well, i work a second part-time job at petco and without getting into a big debate about chain stores, i will say that some are good and some are bad and it all depends on what kind of employees work at the particular store. even though corporate dictates a lot of guidelines, unfortunately these are not always followed at the store level. for example, corporate dictates that crested geckos be fed CGD and crickets, not mealworms, not baby food. if the store does not have them on the proper diet, i would mention it to the general manager and perhaps above that level if necessary. they should know better.
that being said, i have acquired the majority of my crested gecko collection from various petcos. you just need to know how to look for warning signs of an unhealthy animal, i.e., shedding problems, dehydration, swollen limbs, kinked tail, warped bone structure, weight issues, open mouth, soft jaw, etc. do not purchase an animal under these conditions but insist they take it to the vet. adopting an animal is a different story and depends on the condition of it and what steps you are willing to take to rehabilitate it if even possible.
if you are interested in inspecting the geckos at a particular store to get an idea of their health, insist on handling it, sleeping or not. the animal should not be completely sluggish and lethargic when gently disturbed. if the gecko was on an improper diet but is still young, you could still acquire it and start it on CGD, perhaps with a little extra pure calcium, and monitor its weight, usually it will be fine. if you are able to check calcium sacs, go for it, though i have never had much success doing that with any of the geckos i've handled.
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3.1 snakes, 3.1.1 crested geckos, 0.1 gargoyle gecko, 2.0 devon rex cats, 1.0 betta
