Re: Pet Shops

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Posted by Tor_de_Fartz on February 28, 2003 at 07:20:54:

In Reply to: Pet Shops posted by Deke on February 23, 2003 at 18:55:36:

I don't like buying a lot of herps from shops. Leopard gecko, crested geckos, bearded dragons, blue-tongued skinks..I think they are okay to buy from shops becuase they are msotly captive-bred, but even these critters are best obtained from a breeder or herp expo/show. then again, there are no herp shows that take place near my home, the nearest is nearly 300 miles away. It would cost me an extra 15+ dolalrs to gas up my car and drive to Raliegh, NC or Pittsburg, PA, for herp show, plus buying tickets would amke the cost of getting the animals from a show to expensive in the long run. so i have to either have criters shipped or buy from shops. The only lizard besides the single leopard gecko I own (my only pet) is the crested geckos, and i figure shipping on these critters is just as expensive as buying one at marked up pet shop prices. Besides, i can inspect the animal in the shop, if I order by mail ,the thing could die or show up sick and shoot boy that's serious pain.

On the other hand, I absolutely refuse to buy anoles, grass lizards, curlytails, swifts and fence lizards, small skinks and the like from pet shops. Same goes for dart frogs, ribbon snakes, etc.

:just thought i'd share my veiw on pet shops around my area.
:one shop is just like a lot of ones other people have posted about. they use reptiles as a gimmick to attract interest, but they rarely care for these animals correctly. however, there is a pet shop i go to whihc is quite different. they sell reptiles, amphibians and invertibrates as well as hamsters, rabbits etc. this at first sounds like a bad thing, as most places look after just the hamsters, but this shop is very different. the people who own the shop genuinly care about every animal in the shop. they give brilliant advice, and only deal with reptiles they know about. they have a lot of experience and are extremely helpful.
:it's nice to know that there are places like this that actually care about the animals they are selling. whenever i go in, they ask me how my Berber Skinks are doing. it's very refreshing to know they care about the animals even after they have been sold.
:i hope other people have shops like these in their area, as i think they should be given praise for their hard work and dedication, instead of concentrating only on the bad stores

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