Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've heard from one of the members here that I can order a blizzard through petsmart. I was wondering what the terms on that are though, how long it takes and what if the gecko turns out looking horrible or has parasites.

I'm sure you can, but I'm not sure why you'd want to. The ones my Petsmart gets in look pretty bad, missing tails, emaciated (probably parasites). You'd be better off trying to buy direct from a reputable breeder. If your set on going with Petsmart, I'd expect that their 14 day garantee would be in effect.

-Alice

Your best bet it talking to the manager of your local Petsmart. As far as ordering from breeders instead, it is something that, by experience, may or may not be a better deal. Too many breeders online are irresponsible, and will sell you emaciated and sick animals, while you read praises about them in the BOI.

Another thing is, breeders will only give you a live arrival guarantee, but the store gives you enough days to have your animal checked and tested, and if you find they sold you something sick, you'll get your money back and maybe even your vet expenses. Go find a breeder that will reimburse you that! You'll have to wait for your animal to die to send the cadaver back and hope you'll get your purchase money back. Shipping both ways not included, of course. I doubt any breeder will pay your vet bills, they'll swear the animal was fine when shipped.

So, what to do? Ask, ask, ask, and demand open, honest answers. Does your breeder stay in contact with a reptilian specialist? Some have the audacity to mock veterinarians! Can your breeder guarantee that housing conditions are kept clean? Can he guarantee that fecals have been done in his colony to treat parasites, etc.? And, ask to see a picture of the animal you'd buy. Then, go with your guts.
-----
Email me

PETsMART does offer a 14-day gaurentee that covers if for any reason you cannot care for the animal or do not want it, it becomes sick or dies, the animal can be returned for a full refund or exchange. We will also help to reimburse vet expenses if you do not want the return option and the problem is something that could have been caused by us. We want not only our pets in our care to be happy, but the pet parents who take them home to be happy as well.

We do also get our animals from reputable breeders. 4 of the top reptile breeders if I'm not mistaken . . . CRAP (Temper), LASCO, Sandfire Dragon Ranch, and Flukers. All animals are Vet Assured as all of our breeders are USDA approved and work alongside with vet assistance at all stagesof breeding and raising.

Also, if you have problems with the care in your local PETsMART, you should talk to the manager. They'll make sure it gets fixed. If not, there should be an 800 number posted that you can call and speak with corporate about. That's how much WE care.
-----
Trish
2.0.0 Tremper Albino Leopard Gecko "Lyle" and "Thor"
0.1.0 Hypo-Gold Leopard Gecko "Goldie"
0.1.0 High Yellow Lavender Jungle Leopard Gecko "Lucky"
0.1.0 Super Hypo Tangerine Carrot Tail Leopard Gecko "Storm"
0.1.0 Blizzard Leopard Gecko "Ice"
0.1.0 Normal Leopard Gecko "Cosmo"
0.1.0 Cockatiel "Jewel"
0.1.0 Pitbull/Golden Retriever "Guiness"
0.2.0 Cats "Athena" and "Violet"
0.1.0 Horse "Arian Gold Karma"
And who knows how many fish

What's with the bashing of breeders? I got my leo from a breeder, and I have never been more impressed. I got her about 6 months ago, after having issues with an online reptile dealer for 2 months. I still keep in touch with the breeder, and if I have any problems, they are there to help. (Which I haven't had any problems.) I know her family's medical history and I have pictures of her parents. She's absolutely gorgeous, and getting even better looking with time. It was well worth the amount of money I paid for her.

-----
~*Chibi*~
Sir Iggy ( 1.0.0 El Salvador Blue Iguana), Ryo-ohki, Orion, Bud, & Finnegan (3.1.0 crazy kitties), Rosebud (0.1.0 cockerspaniel), Trixie and Kayko (0.1.1 leopard gecko)

I didn't see anyone bashing breeders . . . I DID see people say that there are bad breeders and bad pet stores, which I agree with.
-----
Trish
2.0.0 Tremper Albino Leopard Gecko "Lyle" and "Thor"
0.1.0 Hypo-Gold Leopard Gecko "Goldie"
0.1.0 High Yellow Lavender Jungle Leopard Gecko "Lucky"
0.1.0 Super Hypo Tangerine Carrot Tail Leopard Gecko "Storm"
0.1.0 Blizzard Leopard Gecko "Ice"
0.1.0 Normal Leopard Gecko "Cosmo"
0.1.0 Cockatiel "Jewel"
0.1.0 Pitbull/Golden Retriever "Guiness"
0.2.0 Cats "Athena" and "Violet"
0.1.0 Horse "Arian Gold Karma"
And who knows how many fish

Y would you buy from petsmart? There must be a small pet shop in your area that has them or can get them and you will probably have better luck with it. Not to mention that most (I am saying most as not to insult the few good employees) petsmart employees don't actually have the Smarts to even know what the animal is if there isn't a label on the cage. Also the more people buy and support petco and petsmart the more small shops are going to vanish cause they can't compete. And if you don't want to buy from a store I'm sure there are plenty of good breeders out there that will actually stand behind their stock. Just my opinion.

