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do you think petco is a good place to get a corn

Y

yofoo

New member
im getting a snake tomorrow and do you think PETCO is a good place to get one? i went last weekend to look at snakes and the people were really nice and everything they said isnt different from what ive read here. i dont know of any people that breed corn snakes or i would probably get one from them. what do you think i should do?

thanks
 
Well from what Ive heard on this forum...

a Petco wouldn't be my first choice. However, I have never seen a "Petco" in my area or anywhere in Wisconsin so I don't have much expirience with them. I guess if the cages are clean and the animals look like they are in a good condition, I wouldn't turn up my nose to the store (right away, at least).

Although I would ask to get a good look at the babies for mites and other irregularities. If they let you hold them, make sure they are alert and try to think of questions to ask the reptile guy (or girl) when you get there.

like...
Where did you get them from?
When have they last eaten?
What are you feeding them?

If they can't answer your questions or don't seem very knowledgable about cornsnakes I wouldn't buy anything from them.

I got my first cornsnake from a pet store and he was healthy and active when I got him (he still is). So far I haven't had any problems w/ sickness or feeding him.

Hope this helps
 
Use what you know ....

I agree that asking lots of questions is a good idea. Use what you've learned here to find out the important stuff, especially what the snakes have been eating, and where they came from. Also insist on handling the snake so you can examine it up close and personal!

I also got my snake from a pet store, though not PetCo, and she is healthy and active, but I suspect she had been underfed before I bought her.

One thing about pet stores though - you'll be paying quite a bit more. They really bump up the price on their reptiles!!

Good Luck!!
 
petco

I used to work for petco and most of the people really do know what they are talking about. They do go through training
 
I've heard nothing but bad reports from DeathCo.. ermmm.. PetCo, regarding all types of animals (not just snakes & other reptiles).

I'd say order online from a reputable breeder, or find an independent store with somebody who can give you a little more info on the snake's background (hatch date, genetics, when & what it's been eating, sex, etc.)
 
I don't think it's right to assume that every single store is bad. If you have a good look around, ask loads of questions and inspect the snake before buying and everything seems good, buy a snake.
 
PetCo & PetSmart over here are notorious for selling dead & diseased animals...

The FLOOD of hatemail PetSmart's received recently from their choice of Bearded Dragon supplier (nationwide) has caused them to completely rewrite their reptile policies.

So they're making an effort to do something about their repucation, but PetCo is even worse.

I don't know a single person who's actually purchased a reptile from PetCo and had it live longer than a few short months.
 
Something a lot of people don't take into account is the effect of our buying power on the whole herpetocultural community. I bought my first snake from a pet store because he was the snake I'd always wanted at a good price. But knowing what I now know, I intend to purchase directly from breeders from now on. By doing this, I can support the breeders I like rather than the petstores who inflate their prices and sell sickly, neglected animals. I can show my support for professionals who know what they're doing, and for people who love snakes and take seriously the responsibilities entailed by owning and breeding them. If we all act consciously to support quality in herpetoculture, we can kill off the parasitic petstores.
This is not meant to slander PetCo, with which I have little personal experience. I just know that personally, I want to do what I can to raise the bar.
 
Neil said:
That still doesn't mean it's the same for <i>every</i> store.
Click to expand...

PetCo is not just an abbrevation for any ol' pet store... PetCo is an actual national chain of pet stores, and yes, they pretty much ARE all like that cuz company policy is all across the board (sticking leopard geckos in with AFTs, 2 week old bearded dragons on calci-sand with full grown crickets, etc).

PetSmart are/were just as bad, but after the MAJOR rush of nasty hatemail they got from hundreds of thousands of herpers regarding where they were getting their Bearded Dragons from and the general care and treatment of animals, they're going under MAJOR reworking in the reptile department across the whole US now.

I always buy now from reputable breeders, regardless of species. Aside from the fact you can find out about each individual's history (hatch/birth date, lineage, genetics, feeding history, etc.) often pet stores DON'T understand the dangers of mixing species, they DON'T understand the necessity of washing hands between handling different species, especially handling healthy animals right after sick animals, and from most (national chain) pet stores, they might as well be selling wild-caught animals most of the time.

Look at Bearded Dragons here a month ago.. hell, Reptile Republic was GIVING AWAY 2 bearded dragons free in competitions EVERY day. Hey, stick around the site long enough, you'd have won one. Almost ALL of the dragons that the "winners" received are now either dead, dying, or have cost more in vets bills so far than it would've cost to get a clean healthy animal from a reputable established breeder in the first place.

