7 SECRETS Pet Stores DON'T Want You To Know

[@Emzotic]

Hey Creatures! KZbin is doing a clean-out of bot and inactive channels soon, so hit that 'Like' button and drop a comment so KZbin doesn't unsub you from my channel! (Seriously, they do this alllllll the time!). Thanks, gorgeous Creatures! Enjoy these JuIcY Pet Store Secrets! 😉

[@arlothepup]

Hello 👋🤩

[@charlottesmith-zh2kx]

I want a ferret please help me persuade my parents

[@rochmayjohnston-brand7415]

Hello

[@rochmayjohnston-brand7415]

Your my favourite youtuber your pets are so adorable by the way

[@felixadriensfavoritecousin]

Okay :)

[@kunaal_1928]

“Your purchase is a vote” is such a brilliant way of putting it.

[@Emzotic]

Thank you, Kunaal! ❤️🐕🐾

[@Letycs]

It's worse than that actually, it's more realistically an endorsement than a vote. Like donating to a political candidate.

[@weeb535]

@@Emzotic i voted them off. I NEVER buy any animal from a pet store and I'm kinda like an over protective mom to animals especially puppies and kittens

[@christinalillbellspark8284]

I agree

[@paigethecurtain]

I worked at a Petco for two months, and the morning dead checks were the worst. The amount of fish I had to put in a little black bag was really depressing.

[@ilrompiballe6187]

That's really sad, goddamn obvious, but it's not even a thing people usually think about 😅😢

[@Fayleafowl]

Most of the petco and smart just about stop carrying must animals like spider's and scorpions.They need to stop with the rest.

[@patriciathibodeaux9250]

and the male mice

[@Emzotic]

I’m really sorry to hear that. It’s never a nice task. Sadly it comes when you combine pets with profits. ❤️ pet store workers just want the best for the animals

[@Emzotic]

@@ilrompiballe6187 truth

[@potatocouch6100]

Not to mention all the very very small cages pet stores give for small animals, they may be smaller than say a dog or cat, but those cages don't even allow for a single guinea pig to live happily

[@amypowell5107]

You should never have just 1 guinea pig!

[@potatocouch6100]

@@amypowell5107 very true! But sometimes like with my piggie they can be agressive to other pigs, so personally for me I would rather be safe than sorry. But yes, herds are a big plus to have if you can! 😄

[@Emzotic]

Yes! This is because they have to have products on the shelves. Those brightly colored cages are designed to be cheap to produce, easy to stack in stores in convenient boxes, and enticing as impulsive purchases.

[@Emzotic]

@@amypowell5107 exactly

[@Emzotic]

@@potatocouch6100 yep! There are always exceptions to the rule. I like ferrets in at least pairs, but Bear, my first ferret, was excessively aggressive to any other ferret

[@cudddlesXD]

Being a pet store employee i can say thats all pretty accurate when it comes to chain pet stores 😅 please try to shop at locally or family owned pet stores! We get all of our critters from quality breeders, we try to bring in the best possible foods and products, and we care so much about your pets ❤

[@Emzotic]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us. Small mom and pop stores are my favorite pet stores!

[@kaycollarfeild]

I got my rats from a local breeder, friendliest animals I got :)

[@lindsey1688]

My local family owned pet store stocks only decent to high quality foods, treats and toys. They don’t sell live animals at all which I appreciate, then there’s no possibility of contributing to neglect or poor breeding

[@goldenretrievermom7945]

I love small business pet stores, they are always so kind to my dog when I bring him in. That said, the employees at our Petco are quite kind to him as well, but it's the only option close to us so we have been going there since they opened. I would love to find a good option to support an independent business close to us.

[@Sexiraina1993]

A good rule of thumb is that good breeders don’t sell to pet stores, no matter how big or small the store is. Think about it. If you were a good breeder, wouldn’t you want to know where your animals wind up? You wouldn’t give your babies up to be taken by complete strangers who may not even know how to care for them. If you want an animal go to a responsible breeder of that animal.

[@stephanie22345]

“Um, someone’s dog peed over there.” “Ma’am, you’re the first person to come in with a dog today. The clean up station is over there.”

[@kazzoey9164]

I wish people would just stop buying pets from pet stores. It makes me so sad when I hear about someone “saving” an animal from the awful conditions of the pet store. You may have gotten *that* animal out, but you also told the store and the mills supplying it that there is a demand for that animal, and they need to keep replacing them. Buying that animal only puts even more animals in its place and continues the chain of neglect. Please, if you want to get an animal, either look for a reputable breeder or adopt.

[@Emzotic]

Yes!!! It’s hard to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. If you’re paying money for an animal in a pet store, it’s a purchase, and the store will only see the data which shows them to keep ordering more of that species of pet. It’s so hard because nobody wants to leave a suffering animal behind.

[@lucidlemonarts7597]

Exactly, I’m a big reptile person, and it’s so cruel seeing any type of animals being kept in the smallest of enclosures as possible, to the point they are on too of each other due to the lack of space, and you made a fantastic point. I know many people who have, like you said, thought they were saving an animal, by purchasing one from a pet store, that’s just more funding for mills and more demand to mass produce animals. I personally have gotten all five of my pets (leopard gecko, bearded dragon, 2 Carolina anoles, and a Cuban knight anole) off of Craigslist, from old owners who I know for a fact weren’t being taken care of, but now they are :)

[@-AmyRuth-]

And from where else am I supposed to get a pet if not from a pet store?

