Ah, petshops

[Dusk]

While waiting for a bus this morning I had a look around a petshop near the stop. They usually don't have anything live except hamsters and rats so I was intrigued by a tub labelled 'Giant African Land Snails' behind the desk. It clearly had baby snailets in but you couldn't really get a good look at them. Unfortunately, the conversation went something like this:

Me: Are they fulicas?
Shop girl: I'm sorry?
Me: Are they fulicas? (nodding at tub)
Shopgirl: They're snails....?
Me: Are they achatina fulica?
Shopgirl (who thinks I'm deaf, speaking clearly): No, there are snails in there.
Me: Yes Do you know what species they are?
Shopgirl: They're Giant African Land Snails.
Me: What kind?
Shopgirl: They're giant snails. They're from Africa.
Me: There's more than a dozen species of giant African land snails.
Shopgirl: They're snails....
Me: Thank you.

[exuant all]

If it'd been a hamster she probably could've given me its entire taxonomical designation, but no, these are snails. They might be giant ones, even.

I'm pretty sure they were fulica. I'm tempted to stuff a few different snails in a box and offer to give an intro to snails talk to the staff

[lucyjames]

Lol... I would go down there with pictures and snails and the who shabang ;D

[crossless]

Ha haa great selling speak.. "Ehhmm.. but at least they r snails" ;D

[Rachel]

lol, much like my local petshop.
me: "do you have giant african land snails?"
shop keeper: "yes"
me: "can I take a look?"
SK: "You were just upstairs"
me: "well I couldn't see them, where are they?"
Sk: "Dunno"
me: "well what species are they?"
SK: "Brown ones"
me: "fulicia, immaculata, margies?"
SK: "East african ones"
me: "ok, can I see them then? find out what they are?"
SK: "I don't know where they are"
me: "Oh yeah, can you look in the empty tank and see if they have burrowed, I'm very interested in them?"
SK: "I don't know what tank they are in"
me: "ok, how much are you asking for them?" (at this point I was gonna rescue them all from my gormless friend)
SK: "£7.99"
me: "ok thanks"
I walk out. he didn't even have food or a heat mat in the tank I think they were in, mind you, neither did half the other tanks. I was getting VERY irritated with him. I love the "brown ones" reply. But seriously, he and the other patrons of the petshop looked at me like i'd grown four heads. And he did the whole "ok she must be deaf speak s.l.o.w.l.y thing"

[vickyholt13]

oh yes i do love pet shops not just for snails though guinea pigs. i used to breed and show them now i rescue i have a variety of breeds and colours. i always nosey in pet shops who have standard pet quaility ones but if i see one which looks more like a breed i always enquire see if they no what they are doing. they don't have a clue i've bailed out so many petshops that can't work out if there male o female never mind breed and colour. i taken so may pregnant sows from them, best conversation i had though about specis of animal was again a guinea pig but not at a pet shop a vets. i took my pedigree peruvian boar in the perus have coats that grow from the rear to the head and are long haired. i took him in the vet said what do we have here them, thinking he meant who and whats he here for . i piped up harry he's got a small abcess in the inside of this mouth. vet said ok lovely but what animal is it "shock horror" a vet didn't even no a guinea pig to look at !!!!!. so if people don't have a clue with the well studied furries fat cahnce with snails hey

[ade2009]

Yup i know what you mean, i went to a local pet shop and saw three full size fulica in a medium sized penpal tank on soggy old bark chippings with two or three moldy old pieces of cuke, i asked if they were for sale, back came the reply - no they are my pets. HHHMMMMMM wonder what the snails would say about their "master" if they could speak, or if the owner would like to be confined to a space no bigger than a matchbox breathing in chemical reactions that science hasnt yet discovered . Most upsetting and annoying

[lucyjames]

5 letters there - RSPCA....

I am a firm believer in reporting things like that...

Our local pet shop was GIVING hamsters, rats and gerbils away "FREE TO GOOD HOME" a couple weeks ago - when asked why I was told that they were unwell stock and that they needed "shifting" ready for new stock...

Made me want to cry :-(

SO I reported them, and now notice that they no longer have any livestock at all and a sign saying that they will no longer stock live animals...

The RSOCA, though sometimes slow at reacting, can do some good...

Add our local Medway branch has thousands of GALS!!!!

[Snail Lover.]

They sold fulicia in my local petshop, but when iw ent to get oneo ver the weekend they had given up on them because they were to many!

[crossless]

Here where I live I was ready to pay 10euros per snail, one snails was 2,5euros. Cheap price 'cos they get snail for free and want to get asap rid off them. No wonder why ppl here think is cruel to smash eggs, some ppl r too warm heart and let all the eggs hatch and put them in store..