I saw a corn in a local pet store for $15. And this is a 4 h' a half foot hypo, not u'r regular lil normal hatchling. I still wouldn't buy it from 'em (even though it is a female), purely because I know nothing about its background, about who bred it (somebody could've bought it from Rich at a show for all I know a coupla years ago), and the fact that it's not very people friendly. The attitude can often be adjusted with a little patience, but the attitude could be due to physical pain or internal problems that don't become apparent until you're handed a $500 vet's bill. It's not worth the risk - just to save a few $ on the purchase price of the animal.

Especially when purchasing the animal in the first place is the LEAST of your costs :)
 
!!

yofoo said:
im getting a snake tomorrow and do you think PETCO is a good place to get one? i went last weekend to look at snakes and the people were really nice and everything they said isnt different from what ive read here. i dont know of any people that breed corn snakes or i would probably get one from them. what do you think i should do?

thanks
Click to expand...


i would think so. i went there also and i petco would be a good place i would say so do what u want its up to u and only u!
 
I myself have a very nice Okeetee phase corn that I purchased at the local PetCo back in January. I have had no problems with this corn. I think as long as one knows what they are looking at/for as far as signs of good/bad health it is possible to get a nice animal from PetCo. I stop in there occasionally to look at the reptiles, and have been impressed with what I've seen as far as the enclosures, temps, food items. Unfortunately I know there are lots of horror stories out there as well.

Traci
 
i personally have issues with petco staff, but if their snakes look good and they don't have parasites, it could be a great place to get a corn
 
unfortunately, you can't always tell by looking whether a snake has parasites...

this is a very old thread. If yoofoo did indeed buy one in September of 2002, it would be interesting to hear how it is doing.

Skye
 
Hmmm old post but I'll respond anyway.

I got my amel from a Petco before I came on this site. I've had him(or her, I assume him) for almost a year now. Dispite a few issues (shedding due to not enough humidty and a regurg which he's recovered from), he is doing quite well and seems very healthy. The sales rep I spoke to was very knowlegable about snakes and the info here hasn't contradicted anything she told me.

It isn't the ideal place to buy the snake, and if you plan to breed later on, you won't know what other genes the snake caries. But you still CAN get a good animal.
 
I don't know a single person who's actually purchased a reptile from PetCo and had it live longer than a few short months.
Click to expand...

Ok, you don't really know me, but I'd be your exception. I bought my corn in February, and he is doing great. The care instructions I got were identical to the information that is accepted as standard here regarding heat, humidity, hides, feeding, and general care, right down to a 72 hour settling in period. As a matter of fact, the young woman I worked with suggested I take a day to think it over and come back if I still wanted the snake. Not typical behavior for a profit driven corporation.

Regarding cost: yes, on a per snake basis you will pay more, but if you only want one and factor in shipping from the breeder the cost will probably be about the same.

I'll grant that I may have been lucky, but I agree with the poster above who felt that the care may be more dependent on the individual store than the chain. Now, would I do it again? Probably not. Not because of the health of the snake, but because of the limited number of morphs. See, next I want a nice little stripe.... But, that's what happens when you get that first corn, they are like potato chips. Bet you can't own just one.
 
as leia said, old post... but i will give my .02 too.

Even though the care sheets from petco and all the other national pet chains give the proper requirements, they don't actually use the caresheets when caring for them in the store. I know I can't stereotype ALL Petcos and ALL Petsmarts like this, but I just can't see why they would give the best care in the world to reptiles when they have birds, dogs, fish and other mammals to market. I know the reptile section isn't their highest selling section, so why would they higher people to tend to the snakes? Petsmart doesn't even sell frozen mice, yet they sell snakes!?!?!? AND they won't sell you a live baby for that purpose. What are we supposed to do, feed the snake dog food? Now I haven't been to a Petco since I lived out west (So. CA), but everything I remember about Petco and all the things I hear about it make it seem even worse than Petsmart. But, just as everyone else said, sometimes a few individual stores actually care for their stock, I can't judge the entire chain. But I can say that the multiple stores I have been to fall into the 'do-not-buy-from-here' category. That PLUS.... they have like a 400% mark-up, a $20 amel is acutally like $80 or $90!!!

Sorry, I'm rambling...:D
 
My 2 cents

I would like to see no one buy reptiles from petco and petsmart.
If noone buys them then maybe they won't carry them because as long as they sell them more will die from improper treatment than they will sell.
No market no reason for them to carry them. First rule in business.

Brian
 
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