[@kazzoey9164]

Amy Ruth I literally gave both of the other options in my original comment.

[@rokukou]

@@-AmyRuth- Look at adoption centres. For reptiles, try breeders and expos. For small mammals, look for reputable breeders, and same goes for parrots. There are even bird rescues. The easiest option is not always the best

[@MomGotStitches]

And I think it’s important to remember pet store employees have no control over company policy so they are there just to make sure animals and customers are well looked after past that nothing else is in there control so be kind loving and supportive of pet store employees and remember they to need to pay bills and are there because they to love animals :)!

[@KatieDeGo]

You may want to look up some pet store employees recommendations for leopard geckos then...

[@noodleydoodleys]

As a person who works at a pet store, the pee thing is so true. We drop everything to clean pee (when a customer tells us and when we notice it.) but most of the time customers don't notice or admit their dog peed on something. It's so frustrating.

[@noodleydoodleys]

Also yes there's a lot of aweful food and treats we have to have on our shelves. We very lowkey move them to the bottom shelves when possible...

[@Emzotic]

I’m sooooo sorry you have to deal with this. Why people don’t just admit it and quickly clean it up baffles me!

[@Emzotic]

@@noodleydoodleys 🤣 all these insider secrets! I love it!!!

[@rebeccas2801]

I once saw someone dog pee up a dog bed, they saw the dog do it and just took the dog out the store. I quickly told a staff member who was really dismissive and never came back… Think it definitely depends on the staff member who you notify

[@feelingthebreeze6320]

Food options are so frustrating for me. We ended up making a 3 food blend for our cats so we could fit the needs we saw with them. Im definitely that person staring at labels for a long time anytime we look for treats.

[@Emzotic]

But this is awesome!! I’m all for customization. It’s crazy to think that all pets can fit into the be one-bag-feeds-all mentality.

[@goldenretrievermom7945]

Same.

[@Sara_Skully]

For cats tiki cat, weruva, and applause are three great options sold in petco and PetSmart!

[@sweets9978]

I’ve worked at petco for over a year now. Thank you for not bashing. It’s hard working here when people are constantly calling us animal abusers

[@rosierobin13]

Great video!! I'm the manager of a local pet store in West Virginia, keeping up with quality control for everything that comes in the door, whether it be animals or products, gets exhausting. Definitely worth it to see people come back in and tell me how much better their pet is doing!

[@CMia68]

Thank you for talking about kibbles and Hill's especially. My vet wanted to put my dog on a Hill's kibble diet and I had to seriously defend myself for not liking the ingredients list. That being said: my dog has been on a raw diet for a year now and all of his digestive problems vanished.

[@Emzotic]

Yaaaas! Well done for sticking to your guns! I really don’t like Hills ingredients. And it’s so hard to say ‘no’ to someone whose professional opinion we’re supposed to trust.

[@zoezoo3782]

My dogs been fed raw since 6 weeks old, he’s now 8. 2 days ago our vet advised us to swap him into Hills.. The only food they stock and sell.. Surprise surprise

[@carolinesalpeck2567]

My vet did this same thing for Purina and tried to convince me that a low-grain or grain-free food was actually bad for my dog

[@rottweilerfun9520]

Raw is the way to go.

[@jessiegustine1486]

Same My dog was puking up all the kibble. When i started giving him actual food he completely changed and hasnt spat up again.

[@BearyReckless]

I was so surprised to hear so many people recommending Hills Science diet to my kitties when I got them. I brought a bag home with one of my kittens from the spca, and she barely touched it. I was just so shocked, seeing the fillers in the ingredients, and people raving about it. I always look at ingredients first, and my cats were seriously the ones who helped so much with deciding on a diet change. They absolutely hated the Hills Science diet, after they tried something more natural and healthy. So glad you mentioned this!

[@Hollywood543]

Would you mind sharing what they eat now? My kitties currently eat Hills Science diet, but I would like to gradually offer them a healthier option. Its so frustrating that reliable foods are hard to find.

[@zoeannmainwaring1424]

@Wyo97 from all my research, and experience with cats, the best thing for them is a raw whole prey diet. But you can get freeze dried stuff and a few good kibble. They dont need any added carbs, fibres or veg at all. Though I'd recommend adding in a high quality fish oil :) hope this helps

[@rottweilerfun9520]

@@Hollywood543 , check out Dr. Lew Olson's book ," Raw and Natural Nutrition For Dogs ". It has a section for cats as well.

[@Avocetexotics]

My mom bought that dinosaur toy for my dog for Christmas, and it ended up making his mouth bleed... it didn't break his tooth but it did cut his gum..... I am now the one who picks out his toys.

[@Emzotic]

Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. It’s hard to choose toys because every dog chews differently, and we automatically trust that toys in pet stores are safe

[@broccoligirl9019]

The poor dog its good that he is ok now

[@tiggert4002]

Poor Kiba. That clip of him peeing is like the embarrassing baby photo most people have and don't want others to see.

