Petco frustration

[Angelaelebron]

Hi all,
This is my second post, I previously introduced myself and lady if you want to know more about us. Anyone else kind of frustrated with Petco? As a first time Beardie owner, for some stupid reason, I thought I could trust them for my source of information. I am so happy I found this site before I followed their advice. I just wish I would have found it before all of the money I wasted.
To begin, I put all of my trust into one of their employees who says she has 2 of her own, I basically just had her help me get everything I needed. The first thing wrong, was she told me to get a 20 gallon tank even though I was willing to buy the 40. I did go ahead with the 40 but she told me to block it off. I did not, and haven’t had any problems. Then she sold me the stick on thermometers, which I’ve learned are garbage, so I spent another $11 on one digital with probe, and still need to get another one. I asked for the best lighting I could get, she sold me a ceramic bulb for basking and the slimline uvb fixture. The ceramic bulb does not work for basking temps, at least not in the tank I have, and I don’t even think I need it at night, at least not now in the winter with our heat on. There is another $60 wasted basically because I had to go back & buy a 150 watt basking bulb & a replacement bulb for the uvb fixture, since I have now learned to go with reptisun. When I asked why I was not told to mount in the tank or to take off he plastic cover, I was just told that it isn’t necessicary. She also had me buy super worms and wax worms along with the crickets. Another waste since I’ve learned the worms at this age are a bad idea. She did at least get me the calcium powder with D3, however I have now also purchased spray with out it & vitimin powder. What else.. oh she also told me to buy spring mix for veggies, and I’ve since learned iceberg and spinach in that is a no go.. and lastly she told me one feeding of 2 crickets/day with a bowl of super worms is sufficient. Does she want me to starve her?? Sigh.. I have been addicted to this forum since I’ve had my baby (she’s actually my sons, but I’ve been helping with care and have fallen in love).. and it just makes me so upset, a month ago I knew nothing about bearded dragons and If I wouldn’t have researched on my own, this would probably have been a short experience with a sad ending. I went back today to get crickets & looked at the other babies while I was in there, now with all of the knowledge I have.. I feel so bad for them. Their lighting is all off, no real thermometers, very tiny tanks ect ect. The funny thing is she told me to stay off the internet, that it’s full of wrong advice and to trust them for our source of care. Anyways, I am new here and I’m sorry for the rant.. just so so happy I corrected everything the first day I got her. It has been 3 days now and so far aside from a low appetite, she has been amazing.

 

[Janelle]

I’m so sorry for your experience, but the story is so familiar. It’s a lot of money you wasted this time, but think of all the vet bills you saved yourself by fixing the issues!

 

[Angelaelebron]

Yes vet bills and heart break I’m sure. Just makes me so mad, more so about the poor advice and care than the money even. It is just not right.

 

[Leslie]

I completely agree with you. I worked at Petco because I love reptiles and honestly, it was the best place around for the animals being treated correctly. Unfortunately, the training videos they showed us were all pretty incorrect. So if you don't have any reptile experience, you are going to be spewing Petco nonsense all over potential scaly-baby parents. I would always have to butt in when my coworkers were trying to sell reptiles because they didn't know any better to do their own research, unfortunately. It's a low-paying job with very little training, so I can't really blame the employees for not being motivated to learn any other info. The temperatures in the habitats are also set by corporate, so you better believe those were pretty bad too. The most frustrating part was the baby beardies. They would come in obviously sick and wayyyy too small, but were kept on the floor because people LOVE the little ones. I did manage to get my store to stop feeding them mealworms, but before me, the babies didn't even get soaks to help their digestion. They were often impacted, but what got me to quit was the very little care for illness. As in ADV. Those poor little ones seemed very affected by it, but corporate I guess doesn't like reptiles going to the vet for 'minor' reasons. I took a malnourished beardie home eventually, but in a few days, it started having seizures and died within the hour as I was driving it to the vet. When I asked Petco for a necropsy to be done so I could know the cause of death, they refused because they 'had no reason to suspect ADV'. Then I was basically blamed for the death. End of my time at Petco.

It's really hard to place blame because the whole point of the store is to sell animals. For the workers, you do your job, you get paid. But the animals are mass-produced and in very poor health. Here's a lil secret--the beardies weren't even from the U.S. They came from Central or South America, I can't remember which one. So those tiny, tiny beardies were shipped from that far away. The animals are already coming in in very bad condition, and corporate has certain guidelines that need to be followed regarding care and habitat. It's a horrible combination. I don't recommend anyone buying any animals from a chain pet store like that. Even a potential rescue just opens up a spot for another animal to be brought in.

