i want to work at a pet store...?

Question

I want to work at a pet store when im 16 or 17, cuz i love animals, so i want to start off there. I am only 14 now though. Do i have to be like qualified to work at a pet store? the people who work there are mostly teenageers(or like 20 or 21). I know a lot about reptiles, and i have a bearded dragon, and a dog, and i know a lot about fish. My local pet store mostly sells reptiles, fish, birds, and like one or two dogs or cat. would they have to like train me? would i be able to work there? or would i have to be an expert?

Answer 1

if you love animals you would NOT want to work in a pet store..
when I got my first job I thought the same thing as you but learned quickly that pet stores are STORES first and foremost - the pets come second behind PROFIT - they will sell any pet to anybody with the money regardless of if the person is good or not...
they will do horrible things to pets they cannot sell (kill them themself rather than pay for a vet to do it)
if the store sells puppies you know its really really bad store..
you can tell alot about a store by how clean it is too..

but if you LOVE animals you would NOT work for somebody who exploits them for profit - you would work for an animal shelter or SPCA firstly or even a vet...

Answer 2

You do not need a degree to work at a pet store. However if your personal experience is limited to Bearded Dragons I would highly recommend that you get a subscription to reptiles magazine(about $20.00) a year for one issue a month. There is a ton of information in them on all sorts of reptiles and amphibians. Just take them read them in your spare time and learn. You can also log into the forum and chat rooms at www.kingsnake.com and learn a lot just from reading what others are posting on there. Take into account though that just like here you are getting that persons opinion on what they feel is the right thing to do. But if you read enough you will figure out by what the majority are doing. Some other good places to start would be to see if there are any reptile breeders in your area. You could ask if they would like a volunteer and you will gather a ton of information that way.
Now as to the training that you will get from the pet store. It is very general and from my experience minimal. I have bred and kept reptiles, amphibians, and turtles for about 5 or 6 years now and when I go to the stores and ask questions I am amazed and some of the stuff I hear. I once had a young person at a pets mart tell me to feed an iguana small mice once a week and that would keep them healthy. Iguanas are compleate vegitarians!!!! So take the training they give you but learn on your own and it will show to the boss and you will set yourself up for maybe a pay raise. Plus if you start learning all you can now about many differnet species when you apply for the job you can demonstrate your knowledge and that will go a long way to getting you hired.
I guess I am one of those that believes if you are going to work someplace you should learn what you can. I would not want to go to work selling car stereos when all I know how to do is turn mine on. You know what I mean? Good luck you will find it a very rewarding job one word of caution you will end up with a lot of animals. That is how we got our start. I would see something new and cool arrive at the store. I would play with it a few days and well you can guess it would end up at the house(thank goodness for employee discounts) Good luck.

Answer 3

You don't have to be an expert, but you do need to be knowledgeable.... Which it sounds like you are, and you;re well rounded, which is good (I'm the reptile person at a locally owned pet store, I know NOTHING about fish, which is a large part of our business). If you can, try to get a job at a small local pet shop. From what I've heard the chain stores are full of themselves and want to train you to work "their way," which isn't always the RIGHT way.

Answer 4

You don't need any kind of certification or anything to work in a pet store. Be warned though, it is mostly work not play. Lots of poop removal, feeding, watering, etc. As Lizard Lover said, you WILL bring home a lot of new pets if you are like most animal lovers. They are just too hard to resist. If you do go to work in a pet shop and you enjoy it all, even the cage cleaning you may want to go on and take some classes to become a veterinary technician and move on up to working in a vet's office, zoo, or animal shelter.

Answer 5

it depends on the owner of the pet store.most people want experience. a pet store would be good for you to learn how much it really takes to own a pet, and how much they poop,which you will definately be cleaning up. explosive diarrhea splattered all over the cage, including the dog, and you get to sop it all up with paper towels!!at 16 i wouldnt reccomend it, because sadly the pet store industry is pretty messed up. a huge percentage of the animals die, and the first thing you do when you get to work every morning is pull out all the dead animals(and there are alot) and stick them in the freezer, which might be a little overwhelming for someone so young

Answer 6

you dont need to be qualified to work in a pet store. basically, as long a you like animals and are nice to them, im sure you will have no problems because they will help you out and tell you what to do. if you still arent quite sure, go to this local pet store of yours and ask someone who works there.

Answer 7

I think you will be fine, the main things to remember is to be positive, be a hard worker, be honest and punctual.
If you have a place in mind, visit the store, get to know people.
Always be resourceful, ask what can I do, instead of having someone tell you to do something. You should realize some of your early jobs will be unloading supplies stocking etc...assisting
so dont sweat it, they will not expect you to do surgery.

If they ask you at your interview if you slept at a holiday inn express you can answer yes, but tell them your parents paid for it. LOL.....You are lucky in that you know what you want to do at your age...Good Luck God Bless

Answer 8

My first job was a pet store. Most places don't require knowledge... but do yourself a favor and learn. Don't be like the other dorks and misinform. Do what I did, learn on the way.

Answer 9

They'll probably tell you what to do...but I doubt you need a degree to work in a pet store. As long as you're responsible and have some clue as to what you're doing then you should be fine.

Answer 10

I I want to work at one too. You don't need qualifications, just knowledge of animals and if you're like me and you love and keep alot of animals then you should apply as soon as you can. i'm considering this too.