Customer vs. Quality

RayenaeTargaryen

New Member
When I first go Pi, I was buying her food from a popular chain pet store, but the distance was a bit of a pain, so I looked for a local place that might be a little bit closer and I'll be darned, I found one that was pretty close. They had all the supplies you could ever need for any reptile or arachnid you could think of.

My problem comes down to this --

the LOCAL pet store only gives crickets in increments that are either too little or too much and I get the feeling that they are pre-bagged if that makes sense. The employee goes into the back room, comes out with a paper bag stapled shut. The first time I went there I had a good experience with them, the second time I went up there, they didn't have "small" crickets in stock, and the third time I went up there, when I opened the bag when I got home, not all of the crickets were the correct size so I feel like I was kinda' ripped off. However, their crickets seem healthier and are also less expensive.

--

The chain pet store always gave me what I asked for, although the crickets didn't always look healthy and I think there were a few dead ones as well. They were a bit more expensive and some of the employees were somewhat condescending while others were really nice and helpful. There was no going behind a back door, I could see how they were filling and what they were filling with.

What would you do?

Sorry this was so long, but I feel sorta' stuck. :confused:
 
go to flukersfarm.com and order your own crickets and just raise them. solves a lot of issues you have.
 
Find out what days the local shop gets their deliveries and make sure you go right after.This way they are fresh and you get first access to the smallest crix. Also tell the person getting the crickets what your feeding and that size is important. They have to scoop them out by hand anyways so normally they can try to get smaller ones if they have them.
 
To be honest what I would do and in fact what I do now is breed your own crickets. I live in an area where the nearest good pet store is an hour drive. The 1 that is half an hour away is overpriced and quite honestly unhealthy in my opinion. Anyway, what I decided is it'd be more cost effective and easier to just start a colony of crickets. Go online and buy in bulk. Almost any place that sells crickets in bulk online does overnight delivery and some even do free shipping and alive arrival guarantee...

Anyway about once a month I go online and but 10,000 mixed sized crickets from the same place (pm me for details. I dont think we're supposed to give out merchant info in the forums). They do sell smaller quantities 500+ with everything from pinheads to adults & you dont have to buy monthly I just have to with everything I feed.

Then get a fish tank with screen lid or even plastic tote from walmart and make a top. I use a 29gallon but depending on the size and quantity you need you can decide what size container you need. Use sand or even potting soil as substrate so they can deposite their eggs, egg flats, cricket food, water gel, and a heat lamp.

It is really easy and cost efficient. Plus knocks out the middle man (retail) mark up!
 
Dont forget guys the crickets stink. unless you are cleaning the enclosure frequently they will smell horrible. I personally wouldnt bother raising crickets unless you are feeding multiple chams and go thru them quickly.
 
Dont forget guys the crickets stink. unless you are cleaning the enclosure frequently they will smell horrible. I personally wouldnt bother raising crickets unless you are feeding multiple chams and go thru them quickly.

I keep my breeding operation in the garage and have no issues with the odor. The key is a lot of ventilation. I screen all sides except for the bottom.
 
Find out what days the local shop gets their deliveries and make sure you go right after.This way they are fresh and you get first access to the smallest crix. Also tell the person getting the crickets what your feeding and that size is important. They have to scoop them out by hand anyways so normally they can try to get smaller ones if they have them.

I agree, work WITH the local pet store, they'll be more likely to go an extra mile to make a sale than a big chain store. And if you talk to them they're more likely to see how they can meet your needs.

I used to work at an exotics pet store and I was always willing to tell customers when we got crickets and we would order in a special request sizes if we were asked in advance. You may even be able to get a box of 500-1000 from them with their own shipment. This is what we would do, we would just add X more boxes to our own cricket or superworm orders, the customers would pay in advance, and then on Tuesdays and Fridays they could walk out with their whole box.

But this has been true of any small, local pet store I've ever known. Way more helpful!
 
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