northwestcorns
New member
I haven't been on in a while. Just had to share/rant. Also, I remember that we have a couple of members on here with Petco backgrounds. Maybe they can make some sense.
Anyway, I was in Petco (please hold the groans they sent me a 15% coupon and my monthly pet supply list is very big), and saw a tiny little snow corn. I thought he was dead at first, I made the girl go and check on him for me. He wasn't dead, actually pretty lively, but soooooo skinny.
I went about my business and bought my monthly supplies.
The little corn was stuck in my head. I went back and looked at him. There were, as usual, crickets crawling around in the tank. (When I've asked about this before, I've gotten various weird answers like "they came with the snakes", "they eat any possible skin mites" :shrugs: I even told a young man once that they should probably get the crickets out of there since they have been known to nibble on baby snakes. Another guy came and told me that crickets don't eat animals and that he has been trained in reptile care.:eek1:
I put my bags in the truck and then I just couldn't get the little corn out of my head. I actually drove away. I went about a 1/4 mile down the road and was so hungry I pulled into Arby's and got a junior roast beef. As I ate it in the parking lot, in my head I see the poor little corn. I went back.
The "Reptile Expert" guy asked me if I needed something to carry it in or did I just want to let it crawl around on me until I got home? Then he was afraid to pick it up himself, he kept making these hesitant little pokes at the poor thing, which immediately started striking:bang:. I told him, please bring me a box and I'll get the baby. He came back with one of those cardboard hamster boxes, the ones with the big holes around the sides that don't hold hamsters more than 2-3 minutes sometimes. I showed him how the little guy was the size of a shoestring and that he would definitely get out of there. He said he would look for something else and then looked at me expectantly. I gently picked up the baby and followed the boy, carefully using my body, forearms and both hands to block the holes. He took me to the supply room and pulled out a little deli cup-Perfect ! He said, let me get it ready (I thought he was gonna clean it), NOPE!!!!! He cut a dime-sized hole in the top!!!:headbang:
On the way to the register I asked pertinent questions. When did they feed? Were there records? What did they feed? Could I have some tape to cover the hole?....He looked at me quizzically for a minute and said, "they eat on Thursdays" Oh, I said, did this one eat? (He's a snow corn, he's clear and I saw a dark spot about halfway down his body, but no food lump). The guy pointed to the dark spot, looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "didn't you see the crickets? He probably at a couple at least!".
He gave me a piece of tape and I practically ran from the store.
Hopefully I've saved this baby corn. He's actually pretty strong feeling, just tiny. I'm hating the fact that I supported Petco's poor husbandry practices, but I had a sappy moment and one of my other babies just graduated to a ten gallon, so I had a clean, warm sterilite shoebox with no occupant.
Is there a petition we can start to change Petco's practices, is anyone on here familiar with the Employee Education program so I can maybe suggest some changes?
Anyway, I was in Petco (please hold the groans they sent me a 15% coupon and my monthly pet supply list is very big), and saw a tiny little snow corn. I thought he was dead at first, I made the girl go and check on him for me. He wasn't dead, actually pretty lively, but soooooo skinny.
I went about my business and bought my monthly supplies.
The little corn was stuck in my head. I went back and looked at him. There were, as usual, crickets crawling around in the tank. (When I've asked about this before, I've gotten various weird answers like "they came with the snakes", "they eat any possible skin mites" :shrugs: I even told a young man once that they should probably get the crickets out of there since they have been known to nibble on baby snakes. Another guy came and told me that crickets don't eat animals and that he has been trained in reptile care.:eek1:
I put my bags in the truck and then I just couldn't get the little corn out of my head. I actually drove away. I went about a 1/4 mile down the road and was so hungry I pulled into Arby's and got a junior roast beef. As I ate it in the parking lot, in my head I see the poor little corn. I went back.
The "Reptile Expert" guy asked me if I needed something to carry it in or did I just want to let it crawl around on me until I got home? Then he was afraid to pick it up himself, he kept making these hesitant little pokes at the poor thing, which immediately started striking:bang:. I told him, please bring me a box and I'll get the baby. He came back with one of those cardboard hamster boxes, the ones with the big holes around the sides that don't hold hamsters more than 2-3 minutes sometimes. I showed him how the little guy was the size of a shoestring and that he would definitely get out of there. He said he would look for something else and then looked at me expectantly. I gently picked up the baby and followed the boy, carefully using my body, forearms and both hands to block the holes. He took me to the supply room and pulled out a little deli cup-Perfect ! He said, let me get it ready (I thought he was gonna clean it), NOPE!!!!! He cut a dime-sized hole in the top!!!:headbang:
On the way to the register I asked pertinent questions. When did they feed? Were there records? What did they feed? Could I have some tape to cover the hole?....He looked at me quizzically for a minute and said, "they eat on Thursdays" Oh, I said, did this one eat? (He's a snow corn, he's clear and I saw a dark spot about halfway down his body, but no food lump). The guy pointed to the dark spot, looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "didn't you see the crickets? He probably at a couple at least!".
He gave me a piece of tape and I practically ran from the store.
Hopefully I've saved this baby corn. He's actually pretty strong feeling, just tiny. I'm hating the fact that I supported Petco's poor husbandry practices, but I had a sappy moment and one of my other babies just graduated to a ten gallon, so I had a clean, warm sterilite shoebox with no occupant.
Is there a petition we can start to change Petco's practices, is anyone on here familiar with the Employee Education program so I can maybe suggest some changes?
