sschind
New Member
- Messages
- 14
- Location
- se wisconsin
This may turn out to be a rather lengthy post. I won't know until I finally run out of things to say so I apologize in advance if I go on and on. I've seen countless threads on a variety of forums from well intentioned people complaining (often times rightly so) about the care, or more accurately, lack of care, that they see given to animals in various pet stores. These posts are often followed by some very good suggestions (call corporate, print up good care sheets, offer to volunteer to help etc.) but the suggestion that usually fails to get mentioned is to not buy ANYTHING from those stores. The complaints often start out with "I just popped into XYZ pets to get my weekly supply of crickets and..." or " I stopped in at ABC pets to get some eco earth for my frogs and..." Well, that right there is a major contributor to the problem. Stores don't just profit on animal sales. Its really the feeders and dry goods where they really make their money. I can tell you that if most stores could eliminate the sale of live animals and not hurt the sales of their feeders or dry goods most of them would do it in a heartbeat. Sure, the markups are higher in live animals but that is because once you buy a light bulb the expense is over. It sits on a shelf (of the store you pay rent in of course) but it,as an item does not incur any further expense. Live animals have to be fed, watered, cleaned up after, heated etc. etc. All of which costs money. Of course it is the lack of these things that is prompting many of the complaints but even in the worst of stores they have to spend some money on the animals. If the animals sits in the store too long there is no way the store makes any money on it even when it does finally sell. You may refuse to buy animals from a pet store but they don't really care as long as you come in and buy the rest of your stuff.
If a store really ticks you off about their animals care then tell the owner/manager/whoever might care that you do not think the animals are being cared for properly and until they change the situation you will not be making any further purchases in the store. This may mean a sacrifice on your part. I know one person who gave up his animals because the only realistic choice he had to get his supplies was from a bad shop (this was in the days before the internet) He would rather give up animals that he really cared for than give money to a bad shop. Most of you here have leopard geckos which makes it even easier. Most leos will do fine on a diet of mealworms. mealworms can be bought very inexpensively online and kept very easily. There is no need for a weekly trip to the pet shop for crickets. Most of you keep them on paper towels or the like so that you don't need to go to the pet shop to buy sand, or you use play sand which you buy at Home Depot or Menards anyway. As for the rest of it Dr. Foster an Smith is only a click away.
This will be the blunt statement that will make people mad but I feel it only makes people mad because they know it is true and they feel guilty about it.
If you complain about the way an animal is being kept when you saw it in the store, but you continue to purchase anything from the store, you are part of the problem.
Reasonable discussion is welcome.
Steve
If a store really ticks you off about their animals care then tell the owner/manager/whoever might care that you do not think the animals are being cared for properly and until they change the situation you will not be making any further purchases in the store. This may mean a sacrifice on your part. I know one person who gave up his animals because the only realistic choice he had to get his supplies was from a bad shop (this was in the days before the internet) He would rather give up animals that he really cared for than give money to a bad shop. Most of you here have leopard geckos which makes it even easier. Most leos will do fine on a diet of mealworms. mealworms can be bought very inexpensively online and kept very easily. There is no need for a weekly trip to the pet shop for crickets. Most of you keep them on paper towels or the like so that you don't need to go to the pet shop to buy sand, or you use play sand which you buy at Home Depot or Menards anyway. As for the rest of it Dr. Foster an Smith is only a click away.
This will be the blunt statement that will make people mad but I feel it only makes people mad because they know it is true and they feel guilty about it.
If you complain about the way an animal is being kept when you saw it in the store, but you continue to purchase anything from the store, you are part of the problem.
Reasonable discussion is welcome.
Steve
