now i've only been a snake owner for about 3 weeks so I cant imagine what kind of things you have heard. these are the "reptile experts" at the local stores. feel free to add your own dumbest quotes as well. remember this is just retail stores not breeders, wholesalers, internet posters, e-mail etc. that is a whole other thread.

"All snakes are nocturnal"
"hey that snake just peed on me"
"65F is just fine for a ball python"
"BP's need lots of UVA light or they will die"
"don't bother with thermometers just feel the snake if it is cold turn the heat up"
"never use an under tank heater"
" all a bp needs is a hide some newspaper a basking light and a water dish, at night just turn the light off"
"they are supposed to take the guts out of the frozen mice, the snake will get sick if it eats them"
"ceramic heaters will kill your snake"
"we feed all our snakes live mice, but, were professionals. You should only feed frozen"

if I think of any more i'll add them.
Mike

I try my best to not to talk to them.... ever.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

At all costs I avoid engaging in any type of conversation with employees at petstores.

I just don't go to pet stores anymore. Too many idiots and bad conditions.

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“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

-Mahatma Gandhi

~Lacey~

My Photos

I tried resorting to the show scene only, and even then today I saw a few frogs looking less than healthy.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

When I'm at petco, I always see lepord geckos that are half starved. You can see all their bones.

For those that don't know, I recently quit working at my local petco. I had to stroll in there yesterday to get my check and drop off a couple shirts I had. As I always do, I made my way over to the Reptile Department. What did I find at 12:30 in the afternoon? I found that whoever "opened" reptiles (at 7am) failed to notice that they had neglected to turn their lights on. The enclosures are dark when the lights are off, so it then makes me wonder if anyone actually changed out their dishes, did any bedding changes, etc.

I have heard all sorts of good ones.

I still laugh when I hear "Mealworms/superworms will eat their way out of your reptile if you don't remove the head."

Or "Leopard Geckos need UV to survive." (Meaning the $35-$40 Reptisun UVB tubes they sell.)

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.:: Rich ::.

+ Spread The Info

I moved this thread from Ball Pythons into General Discussion because we're not just talking about snakes anymore.

"The shell is supposed to look like that," when talking about a young sulcata with pyramidding scutes. The sales rep apologized to me on a subesquent visit... he'd actually gone and done research! He no longer works at that store.

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~~Steph

"This I believe: That the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." John Steinbeck

How about when telling them that iceberg is bad lettuce for Igs, they say "It's shredded vegetables, they're fine"

I recently had to explain to Pet Supplies Plus that crickets are NOT a good diet for their iguanas. They didn't know that. The other Pet Supplies Plus store near us currently has a young man working there who is very knowledgeable about reptiles and is working very hard to straighten out everyones ideas on the reptiles and is busy posting signs on the cages explaining approximate length, weight and personality of the reptiles, and what to use for bedding and what to feed them and approximately how much it will cost to feed. He is trying very hard, and is still working to educate himself more while going to high school yet. We had quite a talk, he is very interesting to talk to, as he is exploring reptile knowledge and enjoys sharing it and his love of reptiles.

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Kat