I have had many bad experiences at Dobbies, Stirling.
Firstly , back in 2008 when i bought my chinese fire-bellied newts. I was given really bad advice and was told to keep them at 28 degrees. These animals should be kept at 14-20 degrees. They offered me a free newt- It came in with the plants they ordered. I stupidly stupidly accepted. All the newts died within 5 days. Needless to say, i felt awful , and still do to this day.
The food they sell is overpriced and often a bit mingy. I bought cheese sticks .. then later found out they contained animal fat bleh! It didn't even specify which animal the fat was from. YUK.
Totally over-priced! I went in to buy some things for my pets. Dobbies were selling a dog play ball that i saw in Pets at Home for £2.99 for £15!
£15 for a dog toy?!
I own and know A LOT about reptiles (well i do now, i didn't initially) The substrate they use for their bearded dragons is totally unacceptable. They are solitary animals , yet they insist on keeping them together. They sold me a bearded dragon kit when i first got one , the lighting was totally wrong and my vet advised me to change it as it can cause severe eye problems.
In case you didn't already know- their marine fish are all wild caught. WRONG! As are some of their neon tetras.
I bought a small shrimp from Dobbies and followed their instructions. It died before we got home. (10 minute drive) When we took it back(less than 20 hours later) a rather pompus man argued with us and insisted we give him a water sample from our tank (the shrimp never made it home)
Their livefood (crickets , locusts, waxworms) are often out of date and most are dead. They are kept in cramped conditions with no food or water.
My advice if you're looking for a new pet Have a look at the rescue centres (SSPCA) Don't go to Dobbies, Don't go to Pets at home either (i got my dragon from there , I didn't realise he was ill (Pin worm , very underweight) It took me 8 month to get him back on track. read more