bad experience with ANIMAL ISLAND PET SHOP in crestwood

[msu spartan]

i went there looking for some crickets,salt,and a 10g tank

i got the salt, and was going to get the 10g, when an employee takes out a feeder rat, and takes it by the tail and slams it into a metal door about 5 times, and puts it in a bag. the lady asked for 4 rats, so i just walked away, when he asked me if i want the tank, i said not anymore

ill never go there again because i hate to see that stuff happen

 

[slammer3166]

Sad to say but that happens at alot of stores selling snakes-snakes need to eat to I guess.

 

[msu spartan]

yea i no, but why do they gotta swing it by the tail and hit it on a metal door 5 times?

 

[slammer3166]

They usually do that to stun or knock it out so the snake can get to it easier.

 

[msu spartan]

but he did it soon as he grabbed it, then put it in a bag, and i heard it still moviing? and it would be consciious by the time it got home, or dead from blood loss

and if they absolutley have to do that to them, they should at least do it in the back of the store

 

[Pufferpunk]

You can train a snake to eat dead, frozen (defrosted in the microwave) mice/rats. That's why I stopped keeping large frogs. I smacked a mouse & it was going into a seizure & had a bloody nose. I felt too sorry for the food I guess.

 

[drparker]

They don't want the snake to get bit or scratched by the rat during the struggle and get an infection. The lady probably could not do it herself so ask them to. You want to do right before you feed so the snake still senses warmth.

The reason he had to do it five times he was not very good at it, he's trying to break the neck. I used to have a python after a while I got to where one flick of the wrist would work. I gave it away before it got big enough to eat chickens or rabbits.

 

[pgaschulz]

Its a great pet shop and great people that run it, Jason is top notch! Just like throwing feeders in a tank I guess.....They should let some of these things go downtown chicago to get all those rats...

 

[skunkmere]

the circle of life.

 

[sellout007]

Re: bad experience with ANIMAL ISLAND PET SHOP in crestwood

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11799398#post11799398 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by drparker
They don't want the snake to get bit or scratched by the rat during the struggle and get an infection. The lady probably could not do it herself so ask them to. You want to do right before you feed so the snake still senses warmth.

The reason he had to do it five times he was not very good at it, he's trying to break the neck. I used to have a python after a while I got to where one flick of the wrist would work. I gave it away before it got big enough to eat chickens or rabbits.

Bingo.

Believe me or not, but when you do it right its instantaneous. The movement you heard was most likely just the nerves still moving the body. Kinda like a chicken getting its head cut off. Its much less painful then actually feeding a live rat to a snake.

And for the most part you can usually get a snake to take frozen/thawed rats. But there are cases when they absolutely refuse it. I personally haven't had an issue with it, but a lot of people do have a problem feeding frozen/thawed. Also a lot of people have a problem with keeping frozen rats next to their pizza's.

 

[ostrow]

Re: Re: bad experience with ANIMAL ISLAND PET SHOP in crestwood

Re: Re: bad experience with ANIMAL ISLAND PET SHOP in crestwood

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11799544#post11799544 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sellout007
Also a lot of people have a problem with keeping frozen rats next to their pizza's.

:rollface:

 

[Pufferpunk]

I've got 2 kinds of live worms in my fridge.

 

[msu spartan]

oo

 

[dbrown]

The same thing happens to those returned gerbils and hampsters that are biters. Only thing I'm surprised about is he didn't bag him then wack him. Either way I'm sure its a lot less terrifying then getting squeezed for 3-4 minutes, or if its really unlucky getting swallowed before its actually dead...

 

[triple j]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11799433#post11799433 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by pgaschulz
Its a great pet shop and great people that run it, Jason is top notch! Just like throwing feeders in a tank I guess.....They should let some of these things go downtown chicago to get all those rats...

I agree, I also own a couple of snakes and got them both from Jason, this is common with snake owners. It is much safer for the snake, less chance for the snake to get bit by the rat and scared or get infections. They are more geared to reptiles in that store and for those who aren't used to it it can seem cruel but this is what these rats are bred for, snakes gotta eat and this is the safest way to feed them. When I come home with a rat my wife goes the other way she hates feeding time. My ball python is a pain in the but he will only eat live prey I've tried thawed/ frozen or dead rats but he'll have nothing to do with them unless he kills it himself.

 

[msu spartan]

i didnt know they did that to the hamsters that bite

i just hate to see it happen in front of me

 

[sellout007]

Yeah, kinda shady they did it out in the open. When I worked at the Reptile House, we always did that in the back so no one would see. Next time bring it up to the owners/manager, I am sure it wouldn't happen again.

 

[livingcorals]

You could call up animal cruelty on this place and make out a complaint.

It is always best to feed a snake frozen meals since it will be mite free and other issues that can occurs.

Than again sometimes it just best to leave and not go back...

 

[houndstooth]

I bet they sell rats as pets too... Irony is sweet... "Be nice to it if you want it as a pet but if its just for a snake we will break its neck for you"

If you don't have anything agianst snakes eating rats that you should be happy that the person swung 5 times. Killing an animal is WAY nicer that mortally wounding it and letting it die slowly.
The rat was probably dead on the first swing. If not, at that point it was no longer aware of its inevitable demise. A lot of employees in pet stores are taught to overdo it. You don't want the rat to be alive and running around when the person gets home. I don't know why they did it in plain view though. That just seems kinda stupid. Point being, if your gonna kill something then make sure its dead. I wonder if they could kill rats with ether fumes. I bet it would work but it would only "look" more humane and in reality be a lot more cruel. Sometimes the nicest way isnt the prettiest.

 

[renisel]

As gruesome as that may have looked, when you're killing an animal, the more violent you are about it, the quicker and more painless its death will tend to be. I would actually be more put off if I saw him half-heartedly smack its head against a table and then throw it in the bag. That said, this method of "sacrificing" and animal is no longer allowed in research because it's often done improperly, and is quite cruel when the animal isn't actually killed. Pithing would probably be more humane, but I guess you probably wouldn't want to see that in the middle of the store either.