Rubber Dragon

Just wanted to share this with you.
I was at the vet today and a person came in with a rubber dragon. It was bad. The dragon was 2 years old. He was 14" and like 285 grams. You could put your finger the dragon and it would just fold in half. You could pinch his jaw and it was like there was no bones in his head. This guy kept it in a 20 long from the time he got it 2 years ago. Only fed it Iceburg lettuce and a bowl of water. Had never used a UVB and had a 50w heat lamp that he keeps on all the time. He said the dragon will not eat anymore and doesn't move around anymore. That is why he took him to the vet. He said when he got the dragon from pet co as a baby 2 years ago that the person said that is all that is needed for a dragon. He said that was the first time he had ever seen a dragon and thought it would be a cool pet. He never looked up any info on them or asked any more questions..... So sad......

Yep from what I've seen from pictures and hearing stories like this from others, most of the general public is to stupid/moronic to own a reptile... And to think that they don't do any research about care, and take part time pet store employees words for granted... Yes it is sad, this guys is probably one of those people that shouldn't have a drivers license since they come off as so stupid...

Anthony

It IS sad, and that is why online boards like this are so valuable. It might be good to leave the site address with the vet as a resource.

The guy did take a first step by spending the money to take his lizard to the vet. Prior research would have been much better.

Hello,

So very sad. He most likely will not make it, but I guess you never know. If he does, it is going to be a very long haul for him, & he wont ever be normal again.

Tracie

wow personaly i think people at pet stores need to be updated on there subjected of sale i had one guy tell me that anole lizards don't need heat just a bright light of corse i told him he was i moron and need to read up on his lizards ( what a dumb ass did he not know what cold blooded ment lol)

Originally Posted by dragonss

wow personaly i think people at pet stores need to be updated on there subjected of sale i had one guy tell me that anole lizards don't need heat just a bright light of corse i told him he was i moron and need to read up on his lizards ( what a dumb ass did he not know what cold blooded ment lol)

There is a real problem sometimes with pet shop help, I agree. But some of them are young people who are just hired and not trained and they, trying to help their customers, pass along their own misinformation.
Inviting them to this board would be good, or giving them info. Calling them a moron does not help the reptiles very much. You could have a word with the owner or manager, some pet shop managers don't care, they just want to rack up sales, but many managers genuinely do care. Sometimes, politely pointing out to them that their help needs more education could give them some incentive to provide information for learning.

It is a big problem that people buy pets and not know much about them. I think the pet stores are a big blame for it. I have heard workers say stuff about an animal that was so wrong you knew it was just to make a sale. I know of one store by me that wont sell a reptile if you don't know how to care for them. They ask questions and if you cant answer,they wont sell. Thats how it should be.

Rick Vanderpool

I have found out that most pet shop by the cold blooded rept in bulk WELL at list some of them do.. I say this because in bend Oregon petco has some sick looking beardies and leo geckos and there snakes are violent.
but i guess that just me

Originally Posted by kimnrick04

It is a big problem that people buy pets and not know much about them. I think the pet stores are a big blame for it. I have heard workers say stuff about an animal that was so wrong you knew it was just to make a sale. I know of one store by me that wont sell a reptile if you don't know how to care for them. They ask questions and if you cant answer,they wont sell. Thats how it should be.

Rick Vanderpool

I totally agree. In fact, I would like that policy in force for puppies and kitties too, or any animal.

Hello,

I totally agree, it is very sad how things are handled in the petstores regarding the reptiles. I can hardly even go in them anymore otherwise I would end up buying every single one of them & that wont fix the problem.
Unfortunately, it isn't the "responsibility" of the people who work there, while some do end up getting very involved, but, most do not. It needs to be mandated from the corporate headquarters as to how the guidelines are for the reptile care within the stores.
Alot of those chain stores have the worst caresheets that the workers have to follow, or they will be fired. I have talked with several people who have worked at a Petco, etc, & said that the feeding instructions for the beardies there were to only give them 20 crickets a week, keep them on sand for the attractiveness of it, & don't use UVB. The reasons are to save money. It infuriates me, but definitely an avenue to look into to try & do something about it.
I think that there should be some type of mandate ordering those stores to hold a certain standard of care. If it is not followed, then, they will be written up by a health official. They should have up to a certain time to comply or they can have their license to buy & sell reptiles taken away & be facing a fine. I think if actions were taken enough times, that it would eventually start to filter down to enough people to where they would either fix their problems, or just quit buying them for the store altogether. That would almost be the best thing anyway. It would help alot of things.
I don't know. Those are just ideas, but something does need to be done about it though.



Tracie