Petco makes me sad.

[tlo25]

I went to Petco to pickup some dog food this weekend and decided to check out what they had. Found a dog face puffer curled up kind of like in a fetal position laying on a fake coral piece gasping, looked like he had itch. It was pretty sad and my wife said she wished we could rescue it but I think it's a goner. The only other livestock they had was an LTA that was laying on the bottom of another tank.

[bigworm175]

People who buy dog food from Petco make me sad. jk Petco's fish section is very sad indeed. If there were dogs or cats treated that poorly there would be a riot.

You should look into grainless dog foods. From my research, grain is not good for them but do your own research because like everything else there are more than one opinion. I know we spend a lot of time researching our tanks so shouldn't we do the same for our furry friends? This practice also keeps me out of Petco all together so I don't support them in any way.

[tlo25]

This may be getting off topic but.. I buy dog food from petco because they sell Wellness brand. From what I have read this is a pretty good food since the first few ingredients are meat.

[James77]

Nothing worse than what I have seen in one of my LFS, one that is run by a marine biologist.

Petcos seem to be a hit or miss as far as the fish sections. The 2 local ones to me are pretty good. Yes, the staff knows one step above nothing, but you get the skill you pay for.

[James77]

Originally Posted by bigworm175

You should look into grainless dog foods. From my research, grain is not good for them but do your own research because like everything else there are more than one opinion. .

Same with cats.....whens the last time you saw a lion munching on an english muffin?

[reef17]

in my opinion Petco should not be even alound to sell any sort of animal from fish to cats they do not keep up with the animals and at the end of it the animals just end up dying in their unkept habitats and cages

[Ritten]

There are just as many good petcos around here as there are good lfs. Just like anything else, there is good stores and bad stores.

[walkerbrody]

I asked the manager of the local petco how many sps coral frags he is going to kill before he decides to stop ordering them. He looked at me and said "I guess these should be my last shouldn't they." I told him I hoped so.

[ccalabro]

I'm not even sure why either of the major chains stay in the live fish business..they all suck at it..fresh or salt...they should just stick to dry goods and leave the livestock to specialty stores.

[Lynnmw1208]

Originally Posted by reef17

in my opinion Petco should not be even alound to sell any sort of animal from fish to cats they do not keep up with the animals and at the end of it the animals just end up dying in their unkept habitats and cages

the problem is they wont' give hours for the employees to properly clean these habitats. Always claiming there is no money... bah there's definitely money! a new one goes up every month or so. they are cracking down on cleaning and maintenance though. if you get so many strikes they take your animals away.

[allsps40]

Petco sucks I worked for them for 2 years. I started at the bottom, becme the reptile expert, then a manager then I ran the big aquatics department in the only reef capable Petco in Arizona. It had a fairly decent set up for fish only and the reef system, this store is a one of a kind test store. 99% of all Petcos do not have anyone that knows anything about keeping marine organisms let alone freshwater fish. The training is very poor and 3rd grade-ish. The stores are supposed to have a full time specialist for each animal department who's job is to help customers in their department, feed animals, clean habitats, inventory livestock ect. If tanks are not clean and animals are not health it is mostly due to poor knowledge on the specialists part not time.

[tiffyreefer]

Our local PETCO is sad too, both fresh and saltwater are terrible. IMO the Petsmart near me has a very well kept freshwater department. In Petco I block my view of the "10 tangs to a tank" displays as I make my way to the dog food. Petco and Petsmart are the only places around us that sell Merrick dog food, which also has grain free as well as low glycemic selections.

You should look into grainless dog foods.

Bigworm, not to get off topic but how do your pups take to wellness brand? We considered switching at one point.

[klepto]

Originally Posted by tiffyreefer

In Petco I block my view of the "10 tangs to a tank" displays as I make my way to the dog food.

Why turn the blind eye and support the horrible standards in the first place? If you are seriously dissatisfied with the state of their tanks, then stop shopping there. There are plenty of sources for Merrick foods online.

[Lynnmw1208]

Originally Posted by allsps40

Petco sucks I worked for them for 2 years. I started at the bottom, becme the reptile expert, then a manager then I ran the big aquatics department in the only reef capable Petco in Arizona. It had a fairly decent set up for fish only and the reef system, this store is a one of a kind test store. 99% of all Petcos do not have anyone that knows anything about keeping marine organisms let alone freshwater fish. The training is very poor and 3rd grade-ish. The stores are supposed to have a full time specialist for each animal department who's job is to help customers in their department, feed animals, clean habitats, inventory livestock ect. If tanks are not clean and animals are not health it is mostly due to poor knowledge on the specialists part not time.

well at our Petco it was time. they only gave the specialists 2 days a week and for me that was to clean all freshwater, saltwater, and do all the other things on the maintenance lists that were not done the days I was off. your Petco sounds a lot better than ours. I agree that they don't train enough.

[tiffyreefer]

Sorry klepto but if i started boycotting all stores on principles I'd never leave my house to go shopping. Then I'd find a reason to boycott UPS and FedEx. Then I'm REALLY screw*d

[klepto]

Originally Posted by tiffyreefer

Sorry klepto but if i started boycotting all stores on principles I'd never leave my house to go shopping. Then I'd find a reason to boycott UPS and FedEx. Then I'm REALLY screw*d

I'm not talking about principles or carbon footprints or any of that. I'm talking about the level of care for living animals.

[stacyjo]

this is so true..Our petco has nothing ever just little feeder fish and that is about all.. never has anything good..they should just not even have fish..They have no salt water at all just fresh

[bif24701]

Originally Posted by tlo25

This may be getting off topic but.. I buy dog food from petco because they sell Wellness brand. From what I have read this is a pretty good food since the first few ingredients are meat.

Wellness is a great dog food brand! One of the best period. It can also be very hard to find, and buying pet food on the internet adds cost of shipping.

My local Petco isn't bad, Goodyear AZ, but some in AZ are. Local managers are responsible for their livestock. It is up to us, the consumer, to either shop some were else or complain. If you want a riot because the fish are sickly and dieing, start one. I'm behind you!

[SkullV]

Well, PETCO makes me happy! Got a brand new reef ready 75g from them for $199 this past Memorial Day. I wouldn't buy livestock there though.

[ja4207]

IYpu guys are making me feel guilty for number one buying anything from Petco and number two not researching foods alittle better for my little rugrats! Wellness, I'll have to look more into this.

[jeff@zina.com]

Originally Posted by tlo25

I went to Petco to pickup some dog food...

I see the first issue in your problem right here.

Jeff

[HV1990]

Originally Posted by tlo25

This may be getting off topic but.. I buy dog food from petco because they sell Wellness brand. From what I have read this is a pretty good food since the first few ingredients are meat.

For a good grain free I go Taste of the Wild. Really easy on my labs stomach.

[youpey]

the petco and petsmart near my house dont seem to sell any saltwater livestock. i was surprised, but there was none

[tiffyreefer]

If you want a riot because the fish are sickly and dieing, start one. I'm behind you!

Woo! Lets do it

My pups really like the Merrick. Hopefully its not just marketing but they seem to be a small operation out of Texas that really cares about pets. The food names are "grammies pot pie" "cowboy cookout" "red white and blueberry", etc. Really funny names. My husband thought it was dinner haha!

[dover157]

Originally Posted by SkullV

Well, PETCO makes me happy! Got a brand new reef ready 75g from them for $199 this past Memorial Day. I wouldn't buy livestock there though.

+1 I got my 20 gal setup with everything but the stand and rock / sand for 70. Same tank at the LFS same brand even is over 150.