[@Emzotic]

Hahahahaaa!! And I played the clip three times 😈

[@tiggert4002]

@@Emzotic poor baby. It's a good thing he doesn't understand that the internet has seen his accident all over again. It was in another video too, right. In a pet store one, I think.

[@alygiselle7907]

I used to buy my bun lots of treats that contained sugars and additive seeds. I did some research and saw that they were actually really bad for him, so I started growing garden fresh organic fruits and veggies, and I would give them to him. I noticed a huge change in not only his behavior, but in his coat, and skin as well.

[@usagiislost]

The small pet section at pet stores make me so mad. For my bunny's gotcha day we went to get toys (which he destroyed in 2 days), and there were so many awful enclosures marketed for rabbits and I was so sad.

[@Emzotic]

I HATE those 4ft long, plastic bottom hutches with the white wire all over them. They’re so sad!

[@usagiislost]

@@Emzotic Ugh they make me sick!! Glad to let my bunny run around my room and then go sleep in his pen that takes up a quarter of the very large room.

[@ithewho6603]

@@usagiislost Buyers market. You don't even know how many times I used to try to get customers buy bigger enclosures, but they want none of that. It is rare and few who actually end up getting bigger enclosure no matter how well you try to explain the needs of the animals.

[@goldenretrievermom7945]

@@Emzotic I do too. Once I learned how much room they need I ended up letting my bunny just hop around free and crating him at night so that he was safe.

[@kaylariffic6611]

My guinea pig used to have one of the petstore cages. Now they have a beutiful two story piggie mansion. They love it.

[@NitroIndigo]

Between your comment about Ziwi Pets and things Soda Pets has said, I'm starting to wonder why New Zealand seems to have the most stringent animal welfare laws in the world. Not that that's a bad thing, but still.

[@Emzotic]

New Zealand do A LOT of things right ❤️❤️❤️

[@LuthienNightwolf]

I worked at Petsmart years ago, this stuff is spot-on. Dead run was the first thing we did when we started opening procedures, especially on the fish tank wall. It wasn't unusual to find dozens of them that had passed during the night.

[@amethyst354]

How often did u change the pig bedding? Sorry lol I have pigs n I’m just wondering, also where do they get the pigs?

[@elfiefromangelcity6142]

As someone who has worked for a petshop chain for 12 years, I can attest to these things. And thank you for not talking trash about the employees. We really do care about animals, and want to help. Cuz believe me, outside of paying bills, and keeping my pets fed, I have no other incentive for working retail this long. I like helping animals and pet parents have a better quality of life. Also, I learned a thing or two here. I will be a little more careful about recommending nylabone. And I'm happy to find out that whimzees are a decent product cuz I often recommend them cuz my late beagle loved them. But like you said, chewing is not a cure all for taking care of your pets dental health. And yeah, Science Diet drives me nuts cuz my vet keeps trying to sell it to me. Not only do I dislike the product, but so do my pets.

[@ithewho6603]

Whimzees is nothing but potato starches. It is harder so it might rub the teeth a bit more but it is not anything miraculously better than the others.

[@elfiefromangelcity6142]

@@ithewho6603 It's good for what it does. As I said, "decent." Not "amazing miracle product!" Like I also said, dental care is still important.

[@lupine.spirit]

I really see here how my parents raised me to be a relatively good pet mom. In a lot of ways, german pet stores are similar to what US pet stores seem like, only that we have fewer live animals there (no dogs cats except for one special shop that is heavily criticized for it) and I’ve also never seen ferrets in a pet shop here. But when it comes to the products and their quality, it seems very similar. I’ve grown up with my mom explaining me ingredients on dog food more than human food (my mom is a crazy dog lady) and I’ve never really thought about that other people don’t check as closely what they feed their pets. Education is everything. I don’t get how people can get an animal and not spend hours on hours researching about its needs (this is one of the most fun parts???) and when I see people feeding their dogs with food that is known to be quite bad quality I get a headache. It’s not even cheaper, there are plenty of good, not expensive dog and cat foods, there is no need to buy one that is evidently low quality. And feeding raw is actually not as expensive as many people think, at least here in germany, but there you really need to know what you’re doing or need a good professional to help in the beginning

[@LuskaTheWusky]

Orjin food is one of my favorites to recommend to owners. Such a great ingredient list. It comes with a cost that may just be better to put towards a raw diet, but if you’d prefer kibble it’s hard to beat.

[@Emzotic]

This is great to know! I actually bought a bag of it so that if I have to travel with Kiba, I have a trustworthy dry option!

[@amylaessig724]

I agree. I love orijen

[@LuskaTheWusky]

@@Emzotic I also recently stumbled upon Instinct raw boost kibble that may be worth checking out. I don’t know about price but from what I’ve read up on, they seem to be another top tier kibble.

[@shadooper]

Orijen and other Champion pet foods have been heavily linked to DCM in dogs.

