Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok im in college for nurseing..freshmen year. and lately i was seriusly pondering the fact of majoring in busnis and zooology or some form of animal thing and opening a pet store.. ive loved pets for ever and i think it would be awsome. jsut wanna know the most awsomeest people on the kingsnake site 2 cents. go for it or stick with nurseing.
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1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)

Well, if its something you love, go for it. But id also suggest an English class
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Cranbrook, British Columbia
0.0.2 Baby Leopard Geckos (Unnamed)
1.0.0 Green Anole

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH yes i know i cant spell and sentance structure sucks realy bad....thats a public school system for ya.
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1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)

The best way to figure out what you want to do is to test the waters yourself. Get a part-time job working in a pet store so you know what goes into the business. Turning a hobby into a career isn't always the best route. Keeping pets is not the same thing as running a retail store. You should also try working or volunteering in a hospital. Join nursing forums so you can hear about their experiences and talk to people who work in health care.

It's better to expose yourself to the careers you're thinking about BEFORE you make your decisions. It'll give you a better sense of what you want to do or don't want to do. I know a ton of people who go through college for a specific career only to realize that they don't like the career they went to school for.
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chickabowwow

Try to get a job at a store that also sells at expos. You need to see both retail and expo sales to understand what you're getting yourself into, and it's a great learning experience to better understand customer service and marketing within this hobby.

Hobbyists don't make money too often. Good businessmen make money, but are not necessarily true hobbyists.
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E2MacPets
http://www.e2macpets.com

I agree with xelda, imagine this:
You now own a pet store, your suppliers can offer you the cheapest rates for animals however you visit the facility and they are poorly looked after, all inbred, mass production. However if you get these animals for your store, you will have a larger profit margin which will in turn allow you to expand, buy other exotics, etc. Now when they're in your beloved store what price do you sell them at? You have store overhead (lighting, rent, etc), the longer you keep the animal without selling it the more food, larger tank, vet bills, etc. I'm sure you know where i'm going with this.

I would suggest you become a small breeder instead, that will allow you to focus on Ethics and educating your customers on a more personal and managable basis. You can have your own website, based in your local area.
Sometimes you can't blame the hideous petstores, they're just trying to make a living, cuz im by no means saying don't do it, just think about it.
Business is a rough world. Good luck

People are always going to get hurt and sick. So nurse is a good choice.
People are always going to want pets and pet supplies. So that is a good choice.
It's cheaper to put a chain petstore in your town than another hospital though.
I'd go for the pet store option though. But my advice probably isn't the best. I went to college for computer networking, programming, and repair, and I drive an 18 wheeler now (people always need freight moved). But I love my job (most days) and it turned out better because truck drivers are needed now not computer profesionals so I am making more now than I probably would have as a pc technician. They can't send my job overseas to India and pay $2 an hour.

Whatever you do though, stick with it and finish school.
Good luck.

>>I agree with xelda, imagine this:
>>You now own a pet store, your suppliers can offer you the cheapest rates for animals however you visit the facility and they are poorly looked after, all inbred, mass production. However if you get these animals for your store, you will have a larger profit margin which will in turn allow you to expand, buy other exotics, etc. Now when they're in your beloved store what price do you sell them at? You have store overhead (lighting, rent, etc), the longer you keep the animal without selling it the more food, larger tank, vet bills, etc. I'm sure you know where i'm going with this.
>>
>>I would suggest you become a small breeder instead, that will allow you to focus on Ethics and educating your customers on a more personal and managable basis. You can have your own website, based in your local area.
>>Sometimes you can't blame the hideous petstores, they're just trying to make a living, cuz im by no means saying don't do it, just think about it.
>>Business is a rough world. Good luck
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Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

hey I was an ms-III and attended Ross university school of medicine, and am now an RN, I would stick w/ it, seriously I have tons of reptiles and still manage a 10 hour shift at the 12th largest trauma center in california. so, Ride it out! thats my 2 cents forget the pet trade i'll be breeding veiled chams and hopefully panthers by the end of the year, extra $$ for road trips

sounds cool. im probly ganna try to get into the level 1 trama center in pittsburgh, thats what i live for...trama. im an emt so i dont wanna go to changeing bed pans. well im so far sticking with it. if i can pass the science i need.
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1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)

Pittsburgh trauma is a good place, I had to go there once to visit someone (I pretty sure it was trauma)
Science isn't that hard. You can do it.
>>sounds cool. im probly ganna try to get into the level 1 trama center in pittsburgh, thats what i live for...trama. im an emt so i dont wanna go to changeing bed pans. well im so far sticking with it. if i can pass the science i need.
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>>1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)
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Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

haha chemistry is hard makes no scence...but bio is ez. but yeah so far i am failing chem and if i dont get a C i gotta drop nurseing anyway. what hospital. AGH(allegheny gen hospilal) and Mercy are the 2 level 1 trama centers.
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1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)

Umm, I don't know. It was within 5-10 minute drive of my old hometown downtown by Duquesne University.

>>haha chemistry is hard makes no scence...but bio is ez. but yeah so far i am failing chem and if i dont get a C i gotta drop nurseing anyway. what hospital. AGH(allegheny gen hospilal) and Mercy are the 2 level 1 trama centers.
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>>1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)
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Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

Is it basic chemistry or advanced?

>>Umm, I don't know. It was within 5-10 minute drive of my old hometown downtown by Duquesne University.
>>
>>>>haha chemistry is hard makes no scence...but bio is ez. but yeah so far i am failing chem and if i dont get a C i gotta drop nurseing anyway. what hospital. AGH(allegheny gen hospilal) and Mercy are the 2 level 1 trama centers.
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>>>>1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)
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>>Tim W. My Pictures
>>0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
>>0.1.0 Kittens
>>0.0.1 Leopard Geckos
>>
>>It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
>>Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you
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Tim W. My Pictures
0.1.0 Dumeril Boas
0.1.0 Kittens
0.0.1 Leopard Geckos

It rubs the lotion on it's skin. It rubs the lotion on it's skin or else it gets the hose again.
Bleach and Ammonia make Ammonium Chloride = Dead you

it is human chemistry basic i gess. i didnt have chem in highschool so its real hard. i dont understand the periodic table and stuff. and why and how things do what they do
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1.0.1 Green Anole(tedo, bubbles)