The first and most obvious problem is the fact that all of the information that a pet store provides an owner requires the owner to purchase the equipment and supplies that the pet store sells. This creates a problem for reptile owners who are seeking honest and scientifically proven information for their pets. This type of information is all to often motivated more by the financial benefits that it provides to the pet store owner, rather than the actual health benefits that it has for the reptiles themselves. An example of this is the fact that despite the proven health risk that heat rocks present to reptiles and there inefficiency as a heat source, many pet stores still sell and recommend these rocks to their reptile owners as a necessary part of a basic reptile set up.
Not all pet store owners are as concerned with money above all else and instead would rather offer their customers the best information that they have available to them. The only problem with this type of pet store is that despite their best intentions they have no scientific or special training that allows them to provide accurate information. Most of the information that they receive is in the form of the books that they sell in their stores. These books are often priced for the beginner and contain only very basic information related to the basic needs of the animal in question. Often times these books contain out of date information or information written by other untrained individuals who have based their information on their own antidotal experiences with a limited number of reptiles. This information was not obtained using the scientific method and therefor may only work some of the time or not at all. Many of the current scientific and veterinary studies underway regarding reptiles have already begun to disprove some of this type of antidotal information. All that is required to own and operate a pet store is the financial means to do so and the proper permits and licensing to operate a business and not training or a degree in veterinary medicine, biology or herpetology.
Despite their lack of formal schooling many pet store owners will attend seminars and other courses regarding the care of reptiles, which is usually perfectly acceptable, but these seminars are often run by individuals from the pet industry that manufacture the products that the pet stores sells and are instructed by individuals employed by these companies with degrees in business, not animal care. Many of these manufacturers will provide information that supports their products. The problem with this type of information is that the studies that the manufacturers base their information on was provided by the manufacture itself and not based on outside independent studies. In the rare case where and independent study was performed on a given product, there was usually more than one study and the manufacture will only refer to the one study that agreed with its findings and fails to mention the 10 other studies that disagreed with the use of their product. This type of bias information is common in every type of business and is not exclusive to the pet trade, yet when it comes to our pets we humans often place our feelings before our common sense. The best example of this is the dog owner that walks into a pet store to by a puppy and walks out with a puppy, a flea collar, water bowl, food bowl, bed, rawhide chew treats and a collar. After taking their new puppy to the vet for its first check up the owner soon learns that a flea collar is an ineffective means for eliminating fleas, a water and food bowl could have been found at home under the kitchen counter that would have served the same purpose and looked just as good as the one they bought at the store, a bed that is not used because the vet recommend placing the puppy in a crate at night to help with house breaking, and a rawhide chew treat that is chewed up and causes an intestinal tract blockage that requires surgical removal (common in puppies that chew up everything). The only necessary item that the new dog owner purchased was the collar that will help with training. A classic comparison to reptiles are heat rocks, heat pads, "reptile" stick on thermometers, corn cob bedding, bark bedding, cedar bedding, a 10 gallon aquarium that will have to be replaced as the animal grows, useless forms of lighting, fancy waterfalls that make cleaning and sanitation more complex.
The last and final reason for misinformation by the pet store is the high school kid who is working part-time for minimum wage to earn enough money to buy a car or the individual who is working there because they could not get a job in the animal field because of their lack of education or training. The only information that they have to provide is the information that was provided to them by the store owner. Often times they are motivated to sell a particular item based on a bonus type of program. Despite knowing that this individual has probably not even graduated high school yet or would other wise be working at the Mc Donalds, owners will often take them at their word just because they are standing behind the counter at the store. For some mysterious reason pet owners are blinded by the sales desk at a pet store because the word "PET" is involved and they often overlook the obvious.
The bottom line here is that when it comes to any other subject we as consumers would never rely on the store to provide us with reliable information, not even when it comes to human health related products. In the case of our pets we allow ourselves to be blinded by our feelings for these creatures and become very poor consumers, believing that what ever the salesperson tells us is the truth. When buying a computer, one would take the time to research the different types of computers available and the different accessories available, but when it comes to a pet we often walk into a pet store and forget that it is just that a STORE, not a source of reliable scientific information. The best way that a potential reptile owner can protect themselves and their pets from this type of misinformation is to always remember the old rule of buyer beware also applies to animals as well and when seeking health care information, preventative health information and general care information you should always rely on a scientific, veterinary source or a properly trained individual and not a salesperson.
The comments made in this article are not directed at any single individual, product, service, company or organization and are being made in order to
provide the reader with a better understanding of the proper method for researching reliable information on reptiles and to help
prevent the unnecessary loss of life that may result from improper information.
