a responsible teenage owner. Being a teenager does represent some potential restrictions though, which can make owning a pet in a responsible way more difficult (or situationally impossible, for some teenagers). If they don't have the support and involvement of their parents, if they don't have an income of their own, if there are aspects of pet keeping that they can't meet... then the responsible decision is to not do so.

Adults face similar restrictions; space, money, time, permission (of landlords, spouses or local laws)... teenagers just often find themselves in circumstances where those restrictions to be a little bit tighter.

In the end, age really shouldn't be a determining factor.

It plays an undeniable role though. Parents, school, income restrictions, the impending changes associated with going off to college... these are all things that teenagers have to deal with, which are sometimes less of an impediment to an adult. Every situation for every prospective pet owner will be in some respects unique, sometimes teenagers have a tougher time balancing things.

It's just that it took him so long to get to the point

That post was 772 words long. I wouldn't want to watch you tackle a book. You'd be three paragraphs into the first page when you quit reading. Then you'd probably complain to the author about the content.

 

[justindh1]

This whole thread has been fairly funny with everyones responses and all the feeling that got hurt and mended and so forth. It's funny how a thread can suck people in like a black hole.

One of my professors, who is a fairly intelligent man, always told me to "KISS" it if I could, "Keep It Simple Stupid." Just because it's longer and more complicated doesn't mean it is more important. Sometimes it is just better to get to the point and state your beliefs without adding a ton of filler material.

 

[fl_orchidslave]

Excellent post Seamus.

Something I've frequently observed is kids and parents enjoying the reptile hobby together. Of course this would be the ideal situation. Even when parents don't play an active role with reptiles, they can at least appreciate that it can keep kids off the streets because they need to stay home and take care of their animals. Looking at reptile websites instead of other garbage is a good thing too.

We have a grandfather that brings his grandsons, aged 11-15, to the shows in Orlando. It's truly a beautiful thing We've never met their father but Grandad speaks fondly of his involvement in the hobby.

 

[Dog Shrink]

Exactly what I was getting at Seamus. Thank you again for so eloquently making sense of my posts

 

[geckogirl3]

It could be worse!!!

I don't know if it is diarrhea. It might be through up. If it is, it could have sand still it your system or have a fatal and contagious sickness called crypto. If it is crypto, petco will be in trouble because of how contagious crypto is. So now all the geckos at petco are sick.

P.S. Cripto is not always fatal, but you should be careful.

 

[Tailless]

The vet appointment is at 9:40 am on friday. Dunno how to pay for it... but its going. And for those of you who said that i dont know how to care for my geckos i do. Probably just as good as you.

I thought I gave you some decent sincere suggestions in my earlier post (re: paying).

(Hope no one calls me egoistical just because I thought my suggestions were good!)

Seriously, though, as entertaining as it is, I hate to see gecko-lovers trash-talk each other... Can't we all just get along?

 

[PaladinGirl]

That post was 772 words long. I wouldn't want to watch you tackle a book. You'd be three paragraphs into the first page when you quit reading. Then you'd probably complain to the author about the content.

LMAO yeah. And that's another way I made myself look stupid, because I actually love to read. Makes me look pretty uneducated. Looks like Stimpy was right--about me, anyways. LOL! I just saw the post was by you, Seamus, and immediately got the wrong impression from the first paragraph. My skill in looking like a complete asshat increased by 1....probably more. :main_lipsrsealed: You were actually pretty much defending what I said. From now on, I'll read your whole post before I respond, whether it be to agree or disagree, or complain about the tone you used or applaud it or whatever....I just may have to print it out and read it in intervals. Good stuff though. :main_thumbsup:

How come you won't talk about your geckos?

 

[M_surinamensis]

How come you won't talk about your geckos?

Mostly because I do not own any geckos. The last ones I did have were a breeding colony of house geckos being used as feeders for Candoia. Prior to those... it's been years. It was probably 2003 or 2004 when I last had any I was keeping as pets and they would have been Uroplatus and Phelsuma.

 

[PaladinGirl]

I see. Well, why not get some leos or something now?

 

[Thorgecko707]

petco is bound by law to only sell animals to someone 18 or older. stimpy, if you bought it then you can get your money back. tell them you werent told you had to be 18. the employee that sold it to you could also lose their job. you should be able to get a refund. the 14 day gurantee shouldnt matter since they sold it to a minor. that is almost as bad as selling cigs to someone under 18. stimpy's mother could sue petco for selling an animal to him/her.

