the poor crickets!

Petsmart sucks.

So I have three things to get on my way home from work today: vegetables for my lunch, goggles, and a live mouse to feed Pythy (he was quite unimpressed by the frozen food we presented him on Wednesday). Sounds like three stops, but fortunately there's a Big Box Store strip on Shawnee Misison Pkwy (same street as my office) that's pretty much on the way home. So I'm able to take care of the first two and head for Petsmart, the last store in the strip and the last stop on my way home. Hurray!

I find a clerk. Tell her I need to buy an adult mouse.
"Is it for a pet?"
"It's for a pet's food..." I say, somewhat flippantly.
"We don't sell mice for food. It's policy."
You've got to be kidding me. It's a mouse. What difference does it make what happens to it. I don't expect Pythy to be terribly inhumane about it. I mean, I really hope that the CEO is a vegetarian, or else this is just a bunch of crap. Is it more humane what they do to cows and chickens before killing them for our dinner? Hardly. I'm not going to torture this animal!
And, really, I don't mean to sound careless about the whole thing, either. This isn't particularly easy for me... I do happen to think mice are cute. But I also am quite found of my little ball python. And he eats mice. That's how things are. I can't help it that most people find rodents cute while very few people find snakes cute. "Cuteness" is a stupid factor upon which to set store policy. Do you think they sell crickets for the lizards they sell there? Crickets might be cute, too! What about the crickets?
It just really pissed me off. Part of was just that I was terribly inconvenienced. And part of it just seems so inane! It's so... biased, so preferential.... what about my poor Pythy? Ya sell dog food, doncha? You think any animals that went into the "animal products" of that were treated well? I don't.

So, in summary. Petsmart sucks. If you want reptile food from there, lie. Here's how the next conversation will go:
"Is it for a pet?" (Meaning: Are you planning to keep the mouse as a pet?)
"Yes, it's for a pet." (Meaning: Yes, the mouse is intended for my pet...snake.)

Petco rocks
"I'd like to buy a mouse."
"Male or female?"
"Doesn't matter. One of the smaller ones."
"Okay, I'll ring you up over here."

Nya.