# false information on SOME pet shops & other stuff



## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*false information from SOME pet shops & other stuff*

Hi, firstly i would like to say that this thread is aimed at ANYONE!...

About Me:
Im am an average 17 year old, which is interested in tarantulas and other related inverts, Currently living in south-east London/Kent (well around the corner of me is Kent. Have a passion for cooking, and starting catering in September at college, and would hope that people aren't yet bored of this thread!...

So you may be asking why did i post this thread?
Well today, i went to the local pet shop near me which specialises on snaked, sticks, dragons, lizards, dogs, cats, fishing!, and other stuff. And all i went there for was a combination lock for my red knee which is * EXTREMELY AGGRESSIVE!* (i will explain why i think so later). so when i went into the nice and furnished basement to see the tarantulas as well, they had no water!, viv was covered in lime scale, substrate is vermiculite, water bowl had sponge in it, and deceased/carcases of crickets left everywhere! Then i asked the owner some stupid questions like: *"do you recommend a tarantula sponge?"...reply was: yes certainly! stops crickets from drowning.*. Another question was *"why is vermiculite so good then?"...replied with..."its hygienic, cheap, looks fantastic, don't harbour any mites or mould".*. 

what's the other problem you got with pet shops then?:
Well basically, i have noticed that quite a few pet shops that sells tarantulas are way overpriced!...£50 for pink toe, NOTHING ELSE APART FROM PINK TOE!...Also i have found that pet shops don't have the dedicated time for cleaning out/watering/feeding/and so forth...(just worried about there profit).

And why do you think that your red knee is aggressive?
I personally think this because the pet shop owner use to pick it up with the restraining technique, and never use to hold properly...

If your saying to me that SOME pet shops don't know what they are talking about and other stuff, then what do you recommend?

*I personally would buy from a dedicated on line store such as "exotic-pets.co.uk" and: "the spider shop" OR buy from people on forums such as this great one! (you may not get to see some peoples pictures BUT 9 times out of 10 you will, OR you can request some!, same with the on line pet shops!)

*I personally don't just use Vermiculite and never will!..reasons: don't look real, not comfortable for tarantula (especially the burrowing type)...so why not coir (basically coconut husk fibre and it comes in a house brick type of block) and add some vermiculite, i use ratio of about 9:1...but experiment!

*don't always listen to what pet shop people suggest, read on line, THIS FORUM IS ONE OF THE BEST PLACES TO FIND OUT!

*Pet shops can sometimes be far too expensive, like i have mentioned!

*I RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT! USE SPONGE....believe it or not, some tarantulas love lying in water and bathing!

note:Im *NOT* suggesting that *ALL* pet shops are the same, but always check on line! Im pretty sure that there are some pet shops that tick all the boxes.


:2thumb:mike:2thumb:

thank you!


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## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*bump*

bump bump


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## haunted-havoc (Aug 6, 2009)

i agree, i find pets at home fit the bill of bad pet shop 9 times out of 10. my local only sells small mammals and fish at the moment and the are crap at taking care of them.

just as a random thing, has anyone ever been in to pets at home and not seem a dead fish. not on 1 occasion where they actually dont have any dead fish (which i find to be rare) but as a whole.

pink toes scare me :lol2: i saw 1 at a zoo once, kinda creepy looking. also my girlfriend is petrified of spiders and wouldnt want one in my room :lol2:


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## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*u read my mind!*



haunted-havoc said:


> i agree, i find pets at home fit the bill of bad pet shop 9 times out of 10. my local only sells small mammals and fish at the moment and the are crap at taking care of them.
> 
> just as a random thing, has anyone ever been in to pets at home and not seem a dead fish. not on 1 occasion where they actually dont have any dead fish (which i find to be rare) but as a whole.
> 
> pink toes scare me :lol2: i saw 1 at a zoo once, kinda creepy looking. also my girlfriend is petrified of spiders and wouldnt want one in my room :lol2:


lol, when i was reading the first line i was thinking about the dead fish i *ALWAYS SEE* in time 4 pets in Bromley, i can tell they have been there for ages because....they are floating (this happens after a certain amount of time once the fish is dead, gases build up and then make it float)...and sometimes these floaters :lol2: have bits hanging off of them and fish eating them (suggest to me that they arent fed properly...Then when i tell the pet shop people that they have a dead fish, they get rude and say like "can't you see we are busy doing stuff?". and then it shows to you how much consideration they have for animals/pets...

and then i read your comment about the fish and i thought to myself *BINGO!*


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## kirstyink (Mar 6, 2009)

hey not an expert on tarantulas but lots of people put a sponge soaked in water in as it stops crickets from drowning and i know a load of people who use vermiculite.

i dont see anything you said being a problem except the lime scale and bad advice.


