Reviewing PetSmart's Ball Python and Corn Snake Care Guides! 

You sound dead inside but look excited to talk about these.

as a former petsmart pet care associate, i had homemade care guides to give to ‘pet parents’ since the petsmart branded ones were always at least a bit off. the worst experience i had was when my manager didn’t allow me to refuse a sale because they wanted to keep a ball python in a 10 gallon and power feed it.

Alex: I CANNOT CONTROL THE SPEED AT WHICH REPTILES DIE

Alex: reptiles don’t bark Barking geckos: am I a joke to you?

As a former petsmart employee, the care of the animals solely relies on the individual employee. We’re all paid the same, yet some put the hard work into their daily care while others do the bare minimum. The management unfortunately usually puts customer service above the care of the animals. One of the reasons I left was because I could not handle seeing the neglect and the lack of care.

Petsmart can't even follow their own inaccurate care guide tho-

GoHerping DESTROYS PetSmart care guides with facts and logic

When I got my corn snake from Petsmart (I know now not to support buying reptiles from there, but I didn’t back then) I was lucky and the worker I talked with was pretty knowledgeable on snakes. She specifically told me to ignore information in their guides about feeding outside enclosures and to avoid heat rocks :).

(Whilst listing ball python check liss) "Food bowl. .... Food bowl?" That made me laugh so hard

King snake or the king sort of title for snakes means that they commonly prey on other snakes. So the king snake as well as a King cobra will eat other snakes as a part of their diet.

The funny thing is that at pet smart they have like 5 ball pythons in one 20 gallon Actually it’s more sad then funny

The "king" in a snakes name normally means it feasts on other snakes, I heard once (so king cobra etc.). Not sure if it goes for other animals the same, i think it does

I just love watching Alex calmly tear apart PetSmart's care guides while simultaneously providing reliable and correct information on how to properly care for reptiles.

I really wish my store would sell thermostats... In my opinion it's the number one essential item for MOST specialty pets and should be more widely available.

Yar har fiddly dee petsmart bad

Go herping: don't buy from Petco or petsmart Me who doesn't have any of those in my country: I see this as an absolute win

I'm pretty sure king snakes are known as king snakes because they eat other snakes. I know that California Kings eat Rattle snakes, so at least some are probably immune to some venom as well.

Northern climates with heat sources running can become very dry in a home. We have humidifier on the furnace itself, but many don't. I mist my corn snake when I mist my geckos.

I actually work at a Petsmart. Currently watching this on my lunch actually. I started working here 3 years ago and knew NOTHING about reptiles. Then started feeling bad when I was put in the “petcare” department bc I was selling things I knew nothing about. So I went home everyday and did extensive research on everything we carry. Now I no quite a bit about reptiles and actually am very much hated at my store bc I use out refuse to sell policy constantly bc we in general don’t take care of our animals how they should be cared for. Which is very annoying. But luckily we hold them for a short amount of time and I can guilt trip people into buying them and giving proper care. Our supplier is much better now. Obviously as a mass supplier it def isn’t the best and still wouldn’t recommend buying from big stores. But it’s too late for that knowing how big petsmart and petcos are now. I actually rehabilitate sick animals that people bring in alllll the time bc of false care tips . I have 3 chameleons that are my personal pets that are now 3 and 4 and 2 years old. Lots of cresties and Leo geckos. 2 ball pythons and 3 corn snakes. All of those have come in the store when I first started pretty ill and were just going to be put down. They are my best friends and I spend every paycheck on them. Animals are about the only thing left on the world that are pure and they deserve the best. Just can’t believe I haven’t been fired yet bc the standards here are torture for my morals lol

To be honest, my ball Python was from a petsmart, but I never followed their care guide. I did all my research from other sources. Petsmart really isn’t the go to place for extensive reptile information.

I don't have a reptile. I don't plan on getting a reptile. Still, I'm always here for it.

