Absolutely Horrible, STAY AWAY if consulting about reptiles...
I'm a reptile owner of 10+ years, over the years i've befriended many experts and both myself and my vet are extremely confident in saying that my reptiles are extremely happy and healthy, i know my stuff.
having heard a lot of shocking stories about woeful advice being given from maxi zoo employees, i went to go and investigate. I came into this store and acted as though i was new to reptile-keeping and asked to see the person in charge of reptile recs and questions...i am shocked. i was panned off to a clueless young man in his mid 20s who had had one cornsnake to his name...i repeat, this guy probably gives advice to legitimately clueless customers every day and he knew NOTHING. i asked him to give me some advice on bedding, food and lighting for a baby bearded dragon. he gave me a tired look and a sarcastic, 'jesus WHERE did you get [the beardie] from?' as though it wasnt his job to be patient and answer ALL questions from customers with good accurate knoweldge...this is what he eventually offered me:
he tried to sell me an unsolid substrate which is a huge no-no for lizards, they're a very common cause of choking and any git with half the ability to google this would know.
he tried to sell me locusts, full-size, for food- incredibly stupid. again another choking hazard. baby lizards should only be eating soft-shell insects like very small crickets or roaches
he then told me that for lighting i would 'only' need a simple basking light....are you kidding..reptiles will die without a UVB light.....
needless to say i am disgusted that maxi zoo doesnt even have a google-knowledge level of reptile care. giving out this kind of advice to new owners will ensure painful deaths for many reptiles. absolutely shocking and would absolutely never ever recommend. read more