Reptile & Amphibian Forums

A few months ago I posted my concern about a pet store that had a very sick looking beardie. I took peoples advice from here and DIDN'T buy the beardie because it wouldn't solve the problem and it would support the store,,, blah blah blah,, (I did call the humane society tho!---don't think it helped much--I"m guessing they don't really know too much about lizards there) Ok, so my new concern is this,,, I've recently moved Eddie (our only beardie) from his 36" breeder to a 6' enclosure. My husband keeps asking me what are we going to do with the old tank now. (I told him I wouldn't go overboard and keep buying lizards) BUT what do you people think if I offered to take that poor lizard home from the pet store and nurse it back to health for them? I would offer to do it as long as they supplied the crickets. They are asking $149.99 for this pitiful specimen and there is no way anyone would buy it. I'm afraid its doomed to spend its last days dying (which i'm surprised its still alive) in a pet store. Any opinions would be appreciated. I realize that there will be vet costs which I haven't decided how I"m going to handle them (I can afford it but I think the store should pay). Thanks for your help (again!) L.
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Eddie)
2.0.0 Dogs (Black German Shepherd-Nicholas, Black Lab-Cooper)
1.1.0 Budgies (Kia and Simon)
0.0.1 ?Fiddler Crab (Crusty)
0.0.25 Various Fishies (Freshwater)
2.1.0 Hubby and kids (Boy and a Girl)

Most large chain pet stores are in the pet biz to make $. I do not think they would take you up on your offer because:
If you took the animal and later, it was found to have an infectious disease once it was back at the store, even if you were not responsible, there would be all sorts of legal problems for them.
Possession is 9/10 of the law, once you had the animal, it would cost them a bundle in legal fees to get it back if you did not want it to go back to the store
Tax write-offs can make it valuable even if dead, they get to write off merchandise that is broken, dies, etc. Some suppliers to pet stores even give them full credit if an animal dies.
Also:
The minute that animal is out of the store, they will replace it with another, likely ending up in the same condition.
Your options?
If you want another beardie, there are many very very good breeders right here that will, for much less, sell you a strong, healthy, pampered youngster that has had a great start in life and will go on to be a vigorous and happy pet.
Or, you could buy that one. They might be cajoled into giving you a slight discount; but you can bet that within a few days another beardie will take its place. The fact is, if an animal is moving around, has food and water, the authorities likely will not step in as they have a horrendous caseload of animals which are in much worse shape. And, the high cost of buying it is just the beginning, you might have vet bills, and the animal might end up sickly anyway for the remainder of its life, or may die despite your good care from past stress.
There are no esy answers to the pet store question. Good luck with whatever you decide.

I think your cause is noble, but I advice against it. First off, I don't think the pet store will agree to your terms (especially vet expenses), and you have to keep in mind, what if the dragon dies while its in your care? You could be charged retail price for it, unless you have some type of written agreement with the petstore. If the petstore doesn't care for its animals, you've already done what you can (don't shop there and turn them in).

As a side note, if the beardie is sick, do you want to risk exposure to your healthy dragon at home. I know you will have them in separate cages, but it is still a risk if you are handling them both.

The risk of bringing something to your existing dragon is too high!
I to don't think the store would do it, but even if they would, I think it's a good idea.
The others are right, as soon as that one leaves, there is going to be another one in the same cage, most likely without even cleaning it, so the next one is doomed too.

Sorry we couldn't be more positive but this is just a very sad reality.

Sorry.
Joel Roberts
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Joel R

Coming some day.
www.SpikesAndScales.com

Well thanks to all who replied. I guess I already knew the answer but I was hoping that someone (or more than one) would say, "ya, great idea, go for it!",,, but I realize that its just not going to happen. I kept trying to figure out how to help this poor little guy without contributing to the problem. ie, the store replacing it or just sitting back and counting the cash they got for it. Someone replied to more original complaint a few months ago and said that if this were a dog or cat NO ONE would stand for it and they were soooo right. I even pointed out to the store the problems with their set up (lets not even talk about the water dragon its in the tank with!) but they were just not open to constructive critisms. (i think I kept my cool with them,, unfortunately there wasn't alot they were even doing right for this guy) I guess my only route now is another call to the humane society,,, maybe if I offer to fax them some care sheets so they have something to base their opinions on it'll help. Thank you all so much for your help. Lo
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0.0.1 Bearded Dragon (Eddie)
2.0.0 Dogs (Black German Shepherd-Nicholas, Black Lab-Cooper)
1.1.0 Budgies (Kia and Simon)
0.0.1 ?Fiddler Crab (Crusty)
0.0.25 Various Fishies (Freshwater)
2.1.0 Hubby and kids (Boy and a Girl)

Why go through the trouble of a fax? Just hand it to them & leave. That way, you know they received it & didn't hit delete.
It's worth a try but I don't think they will lift a finger to change a thing.

Good luck.
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Joel R

Coming some day.
www.SpikesAndScales.com

Have you tried writing the Better Business Bureau with a CC to the store? Have you threatened writing the local TV networks as well as the local papers? What you want to do is try to scare them from a business sense. That is why there's a problem in the first place and if you get them where it hurts most you will have a better chance at producing a positive change.

If you can somehow get a couple of pics of the setups. Know anyone with a camera phone that will snap a couple of pics? Remember if you decide to write all you have to do is state facts and it's all legal. They may try to scare you with a lawsuit but simply stating facts is not against the law.

Here's a link with some info you may want to check out regarding pet stores and how you can help.

Link

Hope this helps some. If you do end up pursuing this please let us know if you get anything accomplished.

Good luck!!!
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Rob Talkington