I love how alex trashes on petsmart employees, but a bunch of us watch this channel bc we love him 😂 But honestly those of us who care and know a thing or two about reptiles never use those trash care guides. I personally recommend this channel, snake discovery, and victoria raechel to curious customers so that they are well informed on the animal they want.

I have a class pet and it's a corn snake. He is really aggressive because he was never handled but it's past the point of fixing. That's ok though. He is also an adult and burrows on cold days.

A lot of people say you sound “dead inside” and “depressed about adult life” but I really enjoy hearing your voice.

Come on, Alex. The picture in the corn snake guide *clearly* featured a premium Petsmart Rootin’ Tootin’ Southwest Adventure tank background, which snakes definitely care about. “Are these the same pictures?” he asks. Psssshhhhhhhhhhhhttt.

Don’t even have to watch to know they did it wrong

Hahaha you’re like... ‘I’m not the damn fates over here, how on earth do I know exactly how long something will live?’

It makes me happy when he shows a small detail of emotion😂

I agree with every single thing you said in this video, I’ve had my ball python for like a year and a half and all the tips you give have helped it thrive

I was at Petsmart and I saw a employee trying to sell this man a hamster with the tiniest critter trail cage imaginable. I walked out of the store so mad 😡

I made a unicorn care guide

I like my local Petco there's a lot of snake people there which is unusual but neat they even take the time to handle and hang out with the baby boop noodles

When you realise that a ball python can be taller than you (im 4'11-150cm)

Did he not already post this? I swear I’ve heard him say all of this before, the food bowl, pooping, hiding comments I’ve heard him say before I thought I’ve seen this whole am I going crazy lol

"Reptiles don't bark...and reptiles...don't....have...bark" *RUFF*

i have to get my manager. they told me to call them if someone is buying another "jerry"

These Conglom-O pet stores suck so vacuously so thx for the quick vid. Been watching ur channel for two years since I inherited my Royale rescue and finding you helped me as a starting point for learning about his needs quickly. Hes a finicky eater like many and that was expected but I see him drink nearly every evening when he comes out and his tank is well ventilated while maintaining about 55-60% humidity here in AZ.

I always have the urge to correct their care guides. Especially the Hermit crab ones

I just got a corn snake yesterday

Alex: 'Just come in with a name, like Jerry.' LMAOOOOOOO

I have a corn snake and a ball python. (both in separate tanks of course!) I got the corn snake from a breeder last year and your video about setting up a corn snake tank was super helpful! Same with the ball python. I do my own research on RU-vid and different pages before heading to the pet store, then pick up what I need.

I would be interested in seeing one of your videos in which you call Petsmart with questions but specifically ask for a reptile specialist and/or the specialty pet lead.

This is a more complete guide to ball python care video then some vids dedicated to ball python care 😂

Yessss I want this to be a series, yessssssss

I work at Pet Smart as a pet care associate (aka I take care of the animals), and actually recently got a ball python from there (the biggest one we have had in a long time). Your videos are so helpful! It always helps me recommend people the CORRECT way to care for their animals. I have always liked reptiles, and definitely appreciate all of the information you work to share with everyone. (My ball python is named Pretzel, in case anyone is curious c:)

Asking how long a individual reptile is going to live is like looking at a person you know and asking how long they are going to live.

All my Jerry's in the chat say "Oh God, he's back again RUN!!!!!!"

Your voice is so comforting for some reason

I'm convinced my leo hasn't drank anything since I brought him home but it's been 3 years so he must but I've never seen it.....

I will say, for my beardie when I have to buy him feeder insects from a pet store, I always go with petco because their feeders are so much higher in quality than petsmart. Petsmarts feeders are always all shriveled up and usually about 1/4 of them are dead. That rarely happens at petco for me.

Jokes on you America, I live in the UK so I don't have to deal with Petsmart!