[@LuskaTheWusky]

@@shadooper that’s the risk you get for any kibble. If you want to try to eliminate the risk, feed raw. Know everything your dog is putting into its body and have a great relationship with your vet. Even the best of the best kibbles are still never going to be the best possible option for your dog. But Orijen is the brand I myself have used in the past and talked to my personal vet about. Everyone should always talk to their vet about their own animals so if that’s a concern for you, or anyone reading this actually, talk to a profession. 💜

[@jessicap3496]

As a Petstore worker, it's true with what you've said. My store only sells fish but we have to write off whatever dies, including horn worms. Hills and even Royal Canin get tons of room on our shelves but actual good brands dont.

[@raccoontrashpanda1467]

Nylabones are terrible even without knowing about the dogs with broken teeth. They are made from Nylon which is a type of plastic and your dog will be ingesting lots of little bits of microplastic every time they chew it, go for the chew toys made of actual food and food safe products rather than plastic ones.

[@annabee4785]

Do you think there could be a change in the breeding industry if pet stores stop supporting them? Since you said this was owned by great people, I wonder if that's something they would consider if they love animals?

[@Emzotic]

Yes, but it won’t happen. And bad breeding practices will always exist. Pets are huge business

[@lenamichel6990]

Ofcourse, if they don't get to sell their product (thats what pets are for those big breeding mills and petstores), they produce less of it or buy less. Great people, atleast what i would call great people, wouldn't sell animals as a product. It's nice if they treat their animals nicely and kinda look whos interested in adopting a pet... But it's still a product for them. They could choose to not sell marshal ferrets but they make profit with it. Just having animals in a store attracts buyers.

[@kagehikari4281]

Just to point out you can have a great local chain pet store that really does try, but it’s not owned by those people. The actual owners are only about profit. You just get lucky if you get one with a manager and employees that gives a you know what. Even then they can only do so much.

[@Christodophilus]

@@Emzotic There really is no Utopian world, where animals have an idealised existence. Except in the minds of humans. Outside of animal farms, there is nature. A far more brutal existence. As nature breeds in way more excess, to account for casualties, deformities and competition for resources too. The losses experienced in nature, are worse than in the pet industry. People like to bag the pet industry, and I guess that's reasonable too. Nothing should be off limits to seek improvement. But there is no idealised existence, where animals aren't over-bred and none of the offspring dies.

[@maurathemytho-magical399]

I've been seeing videos about pet stores a lot on my journey of studying to prepare for ferrets and one of your videos was actually what promted me to look more deeply Into the way petshops work. Your videos have such great info in them and I've always admired your ability to cover almost all bases when your discussing a topic.

[@StylaPet]

Great video! I own a dog boutique and yes PLEASE let us know when your dog has an accident! It is not unusual and it happens but there is nothing worse than when someone says nothing and then the next client comes along and see a mess that we didn’t know was there. We are locked and loaded and ready for cleanups lol we just need to know when they happen.

[@Emzotic]

All 👏🏻 of 👏🏻 this!! 👏🏻 ready with the paper towels, Natures Miracle, bucket and mop!

[@stormief]

I've been feeding my dogs Purina dog Chow for years not thinking to much about it bc that's what my dad had always bought and said was good for them and I just read the ingredients list!! Will definitely be changing my dog food asap! Love all the helpful tips about pet stores. I'll definitely be looking at labels more than I was before. Thank you!

[@aliciajolley519]

At the Pet Supplies Plus I work at, we’re always getting in super aggressive and/or sick ferrets that are most likely separated from their mom way too soon. Everyone, including the managers, that work here hate Marshals, but we have no choice. :(

[@MattAndTaniaKlecker]

Thank you Em! As someone who previously worked at a pet retail store, I always tried to be honest with my customers and recommend them the best products possible. So I’m glad you highlight and talk about these issues which are so common and important! ❤️☺️

[@iheart801]

Working at a pet store I would say your list is pretty accurate. The only thing I would say is not accurate is the morning animal check. It is actually done to make sure that all the animals have food and water, yes you are checking to make sure the look healthy to and may on occasion find an animal that has passed, but checking for dead animals is not primary objective of it.

[@ataliehill1189]

I'm so glad you mentioned orijen! I started buying their kibble for my cat and he's never been healthier. All thanks to you, I make it a habit to check the ingredients in everything I buy for him!

[@mart1987]

This is an amazing video, thank you so much for informing me and all the other people who watch this channel! Stay safe, and animal-kind!

[@Emzotic]

Thank you so much! And omg yes! My book! 🥲

[@criniti4542]

I worked at a pet store for 2 1/2 years everything you said is 100% true!! Especially about the 5 major companies and hills science diet! Always check the ingredients on your pet food. I'm so glad you flashed honest kitchen for a second because it is an AMAZING food and we use it to supplement our dogs regular food as a gravy and they LOVE it!

[@lenamichel6990]

Just don't buy pets in a petstore. Don't. Either get them from a rescue, shelter, get them from someone who has to give them away or get them from a good reputable breeder. There is no reason at all to buy a petstore animal, this practice has to stop. The way to stop it is to not buy it and say why you disagree with that.

