Home Grown Pets — Local services in Marion

I hope the owners are reading this and I hope they act on it before it's too late. I had been into the store on a number of occasions after it opened and really enjoyed it. Last week I went in in the afternoon for the first time in probably a year. The smell is absolutely disgusting. It also seems like they only have a fraction of merchandise compared to how it used to be. But let's forget housekeeping for a second. You'll remember it when you walk in. I saw one employee, and she was behind the counter. I wasn't greeted when I came in, but she was answering a question for someone else so that's okay. I wanted to see ball pythons. Instead of using a substrate, they use essentially what's like an imitation Turf that lays on the bottom of the enclosure. It's loose, so the snakes can go under it and no one can see them. That's fine. There was a customer at the counter purchasing something from the employee so I waited. Two other groups of customers came in during this time. Then I realized there was a guy working there who had been in back. When he emerged, I was temporarily relieved because I thought finally I was going to get to see what I came in there to hopefully purchase. There was a couple in there who were looking around every corner for help. The guy who was in back was walking around some new aquariums and talking on his cell phone. He did not look at or acknowledge any of the four groups of customers in the store. Half of the customers needed help and one of the two employees was helping the third of four customers. That guy needed to get off the phone and help the people who were in there to keep this business alive. Despite unassisted customers being in the store, he stayed on the phone and walked into the back room and ignored everyone.

I was there because I like buying from locally owned businesses. I don't like the big corporate chain stores and I thought this would be a viable alternative. So disappointing. I said something to the nice lady behind the counter and it showed her it wasn't her fault but I did point out that her co-worker was ignoring all of the customers.

I know this is the part of the story where somebody is going to say it's too bad because I went and spent 80 gazillion dollars somewhere else, but that's not the point of this. Every customer in that store was a potential sale. You have to care about the customers. I know I won't be going back to the store and I will recommend that others avoid it. Pets playhouse on the Westside is extremely helpful, they have far more selection, and you will never be in that store and wonder whether they value your patronage.

Very disappointing,...

Good prices but I wish animal care was better.

I have been keeping fish for about 8+ years and within the last 2 years I've started keeping some reptiles and amphibians. I am very diligent in my research before I get an animal.

Most of the freshwater fish seem to be in good condition. I don't have good knowledge on marine/saltwater so I can't comment on those.

What I was dissapointed to see was betta fish in small cups or small tanks without heaters or filters. I know alot of people believe that bettas only need a little cup of water to survive and most fish stores in the US keep bettas for sale this way. This isn't really true. Sure they can barely "survive" in a tiny cold bowl of water, but they aren't even close to thriving. If you do some research and have basic knowledge of their actual habitat you would find that they need minimum of 2.5 gallon tank. (preferably 5 gallon as it's very hard to establish a nitrogen cycle in a small tank) with a heater to keep water at 78-80 degrees F (they are tropical fish) and a filter (to give media for beneficial bacteria to live/grow on to have a nitrogen cycle. It's typical (but still sad) to see chain pet stores keeping bettas in cups and selling tiny tanks with no filtration or recommendation for heaters, but it's even more dissapointing to see a local pet shop using these same practices.

I did like that the reptiles weren't kept on sand (sand usually leads to impaction due to ingestion of the sand) but I didn't like that I Iearned many of the reptiles and amphibians that needed bigger meals (not just insects) were fed live mice/rats. Feeding live leads to a higher risk of parasites and injury which then leads to infection. Feeding frozen/thawed is much safer from my experience and research.

I don't know any info on keeping alot of the small mammals and birds but the cages did look crowded and messy some of the times I visited. Don't know if they plan on changing this as the store is still pretty new.

Overall the pet shop is good because I like seeing small buisnesses and prefer to support them over big chains, but it's not so good because the animal care isn't much better than what you see in those big chains. The store is still pretty new, so if changes are made I will change my review. Until then I am left with a conflicted opinion...

Very very very disappointed! Tuesday brought two cockatiels home. Got told one was a male and one was a female and was not true at all after we got home my father and grandma that raised them for years said they were both males. They both were very loving the night we got them and next morning. The second night of having them the one became very aggressive and the other very skid-dish, I called down to homegrown pets since I live 40 minutes away and I asked brandy what I could do and that I was getting them more toys and treats to try and make them happy, she told me to send her pictures and videos of what I was talking about so I did so, she then told me in the message shown. That it did show signs of aggression and they could take one back it did take me a few days because I fell in love with both of them that’s why I got them both and because she told me they were male and female. Today I called her before I went to Marion with the bird so I didn’t have to take him out into the cold for no reason and she yet again told me to bring him in. I got there and she says well all sales are final and I can give you a discount on a bird cage. WHAT!? when we bought these birds there was no disclosure on them. She did not once tell me that over the phone when I called her 3 times about them that all sales were final. This place is a joke do not go there! I am so disappointed in the service we got all of those animals in there deserve so much better this place needs to be boycotted...