I work at a petsmart. I can say that the employees aren’t all experts but based on how I have been trained I do my best to care for all of the animals we have. It may not be the best possible options, but we are trained a certain way and expected to abide by the given regulations. I aspire to be a veterinarian and am attending college for it so I make great strides to learn about all animals, especially reptiles because I have never owned one. I know from my time working with petsmart that we will try to deter customers away from buying animals if they don’t seem prepared enough or if they will tire of the animal too quickly. I watch RU-vid channels such as yours to understand what animals should be receiving care and maintenance wise.

Me and my girlfriend went and bought 2 beardies a leopard gecko and a ball python from pet smart, the care guides are pretty far off but we bought from there because we wanted to give them I better home, we felt bad for them living in such a place, love the vids keep it up

I love your water comment 🤣 I’ve had my BP for three years and I’ve probably seen him drink like five times 🤣.

Hi I love your videos very helpful for keeping my reptiles!

King of sarcasm 🤣 I love his videos!! 💯

" I'mma name it jerry" almost made me crack up in the mind of the night

whoever disliked this video i would like to say that Alex is CORRECTING the guides not hating on petsmart. he wants to help people who are thinking of getting a pet reptile. i understand you probably work at petsmart and dont like him talking smack about where you work but you guys can help make a difference by doing better at keeping reptiles and making more good pet stores. i am only 11 but i hope someone sees this and helps make a difference.

there are more in the petsmarts, at least here. this was a cool series, hoping for potential continuation.

I CANT, my ads for the video were all petsmart ads 🤣🤣

Unboxings need a return great videos bro and I know your moving rn but hopefully when you get settled in soon they can start making a return bring back the reptiles to the reptile channel

You should do a video about crypto (stick tail) in Leo’s

Just got a ball yesterday

should i use coco peat for substrate for my juv cornsnake? right now im using aspen but can i mix the two of those or not? someone said to mix aspen and coco peat for cornsnakes and its good for them

Me who just got my first Leopard gecko from PetCo: oh no I hope Kiwi doesn’t die... Kiwi the gecko: *stuffing his face with mealworms and living his best life climbing around on his cave and log*

“Y-Yeah, I’m gonna name it Jerry. :))” Me: *Watches Soul* “Obviously if you come back every week to get a Jerry, they’re gonna catch on.” Me: Name it Terry.

Just noticed but he has really nice eyebrows

Alex where do you stick the probe? I hear a lot of conflicting things...siliconed inside the enclosure above the heat mat or sandwiched between heat mat and bottom of enclosure. Where do you personally stick the probe and make sure it stays in place?

Good to see their reptile guides are a bit more accurate than their small animal guides

Why yes I AM in the middle of Arizona, what the heck is a humidity?

PLZ HELP- I have had 3 different ball pythons now & all 3 have died within the first 2-3 days of owning them. I followed googles suggestions and bought a 25 gallon starter tank, also didn’t even fill it all the way, maybe 3 quarters at most. The first day the ball pythons usually very active and swimming around but then by the second or third day they are floating at the surface. All the water I use has been dechlorinated as well. What am I doing wrong?

Live in the 'middle of Arizona' windows aren't open but it's drafty. Even here we don't really struggle with keeping humidity up with our corn. Coconut fibers do wonders. We'll occasionally spray her down when she's blue, but other than that coconut tends to hold humidity in well.

You should do a video comparing zoo meds bearded dragon care to pet smarts care guide

A new reptile shop moved into my town. they have ball pythons in 10 gallon tanks with no hides but plenty of decor for them to hide in and one water bowl. They are about 1 month old. They have 2 1 month old ball pythons in a 10 gallon tank with coconut fiber substrate, one water bowl, no hides but plenty of decor to hide in, and one water bowl. They are selling them for $75 each.

I wish you were able to see the pet care guides we had a few years back. They recently revised it and it went from 6 panels to 4 and they changed and messed up SO MUCH INFO. I actually keep a copy of the old ones 🤔🤔 maybe I should send you some.

Alex, have you ever tried the Arcadia Deep Heat Projector? Would you be willing to make a review about it maybe? I just got it for my corn snake along with the Shadedweller UVB kit and so far I am impressed. The heat seems to penetrate the substrate and objects in the enclosure far more than my heat mat did and the Shadedweller is made for crepuscular (sp?) Species as well.