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## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*well...*

well, vermiculite can have problems because it isnt comfortable for the tarantulas, and it dosent exactly look professional, coir is better...

tarantula sponges are pointless because they can harbour mites and mold which is VERY deadly for tarantulas, and can harm crickets, crickets wont exactly drown because the will hop out of the water quickly, unless you take off the legs and put them in the water...


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

haunted-havoc said:


> i agree, i find pets at home fit the bill of bad pet shop 9 times out of 10. my local only sells small mammals and fish at the moment and the are crap at taking care of them.


I agree with you on that.


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## glitchIA (Aug 25, 2009)

I totally agree on this subject mate. I have 9 years experience with Tarantulas and when I went into a pet shop in Hackney (East London) I saw that they had an OBT for a rather cheap price (£30) and because I didnt know much about the species apart from them being known for thier aggressiveness and potent venom, I asked what they are like to keep? (this question was aimed to find out the environment...) the guy answers me "OH haha, these beauties are docile, you can just handle them like any other species and are very interesting to watch when they hunt for thier prey..." now I'm standing there with my jaw hitting the floor and thinkin to myself "what a twat" lol...

The pet shops need to do more research upon buying and/or dealing with animals, not specifically invertebrates, which they are not familiar with...

Mike


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## RepoUK (Jan 27, 2008)

mikemike118 said:


> well, vermiculite can have problems because it isnt comfortable for the tarantulas, and it dosent exactly look professional, coir is better...
> 
> tarantula sponges are pointless because they can harbour mites and mold which is VERY deadly for tarantulas, and can harm crickets, crickets wont exactly drown because the will hop out of the water quickly, unless you take off the legs and put them in the water...


Vermiculite is used a lot as a mixer with peat free soil for T's. I've certainly been using it for 9 years without any problems. It should never been used as the sole substrate.

Secondly, crickets do drown, all the time in fact and this is why people use sponges or synthetic cotton wool balls. A fresh synthetic cotton wool ball produces a lot less mould and bacteria than a waterlogged rotting crick.


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## Mrs_SpongeBob (Jan 27, 2008)

As much as i think pet shops do sometimes bypass over crucial advice i dont find people online to be much better. This forum in particular may have a few "experts" who know alot about the reps/inverts/animals they keep but alot of the time there's people who know very little and post it as gospel. This makes them just as bad as the shops no?

Pet shops are and always will be more expensive than private breeders and online shops. They have premises to pay for and will probably have alot more money out going than private breeders.

Agree with the post above...crix do drown all the time. I use a cotton wool pad in my water bowl and never had any problems. My substrates a mix of vermiculite and eco earth. My spiders dont speak to me but they dont seem to think it's "uncomfortable". And i certainly wouldn't say it looked bad. Everyone to their own opinions though.

Pigeon holing every shop as bad and every forum as good is just as bad.


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## ashbosh (Jun 23, 2007)

crickets can drown in a drop of water, seriously ive seen it! They are stupid things that deserve death by reptile/invert consumption. but yes alot of people use sponges, pebbles or cotton wool.


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## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*wots so bad about?*



ashbosh said:


> crickets can drown in a drop of water, seriously ive seen it! They are stupid things that deserve death by reptile/invert consumption. but yes alot of people use sponges, pebbles or cotton wool.


wots so bad about plain water? i must admit that i do wash out the water bowl quite frequently as im pretty scared of those stupid mites :lol2:


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## Paul B (Apr 16, 2008)

I own a pet shop that specialises in Exotics. 
I am also hindered by having a Pets at Home just down the road.
Although until they start stockin reptiles they d refer customers to us.
We go to great lengths to learn about the needs of any new species we decide to stock but must also take into consideration the visibility of the stock.
ie the customer needs to be able to see what they are buying.

We have a Cobalt Blue T in the shop which ideally needs 8 inches of burrowing material for its home. Sheesh we never see it let alone the customers so i reckon we will be giving it a name (like Fang) which we do to all animals that end up as shop pets. 

