Hey.
This is long, but important. So be patient.
Last September me and my girlfriend, who had just moved in together, finally bought our first reptile. We were inexperienced, but had done as much research as we could, saved up our money, picked a date, ran the tank for weeks getting the temps perfect- everything. We were so, so, so, excited. We live in an icy and lonely North-Eastern Canadian city, and so we didn't have a whole lot of breeders around, and certainly none that we trusted after seeing the horrors that so many leo's are subjected to by greedy/inexperienced breeders. looking at the 300$ no-guarantee-live-upon-delivery shipping options available to us where we are, we were forced to make a deal with the devil, PetSmart. For you Americans, that's the Canadian PetCo. The employees there all had reptiles themselves, and all swore that they had purchased them from PetSmart, and that the terrible practices that we had been warned by the internet about were only at "a few bigger-city locations." "Surely our little local one was ok?" we thought. how wrong we were. Because we are so remote, they shipped a Leo in to have it in stock for us. cut to weeks later, there we are, picking up our little guy. my first impression was that he was really young, and very small, not like the ones we usually saw other sources advertising. He was also very, very, VERY skinny, with a tail like a piece of yarn, but I brushed it off in our excitement. We would fatten him up soon enough. We headed home through a terrible storm, placed him into what we thought would be his home for the next decade, and named him Souske, after our favorite anime character. A week later, he still hadn't eaten, and wouldn't come out to play, or explore. We are now freaking out, have no idea what to do. So, of course, we call our source. The employees there had all sorts of solutions, all of which entailed buying more crap under their sales portfolio, and all of them assured us that he was fine, and that taking him to the vet would only cost us unnecessary expense. Instead they suggested: A different kind of food? Try every variety in the store! Maybe he can't see the water, try this 50$ clear dish! Maybe he doesn't like his light? Try three different colors and brands . Hundreds upon hundreds of dollars later, and at the cost of many hours of sleep, we finally get him to eat a single mealworm by covering the sides of his tank in paper and keeping the room pitch black, "other than his lamp," to reduce stress. He throws it up the next day, undigested. At this point, our 18 day warranty had expired with PetSmart, and our funds were drained, so they quickly ran out of advice for us. it's a terrible feeling, seeing the person who sold you your pet shrug and say "I dunno, maybe he's just a bad-apple?" After a month or so, we slowly get him eating a mix of butter, silk, and mealworms, and only the smallest crickets that have had their legs removed. All of this is tong feeding. He starts to come out more, we remove the paper, and we catch him climbing around and playing once in a while. Things seem better, and we both breathed a sigh of relief. over the months, his appetite would wax and wane, as would his energy, but he never gained any weight, and despite our best efforts, never socialized. he displayed strange behavior, and we almost suspected enigma syndrome for a time. he was playful, loving to splash around in his water bowl, and lounge in his log, or in his wet hide while he shed. We quickly fell in love with his button nose, and gentle temperament. A month ago, at the beginning of March, he stopped eating again. He slept for long periods of time, and became lethargic and reclusive. The vet refused to take us as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak; he only was taking emergencies. We tried, once again, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, to get him to eat again. It was all to no avail. we watched our first gecko waste away before our eyes, until this morning, April 9th. We found him in the middle of his tank, unable to lift himself from the ground, open his eyes, or do little more than move his head and legs when we held him. Only now, did the Vet allow us to bring him in. Turns out that he had seen this many times with chain-store purchased, or discount internet geckos. As a result of copious in-breeding and in general, poor breeding practices, Souske had severe and debilitating congenital defects. Having been our first gecko, we didn't have a chance of noticing the little differences in his bone structure, or his eyes. He was perfect to us. Souske was transparently thin at that point, having no muscle, no fat, and no hope of survival. We signed the euthanasia papers, and went home to an empty tank, and many tears. He lived a happy, although short life, and the least I can do for him, and the many owners and leo's that suffer because of the greed of PetSmart, is share his story. Perhaps some bright-eyed prospective gecko owners will see this post, and choose to save themselves a lot of pain and money by saying NO to PetSmart, and their disrespect of life. Please, don't let any new owners you may know fall victim to the predatory sales practices of big chain stores, and give a thought to Souske the next time you think about purchasing from them.
Sincerely,
A sad owner.
