Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So i'm picking up some crickets, and I decide to look at the shoddy environments for their reptiles. As soon as I get to the house gecko enclosure, I notice a nice, at least 2 week old skeleton of a young gecko beneath the fake tree they have in there. The guy that worked there didn't even know they had skeletons, but at least he took them out. It was completely decomposed, the only flesh left was on the poor thing's skull.

Good job winning customers, Petco.

Good thing there is no PETCO around here.
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3.6.0 Leopard Geckos
0.0.2 Homonota Darwinii (Talus & Gracilis)
0.0.1 Tarentola Mauritanica (Pickles)
0.0.1 Cham Caliptratus (Clotilde)
1.0.0 Golden Retriever (Cafu)
1.0.0 Black cat (Felipe)
0.0.x Tenebrio Molitor
0.0.x Zoophoba Mario
0.0.x Lobster Roaches

Maybe, for the sake of those of us who don't really want to hear about decomposing geckos, you could in the future label your post "not safe for lunch" or something of the like. Thanks.

I guess I'm more of the opinion of don't ask don't tell about dead geckos. Our local herp specialist store, well known across the midwest has been known to have dead, black, herps still on display... at least until someone says for being one of the best something, amazing since the dead animals usually look recently fed. It happens everywhere.
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0.1 Albino Leo Gecko
0.1 Crested Gecko
1.0 Dear Boyfriend
Departed: Harvey and Spock

We are getign a new Petco out here. I am a little bumed out because they will more than likly put our local store out of business but all my dealings with the petco where I use to live were good, They took very good care of the animals and the prices were better so I am pretty happy.
Foot Hill Reptiles

I've never seen a skeleton that looked recently feed. The
truth is that many Petco's treats their animals like cr#p.

i work at a petco and am the reptile specc, i would never treat any of my animals like that and all my staff is like that maybe u went to one with bad sales acc, i care more about my animals then the consumer my boss hates me for it but i refuse to sell people reptiles if i feel they cant take of them or use them as a novlilty

Petco's mistakes can have some great benefits though, I got my high yellow carrot-tail and an african fat-tail from petco as adults 4 years ago for $25 each, they were just in with their "juvenile" leopard geckos. I've also gotten some really nice normally expensive African Peacock cichlids (aulonocara sp.) from their "mixed" african tanks. Though I think we'd be better off without em, they're there, so I say stick to the silver lining and watch for them to make an unknown deal for you.
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Black Rat Snake 0.1 (Patty)
Black Racer 1.0 (Alfred)
Ball Pythons 1.1 (Morty & Mary)
Amazon Tree Boas 1.1 (Orville & Aeme)
Corn Snakes 2.3 (D.J., Bob, Sandy, Candy, and Tye)
Leopard Geckos 1.3 (Leo, Spaz, Spazzooka, and Spot)
Central Painted Turtle 1.0 (Swim)
Red-Eared Slider 0.0.1 (Harold)
Mississippi Map Turtles 0.0.6
(Modelo, Tecate, Corona, Sol, XX, Bohemia)
Western Painted Turtle 0.0.1 (Picaso)
Columbian Red-Tailed Boa 1.0 (James Jr.)
Central American Boa 1.0 (Steve)
Longnosed Snake (Serano)

www.geocities.com/wink0083

$45 at local shop.

RIP

$16 at petco

i do prefer petsmart over petco at least in my part of denver. but it really sucks having your first gecko be sick from the small reputable petshop and then find them on sale at petco for the second. you do have some valid points andrew but maybe you also just have a bad petco there.

I never stated that ALL Petco stores were awful, and didn't mean for any weak stomached persons to lose their lunch. There are a few good Petcos in the area that at least clean the cages of their reptiles, but, of course, here are those that don't. Thing is, at the Petco in question, they don't know what's going on. Every leo in their display has it's tail missing, and they house different tortoise species together, among other things. It's just not a good deal. I've even tried giving them my number, telling them i'd help them out and they're against that, as well. It's bad business.

yeah andrew i live down here in southern cali too. I have been to several petcos and petsmarts all over san diego, riverside, and orange county. a year or so ago they all seemed AWEFULL. the employees are never taught anything there for they dont know any better. however over the past year or so i have seen improvements in the newer petcos. the only education the employees get is what they already know or what they research themselves. i have talked to several and they are either incredibly interested or i have actually had managers walk away and ignore me when i am beeing nice. also it has been a long time but i think i have actaully read some of their caresheets and they were even wrong! o well, everytime i go i make sure to give advice to the person taking care of the reptiles. my 2 great patternless girls were $10 dollars each but had skin mites and my first gecko was from petco. he was an african fat tailed juvi and now he weighs 111 grams. hes a bit fat.

If you're ever in Costa Mesa, check the one out on the way to Newport Beach, off the 55. Best Petco i've seen thus far. I've had my eyes on one down by Fashion Island though, it's a ritzy part of town so it may be nice. We'll see.

I also live in the Denver area... actually about equal distance between 2 Petco's. I also occasionally stop by the local petsmart as well though it's a bit further away.

Best I can tell their animals seem to go through phases of care and neglect depending on how the employees treat them and when the summer hiring season begins/ends.

I have purchased leos from Petco on two occasions in the past. Those animals are still alive and well but getting to that point wasn't exactly fuss-free. A few vet trips and fecal tests were involved. All I can say is that a good herp vet can make quite a difference. Mine did.

Now I prefer to do my research over the internet and arrange to meet breeders at the local reptile expo that happens quarterly. I generally go with the intent to purchase a specific animal but I don't buy until I've had a chance to ask questions and look around.

I don't mind going to petco or petsmart to pick up supplies and mealworms/crickets. I do make sure to crack the lid on the mealworms and check the date to make sure they're not a bunch of dried out corpses. I gutload all my feeder insects for a while beforehand so they're in pretty good shape before they get thrown into the pit-o-doom.

Where practical, I do try to spread my visits around to some of the local "non-chain" petshops provided that they keep healthy animals. I have seen some local shops that are dismal and others that are very well tended.