[@kennygdude101]

As someone who has worked at petsmart for 3 years, I completely agree. Our animals are safe and i would rather have someone rescue one before buying one that is totally fine and dandy in our store

[@ravenstrongwinds6777]

Huh, my local pet store (A bailey's) Only ever has cat's from rescues, and no other animals. One time they had foster kittens in the back, but that was to make sure they got properly socialized. Then again we also have an Oly's which keeps beta in these dinky little containers. As for petsmart....Yeah, no, ain't ever getting pets from there.

[@goldenretrievermom7945]

@@ravenstrongwinds6777 Featuring a rescue animal as a way to get the word out is something many pet stores do, which is great. But that's not the same as making it part of the business model.

[@thirdrated]

I recently went *back* to raw feeding again. I tried so many different kibbles, because we lost our local raw food dealer, but his tummy gets so upset on kibble, constant soft poops. Even tried Orijen, but nope, he pooped so many times each day and always super soft. Now were back to the little cannonball poops, max 2 times per day, and a happy pup who looks forward to dinner time!

[@Rachelbee]

Wow this was way more informative and less scandalous than I thought it would be! Cool cool. Will look out for the pee residue XD

[@Emzotic]

That was the goal 😁 I’m not anti-pet store. I’m pro-education.

[@ithewho6603]

Yeah. We used to clean pee almost daily. Sometimes multiple times a day. And the amount of products we had to throw away was just sad.

[@Ponypal1108]

Yay 🥰 another Emzotic video. Love your videos. Definitely educational and entertaining 💖 always looking forward to Fridays when I can watch a new video 😊

[@Emzotic]

Thank you, Gabrielle!

[@crazyscenehu4l]

This was really well done and educational! I'm an overbearing pet mom (some would say), and I ALWAYS do my research on anything I give my pup to ingest but even I learned things I never knew and even found a better kibble to switch my girl to (can't afford raw diet...yet ;D)! Thank you Em!

[@Thebeetlemangr]

A pet store bought swing was the reason for my budgie's toe to get caught as I was doing some training, she was biting me, desperatly trying to escape and she was litterally dangling her whole body from that one toe...and the seing is marketed for canaries and other finches who have way more delicate toes than budgies.

[@ravenpozsgai103]

You make a lot of good points in this video, the only thing that I would like to bring up though is the link between grain free dog food and dilated cardiomyopathy.

[@ashlynalingh]

I work at a pet store and some of this is true but the store I work at actually breeds it’s own animals for sale and we wait at least 6 weeks before selling any of them and hills is a huge brand and one of the biggest shipments we get int but we actually have a partnership with a brand called taste of the wild and is very popular with our customers.

[@freakflip618]

Em have been giving us a lot of resourceful and educated videos lately...I LOVE IT

[@ericaallisonc]

orijen is the dog food brand I feed my pets (the brand Em was giving high praise too) it's very expensive, but it's soooo good. It even smells great and looks like a moist flattened piece of homemade jerky. :D

[@krich8803]

Orijen/Arcana was bought out a few years ago by champion pet foods, who is owned by Nestle. Keep an eye on the quality and possible recalls. Any time one of the "big 6" buys an independent company, the quality always suffers.

[@goldenretrievermom7945]

Be careful of recalls though, they have had a few in the past couple of years.

[@Sexiraina1993]

Orijen is literally just Expensive Purina. It’s owned by Nestle. The thing about pet food is you get what you pay for. Of course a $98 bag of Orijen is going to have better things in it than a $12 bag of Alpo. Duh. That being said. Orijen was what I fed my schnauzer and he had violent diarrhea until he died , and we found out that, that much protein actually wasn’t good for his crappy liver. It’s also on that list of brands linked to heart disease. My current dogs eat Pro Plan for old men, and Royal Canin. Nice mid-grade food that they do extremely well on. At 13 my spitz still acts like, and has the blood values of a 6 year old dog. I still love the smell of Orijen and Ziwi though.

[@Peace-pw5kz]

I love you make your videos both interesting and educational!

[@jpopdancer1229]

I worked in a pet store. As an employee we also have to watch marketing videos sent from the pet food companies that tell you what to say about their food brand to sell it best. Also I've had some of the brand representatives stop in by surprise as a sort of secret shopper and ask me questions about their brand to see how I would respond. After telling me they were a brand rep. they would then tell me how I should have answered and if i missed any of their big selling points

[@galaxyrosesartforest3942]

A store near where I live sells this small bag with all different kinds of plants inside for guinea pigs. My mom bought it and when she came home I checked the back of the bag and saw a plant that is inside that mix that is actually poisonous for guinea pigs. I was quite shocked, but I came to realise that I can't really trust that the store only sells things that are healthy for your animal. That was a few years ago and they still sell it. But it made me look a bit closer at all times when I buy something for my pets. The store also sells even more things that are unhealthy for guinea pigs, and probably other animals aswell. Note: I didn't give my guinea pigs any of that bagged mix. I threw it right away

[@Loviekinz]

Some petstores are better then others. I HATE Petsmart as the animals there(especially reptiles) always look terrible. Yet at a different more local pet store their reptiles look amazing, and a lot come from local breeders. I have bought from them like 2 Crested Geckos, because they were local bread and have been 100% healthy. I also got my Gargoyle Gecko there, who ended up there when the owner didn't want her anymore. She was in bad shape, had a bad shed and a missing toe --- the petstore actually PAID the owner for her(not sure how much) but then I bought her off them. And I quickly fixed her up and she's been fine since she's been with me - no bad sheds. I'm guessing they weren't misting properly.

