#40874

 The ignorance among pet stores!!

Hello all. I’m sure many of you have encountered this situation before, and like me, have gotten more than angry and frustrated as a result. I was visiting my local pet store which supposedly is one of the better ones. I absolutely hate this store (you’ll find out why soon) but it’s the only store in my area that carries the calcium sup. i use. Firstly, the cages that the iguanas are housed in there are narrow, shallow little things w no thermometer to check the temp, the bulb (probably not the right one) is dangerously close to the top of the cage, and there are 2 many igs in one cage. The only food in the cages is iceberg lettuce and the water dishes are filthy. The poor little baby igs look listless and miserable. It’s absolutely infuriating! to make matters worse, there was a little boy w/ his mom buying an iguana there, and when these people asked the clerk about feeding and heat, he told them all you need to do is keep the cage at 80 degrees and feed them crickets and iceberg!!! I couldn’t let these people leave under the impression that this is proper care for an ig, so i opened my big mouth and gave them some correct advice! The clerk starts arguing w/ me, and got real nasty w/ me. "i’ve been in this business for 15 years... i know what i’m talkin’ about" I got a bit scared so i just left. I hope to god that those people took my advice. NOW.... do I call the humane society? What is the correct course of action here?

 #40983

 The ignorance among pet stores!!

YES!!!! call the humane society They have probably killed every one they’ve sold! what store is it. what state is it in. Could you show some pictures I hope the man gets arrested and those peopl follow your advise. most people don’t do anything in that situation.

 #41202

 The ignorance among pet stores!!

Here is my suggestion...first, pull a good caresheet off of the internet, print it, and take about 20 copies into the pet store. Ask to speak to the manager and tell them that you heard one of their employees giving grossly incorrect husbandry information to a customer purchasing an iguana. Kindly suggest some corrections that they can make to their own iguana care and point out that they will make more money selling healthy iguanas than they will if they die before or shortly after purchase. Also suggest that the store will benefit from selling the proper equipment with the iguana....UVB lights, basking lights, cage furniture, supplements, and so on. Maybe give them the idea of putting together a package deal for iguanas....55 gallon tank, lid, basking fixture and lamp, fluorescent fixture and lamp, branches, carpet, bowls. In the meantime, contact your local Animal Control agency and report a case of abuse. Most states require at least minimal care, ie, fresh water, nutrition, and proper environment for companion animals. The problem lies in the fact that these are reptiles that we are concerned about and most agencies are clueless as to what is required by them...or the laws don’t pertain to anything non-mammal. You should try, anyway. If you can get photos of the enclosures, dirty water, inadequate food, etc, that could be helpful. Cruelty is cruelty, period.

 #43251

 The ignorance among pet stores!!

Hey- I hear ya big time! Although there are many ways to a healthy animal, there is such thing as simply wrong info. It is good to make a complaint, but it is good to make sure that you phrase your complaint in a way that is both honest , but also worth responding too. For instance, a specific complaint about unclean conditions (corpses, mold, etc.) is more likely to get somewhere than is a non specific complaint (These animals are kept in poor conditions). Remember though, a privately owned business DOES have the right to eject you, not allow you to distribute care materials inside, and call the authorities if you make a nuisance of yerself ) : However, there is nothing wrong with handing someone a care book and saying "ya know, ya might check out this care book". ( ;