Petsmart doesn't know a thing about snails

[Vaportle]

I usually get my apple snails at Petsmart (it's the closest pet store around). The first two I got, one died, the other one is a pig. I just got another one last week. Anyway, I asked them what they fed their snails, they said "they eat algae". Blah. So I suggested to them to feed them some stuff like cabbage, cucumbers, stuff like that. Then the worker said, "Really? I didn't know snails could eat fruits and vegetables."

I also see these dead snails with horribly cracked shells, with their "skin" stuck in a sharp edge. Disgusting. Might not be as bad as some other pet stores around, but..

Another thing. They said a couple of jade snails were black brigs. Geez.

[badflash]

They are uniformly bad. They have no interest in the snails, just the money.

[rlynch7806]

Mine wouldn't sell them to me when I said they were going in a tropical tank...they told me that they prefer cold water. They also had them in with big goldfish and none of them had their tentacles still in tact.

[flaringshutter]

i can't even look into the petsmart snail tanks anymore. i mean, all their tanks are pretty bad, but the snail tanks are unbelievable. empty shells, cracked and broken shells on live snails, holes, snails eating other snails... they never feed them, and it's only a matter of time until they all die. it's incredibly sad.

[Crimson]

I just got my first Ivory snail from Petsmart and out of four tanks of snails
she was the ONLY one alive and mobile.

Dead, cracked and empty shells litter the bottoms of all four tanks
and fish pick at the remains.

My snail was on top of the lone rock in the center of the tank looking out
in need of salvation.

Long story short, I'm a snail guy now.

[kunkira]

same thing at petco.when i pointed out that the large fancy goldfish were dining on the gold brigs, i was told "but the snails prefer to be in cold water".very sad.

[pbgroupie]

Hello Crimson and welcome to the forum family! It's always nice to meet a new snail addict!

[Kanaria]

Long story short, I'm a snail guy now.

Poor love xD
I talked about my Lemon so much he had to run off and get a snaily of his own.

[Crimson]

Hello Crimson and welcome to the forum family! It's always nice to meet a new snail addict!

Thank you, I named her sesame because she refuses to open.

[Annie Anderson]

Welcome to applesnail Crimson! I hope she opens for you soon. You did a very good thing for her getting her out of PetSmart into your nice tank . She'll be so much happier now

[nichjake]

The petsmart near me always have chucks of lettuce and other veggies in with their snails. They also usually have orange slices for the fish to pick at as well. I'm actually usually pretty impressed by the condition of the fish at my petsmart. It could be better but for a big chain its not too bad.

[Blue_Briggs_Guy84]

I don't consider all petcos and petsmarts the same it all depends on who they hire and how thier knowledge of aquatic animals and other animals care requirements. I however have worked at a petsmart and 2 different petland stores and every one of my customers would stop shopping at one store and come to whereever i was working due to my tanks being stocked right and my knowledge of the fish and other aquatics i worked with at the store and at my home. Not to make anyone mad but that is how i see the big chain stores.

~Michael Drake~
aka Randy / Eky

[Josh Young]

I bought two snails and an empty shell there at petsmart yesterday.

We waited 20 minutes to be helped, then I told the lady I wanted two blacks and one blue, so she gave me two blues and one black, I told her which ones i wanted, so she grabbed the ones I was not directing her to get by stirring the snails when I pointed out which ones I wanted.

One of them didn't open up when I got it home... I held it up to the light... it was just water inside, no snail.

The snails were small, about an inch, so they actually have really nice shells still, despite coming from a population that is mostly dead in the store.

A close friend of mine thinks they are algae eaters and has 3 apple snails (P. bridgesii) in a 30 gallon tank with a turtle and an Oscar... he thinks that pet store owners are experts on things they clearly are not. I am talking about small locally owned pet stores too, ones run for 20 years by a guy with tons of knowledge about many things, but not snails.

I hope to never have to deal with pet stores again, regardless of what they are. I hope to deal only with private breeders and fellow snail enthusiasts.

[BlackGoldMysterys]

I got two snails yesterday. They are so rough with their snails, they just rip them out of the tanks! Also to test them I asked how you could tell genders, they said there is no way to! I mean learn about your animals!

[xXColtzFanXx]

I honestly dont know why i keep reading these threds they just make me so angery