[@SilverDemon456]

That's odd, since in my area the PetSmarts have the best looking reptiles with the best setups, and all the Petcos have unhealthy ones. Which is especially odd, since they both get their reptiles from Reptiles by Mac if I'm not mistaken.

[@Apple-mm9ml]

I can agree but I don’t have any other pet stores in my area

[@chinbueylynn3580]

You're phenomenal, Em! Loving your channel since day 1

[@Emzotic]

One thank you SO much, Lynn!!! I appreciate it!!!

[@AlissaWithAnEye]

I work at a corporate pet store, tbh I love all of your vids but I was nervous this would be a video bashing our stores. I really appreciate how you started off dating that most employees love animals because that is true!!! Trust me, my coworkers and I get frustrated when we feel like corporate companies don’t put animals first!!! But ever point you made I agree with, and you were super respectful about it!

[@rey1818]

I've worked at Petco for 3 years, I've seen some pretty bad things and yes sometimes mice and hamsters will eat each other especially after one is dead. For me seeing dead or sick pets isn't something that is often for me. The thing that stood out to me in this video was Secret number 4. I've cleaned up a lot of messes over the years and I offer to clean it up or sometimes people ask my assistance especially if their dog is being difficult to handle. Most of the messes I've cleaned up are because people leave them and don't bother telling anyone. I cleaned up 5 pee puddles and one scattered poop stains in an hour and a half (3 of which needed a mop) one morning. Granted it was vet day and a lot of pets were anxious and accidents do happen, but if your pet pees or poops please either let someone know and ask for assistance if you need help or clean it up yourself. If you dog poops please clean the mess up fully. Don't pick up the pieces and leave stains. Aside of that I've had to clean up throw up and blood from pets and people. I worked at PetSmart for a year. I was off of my shift and I was waiting for my friend to get some free time at Banfield. This guy brings in his golden retriever and the receptionist asked him if he knew his dog was bleeding. The guy said yes he knew, checked the dog in, then walked out. It was a long line of blood that I cleaned up in front of the counter while the Banfield cleaned it up behind the counter...

[@katiedavis2606]

i work at a pet store and while we do have a lot of Hills, it’s all kind of put in the back and a lot of our other higher quality stuff is put up front. and while we do stock the terrible little small enclosures, us employees always recommend better quality, larger ones when helping out customers that want to get new pets. something i notice at other stores around us that are bigger chains such as petsmart is that they never have enough bedding for it to be comfortable for animals that like to burrow, and i don’t usually see a lot of hay for guinea pigs. the store i work at builds habitats for animals due to what makes them comfortable and what they actually need, not what will make them most visible to customers. it is a sad reality that we get in factory animals, but we cannot change corporate policy, and we try our absolute best to take care of the animals and impart lots of advice to their new owners. sadly due to many animals either being factory bred or wild caught in regards to some reptiles, there are deaths. it has an emotional impact on us as workers, because during their time with us we become friends with a lot of the animals and treat them like they are our own. so i guess my advice is to always go for the smaller pet stores if possible, i work for one that is still corporate, but we are nowhere near the level of the huge chains such as Petsmart and Petco, so you still get the selection, but there’s less of the cold unfeeling vibe that i get from some of the other huge stores

[@MeganKugs]

This was excellent! I knew some of these things but was VERY surprised by a few and knowledge is the key to giving our pets the best, healthiest, safest, happiest lives possible. Thank you for contributing to happy, fuzzy (and non-fuzzy 😊) babies living wonderful lives everywhere!

[@spectralumbra1568]

My dogs love greenies. I first found out about them a few years back when one of my dogs picked them out herself. They were being kept on a lower shelf and my dog ran over, stepped up on the shelf, and started sniffing at the bags. She had never done anything like that before, so I tried them out. Both of my dogs always went crazy any time they smelled them.

[@lindagraham8543]

I work in a pet store and totally agree with this. Origien is one of the best kibbles out I always recommend it.

[@ant9715]

i work in a small petstore and i totally suggest going to smaller stores since they are cleaner, animals are healthier since we have more time to care for them and we always have time to quality check!!

[@rey1818]

I do too. There are a couple of bigger ones near by that I haven't been to, but we do take time to clean the cages and hold/interact with them

[@ant9715]

@@rey1818 exactly its so much better when you have time to interact with every animal even the fish have more space here

[@rey1818]

@@ant9715 Yesterday a guest came and returned a hamster. They had been giving her a lot of lettuce which doesn't have much nutritional value for them and I think it made her constipated. I gave her some medicine and a couple of hours later she's up, running around, and eating in our isolation room. The hamster was breathing lightly and barely moved when she came in.

[@nezukochan6365]

Thanks for the vid ❤️

[@Emzotic]

Thanks for coming and showing support!!

