Petco’s “Desk Pets” Ignore Their Own Care Guides
I personally have the common sense to see why no animal should be easily accessible to the public. I witness children and adults mistreat animals, and it is apart of my job to educate and prevent misinformation from turning into abuse.
This is why it’s incredibly frustrating to see an “animal and wellness company” approve gimmicky ideas like desk pets I understand that desk pets have been tested with your vendors and CA merchants. But did you try it at my store? Did you test it across the states? Did anyone consider what actually happens in stores every day? Animals being tapped on, shaken, stressed, mishandled, or stolen by the public?
Why would you expect us to practice subpar animal care while your pacman care guide from March 2015 states that you should provide,
• Size - appropriate size habitat to accommodate Pac-Man Frog with normal behavior and exercise.
• Habitat - provide a hiding area. Maintain less than 70% humidity by misting as needed every day.
• Substrate - provide a deep substrate, such as commercial mulch, bark chips, large gravel, sphagnum moss, or sterile potting soil.
• Temperature - maintain an overall range of
68-80°F; use an under-tank heater at all times.
• Lighting - UVB rays | with full spectrum lighting for
10-12 hours a day is required; low level UVB lighting
How is that tiny critter keeper adequate size for normal behavior and exercise? There is no hiding area provided. One inch of substrate is not deep substrate. No heat is provided. No UVB is provided. No humidity or temperature gauges are provided. Employees are essentially expected to “hope for the best.”
Why would we go backwards in animal care from what Petco recommends from 2015?
To add on your Pacman Frog Care: Tank Setup, Diet, & Beginner's Guide Published on July 18th, 2024, Updated on October 22nd, 2025 states
• Humidity: Maintain humidity at 70–80% by misting substrate as needed every day. Substrate should be damp but not wet. Excess humidity can lead to skin infections, and deficient humidity can lead to dehydration and dormancy
• Lighting: Low-level UVB lighting is recommended for 10–12 hours a day, and because horned frogs are nocturnal, you may provide a low wattage nocturnal bulb for nighttime viewing, too. Be sure to provide hiding places to allow frogs to hide from light, as needed
• Water: Provide a shallow, open bowl of filtered water (do not use distilled or tap water), surrounded by plants (such as pothos) that help make a soaking frog less stressed, for frogs to drink from and sit in
How are employees supposed to maintain adequate humidity with 1 inch of substrate plus the moss the frog was shipped in. The moss is the size of a quarter, if you’ve received pac man frogs you know.
How are these animals supposed to hide from the overhead store lights? The slightly opaque lid is not enrichment or security. And why is a frog or spider being sold as a “desk pet” not even provided with a water bowl????
Not to mention the reality that many stores regularly experience AC or PEST problems. Anyone who has worked in retail stores knows these issues happen.
In a proper setup, the animal has the choice to move between hiding spots, areas of higher humidity, and closer or farther from a heat source in order to regulate itself naturally. In these desk pet containers, they no longer have the option.
I understand the pac man frogs were selected for their “unique requirements.” But the truth is it’s because they are hardy enough to survive poor conditions longer than people expect. Survival should not be the standard for animal care. “Alive” is not the same thing as healthy and thriving. The bare minimum is not okay.
Has anyone thought about what happens on an actual desk?
What about cleaning chemicals? Heat from computers and consoles? Constant vibrations? Lights staying on late at night? Noise? Stress? Are people realistically going to fit proper 10–20 gallon enclosures on their desks after buying these animals?
The whole concept is built on impulsive purchases over proper husbandry.
Most importantly who approved this? Petco’s animal care and education team. Chief veterinarian Dr Shelly Ferris please I ask you WHY? You have dedicated a career to equine and small animal medicine, what about these tarantulas and pac-man frogs? Director of animal care, education and compliance how could you look at this and approve it? What actual testing was done?
Petco’s own animal care and education team approved setups consisting of
One inch of substrate plus the moss provided in shipping
Tiny, publicly accessible containers
No heating
No UVB
No water bowl
No hiding space
No temperature or humidity gauges
If these containers are left on the sales floor there will be theft, stress and preventable deaths.
I am proud to see that many stores are refusing to put this on the sales floor, and to provide more care than we were instructed to give.
I only used Petco’s own care guides here as examples. Experienced pac man owners already know there are far more reputable and up-to-date husbandry resources available.
I didn’t even go deeply into the tarantulas and jumping spiders, because experienced keepers can successfully keep some in smaller enclosures. But animals are not decoration pieces for office desks, and living animals should never be reduced to marketing gimmicks. Hello five below CEO Joel Anderson !!
Advocating for proper animal welfare is part of responsible animal care. If something feels wrong, employees should feel comfortable asking why these standards suddenly changed and whether they truly benefit the animals involved.
TL;DR Petco wants us to provide less than adequate care for a marketing gimmick called desk pets. If set to planogram, it will be easily accessible to the public. Preventable deaths will happen if these frogs and tarantulas are on the sales floor. I hope Petco will answer to why the company is going backwards in animal care!!!