Require pet stores to have certified reptile specialists

Reptiles are wonderful and awe inspiring pets, but they require a lot of specific care, and often times, a lot of money. Many people who buy reptiles know very little about them and they rely on the place of purchase to give them the crash course. But I walk into a pet store and all I see are poorly cared for, often sick or injured reptiles. The husbandry is all wrong and the associates are not trained to spot the signs of illness. So the customer leaves the store with a potentially sick animal and a plethora of bad information.

Quality reptile care information is readily available for free, and many stores sell manuals and husbandry sheets. Yet they still house these animals with improper lighting, improper substrate and far less food than they need to flourish. Most reptiles that go into large chain pet stores never come out alive. Many that do, die within their first year due to misinformation provided by sales associates.

This is a photo of a baby dragon's foot that was chewed off by another dragon. She was rescued by a member of Reptile Care Alliance. Had the shop known anything about bearded dragons, they would have known that after a certain age, they are very territorial and will fight for dominance. They will also try to eat each other if they are not fed enough.

Our cause is to require pet stores to have certified reptile specialists on duty to ensure proper care while they are at the store and quality care information when they go to their new home. If this means that fewer pet stores continue to sell reptiles because they do not want to pay a specialist, so be it. This cruel neglect has to stop.

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