 

[Angelaelebron]

That is so horrible to hear I really really am hoping my little girl here is okay and doesn’t end up having any issues. If I would have known what I know now I don’t think I would have purchased her, although I’m loving her so much so far. It’s just crazy to me because when I first saw her, it appeared they were all taken well care of, but now that I’ve gone back and took another look with all this information I now have, I was very upset seeing the way they are being taken care of. I did pick the biggest one in the tank with the most energy, so far she is pooping everyday, but eating very little, (under 10 insects a day) and she has not ate a thing today yet which has me stressed. I thought it was a little crazy though that they said 1-2 crickets per day is normal. The reason I chose petco (with little knowledge) is their vet/return/exchange policy.. I figured if they had that then they were for sure going to be healthy. Sigh.. I hope mine is a survivor. I’d hate to lose her, she has me so scared today since she hasn’t ate.

 

[Leslie]

I got my beardie from another store and she was full of worms. A 400 dollar bet bill later, she's great. I'd probably get a fecal test done just in case. I had a bunch of other tests done as well, so the 400 isn't just the fecal. It's not too expensive.

 

[Angelaelebron]

I got my beardie from another store and she was full of worms. A 400 dollar bet bill later, she's great. I'd probably get a fecal test done just in case. I had a bunch of other tests done as well, so the 400 isn't just the fecal. It's not too expensive.

What are the signs? Here seems to look normal and healthy, but there is a vet around here who does work with reptiles so after she settles in I think I’ll schedule a visit to be on the safe side.

 

[Angelaelebron]

I completely agree with you. I worked at Petco because I love reptiles and honestly, it was the best place around for the animals being treated correctly. Unfortunately, the training videos they showed us were all pretty incorrect. So if you don't have any reptile experience, you are going to be spewing Petco nonsense all over potential scaly-baby parents. I would always have to butt in when my coworkers were trying to sell reptiles because they didn't know any better to do their own research, unfortunately. It's a low-paying job with very little training, so I can't really blame the employees for not being motivated to learn any other info. The temperatures in the habitats are also set by corporate, so you better believe those were pretty bad too. The most frustrating part was the baby beardies. They would come in obviously sick and wayyyy too small, but were kept on the floor because people LOVE the little ones. I did manage to get my store to stop feeding them mealworms, but before me, the babies didn't even get soaks to help their digestion. They were often impacted, but what got me to quit was the very little care for illness. As in ADV. Those poor little ones seemed very affected by it, but corporate I guess doesn't like reptiles going to the vet for 'minor' reasons. I took a malnourished beardie home eventually, but in a few days, it started having seizures and died within the hour as I was driving it to the vet. When I asked Petco for a necropsy to be done so I could know the cause of death, they refused because they 'had no reason to suspect ADV'. Then I was basically blamed for the death. End of my time at Petco.

It's really hard to place blame because the whole point of the store is to sell animals. For the workers, you do your job, you get paid. But the animals are mass-produced and in very poor health. Here's a lil secret--the beardies weren't even from the U.S. They came from Central or South America, I can't remember which one. So those tiny, tiny beardies were shipped from that far away. The animals are already coming in in very bad condition, and corporate has certain guidelines that need to be followed regarding care and habitat. It's a horrible combination. I don't recommend anyone buying any animals from a chain pet store like that. Even a potential rescue just opens up a spot for another animal to be brought in.

What are signs of ADV?

 

[Leslie]

I originally took her in to the vet because the other beardie had died and I wanted to make sure she was okay. As for ADV, you can look up a whole list of symptoms but a major one is "stargazing" where they're just staring straight up. The vet said most beardies have ADV because of poor breeding, but if they're immune system is compromised, ADV can really be deadly. If your beardie is doing great, that's wonderful! The beardies I'm talking about showed very aggressive and obvious symptoms. I don't wanna scare you If there aren't any signs or your beardie is acting normal, you have no reason to worry. Although mine had apparently advanced worms and there had been no signs of that.

 

[Angelaelebron]

I originally took her in to the vet because the other beardie had died and I wanted to make sure she was okay. As for ADV, you can look up a whole list of symptoms but a major one is "stargazing" where they're just staring straight up. The vet said most beardies have ADV because of poor breeding, but if they're immune system is compromised, ADV can really be deadly. If your beardie is doing great, that's wonderful! The beardies I'm talking about showed very aggressive and obvious symptoms. I don't wanna scare you If there aren't any signs or your beardie is acting normal, you have no reason to worry. Although mine had apparently advanced worms and there had been no signs of that.

Okay, I’m trying not to get scared. I don’t really know what normal is, this is my first time ever having one and it has been quite the learning experience. It’s only been 4 days now, she is very lively. She looks around & has been checking out her space. She had been eating at least something everyday but today she hasn’t ate at all, shows absolutely no interest and that is what’s scaring me. I did get her to lick a little of her salad and drink some water but that’s it. She shed most of her head & back yesterday, and looks like she is getting ready to shed the tail part. We also finally got her UVB lamp mounted inside her tank so that should hopefully help as well. Her poop is textbook healthy (brown with white at the end) and she has no struggle, so I’m hoping that’s a good sign. I keep hearing relocation stress for the eating but wow I have been super stressed since getting her, I can’t wait until everything is normal routine.

