Mack's update.
Update - March 11th, 2016
1. What are the discrepancies you say you have found in the photos, video and report?
a. There are many.
b. For instance, our animals are never denied veterinary care. We have a veterinarian on-site once a week. We isolate our sick and injured animals to avoid infecting other animals. And, if the animal’s health requires immediate attention we contact our vet.
c. The employees who perform euthanasia are trained according to 2013 AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) guidelines.
d. When we used glue traps we checked them daily and used a vegetable oil to remove any animals and they would be set up in their habitats. However, we no longer use glue traps or tape traps.
e. Water is never withheld from our animals. Each breed has different requirements for water, light, heat, bedding, etc. We work very hard to simulate the natural environment for our animals; those natural environments can easily be misunderstood by looking at a staged photo or incomplete video frame.
f. Animals are never packed more than 24 hours in advance of shipping, and in all cases are packed the day of shipment.
g. Injured and sick animals are immediately cared for and housed according to their injury or illness, being isolated if that is what is appropriate.
h. We take great care in our Bearded Dragon females, our breeders. They are placed in their laying habitats at appropriate times (again, simulating their natural environment). They lay their eggs during the day, as is their nature; and because they are diurnal (active during the day) they do not eat or drink at night. All Bearded Dragons have scheduled feedings of three times a day. The babies are fed at least six times per day. We operate seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year without exception, including Holidays.
i. For all snake species, we record when they are fed, when they eat, and when they don’t eat to ensure they are receiving an appropriate amount of food. Over-feeding can be as dangerous to animals as under-feeding.
2. How many times, or for how long, do your reptiles breed?
It varies by species, for example:
Bearded Dragons – for no more than 3 seasons and are retired at 4 years old, whichever comes first.
Leopard Geckos- are retired out after 6 years.
3. What do you with your reptiles after they are no longer breeding for you?
Reptiles by Mack only breeds our Bearded Dragons for 3 seasons or until they are 4 years old, whichever comes first. When we stop breeding them, we continue to care for them, often offering them to wholesale customers to be sold as pets, because they make great pets.
4. Do you have special living quarters or care plans for your breeders?
Reptile mothers are as special as any mothers. Our breeders are cared for in the best way, recognized by our industry. It varies by species.
5. Why do you use tape traps or glue traps? Isn’t there a better way to do this?
When we used glue traps we checked them daily and used a vegetable oil to remove any animals and they would be set up in their habitats. However, we no longer use glue traps or tape traps.
6. What are your euthanasia policies?
We follow the 2013 AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) guidelines.
7. How many employees have this job?
Two employees have this responsibility; both are management level and highly experienced with all reptile species.
8. Do you have a sick bay for each species?
We have a sick bay for each species and once they are entered into a sick bay their presence in the sick bay and all relevant information is recorded into a medical log book.
9. You’ve said you have a veterinarian visit once a week, but what if you have an animal that needs to be seen sooner?
Staff are trained to contact their manager immediately if any animal is injured or there is a concern regarding an animal’s health or well-being. If an animal needs to be seen sooner, our veterinarian will come out the same day.
10. Have you ever had an animal either die or be put down before the veterinarian could get there?
This does happen, very infrequently, sometimes animals - just like people - die for no apparent reason and without displaying any symptoms.
11. Is your veterinarian an expert in reptiles?
Yes, all of his licensure and certifications are current and he continually earns continuing education hours.
12. What are your watering and feeding schedules?
We have set scheduled watering and feeding for every species, dependent on the species specifics and seasonal needs. Our staff are trained to watch for any signs that the animal is not thriving in its environment.
13. Who has oversight of this?
Our team leaders, along with the species’ care technicians, execute the watering and feeding and managers oversee that all is executed correctly.
14. What safeguards does Reptiles by Mack have to ensure proper animal practices?
We have written Procedures and Policies for each species and department. We also provide training to all of our employees. Managers, including senior management, offer walk through the facility checking on the animals and staff to ensure policies and procedures are being followed and to address and questions or concerns our employees may have.
15. How long have these been in place?
We have always had these in place.
16. What kind of training do your employees get? And, how often are they retrained?
Employees are trained from the first day they start on the written procedures and policies and have these procedures demonstrated by a manager or a team leader. Employees are retrained on procedures at least every six months, sooner if so determined by the manager or team lead.
17. What action has been taken against the Reptiles by Mack employees who were recorded in the video released by PETA?
After a thorough investigation into the situation, we met with our current employees shown or heard in the video and discussed the video and the allegations made by PETA. However, those employees who apparently created and then provided the video to PETA voluntarily resigned employment before this video was released and unfortunately, did not bring any of their concerns or these allegations to our attention directly or through the use of our locked Employee Suggestion Box. The video was then edited to be misleading and/or staged by the employee’s taking the video. All current employees shown or heard were provided additional training and/or were disciplined for policy violations and failing to provide the love we require for all of our animals.
18. Is an investigation currently underway into these allegations?
Yes, we are continuing to carefully and thoroughly investigate and monitor our employees and will take swift action with any non-compliant employees. However, we can already rebut or refute each allegation made in the report. The video is flawed and misleading.
19. Do you allow your customers to inspect your facilities?
We have an open door policy for all of our wholesale customers and various other industry professionals where they may arrive for a full tour during business hours, unannounced. Many of our wholesale customers perform announced and unannounced inspections of our facility several times a year. We have nothing to hide and always receive outstanding feedback from those who see how we really take care of our animals and the standards that we maintain.
