J
jason
Guest
Yes, we've all seen the appalling conditions in which many species are kept at pet stores. At one in particular here in Evansville, IN there was a tank of Fire Newts mixed with goldfish and african clawed frogs. I don't know who thought this to be a good idea, but I most certainly didn't. In telling the minimum-wage employees that what was going on was wrong, they responded with a shrug of their shoulders.
Well, so I spent about $100 setting up a tank so that I could save a few from the fate I saw the previous batch suffer a year before. (Bit off legs, starved, or just plain dead.) I went and bought three of them, and they didn't even bother charging me full price, so I got them for $2 apiece. What I don't understand, is if you're going to treat something like its only a commodity, why don't you even bother making the full amount off of it? Furthermore, from a pet store owners standpoint, if they aren't profitable, and you don't know how to take care of them properly, why have them, make them suffer, and lose money on them because they die?
So Im happy to say, they are all doing fine and are very healthy. I've had them for a little over 3 months. In fact, one of them laid eggs and currently Im raising the larvae, of which about 6 survived.
The main point of all this is, I got them because I wanted them to live. I've loved newts and salamanders since first taking care of a barred tiger in animal husbandry in middle school. I think what I would like to do is eventually pass them on to someone who I know will take care of them, and continue to save more from the stores. I read the posts on here regularly and everyone seems really supportive, so I was wondering if anyone else does anything like this?
OK, one final thing, being an ethical issue. In buying the newts from the pet store, this would cause a demand for the species, in turn causing them to order more. What do you all think of this?
Well, so I spent about $100 setting up a tank so that I could save a few from the fate I saw the previous batch suffer a year before. (Bit off legs, starved, or just plain dead.) I went and bought three of them, and they didn't even bother charging me full price, so I got them for $2 apiece. What I don't understand, is if you're going to treat something like its only a commodity, why don't you even bother making the full amount off of it? Furthermore, from a pet store owners standpoint, if they aren't profitable, and you don't know how to take care of them properly, why have them, make them suffer, and lose money on them because they die?
So Im happy to say, they are all doing fine and are very healthy. I've had them for a little over 3 months. In fact, one of them laid eggs and currently Im raising the larvae, of which about 6 survived.
The main point of all this is, I got them because I wanted them to live. I've loved newts and salamanders since first taking care of a barred tiger in animal husbandry in middle school. I think what I would like to do is eventually pass them on to someone who I know will take care of them, and continue to save more from the stores. I read the posts on here regularly and everyone seems really supportive, so I was wondering if anyone else does anything like this?
OK, one final thing, being an ethical issue. In buying the newts from the pet store, this would cause a demand for the species, in turn causing them to order more. What do you all think of this?