 

[Leslie]

My beardie went through a similar phase when I brought her home. It took a few weeks for her to get settled, so that's definitely normal. Shedding is a good sign as well. The first week I had mine, she refused to eat anything! That was just her being a little nervous being in a new place.

 

[Angelaelebron]

My beardie went through a similar phase when I brought her home. It took a few weeks for her to get settled, so that's definitely normal. Shedding is a good sign as well. The first week I had mine, she refused to eat anything! That was just her being a little nervous being in a new place.

I keep hearing that, but still worries me like crazy. A cricket will go right to her nose and she just sits there still and stares at it with no interest. She hasn’t ate much to begin with but at least ate something the first 3 days. She seems to be comfortable with me holding her, I’ve been taking her out for 5-10 mins right before bed and in the morning after lights have been on a couple hours. Yesterday she ate a good amount of salad out of my hand and tried this morning and got nothing out of her. I’m just like come on.. eat please.

 

[Angelaelebron]

Update.. one cricket.. she ate one. Better then nothing. Let’s hope for a better day tomorrow.

 

[Tabasco]

Sprinkle salad with powdered bee pollen, they seem to like it. Most youngsters are not big into salads, Ive been lucky with mine, they love their salad. I would get a fecal exam for parasites at the vets. Often if they have a high count they will be picky eaters.

 

[Angelaelebron]

Sprinkle salad with powdered bee pollen, they seem to like it. Most youngsters are not big into salads, Ive been lucky with mine, they love their salad. I would get a fecal exam for parasites at the vets. Often if they have a high count they will be picky eaters.

Thank you! I will give that a try, and I am going to make a vet appointment to make sure all is good. I want to have her settled in a little before stressing her out with a vet visit. What do you think? Make one for as soon as possible or for in a couple weeks?

 

[Angelaelebron]

Also, where to get the bee pollen? I just did an amazon search and it’s a bit pricey for me at the moment. I already am $500 in and have a list of some more things I need for her (temp gun, cricket pillow gel, new basking bulbs, Phoenix worms & now this powder and a vet visit), looking for good quality for the price on these items, thanks.

 

[PatsyB]

I always forget about bee pollen! You can get it at the vitamin store. Some people have gotten it at the grocery store too in the Mexican spice section. Make sure it's bee pollen and not bee populous. I got mine from bearded dragon.co at the time it was a giant bag for $20. I keep it in the fridge to keep it fresh.

I got Dexter from Petsmart and I did my research before I got her and knew that the girl at the store knew what she was talking about and so I was confident if she was taking care of Dexter before me, then we were going to be okay. I got Luci at Petco, hoping that since he had only been their for a few weeks, their damage hadn't set in yet LOL! So far he's been my healthiest one!

@Angelaelebron you are doing a great job with Lady, I am positive that she is going to grow up to be a healthy girl (or boy).

 

[Angelaelebron]

I always forget about bee pollen! You can get it at the vitamin store. Some people have gotten it at the grocery store too in the Mexican spice section. Make sure it's bee pollen and not bee populous. I got mine from bearded dragon.co at the time it was a giant bag for $20. I keep it in the fridge to keep it fresh.

I got Dexter from Petsmart and I did my research before I got her and knew that the girl at the store knew what she was talking about and so I was confident if she was taking care of Dexter before me, then we were going to be okay. I got Luci at Petco, hoping that since he had only been their for a few weeks, their damage hadn't set in yet LOL! So far he's been my healthiest one!

@Angelaelebron you are doing a great job with Lady, I am positive that she is going to grow up to be a healthy girl (or boy).

Thank you so much you really help ease my mind. The lady at petco looked at her and said it was a girl, so if it ends up a boy that’ll be funny with the name lady. It has already stuck now. We came up with her name because before we got her my son didn’t know what a good gender neautral name would be so I said name it whatever you want and we will just add lady before it if it’s a girl..then when we got her we just stuck with lady. Seemed fitting.

 

[PatsyB]

Thank you so much you really help ease my mind. The lady at petco looked at her and said it was a girl, so if it ends up a boy that’ll be funny with the name lady. It has already stuck now. We came up with her name because before we got her my son didn’t know what a good gender neautral name would be so I said name it whatever you want and we will just add lady before it if it’s a girl..then when we got her we just stuck with lady. Seemed fitting.

All they know is you are talking to them, they don’t understand their name. My oldest girl is Dexter, we wanted her to be a boy so bad. My boy’s name is Luci because we assumed he was a girl! The names just fit their personalities though and we stuck with them! Dolly was named Paco by the people at Petco because when she was left there they didn’t know how to sex her.

 

[Leslie]

When they are as little as you are getting them at stores, you can't tell the sex. They basically all look like girls at one point. Hence why I have a female named Doug!