[@nezukochan6365]

@@Emzotic ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@ellie_lewis09]

I clicked faster than Em could say, “Hey! What’s up creatures?”

[@Emzotic]

Now that’s fast!!!

[@ellie_lewis09]

@@Emzotic what can I say I’m an OG creature

[@ellamastrippolito3802]

Last time I was at Petco I went over to see the beardies, since I have one myself, and unfortunately one had passed. I was not surprised considering they were only 2 inches long and just hatchlings. but when I told the employee he said "oh yeah, that one has been sick for a few days now." This was a HUGE red flag for me cause even if a reptile is sick and for sale, it should not be kept on display and should be getting treated separately, not to mention that if someone had purchased this animal just the day before it most likely would have passed in their care :( :(

[@simply_good_edits20160]

my dog Keenam has a vet recommended dental chew that works great. Keenam LOVES food but whenever we give him the 'toothbrush' (as we call it) he is so flipping excited to eat it

[@Emzotic]

Awww that’s lovely!!!! 🦷

[@AnTran-vb4dd]

went you said they check for dead animal is so true . I time I when to a PetSmart and I see a dead hamster and I tell one of the PetSmart people and they said" he was sleeping" .

[@Emzotic]

💀 Yikes

[@Aisha-721]

I love watching the black dog in your arms. It looks like you have her arms around her. And I love your showing the dog in the act of urinating on the floor when you talked about it and at the end.

[@ForcedToLaugh]

Absolutely LOVED this video! So informative and explained very well! Well done again Em!

[@Emzotic]

Wow! High praise indeed!! Thank you!!!

[@jimingotthejams5583]

This is some really great advise, thx for sharing em! ☺️ I can’t believe some of these secrets! I love most petstores such as petco and petsmart but I don’t like buying animals from them because of mass breeding. (Advise for others: rather get your animals from local breeders or a reliable store (scales and tails is great for reptiles and amphibians)) 😉. Thanks Em, ur amazing 🤩

[@Emzotic]

I love this. I’m the same. I won’t buy a pet from a chain pet store, but I’m all for supplies

[@Demon-nilla]

Tysm for being so Informative Em, I've always been an animal lover seen I was a wee lil child and seeing videos like these make me so excited for when I'm stable mentally and financially to have a pet✨✨✨

[@Emzotic]

I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you for that day!!! I hope it comes soon!!

[@Demon-nilla]

@@Emzotic TYSM😌✨💖

[@wpsreptiles]

Great video!! I'm so glad you addressed these topics!

[@AuroraExotics]

Super important info here! Fabulous video!

[@aaisawesome6663]

Finallyyyyyy I'm early!!!! Love you em!! I'm getting a new pup on sun n you have educated me so much 😘😘

[@Emzotic]

Woooooow congratulations!! What kind of pup?! 🥰😍

[@aaisawesome6663]

@@Emzotic thanksss!! I'm getting a female dachshund!!

[@0iqgremlin414]

My grandmother and I are planning on getting a small dog breed so I definitely have to do some major research on small dog treats and toys

[@ShadeATV]

I recommend chihuahuas (the long furred variety)

[@nicolewalker0832]

very educational , love it !!!

[@LaguBudakKuching]

Great video! This was super interesting as always

[@navanaredwing6475]

So helpful thank you! ❤️

[@wolftimeplusguineapigs3862]

OMG I cannot thank you enough for making this video, more people need to know about this!!!

[@samhill7693]

This was one of the best videos ever great info !!

[@Sileiii]

You will be surprise by how many owners didn’t check the ingredient lists before purchasing. Blindly choose treats and toys by their vibrant packaging, bold words and cheap prices, thinking they are getting the best stuff for their animals 😢😓 Thanks for sharing this! Hopefully more people will watch and learn! Reading the ingredient list is crucial!!!!!

[@cellano5223]

This is actually a really good video. I knew a decent amount of the info, but thank you for the info on the dog dental chews. Thankfully I've only fed mine Greenies and Whimzees.

[@SnowyShadowBear12]

I wonder if you'd do a video on food linked to dcm, mostly because the only 5 brands that have been said as ones not linked to dcm is , hills, royal canin, purina, iams, and eukanuba. So im curious on your thoughts on this.

[@multifandom546]

A very high quality info, thanks!!!!

[@jadepowell4630]

I work in a pet store and I 100% agree with all of these secrets. Sadly in my area there isn't a great family owned pet store but our employees do try to make the best recommendation when it comes to products and we will tell you if we think something is unsafe and don't support selling it even if we have to because of the company. Definitely do your research before buying!!

[@txferretgirl]

I used to work selling pet food. Initially Nutro, and later Blue Buffalo. My goal was to educate people on reading the bags. If I could help them do slightly better, I felt like I accomplished something. Royal Canin and Science diet are pretty mediocre, but they convince people that they are 'good' by simply being in the vet office. It was hard to get people to believe that vets dont often truly study pet nutrition and just listen to what they are told. It felt good to help people learn to read and research what they are feeding their pets.

