PetSmart is the Guantanamo Bay of animals

[SikmT7]

Man am I glad that petsmart doesn't exist in south africa and that the pet stores here keep tarantulas properly. I personally find the name "petSMART" ironic.

Can I get an amen?! That was on point

 

[SikmT7]

I bought an adult Avic avic for $26 from Petsmart for Halloween sale.

I did too many years ago and would never get a T from them again, I have seen the patterns in all of their stores, they sell mostly males.

 

[shelbi8119]

I just bought my second A. avicularia from PetSmart. I went in to get some feeders, saw the T in it's very poor condition. Nothing to climb, not even a hide. Just some very dirty looking substrate, some fake leaves tossed in upsidedown over the water bowl with very dirty water. I grabbed an employee and told them I wanted to purchase the T. Asked if they could tell me if it had been sexed, or even the age of the T and the employee said "PetSmart doesn't sex them due to people breeding them . Either way, whether it lives for a week or years at least it's out of that miserable place and poor excuse of an enclosure.

 

[DustyD]

I think like every business, you are only as good as your employees. Some, whether Petco, PetSmart or other chains have knowledgeable employees on some animals maybe not so strong on others. Many may not be so wise in the way of tarantulas. I live in Maine where only three T species (G. rosea, pulchra, pulchripes) are legal. In my area only the local Mom and Pop pet store carries two of the three Ts and all have been slings or juvies. The manager has Ts.

 

[Starlightkitsune]

There are three or four PetSmarts near me, and they vary in how they do with the tarantulas and other exotics. The one has a store manager with a spine of steel who blatantly ignores corporate's nonsense and keeps the tarantulas they get properly. Most of them aren't actually on display on the floor but set up in the back in full, awesome setups. She just accepts that her boss is going to get cranky with her about it but that they also can't replace her at this time so she's safe. There's typically a list with what all they have, and then maybe one pink toe out on display.

Then we have the south location which is... pretty awful to say the least. I've called corporate on them twice because I came into the store to look for a specific product for my guinea pigs, took a brief peek into a cage and found long dead spiders. They tried to tell me they were taking a nap.. The other stores I haven't been to in a while so I can't speak for how they are anymore.

 

[DustyD]

They tried to tell me they were taking a nap.

Reminds me of that classic Monty Python sketch about the dead parrot.

 

[Arachnoclown]

 

[Vermis]

We used to have Petsmart over here, years ago. I have vague memories of seeing tarantulas in the conditions described. The UK stores got taken over by homegrown chain Pets at Home. They've had their own controversies and scandals, made public. Which is why, I think, whenever I go into a branch in recent years, there are animals no more exotic than dubias on the feeder shelf, in the exotics section. Overall the shops have a few rodents, rabbits, and a basic selection of fish.

On one hand, superficially, it's a little disappointing not to be able to peer at the beardies and spiders on the occasional visit. On the other, more importantly, it's good that fewer animals are being chewed up by the corporate machine.

 

[Thistles]

I was a manager for PetSmart for years. When I started, they didn't carry tarantulas or scorpions. They sent out new "care guides" for the new inverts when they started carrying tarantulas and scorpions. The standards weren't great, but that's what you get when you lump 1000 species under the heading "tarantula". I was a pet care manager at the time, and tried to talk to corporate. No dice. I just set the enclosures up properly and swapped to what corporate wanted when the DM came to visit. Sold a lot of Ts, too.

 

[sunset]

I frequent my PetSmart, we don't carry arachnids in my state as brick and mortar aren't allowed to sell them here only private breeders.
I do have to say, the employees are trying to do better. At least mine are. Most don't know how to care for inverts so when they see the stuff I grab from Thier store they always ask what I have, then the questions start rolling in lol. But I have spoken to so many of Thier employees lately that they tell me how they won't let customers leave stores, best they can, with out insisting that the husbandry needs for Thier new pet are met. Like a uv bulb for beardies, larger tanks for fish, larger enclosures for rodents ect. They also have started carrying isopods and spring tails, have set ups for starter tanks that actually have what the animal needs inside. So I think because more ppl have been really going else were for pet supplies, pets, due to comercial stores always being so inhuman to the animals they sell, at least corporate is sometimes pushing for the bare essentials, and Thier are some really great knowledgeable employees that are heads of Thier departments who are genuinely trying to make things better inside the store and out. Fingers crossed, hopefully this stays trendy and better will continue. But I just wanted to say, that not all places and employees suck. They mostly don't know and until enough ppl care about an issue you know corporate monsters could care less. So it's up to the little guys. So help them along. Most want to learn. N if they don't then, F***k um. Help spread the word. Lol