Other Turtle Discussion :: Pathetic!

[Ashley]

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[jozzep]

So we got Bowser from our local Petco, where the turtles are kept in a pretty large tank with lots of swimming room and a nice basking area.
They always look very happy there!
Now we regularly go to Petsmart for supplies since there is a better selection of food and the like, but their RES habitat is absolutely pathetic!
They keep several (at least 5) 4 inch or larger RES in a tiny little display box the same size as the one the little lizards are kept in.
All they have is about an inch of water with lots of tiny pebbles covering the bottom. No real adequate lighting, and just a little area for drying off....I wouldn't even call it a basking area.
The turtles there look so sad and even a bit sickly. There's no room to swim around, but they just crawl on top of each other through the little puddle they live it.
I wish I knew of somewhere to report this!

I'm lucky i don't get to see these situations here in NJ since pet stores are not allowed to sell turtles.
Instead of reporting, why don't you ask to speak to a manager/supervisor and talk to him first. See if he listens to your opinions and does something about it.

[1tdawg]

I agree. Go see the manager. I have seen this in my local petsmart(though they look healthy) even if the tank were filled entirely witth water there wouldntbe room enough for one.

[turtle man]

heh! THATS bad! when I went to chinatown, to buy my now healthy turtles this is what happened: first person I asked for turtles was a guy selling flowers, he's like "oooh tuta" "here" then he dug under his flowers and took out a wet dirty shooping bag, he took out two things 1)a shell and carapace with goo oozing out he's like "5 dollah" I let him know that that it was dead, first he didnt understand, he's like "fie dollah!!" then he got this girl to interpet what i'm saying, after several peels of laughter (she must thought, I was saying this really funny joke, if only she knew I was saying dead!) she started babbling in chinese to him and he took out his second object. 2) a little turtle completly in his shell, 25% alive, when he started saying "fie dollah" I got the hell out of there, and got my turtles from guy keeping his turtles in a better fashion. In a dark basement, in a purple bucket with a little bit of water and 25 turtles piled on top of each other in black water. NOT PATHETIC, HORRIBLE.

[defdylan]

yeah at my petco all they feed them is fish so their necks are all torn and ripped because they are getting too big for their shell and their necks are tearing apart and bleeding. and their shells are really pyramided

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

My petco has their tank overcrowded but at least they have a 100 gallon with around 8 inches of water in there a 5/10 setup.
But my Petsmart is just horrible not even 1 inch of water for them to swim in and there's like 5 of them in a tiny 10 or 20 gallon tank.

[Ashley]

yeah at my petco all they feed them is fish so their necks are all torn and ripped because they are getting too big for their shell and their necks are tearing apart and bleeding. and their shells are really pyramided

The Petco where I live has a pretty big tank, sometimes it's a bit overcrowded, but normally it's fine.
They feed the turtles Petco brand aquatic turtle pellets here, and I've only seen one turtle that looked sickly.
And we go to Petco and Petsmart a LOT. Like, sometimes even if we don't need any supplies.

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Yeah same here we go to petsmart almost every week. It's like there's something new to look at every time we go.

[leopard167]

all of this is so disgusting, i rescued mine from a pretty bad situation but no where near what you guys are saying. people need to understand animals arent products just because ppl buy them dosent mean they can be treated like objects and just placed on a shelf.

[theartbook35]

The Petco in my area has a wide 55 gallon tank for their turtles. They typically don't keep turtles bigger than 4 inches, and usually not more than 8 in the tank. Crowded, yes, but, they are well cared for. I don't think they get the turtles from a breeder, since their other reptiles come from breeders and these turtles look like they have been kept as pets already. Leads me to believe they may accept turtles from people who don't want them anymore. I should ask next time I go in there.

They are VERY big about taking animals to the vet. Like, once, I saw a turtle in the tank with a swollen eye, let them know, and a week later the turtle was already doing better

For this reason I encourage speaking directly to the manager. I'd start with something along the lines of: "I know you take your business very seriously, and since there is not a large amount of knowledge for turtles floating around, is it alright if I offer you some suggestions on your turtle tank? I am used to housing turtles in my home and know a vast online community of people who also keep turtles...." Insert suggestions here, and even suggest this website cause it's a great way to back up everything you say.

[imderanged]

They don't sell turtles in Petco & Petsmart here in NJ, so I have been spared this sight. Oddly enough, while I hear all kinds of awful stuff about Petsmart, in MY immediate area the Petco is a lot worse than the Petsmart is regarding the care of their reptiles. There are some issues at the Petsmart, the beardies they have been getting in lately look way to young to be for sale for my taste, but most of the herps are in small but appropriate habitats with correct substrates, food and water, etc. BUT the PETCO in my town keeps their animals in HORRIBLE conditions, very young animals all on sand, no hides, nothing but giant mealworms for food (way too big for the animals in question) they had a Leo out that looked like it was on deaths doorstep, so skinny ...and if it was Crypto as I suspected, it's contagious.... I complained, more than once, asked to see a manager and actually got in an argument with her...she claimed "that's how corporate wants it" and refused to do anything more about it. I've heard I'm not the only one who has complained too. I absolutely refuse to shop there now, and I told the manager that. That being said, the Petco in the next town over is awesome, My Leo & WTFs are from there. Corporate DOES tell them to to do some pretty stupid things in the way they keep their herps, in the name of aesthetics, (sand "looks nice"...etc) but the petstore workers actually have a good knowledge of herps and fix all the habitats when corporate's backs are turned:)

[theartbook35]

imderanged: My feeling is, if a particular reptile they are selling actually lives in a natural habitat that has sand, then, sand is appropriate for that animal's house. And even though Kenyan sand boas do not live in sand, it's okay to use for them too, they like privacy and are able to hide better in sand than those wood shavings.

Otherwise, some reptiles, especially active ones, should not have sand. I don't like sand for other types of snakes, I feel like it's too rough on their skin.

[KatieSmeltzer]

honestly, i make it a point to not even look at the res tank at the local petsmart... or it it petco... i get them confused. they are literally one shopping center apart from each other, and i frequent both!

[imderanged]

imderanged: My feeling is, if a particular reptile they are selling actually lives in a natural habitat that has sand, then, sand is appropriate for that animal's house. And even though Kenyan sand boas do not live in sand, it's okay to use for them too, they like privacy and are able to hide better in sand than those wood shavings.

Otherwise, some reptiles, especially active ones, should not have sand. I don't like sand for other types of snakes, I feel like it's too rough on their skin.

Substrates, especially sand, can be a bit of a contentious issue in the reptile community. I was speaking specifically about very young leopard geckos and bearded dragons. These species both live in arid zones but in many habitats the earth may be stony or clay, not necessarily sand. Opinions on whether adults of either species should or should not be kept on sand vary, but the general consensus is that babies are at too high a risk of impaction with loose substrates.

[Spike 7.62]

I think keeping turtles as pets sets you up for a moral dilemma. On the one hand, I love my turtles, take care of them and I know others who do the same. On the other hand, so much wrong is done in the turtle pet trade that it makes me sick. From people poaching them out of the wild, to crappy retailers who don't provide even basic care, to folks who mean well but are just uneducated or don't have the $ for a proper set up. By buying the food and equipment, I'm feeding the turtle trade, and there's an amount of guilt that comes with that.

- Spike