Rant...Chain Pet Store

I didn't search this at all...I am sure there is plenty of venting on related issues so please excuse my rant.

I went to my local corporate pet store chain to pick up a small supply of crickets as a change of pace from the Dubias. Normally, they don't carry tarantulas, with the exception of the occasional depressed G. Rosea. Today, however, they had an Avicularia species, 2", they claim its an A.Avic.

They had this Avic in the same enclosure as the G. Rosea. NO substrate...just a strip of green astro turf...and a water dish stuffed with a sponge...

The Avic was up on the side hiding from the 5 crickets they had thrown in the enclosure.

Made me SOO angry to see absolutely no effort made to provide a reasonable, species specific temporary home for the T.

I almost wanted to buy it just to rescue the thing, but I am torn, because if I do then they might take that as a sign to order another one.

Anyway...just pissed off and needed to vent about it. Thanks.

Nope, first thread like this ever:laugh:...so did you buy them yet?

Well, if it dies, they are likely to order more anyway. It's been discussed, but many believe those sort of things are a kind of "loss leader" to generate foot traffic and to potentially increase sales as a result. if your "attraction" dies, you just order another one. If you sell one before it bites the dust, bonus, but they hope more that you buy supplies.
Others think that rescuing an exotic animal such as a tarantula only increases the ordering and does not solve the problem.

There is of course some debate on the matter. I can see both ways of thinking, but lean more towards the loss leader theory.

tbrandt said:

They had this Avic in the same enclosure as the G. Rosea. NO substrate...just a strip of green astro turf...and a water dish stuffed with a sponge...

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Wait a minute...surely you meant the same *type* of enclosure as the G. rosea? Please, please tell me they weren't actually housed together?

Haven't gotten a T yet, and I'm still in the research phase, but I know enough that the mental image of two different species housed together (other husbandry problems aside) is not a pleasant one.

8LegsMomWannabe said:

Wait a minute...surely you meant the same *type* of enclosure as the G. rosea? Please, please tell me they weren't actually housed together?

Haven't gotten a T yet, and I'm still in the research phase, but I know enough that the mental image of two different species housed together (other husbandry problems aside) is not a pleasant one.

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Even most pet store owners aren't that arrogant.

BobGrill said:

Even most pet store owners aren't that arrogant.

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I think the word you wanted was ignorant

tbrandt said:

Normally, they don't carry tarantulas, with the exception of the occasional depressed G. Rosea. Today, however, they had an Avicularia species, 2", they claim its an A.Avic.

They had this Avic in the same enclosure as the G. Rosea. NO substrate...just a strip of green astro turf...and a water dish stuffed with a sponge...

The Avic was up on the side hiding from the 5 crickets they had thrown in the enclosure.

Click to expand...

Sounds like the chain stores around my neck of the woods...
Rhymes with, "Shmet Shmart"...
Their practices anger me a lot too, and I've gone as far as to speak with management about how their husbandry has a lot of problemsalso how to fix those problems


But alas, they didn't change a thing.
I know, big surprise.

tbrandt said:

Normally, they don't carry tarantulas, with the exception of the occasional depressed G. Rosea.

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Depressed?

8LegsMomWannabe said:

Wait a minute...surely you meant the same *type* of enclosure as the G. rosea? Please, please tell me they weren't actually housed together?

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Yes, you are correct - I meant that they had them in the same type of enclosure. Re-reading what I wrote, I see that that is confusing. I definitely would have forced a staff person to make a housing change. If they had been in the same space.

I might try to talk to them about offering a different enclosure, but I am sure they want to keep the work for their staff at a minimum AND because their current set up leaves the tarantula no where to hide, it is easier for the customers to get a glimpse of the big hairy spider before moving on to the dog chow.

---------- Post added 01-27-2015 at 09:04 AM ----------

vespers said:

Depressed?

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Unmoving, scrunched face first into the far rear corner.

I don't know...maybe its the happiest tarantula ever.

Glad they were at least housed separately, if not adequately.

8LegsMom, I see you live in Michigan. Ever considered keeping an Avic?

you gotta love those kind of places.

tbrandt said:

8LegsMom, I see you live in Michigan. Ever considered keeping an Avic?

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Not as my first tarantula. From what I understand, avics sound like they can tend to be finicky about their environment. Not that I plan on poor husbandry or anything, but I'd rather start with a T that is more forgiving of blunders just in case.

Heh. Just noticed you're in Michigan. I suppose you were hoping I might be able to swoop in and rescue the pet store T?

Avics are not as forgiving as the species you asked about previously

8LegsMomWannabe said:

Not as my first tarantula. From what I understand, avics sound like they can tend to be finicky about their environment. Not that I plan on poor husbandry or anything, but I'd rather start with a T that is more forgiving of blunders just in case.

Heh. Just noticed you're in Michigan. I suppose you were hoping I might be able to swoop in and rescue the pet store T?

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Yep, agree with you there re: Avics being more difficult than some species to care for. I have never owned one, but everything I have read leads me to believe that to be the case.

In part I was trying to be humorous, because I noticed that you live in Michigan too so I joked that maybe you could be the rescuing hero. It was meant to be light hearted, but in all seriousness, I give you a lot of respect for doing species specific research up front and placing so much weight on making sure that you feel comfortable with proper care techniques.

As I am sure you know, there are many many individuals who do not do that and tarantulas end up housed in conditions similar to at the pet store or escaping, or falling, or...

Thank you for joining the hobby and taking your responsibilities as a potential owner seriously, and thank you for joining the hobby and being from MI.

I've long had the philosophy that if I am going to take another life into my care, I'd darn well better be as knowledgeable and prepared as possible so I can make as few mistakes as possible.

This isn't about tarantulas, but it illustrates why I do my homework and wish everybody did their homework when bringing a new species of pet home. When I was a kid, say 11 or 12, we had dwarf hamsters. My mom got cedar bedding for them. We previously had guinea pigs bedded in it with no problems (though in retrospect one passed suddenly while young. The other lived well past average lifespan). Well one day the hamsters were sick and dying. My mom called I think a bunch of pet stores (I don't really think it quite occurred to her to call a vet for a hamster) and described the symptoms. Granted pet stores aren't always the best source of information about the animals they sell, but she hit pay dirt when she called one where someone happened to have some knowledge. She described the symptoms and the lady asked what bedding they were on. My mom told her and the lady said that was probably the problem, cedar chips are toxic to hamsters. Well of course we immediately got everybody still alive out of that stuff, but if I recall we still lost the ones already sick. Fast forward a few years when we got internet and I read that cedar bedding is harmful to any rodent (which may be about when I wondered if that may have been the cause of our guinea pig's early demise).

So I know firsthand that sometimes husbandry mistakes can have dire consequences. And while being that we are humans, mistakes in life are inevitable, if there are any mistakes that I can avoid in the care of another life that is in my hands by doing some research, it would be pretty silly not to.

tbrandt said:

As I am sure you know, there are many many individuals who do not do that and tarantulas end up housed in conditions similar to at the pet store or escaping, or falling, or...

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There's probably the idea that "hey, if the pet store is doing it, it must be correct, right?". Unfortunately, pet store employees who are knowledgeable or care about the animals is not guaranteed.