Bad info from pet stores

[AviculariaLover]

Why is it that it seems so many pet stores recommend bark chips for tarantulas? They must simply want to hook the owner to the expensive stuff. My boyfriend has a friend who got a small avic avic and was told by the pet store guy that he owned one and kept it on bark chips and it never climbed, so she has it in a 5g tank with bark. Ugh! I straightened out that situation for sure. :wall:

It just doesn't make sense, lots of ground dwelling tarantulas burrow, and most arboreals need some humidity, so bark chips dont seem to really fit any requirements.

What sorts of bad information have you or someone you know been given by people working at pet stores?

 

[edesign]

none, i've never asked for any...always came straight here, even before I bought my first T. Most pet store workers are just plain ignorant (i.e., uneducated) about how to care for tarantulas and are just passing along misinformation that they were told.

 

[Philth]

They probably recomend it becuase most of the bags say "Recomended for Snakes , Turtles , lizards, Tarantulas , Scorpions...ect."

I wouldnt expect "petstore guy" to know everything. I'd do my own research on a animal before buying it. I'd bet most adult Avic's would live just fine on bark chips if they were provided with a proper water dish.

Although if I researched it before I bought it, I wouldnt use bark chips. I also wouldnt of bought a WC avic from a pet store.

Later, Tom

 

[Talkenlate04]

Pet stores are not really in the business of caring for things long term. They get shipments weekly and try to move the animals as fast as they can..... so they do the bare mininum. This is a great place to just throw out questions for whatever you end up getting.

lol but ya sponges and bark lol. I see that all the time when I am out and about. I feel bad but at the same time I am not going to buy 10000 rose hairs.

 

[Transylvania]

I hate how petstore employees force those false requirements on you. Every time I go into the local Petsmart to buy crickets, they'll ask what it's for and when I simply reply "tarantula," they immediately rush off into the office to print out a caresheet, even after I repeatedly say that I know how to care for it. So annoying.
The caresheet says to use a sponge and barkchips, to feed it a cricket every day, and to give it an occassional fuzzy mouse. It's scary to think that a lot of people probably follow that caresheet.

 

[AviculariaLover]

Yeah, the problem is sometimes people make an impulse buy, or they just look at caresheets online that don't have great information, or assume that people at pet stores know what they're talking about. I know petco often has caresheets in a rack, or in a book, in their reptile/invert section, I've never checked them out though.

I'll admit my first pink toe was an impulse buy at a reptile show. I never thought I'd be allowed to have a tarantula, but my dad surprised me by saying it was ok and we brought one home. Didn't get such great info from those people either, just said it needed water (with a sponge, ugh) and crickets and it didn't really matter what I kept it in. I did some research from caresheets online, but we all know how extremely informative those are. After a while of using bark chips (was already using them for some reptiles, now I dont use em for anything, cause all sorts of problems), I luckily came across this site and now my pink toes are much happier. My other one, that I got from petco (guy there didnt know anything and was slack jawed impressed when I held it) perked right up after being in a non eating slump for five months once I redid the cage to make it more tropical feeling.

I usually do tons of research before any new pet, like with my snakes, but it's been a journey of learning with my two pink toes. Any future Ts, however, are being looked into with much scrutiny.

 

[ErikH]

I think it is just done out of ignorance. As was previously stated, they are not in the business of long-term care, they just get 'em in and move 'em out.

I am glad I found this site before I made my first purchase.

 

[golda]

well for me the problem with pet stores here in the Philippines is that they always mislabel the specie. like they're selling Chilobrachys Huahini then naming it as King Baboon Tarantula. also they are kept in a tupperware with only a damp cotton in it. no substrate.

 

[Cerbera]

I find their ignorance genuinely enjoyable (although of course distressing on one level), and have now made it my job to extensively question pet shop employees about their spidery charges whenever I come across them... which isn't often.

I have also appointed myself 'inspector of arachnid conditions prevailing' at several pet shops locally, one of which is pleased for the help, and actually asks for it, and the other 2 (which aren't doing it properly) only to the extent where they begrudgingly alter things I tell them are wrong, possibly only because I have occasionally felt the need to stand there making increasingly louder noises and don't go away until they have done it.

If you encounter REAL unhelpfulness, and a lack of willing to change anything about the way they keep their animals, I find it helpful to mention that I am reviewing pet shops for a web-site (of huge readership, of course), something that can be confirmed in their minds if you then bring out a clipboard type arrangement, and begin wandering about, taking furious notes.

I have had some classic moments along the way where I've been told Chile Rose's are from Costa Rica, A. seemanni never climb, and that the perfect substrate is sand.

 

[Stylopidae]

I'm going to be taking a job for petco and I'm going to try to be a local supplier.

