Auntie jude......one for you

Visited a garden centre today....opposite a certain crematorium in maidstone......little leucistic babies in a hot, bright tank, on gravel, being swept around by massive filter current, no hides......can we do anything?.......apart from buy them all at £19.99 each

When I kept axolotls I would regularly rescue them from certain doom in petstores and garden centers etc, I just ended up with tanks full of damaged or sick axolotls that needed treatment, feeding and housing. Most were no good for breeding as pet trade axolotls back then always seemed to be the deformed or otherwise imperfect animals that should have really been culled by the breeder.
I know it's awful to see them suffering, but by buying them you are just encouraging the sellers to order more, If they all remain unsold and die, maybe they'll think twice before stocking them again.
That's my two cents worth, anyway.

Oh yeah I know exactly what you're talking about! I was in there at the weekend.

I spoke to them last year about it when I had my first batch of babies and was looking for outlets to take them. I told them I would only supply them if they got rid of the gravel and put them in a coldwater tank. Their response was to put some slates down on top of the gravel, now they have the mesh. Still too bright, still too warm, and a couple of months ago I left in tears over some little ones with no feet in an overcrowded tank.

Don't rescue them - they don't have axies all the time because they often have them die in their tanks . Terribly sad, but they import their axies from Europe and they often arrive malnourished or missing limbs.

I've offered advice and help - they are not interested - so I try and avoid the place.

(Shameless plug - if you want a juvie I have some very healthy and loved babies for sale - cheaper and better cared for!)

Yep auntyjude, that's the kind of thing I used to get if I raised my concerns about providing a proper environment for the animals for sale. At the end of the day the staff at petstores and garden centres etc are mostly just kids on minimum wage, so apart from a small percentage who have a genuine interest in what they are doing it's just a dead end job for most while they are at college.

The managers on the other hand need to keep the business viable, the sad fact is the wholesale price they pay for run of the mill aquarium fish, or axolotls, aquatic frogs or Asian newts etc is so ridiculously low that they couldn't care less if they eat gravel and die. Truth is, they make almost all their profit from dry goods like filters, heaters, koi pellets etc, so the couldn't care less staff are constantly under pressure to sell accessory's. If they can convince customers that they need a heater and gravel and maybe some marine hallibut pellets re packaged in a tub with a picture of a newt or whatever on it to go with their dying amphibians they've done their job in the eyes of their boss.

Sorry for ranting, I'll take my med's now!

Why is it that all the animal protection organizations only deal with the owners and not these fish stores that sell them petco petsmart and Wal-Mart are horrible hear and if there trying they are completely ineffective