Pet shop argument

[TigerCoastal]

we have 4 pet shops and only one stocks herp supplies, and that is the only one that i shop at. I have bought 3 snakes from them, they give great follow up service, and are happy to spend the time with you to ensure that you know all of the care requirements, enclosures are always spotless, and on the odd occasion that a snake craps after they have last checked it and you tell them they clean it strait away. Birds are given a mixed diet, fish tanks are always crystal clear with no sick fish. The owner breeds his own reptiles that they sell (most of you will know who i am talking about, check my location) so his advice and knowledge is pretty good They also offer a valued customer card that gets you discount on your herp supplies

 

[syeph8]

we have 4 pet shops and only one stocks herp supplies, and that is the only one that i shop at. I have bought 3 snakes from them, they give great follow up service, and are happy to spend the time with you to ensure that you know all of the care requirements, enclosures are always spotless, and on the odd occasion that a snake craps after they have last checked it and you tell them they clean it strait away. Birds are given a mixed diet, fish tanks are always crystal clear with no sick fish. The owner breeds his own reptiles that they sell (most of you will know who i am talking about, check my location) so his advice and knowledge is pretty good They also offer a valued customer card that gets you discount on your herp supplies

have only heard good things about this fella too. although he takes his sweet *** time updating his website. has had some good colubrids in the past, but not worth the drive just to see what hes got

 

[AUSGECKO]

the pounds themselves put down 100s of thousands of dogs and cats a year, and while it is foolish to blame pet shops for this eventuality I think their contribution cannot be overlooked.QUOTE]

A recent Australian Veterinary Association report estimated that only 1.48% of​

puppies that end up in shelters come from pet shop sales, how do you compare this contribution compared to backyard breeders? I know who contributes the higher percentage.......

 

[Ramsayi]

the pounds themselves put down 100s of thousands of dogs and cats a year, and while it is foolish to blame pet shops for this eventuality I think their contribution cannot be overlooked.QUOTE]

A recent Australian Veterinary Association report estimated that only 1.48% of​

puppies that end up in shelters come from pet shop sales, how do you compare this contribution compared to backyard breeders? I know who contributes the higher percentage.......

Source? Pet shops that sell puppies enable puppy mills to thrive.

 

[PhilK]

A recent Australian Veterinary Association report estimated that only 1.48% of​

puppies that end up in shelters come from pet shop sales, how do you compare this contribution compared to backyard breeders? I know who contributes the higher percentage.......

Really? I haven't seen that report.. is there a link to it somewhere?

And yes as Ramsayi says the pet shops get their pets from backyard breeders generally, so it is all tied together.

 

[Scleropages]

I'm not sure I totally understand why some people won't buy livestock from pet shops...

I was hoping that someone could explain this to me?

I think it's just because alot of people don't understand overheads so can't understand why there is a 500% markup on some stuff.

I have seen some horrible pet shops and some really nice ones. One of the worse reptile places was in a private home , so anything people can say about shops being dodgy can be said about private breeders as well ( and they arnt on show).

 

[snakehandler]

Dodgy is dodgy, no matter where it is.......overheads are one thing, but to sell a light globe for $7-$15 dollars just cos it says reptile on it is a joke, there is nothing special needed.....most accessories sold in pet stores are not required and over priced. Private breeders and sellers are not always better in terms of husbandry, and before people start to bag "backyard" breeders of dogs, what do you think most reptile breeders are? If you want a quality animal do your research, you should know what you want, what is a fair price, and how to look after it before you get it......regardless of the animal type. Do not always rely on the information from just one source, they may be the breeder, but that does not mean they know everything!

 

[bellslace]

http://avacms.eseries.hengesystems....ATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTFILEID=1099

Here's the link/quote.

Interesting to note that there is no data to prove that petshop animals get euthanized anymore than pets from other sources and that they make up for a very small percentage of animals purchased. (yes 1.48% in NSW)
Infact the report basically summerises that petshops should be encouraged as the preferred source of purchase as they are the only source that can be easily regulated.

 

[PhilK]

Thanks for that bellslace. I am a member of the AVA but had never seen that report before - very interesting, thanks again.

 

[carmen]

i work with a lady who will not buy from petshops so i asked her your question today and she said "Pets are a life choice, your life and theirs, they are not a quick fix nor should they be an on the spot purchase. If you are serious about owning a pet then you would put a lot more thought into it than just seeing a kitten for $35 and buying it without really understanding what you are getting into"
To a degree i agree with that. On the other side, not everyone can afford to go to a registered breeder and buy a $1000 cat.

 

[hypochondroac]

Seriously who buys a kitten from a pet store when they are advertised free all over the place, not to mention you can get them for around $50-$75 microchipped/desexed from a shelter.

and just from going and looking at puppies for sale at pet stores i've gathered they are either pretty poor examples of purebreds or mixed breeds that arn't worth more than $300 max based on the fact that they are a mixed breed, you arn't paying for quality, history, certification on temperament or colour.

Maybe i'm just bitter and cynical because some very smart people decided to breed a cocker spaniel with a poodle.. Groomers nightmare.

 

[Riggsy]

I think if someone chooses to buy an animal from a pet shop for two or three times the price of what they would pay from a breeder then that's their choice.....and if something goes wrong down the track then that's their problem...

My Dad owns and runs a pet shop and have seen him sell the same puppy 3 times! Since people do buy on impulse then decide to return the puppy a few days later...

Everyone knows the reasons why you should save a life at the local pound or shelter rather than buying a brand new one from the shop with that cute doggy in the window, so I won't go too far down that road...