 

[andrew5859]

I was going to quote a reply but they all basically cover the same response so I will just generalize..... just my 2 cents as a 15 year old teenager (since it seems no one else is speaking up) but I do agree and disagree with what everyone is saying. I do very strongly AGREE that no kid should buy a pet without having a back up with financial support one way or another. Even if it is "their pet". The leos, fish, and chameleon I have I could NOT fully take care of financially without my parents help. I clean the cages, feed the crickets take care of the roaches and everything in between. I pay most of the time for all their food, and general other maintenance. I do also have a source of income. When I do run low on money my parents do pick up the tab and I respectfully pay them back. I think that you must have some great PRIOR knowledge before you buy any pet, which most kids just buy on impulse and they get home and it unfortunately dies hence the "mommy and daddy will just buy me another". I MUST read up as much as possible about my new animals because if I dont I feel very overwhelmed and do not like to impulse buy. I often find myself going into local stores and knowing more than most of the employees.... I am currently getting more leos and having a stand built and I owe my parents a decent chunk of change, BUT my parents trust me enough that I will repay them and they feel comfortable knowing what it is going towards. Also I know (not now) but I will have to think what I will do with my animals when I go to college. I have not even begun to think of this as I still have a few years of high school. So my over all opinion is that sure, kids can have whatever pet they want but it is their parents duty to know the financial possibilities and trust their kid to caring for it. The kids must also be devoted to caring for it as they cant just leave it up to their parents or forget about it. They must also be able to deal with the cost and this varies from parent to parent but I know if any of my animals were ever sick or needed fed my parents would be sure they got the care they needed regardless of cost or how much I could pay.
I have to give Stimpy credit for not wanting to return the gecko back to the pet store but he should have already planned on the bill for the vet when he knew what he was purchasing was from petco.

 

[M_surinamensis]

petco is bound by law to only sell animals to someone 18 or older.

There's no federal law to that effect. There are some local laws in various states, counties and cities which address the subject, though the exact details can vary (what age they are enforced at, which animals they apply to). The penalties also tend to be discretionary (and locally variable), I haven't got documentation to back it up but I suspect a warning is the most common result, with small fines being the next most likely.

The two big chain stores do have company policies to that effect, but like most company policies these get filtered through the memory and subjective interpretation of the employee, who sometimes faces mutually exclusive instructions. They're trained, to the degree that such training occurs, for customer service; which tends to make them disinclined to confront customers with an ultimatum unless they're positive the customer won't have grounds for a complaint. To the managerial staff and corporate HR people, the existence of a customer complaint is more egregious than a violation of company policy. They are not encouraged to ask for I.D.

the employee that sold it to you could also lose their job.

I kinda doubt that but... really, would you want them to? That seems a bit harsh, considering how little is known about the specifics of the situation.

We don't know that Stimpy's parent was not with them. They may have been standing right there for the purchase and just unwilling to pay for something they view as his responsibility or not worth the money after the fact.

We don't even really know that the store is responsible for the current ill health of the animal. Read Stimpy's posts, look at the ambiguities, the attitude; I'd say there's a pretty good chance that he either caused or severely exacerbated the condition through ignorance and neglect.

stimpy's mother could sue petco for selling an animal to him/her.

Again, we don't know that the animal was sold to him without a parent present. Even if he were to say that was the case, would you call him credible and trustworthy?

If it was though, it's really not grounds for a lawsuit. It may or may not be a misdemeanor in his area, but there was no gross negligence involved.

Steve Marchevich, the owner of Serpent's Den in Pennsylvania, sold a venomous snake to a minor (legally questionable, there was some implied parental consent as the sale occurred using the parent's credit card), who was promptly bitten. That scenario warranted legal involvement because it was so ridiculously negligent and represented a distinct danger to the public.

The sale of a leopard gecko... really only endangers the leopard gecko and not even definitely that. Crappy situation, but I doubt a lawyer would see grounds for a lawsuit. Then again, I have been surprised before by the frivolity and absurdities perpetrated by our civil law system.

 

[Stimpy]

I was going to quote a reply but they all basically cover the same response so I will just generalize..... just my 2 cents as a 15 year old teenager (since it seems no one else is speaking up) but I do agree and disagree with what everyone is saying. I do very strongly AGREE that no kid should buy a pet without having a back up with financial support one way or another. Even if it is "their pet". The leos, fish, and chameleon I have I could NOT fully take care of financially without my parents help. I clean the cages, feed the crickets take care of the roaches and everything in between. I pay most of the time for all their food, and general other maintenance. I do also have a source of income. When I do run low on money my parents do pick up the tab and I respectfully pay them back. I think that you must have some great PRIOR knowledge before you buy any pet, which most kids just buy on impulse and they get home and it unfortunately dies hence the "mommy and daddy will just buy me another". I MUST read up as much as possible about my new animals because if I dont I feel very overwhelmed and do not like to impulse buy. I often find myself going into local stores and knowing more than most of the employees.... I am currently getting more leos and having a stand built and I owe my parents a decent chunk of change, BUT my parents trust me enough that I will repay them and they feel comfortable knowing what it is going towards. Also I know (not now) but I will have to think what I will do with my animals when I go to college. I have not even begun to think of this as I still have a few years of high school. So my over all opinion is that sure, kids can have whatever pet they want but it is their parents duty to know the financial possibilities and trust their kid to caring for it. The kids must also be devoted to caring for it as they cant just leave it up to their parents or forget about it. They must also be able to deal with the cost and this varies from parent to parent but I know if any of my animals were ever sick or needed fed my parents would be sure they got the care they needed regardless of cost or how much I could pay.
I have to give Stimpy credit for not wanting to return the gecko back to the pet store but he should have already planned on the bill for the vet when he knew what he was purchasing was from petco.

