petshop geckos

[biggoofybastard]

I was reading the petshop vs breeder gecko thread and decided to post these vids because out of all the geckos we've had this one has been the nicest looking and probably the nicest personality, but only after we put about 25 grams on the emaciated girl (who later passed from a suspected egg rupture)

I was just wondering if anyone else thought the (perceived) bias against pet shop animals is unfair

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[FatalityBoyZahy]

Well, I purchased my gecko from PETCO last February, and she is perfectly healthy! She was about 2 weeks old when I got her, and I haven't had any problems with her. Not all pet store geckos are bad!
She was also on sale for only $15 when I got her!
Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk

 

[Russellm0704]

The bias against pet shops is completey just. Yes, of course there are plenty of them that actually take good care of their geckos. But most pet shops do give wrong information and take Care of them improperly. It's sad that the few pet shops who do a good Job have to suffer from the shops who do not care.

 

[lclaypool20]

I was in my local chain pet-shop yesterday and they had a nice looking blizzard leopard gecko. It was alert and its tail looked very plump. The problem was that there were 6 juveniles in this 5.5 gallon tank with no moist hide, one little cave hide with Gecks laying all over each other. 2 of the Geckos looked very sick. I am no expert, but I know enough to understand that whatever was causing those 2 problems could be potential problems for the any healthy ones.

Seems to me like they would be better off housing these guys individually. Keeping 4 at a time at the store and then when those 4 are sold getting 4 more.

I am sure that people will continue to get healthy geckos from the chain stores from time to time, but the odds don't look good to me. If you have a healthy gecko from a pet store congratulations and don't take offense. I would have never known about the pet stores until I started researching forums like this.

LC

 

[GeckoCrossing]

I'm almost completely against pet store reptiles, any reptile, not just geckos. The only time I ever bought a reptile was when I worked for Petsmart and a new delivery of bearded dragons came in. I won't buy any that have been at the store for any length of time. Every pet store I have been to around here have been horrible. Randar's Reptiles in McDonough... almost every snake of his had mites and he said "oh that's normal". Petsmart and PetCo... horrible here. They always have at least 6-10 babies in one small tank with sand, no belly heat and lights on all the time.

 

[Coby78]

For me, my petsmart is awesome with their care and my petco can see some improvement. There are a lot of people at petco who do own reptiles, but most of them own bearded dragons so they're kind of assuming leos are taken care of the same way. And not to mention the sand..

My petsmart houses 1-2 leopard geckos at a time, I haven't seen a single one that wasn't over 20 or so grams, and they're not on sand. Unfortunately petco is only 5 minutes away, and petsmart is about a half hour.

 

[FBody355]

I got my baby from Petco, sold as a juvenile, and he is starting to looking extremely thin. I noticed a meal worm missing from his bowl the other day, which releives me a spec, but not really. The petco closest to me houses them in large groups with repti carpet. When I bought him I also picked up a bag of "reptile sand" and none of the employees said a word to me..

 

[marc26]

I bought my Leo From Pet At Home apart from looking a little thin, he was housed cleanly and cost £35 when i purchased him the lady who served me seemed very scared and tried to scuttle him in the cardboard box i got to take him home in.

So from first perspective i think petshops may care but just inexperienced.

 

[Necoco]

The Petco around here isn't too bad,though I wish they'd hire a little more experienced people for the reptile section. The funniest thing I've seen is when I went in there to pick up meal worms and these two kids and their mom were there getting a Leopard Gecko;well one of the kids asks if they have claws and the girl that was there flat out told them 'No,they have the sticky toe pads.'
She was standing right there by the tank,and there was a big picture of them! XD

Another girl started getting snippy with me when I said I was gonna keep a baby ball python in a 10g tank; 'Well,okay,but the NEED to by in a 30-40g.'

Other then that the prices are kind of nice. I refuse to get reptiles at our Petland after the problems I had with their mice. XP

 

[scm133]

I got Charlie from PetSmart in June. They were completely out, and I waited until a new shipment arrived. Charlie was with 5 other babies; on sand; and bright light above. He was only there for 1/2 day. TG he was healthy, and has grown into a nice looking normal, with a spunky attitude.
I am glad I found this forum, before getting him. Everything the sales person told me, was wrong.

 

[JeepFreak81]

We just picked up a Leopard Gecko from Petco yesterday...he/she? was housed in a tank with 2 other geckos on repti-carpet. The kid that helped us seemed to know a bit about them and asked if we had done any research on how to keep them. "Ecko" (my 2 year old named it) has been happy in his 10g here at home and seems to be eating just fine and exploring the new home!

 

[katie_]

It all depends on the people in charge.
Ive been to several great petstores, and several terrible ones.
The difference is the employees. Some are more knowledgable than others.

Also, you need to know that some reptile suppliers are HORRIBLE! I delt with one who sent me dying geckos, and mite infected snakes. I spent a whole month nursing everyone back to health - but if anyone were to have seen these reptiles before they were better, they would have assume it was OUR fault. (I will never use that supplier again, fyi).

 

[Dimidiata]

My only bias is this, if your gonna breed it better dang well be a breeder gecko and not a petstore gecko, unless that gecko is truley exceptional. We dont need random genetic grabbags being sold at breeder level. That is all.

 

[katie_]

My only bias is this, if your gonna breed it better dang well be a breeder gecko and not a petstore gecko, unless that gecko is truley exceptional. We dont need random genetic grabbags being sold at breeder level. That is all.

This is a good point.
I've learned a lot, and I wouldnt breed any of my pet store geckos. Too many potential variables

 

[JdiLb]

It's a shame so many pet stores keep them so horribly and give places like petco a bad name. Too many people working their cause they need money rather than loving the animals.

 

[djm1093]

my leo doesnt do that at all when she sheds and btw i was the one who posted the other thread about store bought and breeders but when she sheds she just lets it go she never pulls it off herself or does she eat it i end up helping her

 

[Dimidiata]

my leo doesnt do that at all when she sheds and btw i was the one who posted the other thread about store bought and breeders but when she sheds she just lets it go she never pulls it off herself or does she eat it i end up helping her

So either she has issues, a vitamin problem or isnt getting enough humidity in the humid hide.

 

[djm1093]

vitamin as in calcium

 

[Wild West Reptile]

"pet shop" gecko = "pet"

They aren't supposed to be anything else but that. A $15 gecko is exactly what it's worth. Not meant to be bred, meant to be a pet. Of course there are exceptions, but personally I wouldn't ever breed one probably because I'd never buy one in the first place with intent to do so.

"breeder gecko" = breedable gecko.

So unless you want to sell $15 geckos, don't buy a pet shop gecko unless you only want a cheap pet*.

*i don't endorse buying pet shop geckos. I endorse buying quality geckos from breeders on this site!

 

[Dimidiata]

vitamin as in calcium

Vitamin as in vitamin suppliment that goes with the calcium.