Crappy PetSmart conditions..

[Meludox]

Thanks to PetSmart's inability to house tarantulas properly, I have a new Avic. avic on my hands! I saw the little guy and I just couldn't not take him. Kept on huge woodchips with a sponge to drink from and nothing to climb on. He's quite cute, maybe 2" in length. I have decided to name him Wink. Of course PS doesn't have any arboreal tanks so for the time being I have him in a Kritter Keeper on its side. I think it works for now.

 

[Thistles]

Pretty little thing!

 

[Kymura]

Same way I got my Urchin (A.avic) except it was from PetSupermarket,
huge reptile tank under lights, dirty in there surrounded by the biggest crickets I have ever seen. All huddled in a corner.
I ...got my porteri there to, I avoid there now or I'm going to have a slew of rosea, porteri and avics.

 

[Meludox]

Same way I got my Amala (A.avic) except it was from PetSupermarket,
huge reptile tank under lights, dirty in there surrounded by the biggest cricket I have ever seen. All huddled in a corner.
I ...got my porteri there to, I avoid there now or I'm going to have a slew of rosea, porteri and avics.

That sounds awful. Good thing you saved them! I'm gonna have to keep myself from taking any more of Petsmart's tarantulas too..

 

[Kymura]

Yeah, I said no more, and I realize its contributing to the whole problem, But I couldnt leave her there, and I'm glad I got her, something about the avics that just tugs my heartstrings. Hell Meludox, I offered to help them set up a kritter keeper so they could sell it as a set up,
Told them look, I know your cost, I did this for years, you could sell this T with an enclosure for $24.99 and make a killer profit plus repeat business with feeders etc etc. They are 'thinking' about it.

 

[Meludox]

Yeah, I said no more, and I realize its contributing to the whole problem, But I couldnt leave her there, and I'm glad I got her, something about the avics that just tugs my heartstrings. Hell Meludox, I offered to help them set up a kritter keeper so they could sell it as a set up,
Told them look, I know your cost, I did this for years, you could sell this T with an enclosure for $24.99 and make a killer profit plus repeat business with feeders etc etc. They are 'thinking' about it.

That's how I feel. I feel like I saved the Avic, which I kinda did, but at the same time I'm just encouraging Petsmart to get more T's.

 

[Kymura]

Me too @Meludox , and the sad part is, they depend on folks like us. And...I'll walk in there one day to get my avic her crickets and walk out with yet another skinny frightened defensive T. The difference in my two is notable since I've had them. Simple brains or not.

 

[kormath]

That's one reason I'm glad the petsmart here doesn't carry anything for Ts. I'm going to go there Sunday and get more decor. I'm out of foliage items

 

[SpiderDad61]

Thanks to PetSmart's inability to house tarantulas properly, I have a new Avic. avic on my hands! I saw the little guy and I just couldn't not take him. Kept on huge woodchips with a sponge to drink from and nothing to climb on. He's quite cute, maybe 2" in length. I have decided to name him Wink. Of course PS doesn't have any arboreal tanks so for the time being I have him in a Kritter Keeper on its side. I think it works for now.
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I literally did the same exact thing a month ago. I went into pet smart, and seen an Avic avic, exactly the same. I posted about it on the other forum. I told the MGR he was housing them improperly and he could care less. It was on the top corner, sponge in water bowl, and 6 crickets jumping around the poor scared T.
I bought it, as a "rescue".
Exact same thing. They SUCK

 

[RedCapTrio]

"When the buying stop, the killing does too." Just a reminder from a TV add on animal trading that kept popping in my mind as I read posts like this.

 

[rénee]

I went to my local pet store the other day and I saw a G. Rosea who's abdomen was smaller than should be, a A Avic, who also was small and was in a terrestrial set up, nothing to climb, they had sponge for water, no hides, I couldn't help but think of my Littles ones at home.. I wanted to take them with me.. but I couldn't afford it, nor can I keep bringing more pets into my no pet apartment.. I'm regretting it so much because I look at mine and think " these guys have it nice.. why can't I help the suffering ones and make them enjoy life like mine can.. "but if I go back and get them, then what happens the next time i go in.. they will just have more and when would it stop for me..

