Just because the shop posts the animal care information doesn't necessarily mean the consumer would read it. I worked for Petco once, we had flyers I would hand out to customers who were considering purchasing fish. A single side page of a piece of paper that said "tetras need clean water" etc for most of the major family groups. I found these pieces of paper in the trash more often than not. Also, again, those information sheets produced by corporate are promoting the sale, and make the information on them so watered down as to be false. "oscars are easy to care for and make great pets" Yeah sure, but not in a 10 gallon tank, but they won't put that on there because a fish tank is an impulse buy, and most people go for the 10 and the puppy-dog eyes of the oscar. Money talks ya know.
Again I think I stated before that releasing a store from liability would probably be a bad thing, especially in the case of exotics. It is the consumer that keeps the place honest if it wants to maintain business. Lets say I sell you a snake, you sign a liability waiver, then two days later you have a dead snake. Did it get sick in your care or did I sell you an unhealthy animal? If I sold you an unhealthy animal, aren't you going to feel cheated out of the $100+ you spent on all the necessarities to keep it healthy, as well as angry that your child's favorite animal just died so you have to now go through the agony of explaining the afterlife to them? I'm up $100 and you have a crying kid on your hands. Sure, you may not shop at my store anymore, but there is a sucker born a minute, other people will buy from me. I sell unhealthy creatures to unsuspecting people. I don't have to pay for animal care because I know the animals are sick, and people pay me to give them sick animals. It's win-win for the dishonest shop if they are not made liable for the health of the animals they sell.
Most LFS have at least a two week waiting period, which is why IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A VET RESEARCHED THAT WILL TREAT YOUR ANIMAL BEFORE YOU PURCHASE ONE!! Especially with exotics because there are so very few exotic care professionals out there!! You purchase your reptile, and within the first two weeks of having it, take it to the vet. If the vet says the animal is ill and requires care, you can take the vet bill to the store and lemon laws will make the store pay for the vet care. Hell, you can hire a vet as a consultant on the purchase. They will give the prospective purchase a physical exam before you even buy it, and if they don't give the animal a bill of health, then why buy it in the first place?
Most people are unaware of the "lemon laws" of their states. A breeder or animal seller is repsponsible for selling a healthy animal. If that animal proves unhealthy within a certain time frame after puchase (usually 14 days) then the individual who sold the animal must either pay for the medical care or refund the purchase price and take the animal back. This usually applies to puppy and kitten breeders, or livestock, but I think many have been amanded to include exotic purchases as well, or are generalized to inculde all animal puchases.
Fact is, most folk are not going to take that $12.99 ball python to a $75 vet visit for a wellness check. We had a guinea pig come into our clinic for an ear infection, the office visit alone was $50, not including the antibiotic 'script or the ear cleanser, and the $25 medical waste fees for the injection it got in house. That's a whole lot of money to spend on a $10 guinea pig.
So stores have to be held liable for the health of the creatures they sell, there is no way around it. Consumer protection laws are made to protect people from being cheated. Exotics won't show they are sick until they are knocking at death's door, so it would be so easy to get away with cheating people on that score. Especially people who don't know what a sick exotic look like. Selling healthy animals is just good for business as well, good for building a reputation and keeping people returning to your store. If more stores thought this way, they would find they do much better.
Unfortunately animal care is costly and expesnive. LFSs are trying to make a profit, not spend money on fancy filtration units or skyrocketing water and electricty bills, or even paying rent on their facility. Many places barely break even. So if they are not making a profit, they cut corners, and unfortunately the animals suffer for it.
And the consumer is just as equally to blame for simply not doing their homework.
The pet trade is just simply a no win situation.
~~Colesea
Again I think I stated before that releasing a store from liability would probably be a bad thing, especially in the case of exotics. It is the consumer that keeps the place honest if it wants to maintain business. Lets say I sell you a snake, you sign a liability waiver, then two days later you have a dead snake. Did it get sick in your care or did I sell you an unhealthy animal? If I sold you an unhealthy animal, aren't you going to feel cheated out of the $100+ you spent on all the necessarities to keep it healthy, as well as angry that your child's favorite animal just died so you have to now go through the agony of explaining the afterlife to them? I'm up $100 and you have a crying kid on your hands. Sure, you may not shop at my store anymore, but there is a sucker born a minute, other people will buy from me. I sell unhealthy creatures to unsuspecting people. I don't have to pay for animal care because I know the animals are sick, and people pay me to give them sick animals. It's win-win for the dishonest shop if they are not made liable for the health of the animals they sell.
Most LFS have at least a two week waiting period, which is why IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE A VET RESEARCHED THAT WILL TREAT YOUR ANIMAL BEFORE YOU PURCHASE ONE!! Especially with exotics because there are so very few exotic care professionals out there!! You purchase your reptile, and within the first two weeks of having it, take it to the vet. If the vet says the animal is ill and requires care, you can take the vet bill to the store and lemon laws will make the store pay for the vet care. Hell, you can hire a vet as a consultant on the purchase. They will give the prospective purchase a physical exam before you even buy it, and if they don't give the animal a bill of health, then why buy it in the first place?
Most people are unaware of the "lemon laws" of their states. A breeder or animal seller is repsponsible for selling a healthy animal. If that animal proves unhealthy within a certain time frame after puchase (usually 14 days) then the individual who sold the animal must either pay for the medical care or refund the purchase price and take the animal back. This usually applies to puppy and kitten breeders, or livestock, but I think many have been amanded to include exotic purchases as well, or are generalized to inculde all animal puchases.
Fact is, most folk are not going to take that $12.99 ball python to a $75 vet visit for a wellness check. We had a guinea pig come into our clinic for an ear infection, the office visit alone was $50, not including the antibiotic 'script or the ear cleanser, and the $25 medical waste fees for the injection it got in house. That's a whole lot of money to spend on a $10 guinea pig.
So stores have to be held liable for the health of the creatures they sell, there is no way around it. Consumer protection laws are made to protect people from being cheated. Exotics won't show they are sick until they are knocking at death's door, so it would be so easy to get away with cheating people on that score. Especially people who don't know what a sick exotic look like. Selling healthy animals is just good for business as well, good for building a reputation and keeping people returning to your store. If more stores thought this way, they would find they do much better.
Unfortunately animal care is costly and expesnive. LFSs are trying to make a profit, not spend money on fancy filtration units or skyrocketing water and electricty bills, or even paying rent on their facility. Many places barely break even. So if they are not making a profit, they cut corners, and unfortunately the animals suffer for it.
And the consumer is just as equally to blame for simply not doing their homework.
The pet trade is just simply a no win situation.
~~Colesea
