Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently was at a petco returning a faulty fixture i had ordered and decided to check out their geckos and see for myself what everyone was talking about bc petco is a good hr from me and im never there. I was disgusted. They had babies in with adults and all of them looked as if theyd been attacked including all had regenerating tails. One in particular caught my eye and even tho i dont want to give them the sale i want to get that leo the he** out of there. The thing is....in my room I already have 2 big tanks and I cant put it in with my others because it needs to quarintine, not to mention it could use some time alone. My question is, would it be equally as cruel to take it home and put the baby in a 5 gallon tank while it rehabilitates? It would be my only option...dont even have room for a 10 gallon unless i put it on my floor but then my cats would stress the hell out of it. If its as equally cruel, Ill pray someone else has a heart but if its ok for a month or two id like to know because then I will most definately intervene. Thanks for any opinions.

Well. I have my baby Blizzard in a 5 gallon. I did this because he was small when I bought him. I did this so I wouldn't have to stress him out by picking him up and placing him in a small critter keeper to feed. I just made everything in miniture so it has the same exact floor space a 10G would have it I put him in with the big things, lol. He's looking really good, and he eats great since it's a confined space. I personally like the 5 gallons for smaller Leo's.
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4.7.0 Leopard Geckos
2.1.0 Chihuahuas
2.1.0 Rottweiler Mix
1.0.0 Siamese Cat
1.0.0 Dwarf Hamsters

Josh
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think of it this way,cramped or not the gecko is still better off with proper care and food.
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1.3 Leopard Gecko's
1.0 mali uromastyx
0.0.3 tokay's(adults unsexed)

How do you warm a tank that small without overheating it and keeping a proper tempature gradient? Now Im quite confused about what to do because llyn made a really good point.

That's a good point. And, I use a human heating pad on it's lowest setting. My Blizzard seems to stay in the humid hide almost ALL The time anyways.

Just do what you feel the best thing to be done is....e
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4.7.0 Leopard Geckos
2.1.0 Chihuahuas
2.1.0 Rottweiler Mix
1.0.0 Siamese Cat
1.0.0 Dwarf Hamsters

Josh
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I very much understand how you feel, but you should consider this:

Petco is a huge corporation that runs on profits. Sick, poorly maintained animals are cheaper to keep. As long as there is someone who is either uninformed or well-meaning to buy Petco's sick animals, keeping sick animals yields a HUGE profit.A lot of big corporations do what brings the most profit, not what is right.

By buying a sick animal, especially knowingly, you are providing the market for their abused "product". This means they will never start treating their animals better-- simply because they don't have to in order to make a profit, and they would actually make LESS of a profit if they did so.

The only way to stop animal cruelty in petshops is to bottom out the market for sick animals. So, five gallon tank or not, and I know how cruel and hard this sounds, I would say NEVER buy an animal you KNOW to be sick and mistreated.If you do, they will replace it, and it will go on and on.

I regularly visit my local Petsmart and check up on the reptiles and amphibians. When I see a really blatant issue, I bring it to someone's attention. Sometimes, they actually listen to me. Sometimes they don't. However, either way I feel that's the kindest thing I could do not just for the animals already in the store, but also for the ones that would be brought in to replace any sold.

I think they feel safer in smaller enclosures, reducing stress, and it's easier for them to find their food.
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Sarah Stettler aka Starling
Sarah@stargecko.com
StarGecko.Com COMING SOON! Star Quality Leopard Geckos
Specializing in Hypotangerine Tremper Albinos