true confessions (or, I'm a dork)

[Immortal_sin]

well folks...I did it.
I am going to admit it on this website, for the whole world to see.
Maybe, if I get shamed enough, it won't happen again
I had some time to kill tonight, so I stepped into another Petco....oh oh....
What did I see? Not one, but 2 A avics, in petpals with NO WATER anywhere, and no climbing structures. One had just molted, maybe a day or two ago (fangs are dark red), and very thin.
The other, looking semi healthy, but certainly dehydrated
Told the kid on duty to get them out, I wanted to look at them (like I'm the tarantula police or something!). Well, it somehow ended up with me taking both of them home....for $10 apiece.
Am I just stupid, or what?! (no, don't answer that)
I have resolved to NEVER step inside Petco again, EVER.
I have them both in ICU, and they look pretty happy...cleaning their little selves, and hanging out on the damp paper toweling.
Of course I had to transfer them myself, as all the help was scared to death, and I had a big audience. It was rather gratifying to educate.
There was a little girl my daughter's age there that was fascinated. Her mom was yelling at her to 'GET AWAY FROM THAT SPIDER, RIGHT NOW!!!!'. I said 'you know, they are harmless, don't you'?! She said, 'I know, but they FREAK ME OUT'!
I had some teenage kid say he'd never seen a girl that liked spiders, and how cool was that, and then a young 20 something guy that hung out and asked questions too.
Anyway, the little avics showed off nicely, waving their little feet in the air, doing acrobatics, and jumping around...at least the one that hadn't molted was...it was pretty entertaining.
But how did I get talked into taking them home?
And guess what...they were priced at $49.99 apiece...what a JOKE!
Ok...someone flog me with a wet noodle LOL

 

[Justin Stricklin]

Well, cant say I would'nt do the same..Well actually I could.I get so mad when I see pore conditions of animals at pet stores That i have actually told them to change it or I was going to tell on them to an animal rights place( bluff). And if the pore condition is not bad enough most are scared of them even rosies.Why can't peple read before they buy.Some make me so mad I just want to throw the T. at them but I would be afraid of someone getting injured, The T. that is. I myself hate pet store.Only reason I go is to get guppies and sometimes crickets.Don't even get mice at them around here because the are almost $3 each.Sorry for going on and on but when the pet store topic comes up I just go off.

Justin,

 

[whoami?]

I've noticed that small pet stores take better care of their animals than the large chains. They don't take GOOD care of their animals, just...better. But yes, I too hate large pet stores. They're SO damn depressing. $25 for 2.5 inch long emperor scorpions with an empty water dish. $75 for a savanna monitor that's nothing but a living skeleton. And why is it that arachnids and lizards are ALWAYS kept on sand?

Anyway, I've felt the urge to "rescue" animals a few times, but I try not to. For one thing, pet store prices are RIDICULOUS. I suppose they might give me a discount for animals that are just about dead, but I don't even want to ask them about that. That would make it easy to justify buying them in order to rescue them. And this is just my opinion, but I'd rather not do that. Buying from them, even if I'm just trying to save the animal, only encourages them to keep stocking more doomed critters.

But then again, I might be singing a different tune if I had more space and money for pets. Right now, I'm trying to avoid impulse purchases, even if it is in the animal's best interest.

As far as threatening the stores by telling them I'll contact animal rights dudes, I'd rather not do that. Personally, I'd rather just contact animal rights people and skip the threats entirely. But alas, I do not know who to contact about that. And even if I did, I doubt they would give a flying fart about spiders and lizards.

It is SO f---ed up the way people treat animals.

 

[veronyka]

Hey I'm the same way. I hate to go into petco and find the Ts and scorps with dirty black cotton balls and 5 crickets running around in the cages. And the people there will all refuse to touch the Ts when I ask for one.. I have to get the T myself. And I have also been to a reptile store (prehistoric pets) where they treat the Ts like crap. all sitting in dried up butter tubs. I had to rescue one once.. it was a full grown B smithi, I love B smithi's..and this one looked dead. So I made them take it out, and because they were so scared of it I sat at the counter and watched it for about 15 minutes while the poor thing tried to walk straight. It was dragging its two hind legs. I was so PO'ed. If the dang spider wasnt $125 I would have bought it just to get it out of that misery, but considering my B smithi was only $40 on sale, I am not about to spend that kind of money for a mistreated spider.
At least I know my Ts are now treated so much better than they ever would have if I hadn't bought them. Sorry I am rambling, but hey, this is a touchy subject and I could go on...but I won't hehe

 

[King_Looey]

There is only 1 place near me that sells T's, and they look after them well. they are very well priced and they have a good selection.