P.s i actyally told the pet store that they had a wrong setup for these guys, and tried to even give them some tips, but they told me that what would I know.. they are "pet experts". I mean really I'm no expert either and I'm new to this hobby but I feel I have a basic knowledge of them, and at least my advice would be way better then what they had them in.

 

[micheldied]

I never really understood why places like petsmart would have them in that kind of setup. Do they really think spiders live in wood chips in the wild?

 

[Thistles]

I never really understood why places like petsmart would have them in that kind of setup. Do they really think spiders live in wood chips in the wild?

Having worked for PetSmart I can say that that is against store policy. They want them kept on eco earth, aka coco fiber. They don't exactly live on that, either. They're supposed to be in a small kritter keeper with a water dish and a sponge on eco earth and fed 1 cricket 3 time weekly. They are sold in the enclosure so no one has to even open it. The manager has no say - the standards are passed down from corporate and dictated by their vets. I used to just ignore them and remove the sponge and add a hide. When I had an inspection I'd put the sponge back in for a few hours.

 

[Kymura]

Perhaps it's changed then? They all seem to keep them in whatever reptile enclosure they have open now. Damn shame, the one by us openly admits they know zero about arachnids. Sad really that the few who would listen and try , can't do anything. And to be fair , just as you said, even managements hands are tied due to whatever cooperate policy is at the moment. It's frustrating, yet I can understand to an extent having been there. You would think that they would allow their managers to adjust things to the animals benefit. But, typically head office always knows best, even when they obviously read some half assed care sheet and know nothing

 

[Chubbs]

Very cool. My Petsmart has never sold tarantulas but perhaps that's a good thing. I don't use Kritter Keepers for Avics since they don't really have adequate ventilation which is so important with them. All of the ventilation is in the front rather than on the sides, which is where it needs to be to achieve cross-ventilation. I also hate those lids cause I can't fit my hand through that tiny opening. If you are considering moving it, I'd do it asap before it starts to settle in. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy her. I'm assuming it's A.avic?

 

[kormath]

I like the fact that a Vet has a say in what petsmart policies are. Our lps here is owned by a Vet and most of the people that work the store also work in the animal clinic, so at least they have an idea what they're talking about.

Not like the clueless people at the petsmart nearby that can't even tell if a dog is a short or long hair when they're looking at it. And that was the groomer!

 

[Meludox]

Very cool. My Petsmart has never sold tarantulas but perhaps that's a good thing. I don't use Kritter Keepers for Avics since they don't really have adequate ventilation which is so important with them. All of the ventilation is in the front rather than on the sides, which is where it needs to be to achieve cross-ventilation. I also hate those lids cause I can't fit my hand through that tiny opening. If you are considering moving it, I'd do it asap before it starts to settle in. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy her. I'm assuming it's A.avic?

I know I need a new enclosure badly..I was going to get one of Jamie's but she is away for the holidays. I suppose I could make my own?

 

[kormath]

Very cool. My Petsmart has never sold tarantulas but perhaps that's a good thing. I don't use Kritter Keepers for Avics since they don't really have adequate ventilation which is so important with them. All of the ventilation is in the front rather than on the sides, which is where it needs to be to achieve cross-ventilation. I also hate those lids cause I can't fit my hand through that tiny opening. If you are considering moving it, I'd do it asap before it starts to settle in. Whatever you decide to do, enjoy her. I'm assuming it's A.avic?

Drills are my best friend with kritter keepers. It's easy to create the cross ventilation. I like them because of that door on the top. It helps keep those jumpy crickets in the enclosure, rather than somewhere in the room lol The medium and large sizes are large enough for my hands to get through and my hands aren't small, it's the small and mini keepers you have to take the whole lid off to do anything inside. I never thought of standing them on end to use as an aboreal. I like that setup. then again i think the easy/quick/out of the box type are the most interesting.

 

[Chubbs]

I know I need a new enclosure badly..I was going to get one of Jamie's but she is away for the holidays. I suppose I could make my own?

That's usually what I do. How big is it?

 

[Meludox]

That's usually what I do. How big is it?

The spider is about 2" I'd say.