mega worried about a leopard gecko in a pet shop

[Mel]

its the pet shop that doesn't have a clue how to look after reptiles, and has just started to sell reptiles!

I have never owned a leo, but I think i can tell when an animal is not healthy at least. It was so thin and frail looking, and the tail was soooo thin! I mean, thinner than a rats tail! I was shocked! I asked the man 'is that gecko alright? it looks really thin and ill' and he just said 'if it was ill we wouldn't be selling it' and i said 'well is its tail so thin because it dropped it or something?' and he didn't reply and just said 'we wouldn't be selling it if it wasn't fine' so i don't think he even knows what i meant!!

It was slumped half in its box with moss, and half on its sand. Its eyes half shut and you could see its ribs and frame around its tail really easily.

I hope I'm wrong and it's totally normal, but i just have this terrible feeling all is not well. And would it be worth rescuing?

[JackReacher]

If you feel you can give it a better home I think its worth saving. Alot of the time I think pet stores get their sales out of pity for how much they neglect their animals.

[zebrajanie]

Only problem with that, is that shop will only get in more.  I understand the heart tug where something like this is concerned.
Janie

[Mel]

it is devastating! I dont have room for it here! Nor the money to pay for vets bills etc so i would be no better if i took it in! what can i do? THEY DONT EVEN KNOW ITS ILL! Anyone can see it's not well!!!
Its so distressing!!!

[JackReacher]

I've mentioned this same situation to my local pet store, they looked at me like some sort of idiot. I just about brought both baby dragons my last visit out of pity for their poor housing. Since then I've decided not to go back it only breaks my heart.

[tommytatz]

mel its horrible a? but the sad reallity is that this is happening all over the world, there really should be some kind of regulations or some kind of liscence for selling animals... any animals. i had a long chat with the guy who runs my local reptile store, he does know his stuff actually. he says his boss wont spend the money for the right care for his animals. i must say nothing in there looks unhealthy but they havnt got the best equiptment and they house alot of lizards (inc beardies) together. if i had the money and the room id have them all. unfortunatly i cant so iv just got to give my 2 all the love and care i can  and i promise u.... thats alot of love and care 

[Mel]

it makes me so ANGRY. Think i need to go back in and show them a picture of a healthy gecko. well actually i dont need to because there is one above its tank! I researched dropped tails and normally its like a stub that grows out the tail rather than a slim tail growing back if you get me? So its not that its dropped its tail. It's going to be extremely calcium starved and generally starved. Thing is i dont feel i have the authority to barge in and question the way they look after their animals. as much as i feel i need to. Think i need to knock back a few alcoholic beverages and get in there and rant as much as i can. I'll go back in tomorrow if they're still open when i finish work. I'll be surprised if i see it again. And if its not there i simply ask why, if they've sold it i will protest, otherwise its likely it will have died.

[tommytatz]

mel come on lets meet up, knock back a few doubles (i dont drink but what the hell) and tour the country beating up bad pet shop owners lol. hay, personally mel i wouldnt go back in there, think ul just upset urself more.... the guy wont care what u say to him, and i bet u if u did say ur peice and told him the problems with the little guy he would do nothing about it.

[Mel]

oops sorry i couldnt help it. I went back in for bugs anyway (because the ones i ordered online aren't coming til after today some time) and well, the viv it was in was covered with a background. i pulled it off anyway to make sure they weren't trying to hide a dead gecko. It wasn't there
I said to the lady 'where is the gecko that was in here?' and she said 'we had to send it back to the supplier because it just wouldn't eat. We tried everything, hand feeding the lot'

I bet they didn't take it to the vet though. I HOPE the supplier does!!!

[tommytatz]

hopefully its in better hands now