Let's vent:What really ticks you off about the pet trade!

[Bill]

I am really ticked off about how we ,the micro breeders,the back bone off the industry,get treated. I mean first off you buy a pair of reptiles from the local pet shop for say $50.00 each. You breed them raise the young bring them back to the shop and they offer you $5.00. Ok it's happened to us all but here's my point. They base this on the price they pay for some crappy wild caught stuff that came in to the whole saler in a 55 gallon drum marked garter snakes X 1000. I have seenthis with my own eyes. I was at my whole salers once and looked in the snake room and here is a 100 lot of eastern garters,yeh I think this will hit home,stuffed into a 10 gallon tank with 3 inchs of water in it and a glass top with a rock on top. Needless to say they were all wiggleing like made to try and stay on top and not drown. So you mean to tell me that the animals that you raised in a small batch and hand cared for one at a time are worth the same as one of those stressed out, prasite ridden,half dead animals. I DON"T THINK SO!!! But do you know why they do this and get away with it. Because we bought the stuff in the first place. We need to stop buying this crap and start to insist on captive bred animals. Now I'm not saying don't ever buy wild caught. We alway's need new blood and sometimes that's your only option but we can buy from importers that take the time to deworm and clean up the stock before they ship it out. You would not knowingly buy a puppy from a puppy mill would you? Then why is it that we buy are reptiles this way! Or maybe I could be worng. LET'S VENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[adamanteus]

I'll be perfectly honest, Bill.... my first thought is 'Why are you trying to sell back to these people'?

[adamanteus]

You're right.... the way these 'cheap' animals are housed is atrocious..... so let's not shop there. I have seen similar stuff, and it makes my blood boil! All we can really do is withdraw our custom, and encourage others to do the same.

[Stefan-A]

Personally, I can't say that I have experienced anything like that. At least not that I can remember. But I sure as hell wouldn't buy anything from or sell anything to a store that threats their animals that way.

[Bill]

Well this is a wholesaler that supplies a large number of pet shops inthe north east. The bigger importers are even worse. It's not that I'm trying to sell back to these people myself. It's just the way it is. When ever someone bargain shoppes at a pet co or other chain as well as the small shops this is where this stuff comes from

[Bill]

Stefan-A chances are if you bought from a pet store thats exactly how your reptile was kept. After it came in by the box or barrel they slowly get broken down into smaller groups until the pet shops may only order 6 or 10. So you now see them in a 20 gallon tank on fresh paper or mulch marked up to the full retail price

[adamanteus]

I guess the message here is to buy from people you know... such as on this forum... and be aware of who you're selling to! The 'bulk trade' stinks... always has!

[Bill]

What I would like to see is a change in the way people think about h0ow they purchase thier reptiles. I we start to ask for captive bred animals and refuse to buy wild caught animals that have been purchased in mass then retalers will be forced to buy captive bred animals that have been better cared for.

[Bill]

absolutely. We as consumers can make the difference but we need to get the word out. So what tick's you off about the the pet trade James?

[adamanteus]

Absolutely! To acheive this you need to make the CB more attractive than the WC.... unfortunately people go off the price first. Can we pursuade the breeders to drop their prices? I doubt that.