Silliest T advice you've ever heard at a pet store

[Hayden]

I met one of my close friends because she works in my LPS. She knows a lot about snakes and geckos, and definitely more than average about T's, but what gets her is that she is unwilling to accept maybe someone knows more than her. I tried to help her set up her axolotls, seeing as how they're my specialty, and she just wasn't having it, and eventually they all died. She tried to sell me a Chinese Warty Newt as a Paddletail, which... it isn't.

But the most frustrating thing came right after I bought my A. versicolor off of a trusted friend whom we both buy our tarantulas from. I had set out to buy the versi, I had done plenty of research, and felt confident I could keep one. So I bought it, and I was very pleased with it and myself. Immediately, she began laughing and telling me that they "die for no reason," that I had "wasted my money," that I was stupid for picking an Avic, etc. She used to have one and it died soon after she bought it. I suspect this is because she keeps her apartment INCREDIBLY hot and humid and had no ventilation for the little guy. It was really hurtful and totally unnecessary, and it led to the slew of panicked messages I left on here.

On a related note, I've had the little A. versi for a few weeks and she's doing great. Webbing like crazy, and she's eaten every single cricket I offered, even the smooshed one.

[motomori]

well it wasn't in a store but I just watched a program which "educated" children on T's (we don't have them here in holland as far as I know but anyway)

the guy was holding a chillean rose and he told about how deadly T's where (but this one was very sweet and wouldn't bite) and how the T would make a web to catch her prey -headdesk- it was a trainwreck... the rosie was also very panicky and obviously didn't want to be there (she tried to run away on the girls arm and the girl freaked out)

[Skeri]

One guy at a petco was atleast honest. "I have no clue about these things I just work here."

[le-thomas]

Yesterday at the reptile expo, a guy had a Theraphosa sp. (stirmi I assume) in a shallow plastic cup with that newspaper litter stuff and was tipping it around and shaking it up and down. Its legs were touching the lid it was so shallow, and he was literally shaking it up and down. It was also nearly full grown, and he claimed it to be "half size". In conclusion, expos suck.

[zadane]

Maybe I'm just lucky (or this is ignorance speaking) but the LPS I go to (this is a family owned shop) so far has been amazing. I was applied there and didn't get the job for not knowing enough and I've got quite a nice bit of experience in the field (I'm new to Ts though). After a few discussions with them I went home to look up a few of the suggestions they made and everything they told me has so far been spot on with all of the research I've been doing.

I bought a G. Rosea 3/4" and a L. parahybana 1" form there. the prices didn't seem too bad either. 5$ for the rose and 39$ for the LP. with a 30 day refund/replacement policy if it doesn't survive (unless I am the one who kills it).

Mind you, I went to another LPS and they suggested a cobalt blue for my first... the other lady came up and nearly slapped the girl who suggest the cobalt to me and suggested the rosea... that's when I left that store...

[ZergFront]

Face meets desk in 3.....2.....1...... *THUMP*

Just an excuse for a thread bumping. I don't go into LPS anymore but these are funny (and sad at the same time). Good 'ol internet does the jobs for me without the clerk poop they shoot out!

[SgtSparkles]

well actually the lady from our local petco admits to not knowing much and had me get her a little A. geniculata on my last order, and she came by and checked out my T room at the same time

[Theist 17]

Not advice per se, but still funny.

Went to a PetSmart to buy crickets the other day, got asked what I'm feeding. Eyes the size of an LP when I told her. Hahaha

[scorps]

I dont have any for arachnids but I was about to buy an anole from petco and the woman told me I had to buy all kinds of things like a powder for their water and a bunch more, she wouldnt let me buy it unless I bought them, she then told me I had to have them because anoles wernt native, then I simply asked if they arent native them why do I catch them all the time then simply left, I came back another time to buy crickets, I mentiones they were for a snake (a species that only eats small insects) then the same woman said get mice, I said this snake eats insects, she replied again "snakes only eat rodents, I then left again and havnt been back. I hate petco when it comes to buying live animals, I wanted to punch someone when I saw there leo's on sand

[Ahmet29992]

(...) without the clerk poop they shoot out!

Truth: The clerk is an Avicularia sp.

[ragnarokxg]

Well I went yesterday to the LPS where I got my first T to get some crickets because he sells them in bulk. Well he tells me he has a Goliath Bird Eater. Well a lady overheard us sand asked what it was. Well he told her it was a tarantula that grew to 7 inches long with 2 inch fangs and was lethal. I had to turn around because I almost started laughing. The guy knows some of what he is talking about and I might buy another avic from him but I have a feeling his dealer sells him wc tarantulas.

Sent from my ADR6410LVW using Tapatalk 2

[jen650s]

From a specialty LPS that breeds several T species on-site--Don't forget to soak the ground for them, because they cannot drink water. They suck it from the soil...

[DamonVikki]

One problem that pet store people face is that they can't know how much you know. Next is that they by default have to play experts so that they don't put the shops reputation on the line (for good or bad).

I know from one pet store that had a lividum on 1" bark shavings - I told them that if they wanted to give the T better housing they should give it some peaty/earthy sub and make that quite deep.

I agreed with the counter argument that the T wouldn't be visible then and at least it had a hiding spot now under a lumpy peace of wood. But the clerk also told me that I was the fourth person comming in giving "good" advice on the T. Some had told them to put the T on fine sand, some had said to add a heat lamp and other such rediculous stuff. So I almost fully understand if petstores don't just by default listen to the customers unless they can kinda varify what they are saying.

Still ofcourse the clerks should try and read up, one could say - but I guess we all know how hard it is to actually get through the jungle of bad information, ranging from sick caresheets over to self proclaimed expert hobbyists.

How easy is it, without any reference or true expert advice to actually find the one real piece of information that you need? I think if you have no clue where to start and where you wanna get to it's pretty hard.

What I think many pet shop clerks lack is common sense, that's the biggest problem and that's what could be most easily fixed.

IT should be obvious, but apparently it isn't that a local library most likely has a book on the subject. Mine has several. People forget to check the FREE Library!

[Mattia]

Still doesn't work. TRUST ME. Nobody cares... why? Because it's a business. If you think you're going to get the owner to change their ways as a customer or employee you're wrong.

I'm still waiting to visit a 100% GOOD PET STORE. As far as I'm concerned it doesn't exist. I hope I'm wrong but I don't think so.

Ken the bug guys shop, in Tucson Arizona. COOLEST SHOP EVER!!!!!!

[thespiderguy]

These are to good! I fortunately have a good store near me, that admits they don't know everything but they are pretty good.

It is a good sign when you find a store that doesn't try and do everything!