PetSmart

[Golden_Apple_Snail_Lover]

They had over 15 snails in a 1/2 gallon tank!THey were all black and gold mystery snails.All they had to eat in there was a small peice of a tank plant.The cage was clean though.I bought a black a gold mystery snail AND THE BLACK ONE IS A MOMMY NOW!I just hope PetSmart improve their conditions in their cage . :snail:

[firefly]

WHat area do you live in? Pet smart is supposed to have the snails in the main system with all the other aquatic critters. ALso, they are supposed to be fed weekend feeders and zuchinni and lettuce. WE do this at my store! (I work there) and where I live, the Petcos are all really bad. Give bad fish advice, have dead/dying fish (of course our system is having serious issues right now as well...), and just aren't as good. I know a lot of it is based on the people that work there, but also from what I've seen, our store is a little stricter from the top down on doing things right/well.

EMily

[Golden_Apple_Snail_Lover]

I live in Indiana.I just remeber that they had only a little piece of a water plant but out side thier cage was millions of plants.I just gave mine a some green beans(like the care thing said,feed the veggies)The shy one is eating alway right now.the other one is looking for a spot to lay her eggs.They have much more room in my tank than the pet store one.Tommorow I am buying some letice and other fruits and veggies for them and also some more calicum things. :snail:

[firefly]

We do have a live plant tank, but those aren't to feed anything. Also, our snails are brigs, and aren't likely to eat plants. Many brigs will starve to death in a tank full of HEALTHY plants if not given food! I don't know why they were in such a tiny tank. Ours aren't in a huge tank,but the water quality is ALWAYS excellent, and they get fed and such. THey definitely have more room once they leave the store, but they have enough to do o.k. while there. I'm sure many snails that come from our breeders (or those offering extra snails they have) are in crowded conditions as well. While the tank may be large, there are so many snials it isn't roomy! While our snails have thier weekend feeders almost all the time, and just because you dont' see food in there at the time doesn't mean they aren't being fed (though in most pet stores they probably aren't). When my snails have finished their food, I dont' add more, and I take it out after a certain time if it is uneaten (though there usually is none left). Most animals do not live in the same conditions they need for a long healhty life in the pet store. They are only there a short time (hopefully), and we do make sure they are healthy and get plenty of food and water and get medical care if sick (the larger animals, somewhat limited on fish--we do have some hospital tanks, nothing really for snails ). What gets me is all the people who want to keep the animals exactly how we have them and think it is fine. They don't seem to see/think that OH wait, these animals have only enough room to turn around, and they all sleep on top of each other--it could be because they like each other, but maybe it's because there is no room to do anything else?!? I always use the analogy of a hotel. NOt a fancy one, but an inexpensive one. YOu certainly wouldn't want to live in one small hotel room for your life would you? But, you would gladly stay there a few days or a week or so on vactaion right? Well, here is like the hotel for the animals, but they need something larger etc. at home. Also, most of our aquatic and reptile animals are not full grown. Hey, even most of our small furries aren't full grown. The only things that are are birds. If the animal is going to grow it WILL need more space. PEople don't seem to get that either. They want to put the tiny lizard in the little cage. I say, "when it grows up it will need this size cage" Why? they ask. Well, it will be two feet long when it is older, it won't even fit in the first cage you have selected! I"m glad you've found petco to be good in your area. I would like it if all pet stores were good. Then less animals would suffer!

EMily

[Golden_Apple_Snail_Lover]

I remember seeign a tiny peice of aquarium plant.But all teh snails were tryign to get on it at once .My sanisl have just saw each other well they were touching each other and I was wonderign ,are they gonna stay together or separate.I thoguth they might saty away for each other but they are like smothering each other today.I think they are gonna mater.:( -lol- I have already make plans for their babies! :snail:

[Rainbowmomma]

I have to jump in here. I live in Missouri, and Petsmart is far better than the other pet** box store. I see my petsmart feed fresh fruit and veggies. There tanks are clean, and cared for. Plants look good too. The 'other' store is, well, DISGUSTING!!! Dead fish, snails, everywhere.

[Guest]

WHat area do you live in? Pet smart is supposed to have the snails in the main system with all the other aquatic critters. ALso, they are supposed to be fed weekend feeders and zuchinni and lettuce. WE do this at my store! (I work there) and where I live, the Petcos are all really bad. Give bad fish advice, have dead/dying fish (of course our system is having serious issues right now as well...), and just aren't as good. I know a lot of it is based on the people that work there, but also from what I've seen, our store is a little stricter from the top down on doing things right/well.