I sincerely have no interest in snake content... I just enjoy you so much, that I watch anyways. Your dry humor is exactly what I need in my life 🥲 #favyoutuber

Hey man watched a lot of your videos but I can’t find anything on my problem, everytime I feed my ball python she gets a lot of eco earth on the mouse and it ends up in her mouth after she’s swallowed the whole mouse and she moves around irritated Bc she has the eco earth in her mouth what can I do?

Would the heat mat still work for wooden enclosures? Like can the heat pass through the wood?

My bcc loves soaking he goes in his water dish every few days. She doesn't have mites and I have tried changing temperatures and even on low ends she still goes in the water bowl.

I'm making a custom ball python cage but do you have any tips for me?

you should do a basic setup for various pets. :) it would help alot of first time owners out alot, and also help insure the safety of our scaely family. love the content, hope you and the girlfriend are safe.

Idk bud, I work at petsmart as a dog trainer, and while I don't work in pet care, I'm with them virtually all the time when I'm not teaching a class. A lot of the people that work there are in school to be vets and the people in pet care personally own and care for the reptiles they care for in store. They name the animals they come in for, recognize when they're unwell and pull them off the store floor to care for them before they go back out, and actively worry about who they go home with and will refuse a sale if they feel the need. Of course, it'll vary by store so use your best judgement, but all of the people at my Petsmart in pet care have prior experience with animals and even then, had to train and learn in online class about the animals they keep at the store. Petco, on the other hand, is a different story.

I use a little bit of aspen and mostly coco fiber for my corn snake. It helps keep the shape of the tunnels that she makes. But I suppose that reptibark could also do the same thing.

Hey can you help me my baby breaded dragon eye is like grey and I don't know what to do

I tried to do the whole move to a different container thing with my sand boa. She would never eat that way. She now eats when feeling safe under her substrate and able to strike and never once got more aggressive with me. Same for my two ball pythons. One gets a little overly excited when I open his tank but he calms down once he realizes food is not an option right now.

Please provide all reptiles with a water bowl. They have no way of communicating with you "I need water" if they do. Just provide clean water, better safe than sorry. -Someone who has had to help multiple people whose animals died from lack of water because they were misinformed.

For corn snakes would they like to have a hook on the side of the tank as a perch?

also, do you feed king snakes other snakes? (I don't have one, I'm just curious)

I have a ball python and use a heat mat and thermostat and i have a really hard Time keeping the temp at 80. It’s a 50 gallon and an 18x 6 (i think) heat mat.

I use aspen and a humid hide with bedding that holds moisture for my ball python. I think it's called forest floor?

For corn snakes you said aspen is fine, but what do you think is best? coconut fiber?

I have used those cheap dual thermostat and hydrometer and my ball python got stuck to it multiple times as she likes to climb. So needless to say I don’t use those anymore.

When I got my snake i did get her from a petco (which I know now wants the best) and I got a zoomed starter that did come with aspin (which I didn’t use) but it also came with an under tank heater and as far as I could tell all of their starters came with an under tank heater.

my baby corn snake does what your rat snake shadow does too. He avoids the warm side, which is normally around 80 degrees. but that may be cause his favorite hiding places are there xD

Can I use heat mat and bulb both on hot side?

bruh i love how they say milksnakes and kingsnakes like bruh milksnakes r a type of kingsnake

Should I get a normal 20 gal or a 20 gal long for a corn snake?

I use a mix of coco fiber, aspen, and sprinkle a little coco husk on top for my ball pythonZ AND one of my ball pythons LOVES to bask so she has a light

Actual question for the masses. My year old ball soaks for days. She has no history of mites and I check the temps constantly (she actually likes her mat lower than all my other ball's). She also keeps her water clean? As in she seems to purposely get in and out of her bowl as to not drag in substrate, which I have never seen. Any clues or is she just weird?