Finding a good pet store can be as easy as following your nose. All pet stores have an odor, but they should never smell like a barnyard. Take a deep breath next time you are shopping. Is there an overwhelming smell of feces? Of old food? Of disinfectants? These odors are all signs of a bad pet store.
Proper husbandry demands sanitary conditions for the animals. Animals living in their own dirt will not be as healthy as those living in clean cages. Hamsters are notorious for the copious quantities of urine. If left to live in dirty cages, they can develop ‘wet tail’, a form of diarrhea that is very difficult to cure. Keeping birds in cages with a week’s worth of feces, puts them in jeopardy of fungal, viral, and bacterial infections. Reptiles too, suffer the ill effects of filthy cages. Iguanas have a tendency to crawl over each other. Their long toenails act like syringes, puncturing skin tissue infecting other animals in the habitat. There is not an animal in the world that can tolerate filthy environments and live a healthy life.
Food and water dishes should be clean and full. There is a difference between ‘filthy’ and ‘bird soup’! Many of the larger birds just love to dunk their food. Some find great fun in dunking their toys, resulting in off color water. If you can see that the cage has been cleaned, the food supply replenished, then it is likely that they started the day with clean water.
Visually check all the animals in the store. Check that eyes are clear, feathers are tight to the body, scales on reptiles are flat and that eyes are not sunken. Are the animals active? Ferrets are notoriously heavy sleepers. Don’t be alarmed if they do not move. When awake, they are extremely hyper! No animal should have a messy bottom. This is a sign of ill health. Run, don’t walk, out the door!
Do you feel comfortable in the store or are the sales clerks shadowing you as if your main goal is to steal the store? Did someone say ‘hello’? If you are ignored, shop elsewhere.
Is the staff well informed? Do they answer your questions fully and with ease? Try these questions to see how knowledgeable they are. 1.Ask how many fish you can put in a 10 gallon tank. If they give you a specific number, buy your fish elsewhere. If they ask you about your tank, size, shape, type of fish already in the tank, you have found a decent fish store. 2. Ask what size cage a parakeet needs. If they show you a ‘starter’ cage, 9"x11", find another store to purchase your bird. The best answer is, the largest cage you can afford and have room for. 3. Find out the size enclosure they recommend for an iguana. If shown a 10 gallon tank, find another store quickly. The smallest size to purchase is a 30 gallon tank, 36" long. Iguanas grow rapidly in their first year and will need a larger setup quite soon.
If you are seeking a specific type of pet, research it first so you have a good basis for questions when you get to the store. This will also allow you to know if the answers you are receiving are correct.
Good luck in your search. There ARE good pet stores out there!