Only thing what they asked me when I bought it "R u aload to have them" "Yes, I'm grown up *laugh*" "Ok, how many? ""Tank ready for them..?" I was starting to tell how how big, how much I know about them.. All I saiyd is "Well, yes I have actually.." She interrupt me with rude voice "U wanna buy something else?" "Calsium would be nice.." "Ok'it's there" She just pointed in randomly somewhere fishtank.. I just thought in my head, I just buy these freakin' snails and go somewhere where is service to get my calsium..

[Dusk]

The other petshop on the same road sells fish as well as hamsters and parrots and lobsters and who knows what else. They sometimes have gals - mostly one cranky-looking adult fulica who is kept in reasonable conditions but not exactly displayed to his best effect, poor thing. I exchange sympathetic glances with him when I go past.

They also stock aquatic snails - golden apple snails, which they charge a mint for and from what I can see very rarely actually sell any of them.
I've offered them some of my aquatic snails - giant apple snails, purple, pink, blue apple snails, etc - and they've been entirely uninterested. The shop is run by two older ladies and a young lad - the lad's nice enough and helpful when it comes to getting exactly the fish you're pointing at, and one of the ladies is nice if you catch her on the right day, but the other is as cranky as the fulica and always gives the impression that you are the last person she wants to see.

I am always fascinated by how independent shops are run, they often seem to be based on the idea that customers are a mild annoyance at best and outright in the way at worst....

[Louise]

I think its just terrible that these people can sell these creatures and not have much ( if any knowledge ) to really understand there needs.
I mean not even knowing that there are many different types of snail.
I don't think really they could care less it seems to be all about the money. Shocking and very sad.

[coyote]

Apr 27, 2009 10:33:13 GMT Dusk said:

If it'd been a hamster she probably could've given me its entire taxonomical designation

I wouldn't count on that. Too many pet shop staff are clueless all the way around.

[Rachel]

yeah, I got told by a pet shop bloke (my gormless friend afore mentioned actually) that a corn snake was a python. bullsmeg, it was ORANGE AND RED for smegs sake. I actually think being an all round idiot is a requirement to work in a petshop sometimes.

[Snail Lover.]

To be perfectly honest, i wouldnt say i know or have met a petshop owner who actually knws about the GALS they sell, i got charged £4 for a GAL ( fulcia) i think thats a bit pricey i know its not loads of money but its stil a bit pricey. And as lousie_joy said its terrible they dont have any knowledge on what they sell! When i first wanted a snail i asked the woman how do yout ake care of them, she said put a little soil in the bottom of a little tank, feed it and spray the tank every day constantly, sicne i joined here i actually know how to care for snails properly! They shouldnt be able to sell things they know nothing about, especially when they basically lie just so you buy it!!! So annoying, sorry for woffling on!... x lol

[coyote]

Too many shops decide to maximize their profits by hiring inexperienced staff who won't / don't expect to be paid a good wage, especially young people who will put up with being exploited in their "first real job." People who know what they're talking about WRT animals will demand better pay, and too many shop owners would rather not pay staff well and let the animals for sale take their chances.

I prefer to go to the pet supply shops that are independently owned and whose staff are experienced and knowledgeable, even if I might be paying a little bit more. I'd rather they get my money than some large chain store whose corporate headquarters is in another state hundreds of miles away. I call it "voting with my wallet."

[koreasnails]

when i went to get my snails i looked in the snail tank and i saw 4 snails in there. i asked the shop keeper to give me 2 and she put in 1 healthy one and 1 empty shell stuffed with dirt. she was about ready to tie the snail baggie together until i had the guts to point out to her that one of the snails were dead(she was a really scary pet lady, she had bags under her eyes and looked like she was really annoyed with you for just walking into the shop!) she looked very irritated at me and said all the snails there were alive and well so i scraped off the dirt and showe her that the shell was empty and her expression was capital S SCARY!!!( it was like this ) so i quickly paid and literally ran out fromm the shop. i am never going to that pet shop again!!!

[lizzie97444]

When I got my poor Mark (white Jade)
I saw that about 4 adults, 3 teens and 4 babies were in a 15cmX 10cm!!!!!!!!!!!
ALL stuffed in! They barely spray them. and when I asked, "can I look at them?"
She opened the lid, got tweezers and started digging the dirt. I saw a baby snail that nearly had half of its shell damaged!

And 1 other time when I went by myself and asked if I could see them, the lady was like
"ur not going to buy it are you."
I was like "maybe"
And she interuppted me and tried to act like there was a customer!
DISCRIMINATION OF CHILDREN!! (teenagers!)
Then I glared at her. I felt good when she saw me doing it