We use water balls for the Slings and bowls for the Juveniles. 
P


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

Paul B said:


> I own a pet shop that specialises in Exotics.
> I am also hindered by having a Pets at Home just down the road.
> Although until they start stockin reptiles they d refer customers to us.
> We go to great lengths to learn about the needs of any new species we decide to stock but must also take into consideration the visibility of the stock.
> ...


It's such a shame that you will have to compete with pets at home. Hopefully, people with some common sense will realise that you're the better supplier of all things reptilian : victory:

I really hope pets at home know what their doing because they know bugger all about the welfare of every other animal in their stores


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## derek n (Nov 13, 2008)

Marcia said:


> It's such a shame that you will have to compete with pets at home. Hopefully, people with some common sense will realise that you're the better supplier of all things reptilian : victory:
> 
> *I really hope pets at home know what their doing because they know bugger all about the welfare of every other animal in their stores *


Some of the staff at my local PAH are quite knowledgeable. You can't tar every store with the same brush because your local is crap or you've been to a couple of bad ones. It's like saying that RFUK is no good for advice because you've read a few bad posts by members.

The PAH in my town don't sell reptiles yet, not sure if they will. To be honest if they do I'll only buy reptiles from them if I'm convinced that the care and advice there is spot on. I have 2 local reptile shops near me where I know I'll always get great service.


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

derek n said:


> Some of the staff at my local PAH are quite knowledgeable. You can't tar every store with the same brush because your local is crap or you've been to a couple of bad ones. It's like saying that RFUK is no good for advice because you've read a few bad posts by members.
> 
> The PAH in my town don't sell reptiles yet, not sure if they will. To be honest if they do I'll only buy reptiles from them if I'm convinced that the care and advice there is spot on. I have 2 local reptile shops near me where I know I'll always get great service.


It's not just my local stores though. You hear all sorts of horror stories when it comes to pets at home, i wouldn't buy an animal from them ever again, i learnt my lesson but thats my opinion :2thumb:


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## derek n (Nov 13, 2008)

Marcia said:


> It's not just my local stores though. You hear all sorts of horror stories when it comes to pets at home, i wouldn't buy an animal from them ever again, i learnt my lesson but thats my opinion :2thumb:


I'm not saying they're a great chain, I've read the stories as well. There's clearly issues there that need to be addressed.

Only thing is people tend not to say when they've had good experiences with a lot of places, only the bad ones.


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

I agree, some places don't get the credit they deserve.

There will always be a bad pet store though, it doesn't matter where you are, you're guarenteed (sp) to find one.


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## derek n (Nov 13, 2008)

Marcia said:


> I agree, some places don't get the credit they deserve.
> 
> There will always be a bad pet store though, it doesn't matter where you are, you're guarenteed (sp) to find one.


Very true. It's a shame as there's a lot of enthusiasts that would jump at the chance of working in a pet shop.

With the amount of experience and knowledge available there's no excuse for bad shops.


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

derek n said:


> Very true. It's a shame as there's a lot of enthusiasts that would jump at the chance of working in a pet shop.
> 
> With the amount of experience and knowledge available there's no excuse for bad shops.


Absolutely. Maybe some pet shops need to look on this forum and they will find very knowledgable people who would kill to work for them


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

Our pets at home is very good, and the reptile lady knows her stuff.

All the reps are on the correct subs and eat the right foods not to mention that they have the temp gauges displayed and they are all at the correct temps too.

My oh's uncle owns the chain i do believe haha


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## ImAly (Jul 26, 2008)

My local rep shop told me chams dont need any heat.. The female they had was lying on the floor on its side :hmm:They also sell 'Igamas'?


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

ImAly said:


> My local rep shop told me chams dont need any heat.. The female they had was lying on the floor on its side :hmm:They also sell 'Igamas'?


I think you will find the shops that are doing this dont have a reptile qualified member of staff yet, although if they do you need to be giving their manager an ear bashing


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## ImAly (Jul 26, 2008)

messengermatt said:


> I think you will find the shops that are doing this dont have a reptile qualified member of staff yet, although if they do you need to be giving their manager an ear bashing


Im not on about pets at home : victory:


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

ImAly said:


> My local rep shop told me chams dont need any heat.. The female they had was lying on the floor on its side :hmm:They also sell 'Igamas'?


