Petco Reliable Dealer?

So I was shopping and saw that Petsmart has treefrogs for 50% off. Woe is me, I am completely broke and can't get a $13 White's!




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So sorry, that sucks.

I began to read the other replies, but then thought, the best way to voice my opinion would be just to let you have it.

There is a Petco near where I live and I have begun thinking it is the 2nd worst in the area.

The past two times I've gone there, only for crickets, I pointed out a dead White's each time.
DISGUSTING!!!
Despite the store being clean (which is the only thing that looks on the up-and-up) the workers and pretty generic with their knowledge of reptiles/amphibians.
I must say though, there was this one guy working there who seemed to be more into the rep/amph dept than the other employees. The more I bought crickets from him I could tell his disgust with his management was rising.
...thus he quit...
...thus I have seen the recent frog deaths (probably from neglect).
Thought I might let you know..."they blow"
...you usually get what you pay for...cheap=cheap

Petco is really hit and miss. It all depends on management and the people they hire. When I worked there, we had managers who had no clue on how to care for amphibians or reptiles. They didn't care either and always relied on Petco's veterinarians that supposedly decided on the care of these animals. I eventually quit in disgust over the constant fights with management.

Yup that's how I feel when I go to Petco. The only time I buy stuff there is either for like substrate or stuff for our dogs. The staff doesn't really ever seem to know a lot about reptiles/amphibians from everyone I've gone into and I don't think that there's are in the best of condition either. Maybe I'm wrong, just an opinion from what I've seen.

petco,reliable,healthy,frogs,all in the same sentence? i'd take out the middle two words. at least for the petco by me in florida. i had to rescue two whites from my local one today as they were housed with a baby ball python! no water,no food, and on a dirt substrate!....we ended up with 2 whites and 5 firebellys because of the conditions. i started a investigation at the board of health and fish and wildlife. i also made some corporate phone calls..hope this helps others. the only thing i would buy from them is crickets and calcium suppliment!

I bought alot of animals from petco,or should i say rescued. They have these weired sales like 75% of on crested geckos,day geckos, whites tree frogs. They sell them real expensive the whole year and one day they have sales. I paid 12 bucks for the cresties, 30 bucks for the giant geckos,and 10 bucks for the Whites Tree Frog. they are all doing great .I haven't lost one . But i had some issues getting these animals, due to the clueless,useless, dumbest,unexperienced, trolls that petco hires. They made my buying experience a nightmare.

I have gotten frogs from Petco in the past and all of them always did really well, BUT...

About 8 months ago,
I had decided I was going to start keeping Red Eyes and built a new 50g live planted setup just for them. One day I went in knowing there was a sale on Red Eyes, and purchased 3. To my dismay, 2 immediately showed signs of illness from just going from the store and to my house- a 12 minute drive. Had them all checked out by a local herp vet later that day. She said they had Springs Disease? (I believe was her diagnosis). They stayed overnight at the vet to be observed and died that very night ...
Apparently this is something that RET males can suffer from when removed during breeding season?

Nonetheless, I have completely turned away from RET and have no intentions of trying that species again. Personally, I believe it was Petco's fault for not providing them with proper humidity/temp, and also the fact I learned later- they were wild caught. (Yes, shame on me for not looking more into why they were so cheap!) I feel really bad for what happened. I'm sticking to my L. vermiculatus colony & other misc frogs I have had good experience with.

As far as Petco goes, stick to CB animals that look healthy. If what you're looking into is a specie you have never cared for before, talk to people who really know what they're doing ie a breeder and buy from someone who knows their frogs! The firebellies, walking frogs, tomato frogs, and crested geckos have always been healthy whenever I did get one from Petco; but I HIGHLY recommend buying anything more exotic from a true keeper of the species. A good breeder is always willing to offer a tour of the facility and answer any questions and concerns that may arise with the animal(s) before and after purchase.

Sorry for the rant. Just a cruddy RET Petco Experience ........

That's why they have easy to keep,common animals. To tell you the truth,I'm surpriseed to find Madagascar giant day gackos there.

there's a baby green cranwelli at my local petco and i'm debating whether I should buy it or not...

Tiko think about it . Don't rush. Did you see the ornate, They have more colors. Try to take a pic of the frog so we can see him.

Originally Posted by tikonides

there's a baby green cranwelli at my local petco and i'm debating whether I should buy it or not...

I'm actually more interested in a cranwelli, even though the one here at petco is labeled ornata but its really a cranwelli, have you guys purchased a pacman frog from them ? and are they healthy ?

update: I purchased it, hopefully it'll all be good !

He's going to be fine. Actually they have good animals ,bad staffing.. Besides youre're a trooper on frogs now. You know your stuff,better than any staff member in petco,petsmart. Lets see some pics. I'm happy you rescued the poor thing. I'm proud of you.

yea lol I'm surprised because it was pretty chubby for such a small frog