EMily

The PetSmart I work at keeps 20 or 30 of them locked in a tiny critter tote submerged fully under water in the plant tank with no air and from being there many times, I've seen no food in their tiny death cage. Half of the snails die before somebody buys them. (I work in specialty even though them giving me only 5 hours of work a week shouldn't be considered work at all. I'm about to drop that job once I find a job that works with computers.) I fussed at them many times about the treatment of the snails and even printed out a snail care sheet from here and gave it to the manager in charge. One of the braindead employees decided to take my advice for half a day but decided to put them back underwater after telling me "I didn't see them getting air.". So whenever I am there, I pick out the cage and sit it above water so there will be a space for them to get air and everytime I do that, a few minutes later, I see all of them crowded at the surface getting their air that they need. I drop in a zuchini and some shrimp pellets and the food is gone by the time I leave. Pathetic on how people are these days. Money comes first, everything else comes last. I will be so glad to get away from all retail businesses for good.

[Guest]

You should really contact Petsmarts headoffice about that....

I work at a Petsmart as well, and our snails are kept in the main system in about ten gallons of water. We feed them zucchini and Kale....we carry both Gold and Black Mystery snails and the tank is always clean and provides plenty of surface area for them with slate, lava rock, and "turtle docks" (there are also firebelly toads in there). I know that when the hermit crabs weren't being taken care of properly, I contacted head office and they made official changes! Try taking it a step further

[armagedon48]

They had over 15 snails in a 1/2 gallon tank!THey were all black and gold mystery snails.All they had to eat in there was a small peice of a tank plant.The cage was clean though.I bought a black a gold mystery snail AND THE BLACK ONE IS A MOMMY NOW!I just hope PetSmart improve their conditions in their cage .

Petsmart should have all their snails in the main system, its how corporate wants it. if they have the snails in something such as a plant tank, then that might be because something is horribly wrong with the water in the main system. also keep in mind that petsmart will hire anyone that is willing to work, meaning all their employees could be unaware of the care of snails. the petsmart i work at has some very smart people, and we just hired some new employees that are clueless on everything fish related. at the store i work at, the snails are always dieing. i tell costomers that if they want snails, to buy them within 24 hours of arrival or else the snails will likely die. the water has elevated heavy metals that is killing our snails, loaches, plecos, and bala sharks. i have talked to the corporate manager and he isnt willing to do anything, because fixing the problem cost to much money.

if you have a problem with a corporate store, write to the corporate office. do not hassle the employees, many of them are only trying to make money to pay rent. petsmart doesnt pay enough to have knowlegable employees at every store.

[mom42680]

our petsmart does not evn sell snails. I went the other day to look for a different color snail and they said they do not sell them. I was sad Walmart will sell them but a pet store will not

[nichjake]

My local petsmart keeps them in a 1 gal critter tote thing submerged in the plant tank system thing. The top of the totes are always above water and I've never been there when the snails didn't have something proper to eat. Conditions could be better...but they're definatly not the worst I've seen.

[ONUnicorn]

I first got my snails at Petsmart back in January. At that time the snails they had looked mostly happy and healthy.

Saturday I was in there again, and most of their snails didn't look so good. I pointed it out to the woman, and she said she that they came in a while ago and some of them probably starved because they aren't allowed to feed them.

She said it's "Petsmart policy". They're allowed to eat the algae growing in the tank, and any fish food that the fish don't eat. That's it. She says she sometimes leaves dead fish in there longer then they're supposed to because the snails will eat them. There was a snail eating a dead fish when she said that.

I told her they love zucchini and she said she knows, and that she has some at home that she feeds zucchini, but she can't feed them zucchini at work or she'll get fired.

[Crimson]

That's nothing, the Petsmart here had probably 30 of them in a tiny tank.
Don't go there when they get shipments in...

I'd say Petco is better, they had their brigs in a large tank set up with plants and wood.
It was really nice.

[firefly]

I told her they love zucchini and she said she knows, and that she has some at home that she feeds zucchini, but she can't feed them zucchini at work or she'll get fired.

Call corporate about that. Snails are supposed to get zucchini daily. Also, they get weekend feeders all the time too. It's the rules!!

[Sand]

there are two stores on U.S. hwy 19 in clearwater florida. they keep MANY completely submerged at the bottom of the tank in the plastic containers with the lids on, in the plant tank. i said to the girl "gee maybe they can't breathe look at thier breather things all sticking up towards the sky." she said, no they can breathe under there.
can they? i was so sad for them