This is long, but important. So be patient.
Last September me and my girlfriend, who had just moved in together, finally bought our first reptile. We were inexperienced, but had done as much research as we could, saved up our money, picked a date, ran the tank for weeks getting the temps perfect- everything. We were so, so, so, excited. We live in an icy and lonely North-Eastern Canadian city, and so we didn't have a whole lot of breeders around, and certainly none that we trusted after seeing the horrors that so many leo's are subjected to by greedy/inexperienced breeders. looking at the 300$ no-guarantee-live-upon-delivery shipping options available to us where we are, we were forced to make a deal with the devil, PetSmart. For you Americans, that's the Canadian PetCo. The employees there all had reptiles themselves, and all swore that they had purchased them from PetSmart, and that the terrible practices that we had been warned by the internet about were only at "a few bigger-city locations." "Surely our little local one was ok?" we thought. how wrong we were. Because we are so remote, they shipped a Leo in to have it in stock for us. cut to weeks later, there we are, picking up our little guy. my first impression was that he was really young, and very small, not like the ones we usually saw other sources advertising. He was also very, very, VERY skinny, with a tail like a piece of yarn, but I brushed it off in our excitement. We would fatten him up soon enough. We headed home through a terrible storm, placed him into what we thought would be his home for the next decade, and named him Souske, after our favorite anime character. A week later, he still hadn't eaten, and wouldn't come out to play, or explore. We are now freaking out, have no idea what to do. So, of course, we call our source. The employees there had all sorts of solutions, all of which entailed buying more crap under their sales portfolio, and all of them assured us that he was fine, and that taking him to the vet would only cost us unnecessary expense. Instead they suggested: A different kind of food? Try every variety in the store! Maybe he can't see the water, try this 50$ clear dish! Maybe he doesn't like his light? Try three different colors and brands . Hundreds upon hundreds of dollars later, and at the cost of many hours of sleep, we finally get him to eat a single mealworm by covering the sides of his tank in paper and keeping the room pitch black, "other than his lamp," to reduce stress. He throws it up the next day, undigested. At this point, our 18 day warranty had expired with PetSmart, and our funds were drained, so they quickly ran out of advice for us. it's a terrible feeling, seeing the person who sold you your pet shrug and say "I dunno, maybe he's just a bad-apple?" After a month or so, we slowly get him eating a mix of butter, silk, and mealworms, and only the smallest crickets that have had their legs removed. All of this is tong feeding. He starts to come out more, we remove the paper, and we catch him climbing around and playing once in a while. Things seem better, and we both breathed a sigh of relief. over the months, his appetite would wax and wane, as would his energy, but he never gained any weight, and despite our best efforts, never socialized. he displayed strange behavior, and we almost suspected enigma syndrome for a time. he was playful, loving to splash around in his water bowl, and lounge in his log, or in his wet hide while he shed. We quickly fell in love with his button nose, and gentle temperament. A month ago, at the beginning of March, he stopped eating again. He slept for long periods of time, and became lethargic and reclusive. The vet refused to take us as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak; he only was taking emergencies. We tried, once again, everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, to get him to eat again. It was all to no avail. we watched our first gecko waste away before our eyes, until this morning, April 9th. We found him in the middle of his tank, unable to lift himself from the ground, open his eyes, or do little more than move his head and legs when we held him. Only now, did the Vet allow us to bring him in. Turns out that he had seen this many times with chain-store purchased, or discount internet geckos. As a result of copious in-breeding and in general, poor breeding practices, Souske had severe and debilitating congenital defects. Having been our first gecko, we didn't have a chance of noticing the little differences in his bone structure, or his eyes. He was perfect to us. Souske was transparently thin at that point, having no muscle, no fat, and no hope of survival. We signed the euthanasia papers, and went home to an empty tank, and many tears. He lived a happy, although short life, and the least I can do for him, and the many owners and leo's that suffer because of the greed of PetSmart, is share his story. Perhaps some bright-eyed prospective gecko owners will see this post, and choose to save themselves a lot of pain and money by saying NO to PetSmart, and their disrespect of life. Please, don't let any new owners you may know fall victim to the predatory sales practices of big chain stores, and give a thought to Souske the next time you think about purchasing from them.
Sincerely,
A sad owner.
