Local Pet Store selling BTS?

[Vegasarah]

Hello all, this is my first thread, being a long time 'lurker', I decided to post something I would really love an opinion on.

My local Pet store has an Indonesian BTS ( with the label claiming is an AUS Northern, which it clearly is not) for sale, and I couldn't take my eyes off the poor fellow...

Hes horribly underweight for a bluey, but otherwise looks healthy and active. I spoke to the manager about him, because I suspected that they were NOT feeding him properly. (I was right, they fed him bearded dragon pellets and mealworms only.... ) She was very dismissive and clearly did not want to answer any questions about him. I asked first off what is date of birth was (to try and see if he is captive bred, which I doubt) and she said she has no idea. I suggested a better diet and she said she would 'look into it'... I returned every day the last few days and the only addition to his diet has been romaine lettuce and bell peppers. And we all know those are NOT ideal foods. So I went and got another manager and told that one that the romaine lettuce will do nothing but give the poor underweight dear the runs. Again, I was met with dismissal.

I am so frustrated and angry, because he's such a sweet little bluey and deserves to have a good life. And I know that whoever they sell him to is probably not going to know how to care for him. My boyfriend is annoyed with me for this, but I want to 'rescue him' from his current condition/ fate. I have one Northern I got from AggieGirl in the summer, and wasn't really looking for another... escpecially not one with a $160 price tag... But I can't stand to see the poor guy suffer.

What should I do? Any advice from anyone out there?

[Fatal_S]

If you give money it is not a rescue, it is a purchase and you are condoning what this store has done to this poor animal. They take that money, consider it a success, and buy another. Giving them money continues this cycle.

Options:
- Offer to take it as a rescue for vet care (as in take it FREE, do not give them money for abusing animals).
- Cause a stink about them having a WC sick animal in terrible condition. Don't sit there quietly.
- Tell them "this is what it needs to eat". Keep it simple enough that even a child could manage it (dogfood/bugs with calcium & mixed greens/squash).
- Tape a simple caresheet to the tank every time you go in.
- Threaten to boycott the store and tell your friends/family/community to do the same if they won't take proper care of their animals. Follow through on said threat.
- Go up the chain (store owner, branch operater, etc) and complain.

Giving money for animals is condoning the action the Pet Store has taken of buying sick, WC animals for cheap, not caring for them properly, and selling them at high price to unsuspecting people. If a store will not do what's right by the animal they don't deserve any of your money.

[Vegasarah]

I am going to go in tomorrow and ask to speak to the head manager I think. They have no care sheet for them (as they do with many of their other reptiles) and clearly have idea what they are doing and are going to offer bad advice to the next person that owns this skink.

I have never seen a BTS offered at a chain place like the Pet Store, and it saddens me to see that they will not be taken care of well.

I can only try to help with advice or offer to take him before he dies in that enclosure, I guess :/

[Fatal_S]

I really do understand how much it sucks to see an animal being treated badly and how much you want to take it home and make it better. I've been down that road.

Now I've stopped going into bad pet stores completely. I just couldn't handle seeing the animals time after time after time. But when I used to go in I'd fight tooth and nail with the employees (when warranted). I've complained so much and so loudly that I've cleared an entire store of customers because of the disgust I was expressing at the reptile care. It was embarassing as ****, but I checked back 30 min later and the animals all had fresh food and water. I've also made little caresheets or correct ID-plates and taped them to tanks. Over and over and over. I always tried to be polite and educational first, then stern and demanding they give animals proper care, then threatening (boycott, call animal services), then moved to more demonstrative complaints. It's worth a try, but seeing it happen again and again really wears you down People stink.

Keep in mind though, most people who work at pet stores do care about the animals, they're just uninformed idiots who believe everything the store tells them. Giving them true, simple, easy-to-follow care facts can help. Sometimes employees even like to learn more.

[Spindown]

i hate to say it but PLEASE dont buy it. This will make them believe that blueys are in demand and they will do the same to more poor animals.
I know its hard, but resist.

also, 160 isnt that bad of a price IMO for a healthy, CBB bluey...but a terrible one for a neglected WC bluey. X_X

[Vegasarah]

I agree, buying him would just make matters worse for everyone. I am not going to promote the selling of poor condition WC animals. And I know its not the employees or even the managers fault. They are a corporate store and don't have much control over anything that comes in to their store. If the management agrees to work with me, then I will be at least a little relieved. I'm bringing in a simple care sheet, one with the food chart and what they require for cage space, because they where suggesting a 20 gal... I will let you guys know how it goes, thank you all so much for your advice!

[Katrina]

Welcome to the forum!

It doesn't sound like this bluey is much worse off than most in pet stores. This really doesn't sound like some horrible case of neglect - it sounds like the diet isn't ideal and the skink is labelled incorrectly. You can give them the diet chart and make a few suggestions, but beardie pellets aren't that bad for blueys. They are designed to be a complete diet for omnivores and bluey and beardie diets are quite similar.

Based on what you've posted, I think you are kind of overreacting. How is he underweight? Can you clearly see hip bones? He may just be wild caught and have parasites. Most blueys in pet stores are kept in smallish enclosures and aren't fed according to this sites recommendations, but it doesn't mean that they are neglected or going to die because of it.

Edit to add: Same as I posted in the other thread.

This site doesn't want to bad mouth specific companies, so I'm editing your post to just read "a pet store". If you have problems you can take it to the board of inquiries (BOI), but we don't want to have threads on here where we are specifically bad mouthing certain companies. It may be warranted, but this isn't the right site to discuss these issues on.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/ ... y.php?f=13

[Vegasarah]

I agree, go ahead and change it, I have no issue with that.

He looks like he has mouth rot, but he is very very underweight. At first glance I thought maybe MBD, but then I realized he was lumpy because I could see nearly every bone in his body. Hips bones, tiny little shoulder blades, most of his spine, and even his jaw was too prominent. If I can get a picture, he could be the new poster child for an underweight skink.

I'm not bashing this chain pet store as a whole, I just don't approve of the import of WC animals. I feel that if this company wanted to do the right thing (in my opinion) they would go through a breeder or something. Sigh. I probably shouldn't get so worked up over it, I know there are probably thousands of blueys in this same situations. I'm a bleeding heart :/

[Katrina]

I'm a bleeding heart too. I try to stay out of pet stores for that reason! I hate seeing that kind of thing.

If there is health concerns like that, then the Board of Inquiries might be a call. The diet might not be all that awful, but mouth rot and MBD are. They shouldn't be selling a bluey with problems like that.

I would keep talking to managers and try to explain your concerns with the blueys health. If they don't listen then take it to the BOI or maybe some sort of animal rights group. But try to be constructive and polite, don't blame them or accuse them of doing anything wrong - they will just get defensive and dismiss you. Instead, explain your concerns and ask if maybe they could take it to a vet. Being polite and constructive will go far. If nothing works, then try to get others involved. Good luck!!

[Vegasarah]

Thanks so much for the advice, guys. I knew I came to the right place for some reptile wisdom!<3

[WanderingChai]

Good luck <3

I would love to see a picture...