 

[Justin]

Oh!! speaking of emperor scorps, A dumb pet store in a dumb mall had an adult emperor that was about 7" long and they had it in one of those smallest you can get critter keepers( about 3" or 4" long and about 2" wide, also had sand in there with it and no water bowl and was listed as a "deadly stripe tailed black scorpion",Could anyone tell me if their is such thing?Well closest thing I know of is Centruroides vittatus which is usuualy not life threatning.Well their I went again went off.

Justin

 

[johns]

I went in to a local petshop in Christiansburg, and to my amazement they had three ( THREE!) dehydrated A. seemani's crammed inyo one tiny-ass PetPal, with dehydrated crix in there as well.

 

[Immortal_sin]

ok. I'm even dumber than I thought LOL!
These babies are VERSICOLORS, not A avics!
That's how bad I am with common names heheheh
I THOUGHT they were too colorful for A avic, but I've never seen the versis anywhere!
Well, I got a DAMN good deal, you might say I ripped off Petco, and that's ok.
I certainly won't go back in there though!

 

[Valael]

It's even better when they keep the Pet Carriers INSIDE the reptile enclosures. Snakes coil up around the containers and knock them down, or lizards use it as a perch of some kind and bake in the nice hot heat lamp shining down on them.



Oh, and don't forget about when that lizard wants to take a crap or piss, the tarantulas get rained on.

 

[Bearacuda42]

Been There!!!

=D ;P Ive been to Petco and Petsmart and to say they suck is not good enough for me,, as they always had dead critters,, sick critters and no critters at all... Even the fish was bad as most had labels on the tanks saying who was caring for them,,,wow what dummies as that tells ya who it is and they sure are not doing there jobs!!! I for one will not go to any of these places.. I for one have saved and rescued alot of animals and reptiles , its not easy trying to help what is to far gone.. let alone the money you burn trying and just to watch it not make it...

 

[MrDeranged]

Holley, just wondering what makes you think it's an Avicularia versicolor? You can't really go by color as I've had a few really colorful avicularia that I would have sworn were versicolor, but they're not. Easiest way to find out? Look at the toes. versicolors do NOT have the pink toes. If yours has pink toes, you have A. avicularia.

Scott

 

[rodney]

petco

holley, i had same thing happen at petco thats how i got lil pink toe it had just molted ,no water,food still in with it! i ask sales person to get it down and was told i dont do spiders.this really pissed me off.i went to the manager and told him if they cant care for them they need to stop carring them.but i will go back to the store just to see if our talk did any good. stay on the stores ass til they get it right! rodney

 

[Immortal_sin]

Originally posted by mrderanged
Holley, just wondering what makes you think it's an Avicularia versicolor? You can't really go by color as I've had a few really colorful avicularia that I would have sworn were versicolor, but they're not. Easiest way to find out? Look at the toes. versicolors do NOT have the pink toes. If yours has pink toes, you have A. avicularia.

Scott

Scott, I know...I checked on it, since the avics can be really colorful.
NO pink toes on them
They are about 2.5" - 3" legspan on them.
whoohooo...well, I lucked out this time.
Like I said, I WILL NOT be going back in there..I know they probably sat down and ordered MORE today

 

[savian]

next time get the store no. and ask for the corp. phone no. and report the store they will get into trouble belive me on that. After everything that is going on they will be in deep s#$^. And if it is not taken care of right away call again that will get corp. attn. By the way I don't think your a dork just get there ass in trouble next time.

 

[Immortal_sin]

Savian,
is the store number on any of the receipts or anything? Is is an actual number, or alpha-numeric?
I still have a mind to complain to corporate, should I email from their website?
thanks,
Holley

 

[savian]

The store no. is right next to the time you made your purchase. It should go the date time store no. and some other no. that I don't know what they are. Iwill pm with the rest of trhe info.

 

[redbadger]

Very cool move...and The Spider Gods say thank you!!!!! =D

 

[rodney]

petco info.

anyone wanting to contact petco can go to petco .com you will find store locations ,message boards all kinds of info. rodney

 

[Immortal_sin]

I found the info on their site..thanks. I will be calling them today. I also sent an email to them.

 

[King_Looey]

Lets send them some wombles to teach them a lesson.