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A whistleblower who worked at Reptiles by Mack—a Xenia, Ohio, breeding factory and supplier to PetSmart and other animal traffickers—hit up PETA after repeatedly trying to improve the miserable conditions for the thousands of bearded dragons warehoused there in filthy, barren plastic tubs.
Not a Drop for Bearded Dragons to Drink
Bearded dragons need to drink water to stay healthy—Reptiles by Mack even explains on its website that they should be given a bowl of water for drinking. But in the warehouse where the company keeps thousands of them in row after row of plastic tubs, it denied the thirsty animals water. 😧
Dehydrated dragons desperately tried to drink droplets of water left behind after the tubs they were kept in were rinsed and licked their lips for more.
The company warehouses thousands of bearded dragons in barren plastic tubs.
‘Every Single Dragon’ Had a Virus
Many bearded dragons at Reptiles by Mack shook and twitched violently. A supervisor chalked the symptoms up to an adenovirus—a highly contagious pathogen spread by poor sanitation—which he said “every single” dragon at the facility had and which can lead to liver and kidney disease and other painful conditions.
According to the whistleblower, supervisors put down dragons with obvious signs of the disease but Reptiles by Mack didn’t quarantine animals housed with those who’d shown symptoms or do anything else to contain the virus. The company may have even shipped infected dragons out to pet stores nationwide to be sold to customers who wouldn’t know how to care for a critically ill animal. 😲
How Were Bearded Dragons Killed? That’s a ‘Little PETA Question’
Bearded dragons, including babies, were often found dead. 😢 Some dragons’ remains were found completely dried up—meaning that they’d been dead for some time—while worms had eaten holes in others. The whistleblower found nearly 70 dragons dead in less than eight weeks. Their remains were collected in dog poop bags.
Dragons, including babies, were routinely found dead.
Supervisors put down at least 420 dragons during those eight weeks. When the whistleblower asked how the animals were killed, a supervisor fr said that was a “little PETA question” but explained that the animals were gassed with carbon dioxide for up to 10 minutes. 😱
No Care for Necrotic Wounds, Injured Limbs
As the vid shows, Reptiles by Mack kept dragons in barren plastic tubs, where they couldn’t burrow, hide, or climb—all basic behaviors that are important to their health and well-being. Since they couldn’t escape the crowded conditions, stressed dragons often fought, leading to serious wounds to their tails and legs. Some even had missing feet.
Unable to hide or escape the crowded conditions, bearded dragons often fought, resulting in severe injuries like this one to a dragon’s tail.
Supplier Bred Bearded Dragons and Brought Babies in by the Thousands
Thousands of baby dragons were imported from overseas, packed by the dozen in tiny plastic containers. Many were found dead shortly after arrival.
Thousands of baby dragons were imported from overseas, packed by the dozen in tiny plastic containers.
Reptiles by Mack bred other bearded dragons, and over a period of two months, dozens of babies were apparently gassed if they didn’t reach a certain weight by even a fraction of a gram. 😡
Baby dragons were often deformed when they hatched. Many were put down, but management evidently wanted to auction Timothy and Jimothy—dragons conjoined at the spine—to the highest bidder, instead of letting an employee who cared for the twins adopt them.
You Can Help Bearded Dragons
This is the eighth time PETA has exposed an animal dealer with ties to large pet store chains. PetSmart def knows about the systemic suffering in its supply chain, yet it continues to do business with animal factories like this one and to sell animals.
Please join us below in urging PetSmart to stop selling bearded dragons—and let the animal trafficker know that you won’t shop at its stores until it no longer sells any animals.
And if you’re planning to add a reptile or any other animal to your fam, adopt—don’t buy from a pet store or breeder. 🙅