But The Pet Store Told Me...

One of the most common posts to the IguanaDen mailing list is that of 'but the guy at the pet store told me...' All too often we hear of an iguana getting improper care because of poor advice from a pet store employee. When you visit a pet store, please keep in mind that most of the employees there are hired as salespeople. They are often not well trained in the care of the animals they sell (and since lots of pet stores vary a variety of species it is hard for them to be well versed in all aspects of care of all the species) and their goal is to sell you their products/animals.

Are the pet store employees deliberately trying to give you bad information? NO! But they are often underinformed or relying on old information that has not been updated. This is why we recommend that everyone do their research before purchasing a pet. We hear of pet store employees still telling people to feed iguanas cat or dog food, or insects, when recent research has shown that these types of food cause kidney and liver problems. There are still people who are told that iguanas will not outgrow the tanks they are in! Or people who are told to feed lettuce.

Are we saying that pet stores and their employees are bad and you should not trust anything they say? Absolutely not. We simply want you to be aware that most pet stores are not a reliable source of care information for reptiles. While there are some excellent and knowledgeable pet store employees out there, unfortunately they are few and far between. We could use a lot more of them!