Igamas? Is that a new form of Iguana? :lol2:


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## ImAly (Jul 26, 2008)

Marcia said:


> Igamas? Is that a new form of Iguana? :lol2:


Haha nah there Agamas


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## Incubuss (Dec 19, 2006)

PAH are usually useless when it comes to reps. I have been in at least 10 PAH stores and not once have I been convinced they know enough.

As for the water and spiders/crix. It is poss for crix to drown in the water bowl, but imo, its rare they stay there long enough. I use wide shollow dishes for all T's above 2 or 3 inches, and nothing for T's below that size. NOTHING should be added to the water to prevent drowning, all you need to do is make sure the water bowl isn't too deep. If you use a sponge, cotton wool, cotton balls or anything of the sort, you are risking your T's life due to the amount of bacteria it harbors. If the dish you have is too deep, just fill half of it with coir; simple.

Substrate depends on the species, but vermic should not be used if not mixed with something like coir. Vermic makes burrowing a lost cause, and they don't like the feeling of it.


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

ImAly said:


> Haha nah there Agamas


Ooops! My bad :lol2:


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

ImAly said:


> Im not on about pets at home : victory:


ooooh ok, well still report report report haha :lol2:


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## ImAly (Jul 26, 2008)

Marcia said:


> Ooops! My bad :lol2:


 


messengermatt said:


> ooooh ok, well still report report report haha :lol2:


Pretty sure a few people have.. Its not only the reps! Someone bought a bunny from them and it died the next day.. They took it to the vets and they said it was so young that they couldnt even sex it. When they went back to the shop they refused to give them a refund..


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## Captainmatt29 (Feb 28, 2009)

ImAly said:


> Pretty sure a few people have.. Its not only the reps! Someone bought a bunny from them and it died the next day.. They took it to the vets and they said it was so young that they couldnt even sex it. When they went back to the shop they refused to give them a refund..


Shops like that should be closed down, i dont understand why the council etc are so reluctant to do anything about it.

We have the same problems here


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## Hurricane Swords (Aug 30, 2009)

ImAly said:


> Pretty sure a few people have.. Its not only the reps! Someone bought a bunny from them and it died the next day.. They took it to the vets and they said it was so young that they couldnt even sex it. When they went back to the shop they refused to give them a refund..


 That happen to me as well, the problem was I brought it from where I work! The other rabbits they got from the same litter weren't even put into qurantine!! (Keeping company namless as I still work there, on a different department in the garden center)


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## Doogerie (Jul 6, 2007)

I remeber when pet's at home used to be called pet city and then pet smart. the thing was the one nere me was rater good with it's pets thya all loked healty and suff but that may just be down hwere oh yeah my local pet's at home has also stoped selling fish and reptiles just rodent's now


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## Marcia (Aug 23, 2009)

Pets at home stores did have their chipmunks and birds taken away from them because they couldn't care for them properly :whistling2:


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## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*wow!*

wow, thanks for info on all the other differant aspects of pet shops guys & gals!, but i never knew that this is very popular!

and i have seen some people mention that its NOT just tarantula's, but the lack of care can be anything...

it just shows to us how much experience these shop owners and employees have!


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## Alex M (May 28, 2008)

mikemike118 said:


> Hi, firstly i would like to say that this thread is aimed at ANYONE!...
> 
> About Me:
> Im am an average 17 year old, which is interested in tarantulas and other related inverts, Currently living in south-east London/Kent (well around the corner of me is Kent. Have a passion for cooking, and starting catering in September at college, and would hope that people aren't yet bored of this thread!...
> ...


It was hardly terrible information, and as for the prices - why slate them? They can ask for whatever they like. They have overheads, and you do not have to buy...:whistling2:


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## mikemike118 (Aug 15, 2009)

*tru but...*



Alex M said:


> It was hardly terrible information, and as for the prices - why slate them? They can ask for whatever they like. They have overheads, and you do not have to buy...:whistling2:


i undertsand what you mean about the prices, BUT personally i would only buy at ridiculously high prices if i knew 100% it has been cared for and everything else, (whats to say it has had hard times with molting?) 

so why pay high prices for something that has been brought from a pet shop and they don't know anything at all? and there could be chances of mites!

pet shops can't keep an eye on everything, they seem to only care about the income, i wouldnt mind but they employ people that can't even flip mcdonalds burgers half the time!:bash:


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