Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Since there was some discussion earlier about buying from these chains I have to add a little to it. If you absolutely have to buy from a chain like this, find a franchise store. They are entirely separate from the Corporate HQ. Most franchise stores get their animals from better sources like local breeders or breeders within the state.
The problem with franchise stores is they won't have the selection the big Corporate store will. But these franchise stores are better, and from my experience have more interest in keeping the animals healthy and alive. I have a franchise store near where I live and it is quite small, but I would rather buy my animals there than at the enormous Corporate store 30 miles away.
Also, if you are adament on getting any animal, you should try to do local pet stores first, those little stores that you have never heard of other places. Lee's Feed where I live near Sacramento probably has the best reptile selection I have seen in a small pet store. I went in and looked at their Leos and said I was interested, and they came outright and told me that the ones I saw were not doing really good and were being forcefed. They told me the chances of the animal surviving outside of the store and the chances inside. I put one of those leos on hold in case it got better and it has, and I'm picking it up today. She is a beautiful Pastel phase, just gorgeous. These are the kind of stores you buy animals from, if you buy from a store at all. Another really awesome store is LLL Reptile which is now becoming a chain. They are known for their excellence in service and support and take care of their animals as if they were children. If you are going to buy a leo from a store that will ship, do LLL. www.lllreptile.com This is a great store. They are very supportive and helpful.

So just caution for buying from Petsmart and such. If you have Petsmart as the only option, get all the information you can about the store. If it is franchise, there is a higher chance the animals are better cared for. I still wouldn't buy from there if possible, but its better than teh Corporation. By going to franchise stores your also not directly supporting the Corporation. The franchise gets almost all of its profits and sends nearly nothing to the Corporate HQ.

I would still recommend getting from a private breeder, or professional, or from a very good store such as Lee's Feed and LLL Reptile.

i have to disagree with you about LLL. ive been to their store a million times, i live right near it. ALL of their adult geckos have the skinniest tails ive ever seen. last time i was there, they had a fat-tailed gecko that was having trouble shedding and was ultra skinny. the babies are over crowded, and some are very sickly, while others look fine. when they go to shows, the animals they bring are even worse then the ones in the store. ive bought 3 animals from them, when i had no experience at all. it was 2 geckos and 1 bearded dragon. i can't complain about the dragon, he was bred by dragons den, according to them, and he did great. but the geckos, one died a month later, and the other was a huge struggle, though did survive. i will never buy from them again, even though it is tempting, they have low prices, such as 66% possible het piebald BPs for $159, or something like that.
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

Now that I know that I won't buy from them either. I've never actually been to the store, but I have seen then in a Reptile Sale and Show in Sacremento. I didn't buy anything from them then, mostly because they were insanely crowded. I got my beardie from another large breeding store and a kingsnake from "For Goodness Snakes" though he/she died a month or so later, though I have a feeling it was something I did and not the breeder. The snake was very healthy looking when I bought it, so perhaps it contracted something at my home or something else happened.

I'll take your advice on LLL. It must prove then that price shouldn't be a factor in your choice of animals. If it is cheap, it doesn't mean its healthy, though I will be honest, if I ever breed animals, I will sell them cheaper just because I have no need to profit off my animals. I just want to breed out of pure curiousity.

i used to try to sell for cheap, for the same reasons, but people don't buy. they probably wonder why i would sell so cheap, thinking it has defects or something.
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your head will collapse, but there's nothing in it, and you'll ask yourself, "where is my mind"

if you have AIM, IM me at iluvblackfrancis