[@jenmil000]

I work/worked at a small family owned pet store and have never had to do a “death check” we would rarely have any animal deaths. We would also send back animals that are too small. The pee thing is most likely true. We try to clean as best as possible but some people don’t tell the employees. The food we also have is so different from what a lot of pet stores in my area. We have high end food like carna4 and lower end stuff like pedigree. We also have family owned foods like nutrisource and big brands like iams, Purina, and science diet.

[@sofiaguzman5129]

I hate going to pet stores for my hamster. I only go for bedding and I get the rest of her things online. Or I’m different stores. Treats especially!! So much sugar and salt and things bad for small animals.

[@tabbycatviolet3567]

yeah same!! but I found some good healthy vegie treats that my hamster loves and they have 2 things pea's and carrot's

[@jessie3988]

Definitely a good video, that is helping me with getting my critters better things ☺️

[@Emzotic]

Woohoo! Thanks Jessie!

[@Crystalthewolf1000]

I haven’t seen a ferret in a store in over 15 years (last time I was like 12). They’re so uncommon where I live I forgot they were pets until I came across your videos a few years ago

[@chrispy2271]

This reminds me that the only time I've seen ferrets in a pet store was when a customer came with her ferrets and weighed them :) they don't sell them here

[@Crystalthewolf1000]

@@chrispy2271 are you also in Canada?

[@chrispy2271]

@@Crystalthewolf1000 nope, Germany

[@avidhossanmansur9830]

I've never bought an animal from any pet store apart from fish . We should advocate ethical breeding and stocking of the pets we love . Always get a new pet from a responsible breeder you will get a healthy pet, It will be significantly cheaper and in most cases you can return the animal if you change your mind.

[@hippoanonymous8841]

4:00 i once told a worker their rats looked unwell (the little lady rat had a curled tail and red around her eyes TINY TINY cages they were in ) and they more or less shrugged it off and said they were fine

[@abagfullofcats4247]

It should be noted that Hill’s prescription diets are different than their other formulas. For many dogs and cats, they are the only things they can eat and are often life saving. If your vet is recommending a prescription diet, you should listen to them.

[@emberbear]

Good advice! One of my cats has kidney disease and she can only eat low protein, low phosphate foods now. And there’s only two brands that carry food that’s good for her, Hills and Royal Canine. It may be limited options but you def should listen to your vets recommendations ☺️

[@ControversialDogMom]

@@emberbear you should check out the Farmina N&D Urinary diet. Meets the needs of a cat with urinary issues, with 100x better ingredients. Vets push Science Hills because they pay clinics to stock it on their shelf, not because it’s better 😉

[@emberbear]

@@ControversialDogMom I will def look it up! I will have to see if it still works for kidney care or if they have a version for that.

[@morganestylinson806]

@@emberbear i work at a pet store in France and we also have the brand Protect that’s making veterinary kibble and it is normally better than Royal Canine but i don’t know it it’s available in other countries, but since you know Royal Canine it might be

[@rottweilerfun9520]

@@emberbear , Check out K9NUTRITION , it's a Facebook Group run by Lew Olson. There are sections on special diets for cats and dogs.

[@rodentsncats31]

Thank you for this video it was so informative.

[@breannegoby2466]

SO satisfied to know that the chews you said were good and the food you said was good is literally what I already get for my dog (cause ive done my reading as well) But its very validating lol

[@robmongeau3308]

thank you so much this helps a lot!!!!

[@hydeandseek8428]

Me and Mum usually shop at a local place called Mudbay(only two locations) because they have good treats for our cat & dog and they have the only dog food my picky little bab will eat. Not even mentioning the toys that can actually survive her for more than two days. There's also a lot of shops for exotic pets nearby.

[@christinalillbellspark8284]

This video really was helpful and I had got a Guinea pig from a Petco (no hate to Petco), my guinea pig had a spot of hair that wouldn't grow back but thankfully I made the right decision to take this Guinea pig to a vet and they prescribed a cream that helped that spot that was missing hair grow back.

[@ponyrang]

My best friend, It's always great. Your video is excellent quality. We liked and enjoyed to the end. Thanks

[@BlackIDove]

Every time I try to have a civilized conversation about my friend's or parent's dog nutrition, it always ends the same - "It's what was on sale and he/she eats a lot". Still sending this video to my mom though 😏

[@rottweilerfun9520]

That's so sad.

[@sunnyhacksdiy3509]

Love u em 💕

[@hughgordon6435]

Hi,Em thanks for the heads up, will always comment anyway? So no worries, but thanks for all your work, stay safe,well,and happy

[@Emzotic]

Ahh thanks Hugh! Always a pleasure to see you here in the comments section :)

[@jazminhawkes4794]

Omg I love your videos so much I would have watched it as soon as you posted it but I kinda fell asleep.

[@thecozyreaderandbaker]

All of the stores in my area have TERRIBLE cell reception and no WiFi. Are any stores near you the same way? Part of me thinks it’s on purpose so we can’t research the products while we’re there

[@CarolinvonPetzholdt]

Great video. But what they also don’t want you to know is that they kill sick animals in the back of the store. Sad but true. If there’s a sick bird or animal it’s too expensive for them to provide proper health care. They just rather kill it. There’s some videos on KZbin about petco employees filmed their managers killing sick pets 🥲🤮