Casey

I hope those hating Petco and Petsmart have contacted the company about the reasons why! You don't save animals by bashing online, but documenting and reporting negligence and abuse. Obviously, someone caring so much about animals wouldn't bypass the legal steps to bring on change, right?

And sure there's good breeders out selling animals, but finding them is not as easy as relying on a good guy post, or who earns his meal ticket selling the guy an ad in a message board.

A good breeder won't mind you digging into care and husbandry practices, but will be delighted to show you how trustworthy he/she is...
-----
Email me

Actually, while there are many Petsmart Bashers who have not actually contacted Petsmart about the problems, there are just as many of us who HAVE contact Petsmart. I've been on these boards for a couple of years now (can you believe it's been that long?? man!), and I've seen several threads about experiences dealing with Petsmart.

In my own experience, I've attempted to contact people concerning extremely poor health care at both Petsmart and Petco. At both stores, my complaints and knowledge on the issue were ignored. The people to whom I spoke said that there was nothing wrong with their practices (even though the poor geckos were dying, they were so sick from lack of proper care), and that I couldn't possibly know what I was talking about. It's rather depressing dealing with these companies who are supposed to take such care with their animals.

Now, don't take me wrong - I have also heard several stories about Petsmarts and Petcos who actually listened to their customers (gee what an idea!), and I am rather jealous of the people who live in areas with good Petsmarts! But my experience with them... Not so good.

I support a wonderful "Ma & Pa" shop who takes wonderful care of their animals and listens to their customers - Alamo Aquatics.

As for buying from online breeders and their guarantees... Most of the breeders that I dealt with had guarantees that would see to it your money at least wasn't wasted on a dead animal. They'd give you a few days to make sure the animal was healthy.

And, Yes, when you receive a DOA leo, the reputable breeders will tell you that they shipped out a perfectly healthy animal - because it was (or seemed to be by all their knowledge and experiences) healthy on they shipped it out. Shipping is very stressful on a gecko, and can, sometimes, bring out the unhealthiness in them that you didn't know was there, or even that wasn't there. I mean, if someone packaged you up in a very small box and then shipped you out, you might have a few stress problems yourself.

Most geckos are not negatively affected by shiping, however, and even Petsmarts & Petcos get many of the leos via shipping.

If you go with a reputable breeder, like Kelli Hammock at http://www.hisss.net/, Marcia McGuiness at http://www.goldengategeckos.com/, or Robin at http://www.[bleep] (just to name a few off the top of my head), your chances are WAY better, and they are much more willing to work with you.

If you have huge vet bills from the leo, though, and you went with any online breeder, you're not likely to get that reimbursed. Why? Because most breeders don't make these Big Time Bucks $$$$$$ like Petsmart and Petco!!!! Leo Breeders don't do this as a full time job - they have a "real" job to support what they're doing.

Most Breeders (and I'm speaking of the good breeders) also give their leopard geckos the best care available. Their leos are much healthier simply because the breeders know how to handle them.
But how do you know how good the breeder is? Ask humpback's suggested questions...

Ask, ask, ask, and demand open, honest answers. Does your breeder stay in contact with a reptilian specialist? Some have the audacity to mock veterinarians! Can your breeder guarantee that housing conditions are kept clean? Can he guarantee that fecals have been done in his colony to treat parasites, etc.? And, ask to see a picture of the animal you'd buy. Then, go with your guts.

~~Dusty Windom
-----
So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~

E-Mail Kelly Lewis from Customer Relations at KellyL@PETCO.com
Mention the location of the stores that did not take your concerns seriously. Take pictures! And don't just let it die there. Big stores don't want to mess with BBB, the local Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection, and animal rights groups.

What I bark about is the complaining and rambling about the store's practices but doing nothing to effect change.

If you just talk to the manager or the illiterate staff, and they ignore you, nothing is documented. If you let it go and just post complaints, you're barking up a wall. Take action, since most buyers of Petco's animals don't sign on to these message boards!
-----
Email me

Very true

I didn't know Kelli was doing all that, though! I wish I had known then. It's been a LONG time since I messed with Petsmart. Good to know, though.

~~Dusty Windom
-----
So Many Alleles, So Little Time...!
@
~~The Gecko Barn~~