I personally don't believe shops should stock animals for sale.....Dog and cat trade case and point....reptile's will go the same way within the next ten years.

I've personally witnessed the lack of knowledge staff have for reptiles. i.e: One day while picking up crickets I saw a staff member begin to feed a rather small Spotted Python not one but two oversized prey items which he informed me he did every two weeks. When I quizzed him what he kept himself and what experienced he had with reptiles the answer was...."I did a Tafe course last month and I'm getting my first Reptile soon...." so basically zero.

I also know people who work in pet shops that also keep and breed reptiles who are quite knowledgable and do care about what they are selling but at the end of the day it all comes down to making a buck....After all money makes the world go round...

If the shops didn't have the animals available then and there with instant in house licensing then that would cancel out the impulse buying and therefore lack of care for the unwanted animal down the track.

Just do what I do....if you don't support a particular trade....then don't take part.

If you're not part of the solution then you're part of the problem.

 

[carmen]

completely agree with you there Riggsy!
I have 3 cats, all rescue animals, and 8 scorpions and 1 snake, bought from breeders. I will buy supplys from pet shops but have not yet bought a pet from one.

 

[Rainbow-Serpent]

There are some exceptions to the "Petshops don't care of animals and are just after a quick buck" statement. However sadly enough there is alot of truth behind it. We've been into a petstore and all their animals were sick and it looked like they were dying. Thank goodness they shut that place down, it was sickening to watch.
As for the matter of dogs, personally I don't see why people don't go to the shelter - I mean, a wider variety, toilet trained, healthy and a wider range of age. Why would anybody bother with petstores anyway?

 

[PhilK]

I can tell you why people don't go to the shelter... well why I think.

Unfortunately the shelters need to make money as they can't run for nothing and so adoption dogs cost.. even more unfortunate is that the pups get snapped up quickly and there are adult dogs there they want you to pay $300 for...

Now I am all for taking animals from shelters and all for adopting an adult dog to give it a second chance, but Joe Public and his family of snotty kids think "why pay lots of money for a shelter dog if we could just go to a breeder or pet shop and get a puppy of the kind we want"..

That's my little theory on why a lot of people don't buy from shelters..

 

[hypochondroac]

Alot of people are under the impression shelter animals come with issues aswell, which is in many cases true.. alot of people are also too dumb to solve the issues so they give the animals back.

 

[Riggsy]

Hi Philk

The Animal Welfare League on the Gold Coast has adult dogs starting at $100 and they are overflowing with cats and dogs all year round but their busiest / fullest month and most hand in's is January ( Just so happens to be just after xmas )

Also the papers have dogs free to good homes everyday.

I think people are more inclined to buy from pet shops because of the "ohh how cute! Can we get him..." factor.

Unfortunately it's too easy for people to accidently breed dogs and cats probably because desexing is more out of most peoples financial priorities. It should be up to council's to subsidise desexing and bring in licensing just like reptiles so you must show a dog licence when registering you dog annually...

I guess it's the same thing with all new toys....the novelty wears off eventually.

 

[Dipcdame]

.......... then again, some breeders need looking at too...... I'm talking about these awful puppy farms, where dogs are acquired and bred together to produce litters of puppies at exhorbitant prices. Talking ethics as well as animal care here!

 

[BJC-787]

people say that people working in petshops don't know anything about animals
well i work in a petshop and have plenty of knowledge
i keep birds, reptiles, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, fish and a dog, and the other 7 people i work with all have pets

the reason the busiest time of year is january is simple even dogs and cats arn't stupid enough to breed in winter so they mate in spring and then by the time they give birth and the babies are old enough to sell it is mid summer, in my area puppies and kittens numbers are low, and when we do get them most of the time we get them from the local pound or vet when they have come in to be put down.

wouldn't petshops stop impulse buying as why would people go into a petshop to buy a crossbred for $300+ when you could lookup in the paper or go to a backyard breeder and pay little to nothing for the same dog, atleast if you get it from a petshop it will be microchipped and vacinated, it probably won't be if it is from the paper or back yard breeder, people say that petshops only sell crossbreeds whell how do you think every purebred dog started once apon a time, as a crossbred.

it has been said petshops are only in it for the money, arn't breeders as well, they breed there animals to sell the babies to make money, or why else do people sell albino snakes more than a normal, it is to make money.
go to a registered dog breeder and they sell them for hundreds even thousands and why to make money, example buy a pup for $300 or $600 if you want registration papers with it, i have been looking at getting a saint bernard it will cost from a registered breeder $2500 or $3500 if i want papers with it, i can tell you it doesn't cost $1000 to register a pup, they just want to make money.

also said they keep their animals in poor conditions or small cages, this is not every store and if it is they get complaints or reported, can you tell me every breeder keeps their animals in pristeen conditions or correct size enclosures, and if the don't it is not on show to the public or people that are buying the animal.

 

[PhilK]

BJC we already established that not EVERY store is bad and not ALL employees are useless... but many are. I have had so much misinformation given to me, and I have heard so much misinformation given out to others by pet shop staff that I know for a fact lots of employees have no idea... Some examples:

"You don't need to give the tarantula any substrate to dig in, just a layer of sand is fine.. same as the scorpions"
"Conures only eat seeds in the wild so just buy some sunfllower seeds from Woolies every month or so"
"This is a spotted children's python" (no such thing, of course)

Also, dog and cats are year round breeders mate, they don't have a breeding season so that's a bit more misinformation right there.

The definition of impulse buying is not 'going into to the store to buy the puppy for $300' it's people going into the store for a different reason or to look around and seeing the puppy and going OH LET'S GET IT LOOK HOW CUTE IT IS!