Well me and my friends have purchased about 6 leo's from there and this is the first one that got sick. Thats the only reason I wasnt prepared. And finally someone who can actually see it as i can. I take it your around my age... i also have a source of income haha i work at mcdonalds lol. But we get paid biweekly and it just so happens that right as this came up im broke. So i guess because of that im the butt of everyones critisizm. I just love how it happens like this people can post topics about losing their leos, dropping them, leaving bleach in the tank, and a bunch of other dumb stuff like that and they all get laughs and oh its ok. I just fail to see how what im doing is so bad. So far ive but in about 500$ to these 2 leo's. And im about to go to the vet and put on some credit that i dont have. Im bending over backwards for my little angels and i get slammed. Damn, i wish these people could be teenagers today with all the crap we gotta deal with, and its alot more overwhelming than alot of these people think.

 

[PaladinGirl]

Well me and my friends have purchased about 6 leo's from there and this is the first one that got sick. Thats the only reason I wasnt prepared. And finally someone who can actually see it as i can. I take it your around my age... i also have a source of income haha i work at mcdonalds lol. But we get paid biweekly and it just so happens that right as this came up im broke. So i guess because of that im the butt of everyones critisizm. I just love how it happens like this people can post topics about losing their leos, dropping them, leaving bleach in the tank, and a bunch of other dumb stuff like that and they all get laughs and oh its ok. I just fail to see how what im doing is so bad. So far ive but in about 500$ to these 2 leo's. And im about to go to the vet and put on some credit that i dont have. Im bending over backwards for my little angels and i get slammed. Damn, i wish these people could be teenagers today with all the crap we gotta deal with, and its alot more overwhelming than alot of these people think.

Well, you're a little wrong about that. If you think life is hard now....just wait 10 to 15 more years....

But anyways, how is your gecko?

 

[Franklinj480]

Damn, i wish these people could be teenagers today with all the crap we gotta deal with, and its alot more overwhelming than alot of these people think.

Oh yeah. No rent, full refrigerator and pantry, and the full on stress from those difficult public highschool classes. Sounds excruciating. Where can I sign up?

 

[Stimpy]

We don't even really know that the store is responsible for the current ill health of the animal. Read Stimpy's posts, look at the ambiguities, the attitude; I'd say there's a pretty good chance that he either caused or severely exacerbated the condition through ignorance and neglect.
.

Alright. Youve gone to far. Up till now i thought you were a very knowlegable man. But i take this as a personal attack. Both my leos have uth, repticarpet, 2 hides, fresh water daily. I rotate crickets and mealworms as a staple food biweekly. Im taking fine care of them. No ignorance and no neglect. I honestly cant believe you just said that. Im the one my friends come to when they need help with their leo's because im the one who did the research on them. I know they need calcium to prevent MBD, i know that you put 2 males together their gonna fight, who deosn't know that stuff. But to say that im ignorant is very far off. You sir, have gone much to far. You do not know me as a person. You have absolutely no knowledge about what im doing beyond this post. Therefor you have no room to make "ignorant" inferences about me. :main_thumbsup:

 

[Stimpy]

Oh yeah. No rent, full refrigerator and pantry, and the full on stress from those difficult public highschool classes. Sounds excruciating. Where can I sign up?

Haha, i gotta pay rent :main_thumbsup: pitch in cuz we dont make much

 

[houseb]

Haha, i gotta pay rent :main_thumbsup: pitch in cuz we dont make much

I think his point is that even if you don't pay rent, your parents aren't going to evict you. Although it is very responsible of you to do so, helping your family out.

I think you are taking everyone's responses a little too personally. This is the internet, some people will candy coat their answers to make them more palatable, some won't. When you come to the internet for answers you should expect this. I think most of us are concerned with the fact that while you are stating here you have no money to bring your gecko to the vet, on another post you are saying you plan to breed relatively soon (within a year). This is not a personal attack on you.

All of us have been teenagers at some point, and yes there are times when we've all felt overwhelmed, but things only get harder as you grow up.