I'm going to talk my way up to corporate and see if I can't re-write their caresheets.

From what I hear, corporate is somewhat interested in talking to me...so we'll see what happens.

 

[Cerbera]

I'm going to be taking a job for petco and I'm going to try to be a local supplier.

I'm going to talk my way up to corporate and see if I can't re-write their caresheets.

From what I hear, corporate is somewhat interested in talking to me...so we'll see what happens.

Now that is dedication to a cause...go you...

 

[Stylopidae]

Now that is dedication to a cause...go you...

You think that's bad?

I'm going to be working at my *real* job full time-40 hrs a week and I'm going to be working for petco for 20 additional hours per week...all trying to save up for arachnocon.

Working 60 hours per week between Walmart AND Petco...now, that's dedication .

 

[Mizerie]

Pet Stores Clueless

When i got my first T, The person told me the same thing.
Bark, sponge:wall: , & it can't climb glass:? , I didn't belive the glass part, But i kept my mouth shut anyway. Otherwise my woman wouldn't have let me get her.
After I got her in her home, My woman went by her cage and my G. rosea gave her the threat display and attacked the glass twice.
Today(Five Years Later) she is calm and very happy , never seen her do that again.

 

[M13]

I was given bad info from the store where I got my G. rosea from. I was told keep her on bark ships and feed her 3 times a week on 4.5 crickets per time.

Obviosuly when I posted on here I found out different and made the changes.

It's very fustrating being told to do one thing and then told its wrong.

Kain

 

[phil jones]

I find their ignorance genuinely enjoyable (although of course distressing on one level), and have now made it my job to extensively question pet shop employees about their spidery charges whenever I come across them... which isn't often.

I have also appointed myself 'inspector of arachnid conditions prevailing' at several pet shops locally, one of which is pleased for the help, and actually asks for it, and the other 2 (which aren't doing it properly) only to the extent where they begrudgingly alter things I tell them are wrong, possibly only because I have occasionally felt the need to stand there making increasingly louder noises and don't go away until they have done it.

If you encounter REAL unhelpfulness, and a lack of willing to change anything about the way they keep their animals, I find it helpful to mention that I am reviewing pet shops for a web-site (of huge readership, of course), something that can be confirmed in their minds if you then bring out a clipboard type arrangement, and begin wandering about, taking furious notes.

I have had some classic moments along the way where I've been told Chile Rose's are from Costa Rica, A. seemanni never climb, and that the perfect substrate is sand.

can you name them not in public :wall: but in private ? === phil

 

[LeilaNami]

The thing about Petco is that they have a corporate vet where they get all their information...honestly...how many vets do you know that have extensive knowledge in invertebrates I got a tongue lashing from my boss because I suggested we disinfect the scorp cage because one developed severe mycosis :?

 

[Greyhalo]

Not that I'm trying to stick up for Petco or contradict everyone, I dont really care for pet stores in general, but when I purchased my first T (g. rosea) after doing a good bit of research I surprisingly got good information from the worker at Petco. They were also housing the Ts they had correctly, though all they seem to ever have are g. roseas. I assume they have a worker that has experience with Ts and knows how to properly care for them. I guess there is possibly hope for atleast some pet stores out there.

 

[Katronmaster]

I guess I got lucky, my first T was from a store in Cincinnati called "Bugs n stuff" and they were fantastic and had accurate care sheets. They were great and made sure that even though the H. Lividum would have been a pricier sale, they knew I was new to the hobby and told me to get a nice little rosie instead.

Sadly, they aren't around anymore. Probably too many lookers and too few buyers.

I tend to do my best to educate local pet stores at least in the basics, and have turned a few employees into T lovers. Some are just beyond hope, though.

 

[BooyaTarantula]

As with any corporate scheme, there will definitely be a lot of people muddled into selling things they have little to no knowledge about. I think that this site is excellent for newcomers to the hobby to search or post about their desired pet and gather information. Most people understand this, though, and when you are in a pet store purchasing an animal you should allready have a basic understanding about what to do with it to keep it alive before making the purchase and relying on the expertise of that specific employee. I advocate for change in the caresheets too, since it WOULD be nice to get useful info from local pet shops. I only feel bad for the people who do rely solely on the information they glean from people who may not have any idea of what they are talking about, and even worse, I feel bad for the animal being mistreated.

 

[Lover of 8 legs]

Did any of you guys look at the salary that these places pay? Do you know any vets or "potentials" that work for that? A friend of mine works for Pets Unlimited and he's a big time T keeper. He does the best he can to influence the care of their "For Sale" Ts but it's no easy task. He has had some significant impact but if you didn't know that somebody like him worked there, you'd conclude that the Ts were no properly cared for - not so but how much can one person do? As it is he's had a tremendous influence on other employees. :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: