#tales of terror at the reptile shop

[omg-snakes]

Do you know if there are ways to know if a snake from a pet shop has been properly taken care of or not? Asking since i've been visiting some and i saw one with a boa that had some kind of sinking or deformity on his tail, so i'm kinda wary now.

Hello, friend! I'm sorry to tell you that there is not.

I've worked in multiple areas of the pet industry and I've met the full gamut of types of shop owners, and while I don't consider all of them wicked people, some certainly are. Even the best of them have a bottom line to consider. This means that they won't divulge where their animals are coming from so that you can look into a breeder before making a choice, and they're likely buying animals from backyard breeders or bulk importers. This also means that it's unlikely that the animals they're selling will have established health histories.

Having worked at one of if not The biggest reptile chain in Northern California, I saw some horrors that scarred me for life. Among the lesser sins that took place there:

Folks who bred reptiles but didn't have incubators set up could bring their eggs in for incubation services, the price of which was half of the clutch, and the store owner would then sell the resulting babies as "born on-site," which was technically true! But we didn't know the parentage or health potential of any of these animals. We didn't sell incubators in the store for this specific reason.

Surrenders came in regularly from owners who didn't have the time or resources to care for their pets any longer. They went on the sales floor with a price tag the second the previous owner walked out the door. No veterinary care, no health evaluation, no observation period, nothing. If they looked okay they were priced at regular retail price and we were explicitly told to never admit that they had been surrendered. 100% profit.

Any animal that was injured or sickly, no matter where it came from or how it got injured, was tagged as a "surrender" that we would claim was dropped off by a bad former owner and we'd had them cleared by a vet so that we could rehome them. This was a lie. None of them ever got veterinary care, ever.

Enclosures were cleaned regularly but were never properly sterilized between animals. We sold veterinary-grade cleaner in the store but we were not allowed to use it because it was too expensive. We used diluted Lysol!

Again, this is a large reptile chain with multiple stores and mostly positive online reviews* and I wouldn't trust them with a pet rock, let alone anything breathing.

You're much better off getting a snake from a reputable breeder, or at least someone who can answer reasonable questions about feeding, parentage, genetics, any possible health issues, etc.

*the owner actually reported negative reviews and would have employees write good ones while I was there.

#They consider themselves the Elon Musk of reptiles... #yeah pretty much #snake #snakes #reptile #reptiles #reptiblr #answers to questions #text post #i still have some ptsd from that job #I'm not kidding it almost destroyed me #pet store #tales of terror at the reptile shop #shockingly that's still not the WORST reptile job I've had #there was the one who tried to burn down the shop for insurance money #or the one that I'm 99% certain was a front for drugs #don't work at a pet store! #don't buy animals at a pet store!

[disgruntledblacksheep]

<Go go go,> I hissed to Racket. He pulled his slingshot taut and edged backwards behind a dumpster.

I crept along the filthy smelly wall, praying that nothing disgusting catches on my sexy as hell pleather biker jacket.

I flip both of my knives open and the satisfying snick! rings like music in my ears.

We both hear a low guttural growl coming from the dark, streetlamp flooded sidewalk beyond the alley way in which Racket and I hid. I could hear Racket's teeth chattering. Even street goons got the heebie jeebies.

I stepped one combat booted foot into the orange glow of the streetlamp and in the corner of my eye saw a scarlet, slightly feathery grey-blue tale slink into the night's darkness that swallowed overturned cars, destroyed buildings, rotting garbage heaps and an abominable number of wild vermin and sleeping strays.

Racket crept behind me. Soon he was close enough that his warm breaths raised the hairs on the back of my neck.

<I saw it too>, he says. <It went left, but we don't know how many there are>.

<We better keep along the edges. As long as none of them can sneak up on us from behind, the odds of us surviving are higher>, I say through clenched teeth, my entire body rattled with nerves.

<Hey, Pillow, just in case we end up on some velociraptor's menu tonight, I have a confession to make>, says Racket.

I roll my eyes despite my fear, and slip my body against a hard surface and creep.

<Arent you gonna ask me what it is?> He asks.

<No. I'm not sure I want to know>, I say, opening and closing my knives, pushing the closing mechanism with my thumbs and forefingers, the cool metal nipping at the thin meat of my fingers.

<Can you at least not flip your knives around like you're planning on gutting me then?> Says Racket, aiming his slingshot behind, his back towards me as we creep away from the alley.

His long black dreds swing back and forth across his back in the darkness that swallows him whole, catching street lamp light like a curtain of sleeping cables.

<I think it's gone,> I say. <Maybe it found something else to scare half to death out here.>

<Maybe, and maybe not. Think I should call out and see if any of my crew is out here?> Racket suggests.

<No,> I say. Then bite my bottom lip. <Well, if push comes to shove. It's enough I'm working with you. Your crew are scumbags. If things get messy I won't hesitate to cut some dicks off>.

<Hey hey, that's a little extra, pillow. All of us out here just want to survive. I know some members of Bloodhounds hurt you in the past, and maybe I should never know who.... but.... they're....we're, not all like that> says Racket, understanding and genuine care in his voice.

Then with one hand, the one with a closed knife in it, I tug at the hem of his ink black duster jacket.

<Shhhhh,> I whisper.

Right there in the ruined street, I saw two eyes reflecting light in the dark. Racket turns to look at me, his eyes were wide with terror, and a gleam of sweat shone on his brow. He places one tattooed hand on my shoulder then pushes off, heading straight into the street with his slingshot, his weapons and gear jangling as he ran.

My heart fluttered with both panic, adrenaline and a drive to preserve the life of my night patrol partner and ultimately, my friend. I pushed off the wall and shot off in the opposite direction in case anything tries to sneak up on him from another angle.

I hear a whistle when I stop between an overturned dumpster and what used to be delivery truck. I look up and see Racket on top of an old rusty car with his slingshot aimed.

<I got you covered, Pill,> he calls out.

I nod, swallow metallic tasting saliva, and look around me frantically. I pull on my night vision goggles from off my forehead just to be sure.

The dusky world turns green. I see burned trees, lots of debris, rats with beady eyes scurrying about. And then, I see it. Razor sharp teeth, long graceful jaw, reptile eyes, intimidating head and back feathers---

I dash behind a door still standing in its frame but without the shop that it was once a part of. I hear growls, snaps, and breathing.

It's here. In fact. They, are here.

TBC

#random story #dinosaurs #dinosaur fiction #post apocalyptic #writers unblock #i wrote something #scifi thing

[halloweenfor]

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#Dragon NinjasArray