Petco... Now offering 25 species of tarantulas. Thoughts and rants

ErinM31

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THIS is what will create a witch-hunt; not responsible owners carefully handling minimally venomous T's. I agree that Petco and other chain pet stores should NOT be selling animals but CERTAINLY NOT venomous animals!!! Assuming that they're thinking of their bottom line and not animal welfare, you'd think they'd at least stick with safer T's for their own sake to avoid lawsuits. Of course, parents should be the ones responsible for what animals they allow their child to keep as pets and research the species and give thought to what their child has the maturity to handle. But people are stupid and something happens, especially, heaven forbid, a child gets hurt, then there will be outcries for a laws banning tarantulas and something else completely wrong and unfair! :rage: How about a law forbidding idiots who aren't going to take responsibility for their own offspring from having children? :mad:
 

Toxoderidae

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Um Erin, why'd you write disagree on me saying I'll buy any OW I spot at a petstore?
 

ErinM31

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Um Erin, why'd you write disagree on me saying I'll buy any OW I spot at a petstore?
Because it will reinforce the petstore carrying them if they sell! They may not listen to any of our concerns but they DO listen to their bottom line. Buying OW Ts from PetCo or any large chain is a vote with your dollar for them to keep carrying them.
 

Toxoderidae

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But it's better than a kid buying it and killing the hobby in my state or nationwide, and better than it dying.
 

ErinM31

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But it's better than a kid buying it and killing the hobby in my state or nationwide, and better than it dying.
I understand your feelings, but you must realize that by your buying that OW T, the store will likely get another, and maybw another chain will too, based off the success of the first. The more that are sold, the more they will carry and increase the likelihood of exactly what you wish to prevent, an OW T and a child put in a situation bad for both of them and that could have negative repercussions for us all.
 

Toxoderidae

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And until someone messes up and gets a kid bit, that's all they're going to do. This isn't "Oh don't buy them" It's hey, they aren't going to stop until someone sues them. So while I can, I'm going to help the spiders.
 

gypsy cola

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my personal thoughts. I think it is pretty cool that tarantulas are getting this attention. Everyday us hobbyists are become less of a "fringe interest". I really think more people should have tarantulas as a pet and I would looooooove more accessibility to tarantulas.

I echo the same thoughts everyone else has. Petco... is for profit chain store. Employees aren't being paid enough to worry about who is buying the tarantula. A member of Petco staff or an uniformed customer will get seriously hurt and will cause some black lash to our community.

I also echo the concerns for the welfare of this animals by the board

I am legitimately nervous.

As far as anyone says that says "talking to Petco" does not do anything, is just flat out wrong.
If it comes to be when our hobby comes under scrutiny. We will have evidence showing that we attempted a dialogue and to clear out misinformation. Hopefully our efforts will at least show the general public that we are making an effort to educate. Talking to Petco may not get the results we wanted but, at least we can say we tried rather being apathetic/pessimistic.
 

viper69

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None of it matters because it will get filed in the Business Intrusion Nugget, BIN for short ...as I said unless you have money or another way for them to make money from the poor helpless creatures they exploit, nothing will be done

I get the the BIN, that happens more often than not in my opinion. However, the whole money part is not always true. There are examples, at least in the USA, where all it took was one person to effect change in a company, and in one case I can think of, across an entire industry permanently.

The more that people think "my voice doesn't matter" the less likely an organization will change its behavior (good or bad).
 

Blue Jaye

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I also will contact corporate. No sense in bitching about something like this and wasting time. Better to just take some action and see if we can get something accomplished.
 

gypsy cola

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Visiting the Midvale location after work to check out their inventory. I will be prepping an email and calling after my visit.
 

Vanessa

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Petco selling ANY animals is bad news... bad, bad, BAD, news. Mostly for the animals. They're disgusting and vile and should be closed down.
 

Vanessa

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Not all attention for the hobby is going to be the good kind. Unfortunately, that has become blatantly obvious by the amount of idiots I see on Facebook and YouTube wearing tarantulas on their faces or putting them in their mouths. Those are very often the people who have bought them in petstores because nobody at the petstore gave a damn that they knew nothing about them.
Buying animals in petstores ensures that they will get more of those animals to replace them. It is Economics 101 - Supply and Demand. The more you buy them the more they will sell. Don't be why they keep stocking them.
Petstores are very bad news for any animal - let alone tarantulas who need very specific care and could pose a serious danger to young people. It is ridiculous. I remember overhearing petstore employees telling very young people absolute garbage information about them when they were being sold in Toronto.
I was recently in a petstore where a guy working there was handling his Scolopendra out in the open and has subsequently lost it. Still people who shouldn't find themselves with these creatures, despite the ban, but at least it is in fewer numbers.
Now they're not sold in Toronto... because they are banned. Good for all those tarantulas not being sold by the hundreds in petstores, but bad for those of us who are responsible hobbyists.
 

Philth

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These things are being distributed by Vista Pet which is a division of LLL Reptile. So feel free not do to business with them as well.

Later, Tom
 

BorisTheSpider

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I think the thing is being overlooked is that a company the size of Petco doesn't just randomly make decisions without first weighing all the possible options and potential outcomes . Deciding to add these 25 species to their stores comes after first speaking to legal , then marketing and the human relations . They have already considered potential lawsuits and possible backlash and obviously they don't seem to think it will be a problem or at least not a problem that will outweigh the potential increase in revenue that they will see . They have already written the response emails and sent memos to the store managers in preparation for people that will have a problem with what they are doing . My point is writing and contacting them is a fruitless endeavor . They aren't going to stop until they made back their investment and the profits that they feel they need to make . What we say means absolutely nothing to them . The other option is to contact local media and see if they are willing to do a story about Petco selling dangerous animals to an untrained and unprepared public . And yes some local TV station would be happy to run a "dangerous animals and your children tonight at eleven story" but then you run the risk of parent groups freaking out and local governments making Ts illegal . I hate to say it but this might be a no win situation for us . The giant that is Petco won't listen and raising too much of a stink could endanger the hobby . I will do what I normally do when I enter a Petco which I will say in rarely , I walk past the animals and leave them be . I always feel sorry for them as I know that they don't have much of a chance and a sad miserable death awaits most of them . I do get some comfort in knowing that the lucky ones that made to my house and homes of others here in the boards will get the care and good treatment that they deserve . Don't get me wrong I applaud those you who have chosen to try and make a difference and I do genuinely hope that this does have a positive outcome , however the reality is what the reality is . . . . . Petco is in the business to sell animals and not to care for animals . They see that as the responsibility of their customers . Just my two cents and sorry if this sounds like I'm trying to step on some toes . I'm not .
 
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