Buying from a pet store...

Now, I know how the majority feel about buying dogs/cats from a pet store... but, to you, does the same apply to small animals, such as rats and mice, snakes and birds, etc. etc..?

Our very first pets were rats and we were not at all knowledgeable about pet store animals and we had been looking a local pet store. I had asked them if the male and female rats were housed together and they said yes which led me to ask if they could guarantee that the females could not be pregnant and they could not... so I ran our of there.. and FAST. It was appalling to me. (This store also had dogs and bunnies and occasionally cats, but the cats were from local rescues).

Anyways... we ended up adopting two male rats from a woman who had bought her children two rats from a store- and one ended up being pregnant. So she found homes for all of the babies... she didn't charge, but she made sure that everyone had appropriate set-ups, etc..

I try to NOT support any pet store that sells any type of animals... whether it be cats, dogs, birds, snakes, lizards, mice, rates, etc..etc. There are responsible breeders of these animals as well. When I have to buy from Petsmart, I do so grudgingly.

Thoughts?

The only animal I've ever bought from a pet store was my rabbit, Toby when I was 13 years old. I don't regret it because I love her to pieces but all the other furkids are adopted- my rats too!

But if I were to ever buy a small animal from a pet store it would be from Petsmart. Well the Petsmart where I live anyway since they only have females and they take very good care of them.

I think that a lot of it depends on the individual store.

A local feed store occasionally sells bunnies, rats, chicks, mice, and hamsters. They also have one of the nicest aquarium sections in the area. But the animals are well cared for, and come from local breeders.

I think the biggest difference is that it takes a LOT more work and effort to care for a dog than it does a hamster. I would never buy a pet from a pet store, period... and I would never support a pet store that sells puppies or kittens. But I have no problem with the feed store I mentioned. They take reallyyy good care of their animals, I know, because one of my friends works there. They do it more to help out local breeders who have overflow than to make any profit. They do not keep males and females together, of breeding age.

One of my friends once bought 2 mice from Petsmart - in the "male" section. A couple weeks later, she woke up to find several baby mice drowned in the water bowl! She was very traumatized. I would not trust pet stores to give me credible advice, about anything - including fish!

the only things buy besides food and toys for my pets at petstores is NOTHING. every pet i have has been either FREE from friends and neighbors or off of ksl. i do not support pets at the local pet stores they are under feed, sick, or not cared for very well. IMO, buying them from pet stores is supporting mills of any sort. i would look in the local paper or under breeders for your pets of any kind. or try your local humane society and adopt them.

I had this exact same experience once. I actually was in a small mall petshop in town and noticed a male rat in with the females, so went to the employee (who I think was either the manager or owner) to let her know. She replied with "Yes, I know, we don't bother seperating them so that we can keep our stock up." I asked the same thing about selling pregnant animals, and she replied with "Well we'll take back all the babies"... what so you can put them in the same tank as all their siblings/relatives so they can inbreed and make more pregnant rats to be sold?!

I refuse to support any pet store that sells ANY animals, and feel very priveleged to work at one of the loveliest shops in town (IMHO) which does not sell or promote the sale of animals as merchandise.

I have made purchases from Petsmart in the past, but honestly that was before I discovered WAY better places to shop.

Now I know my son's new little friend (the snake) came from a pet store called D & D in Michigan City. I have been in there once, they didn't have what I needed and I was unimpressed with the place so I have never been back.

99% of my dog supplies come from Brandts (also michigan city) and they do have birds and snakes.

I am going to be completely honest here and probably get flamed.........but I just don't view mice, rats, birds, snakes (tiny pets) in the same way I view dogs/cats.

They live in a cage for most of their existence whether it's a mill, byb, or great breeder...........even after they have a good home, that's just how they are kept. So to me, cruelty issues just aren't the same caliber.

I could be wrong in my thinking..........been wrong lots of times and changed my mind, I am a woman after all

No animals from petstores. Ever. If I want a caged pet it's off to the SPCA.

Hmm.. yes, they live in cages, but I think it would be harmful for them to be out and about, especially in a home with other animals. When we had our rats they were out of their cages constantly... sitting on my shoulder... we'd put towels down on the table and let them romp around... we'd even let them on the ground (and clean up rat poop ). I'm the type of person that when I have an animal, I give them my all. I wonder if being in a cage in a good home with proper nutrition and supplies is better than being abandoned in a pet store or out on the street.

And coincidently, when our rattie boys died, I cried like a baby! It hit me just as hard as losing any other animal I've had.

I think I see what Coop is trying to say though, that dogs and cats need more human interaction than most cage pets. A caged pet is usually content with some gentle love every day, good food and water, and a clean cage. Some are happier without the handling.

I consider ferrets very high maintainance "little pets", but even they are easier to keep happy than my dogs and cat. Giving my dogs and cat the amount of attention that kept my brother's ferrets content would be nothing short of neglect to the dogs, and my cat wouldn't be too happy either.

So in a way I'm ok with private pet stores selling fish, small mammals, birds and reptiles. I won't boycott a store because they sell these animals, but if the animals are in poor condition and nobody is doing anything about it, I will.

My hamsters, gerbils, mice, and rats were from pet stores. I was young, didn't know any better, and always felt sorry for them. Having worked at Petco, I still feel so sorry for those animals, but I know better than to further support them. I do understand what Coop is saying, but to see all the ones that don't make it to display is awful.

Don't those two sentences kind of contradict each other? Pet store or newspaper, you're still tossing your money to the same people.

I have bought some of my pets from the petstore, and I could imagine buying a pet from a petstore again as long as the animals are well looked after. There are very few pet stores in my nearest city and it's just not viable to boycott those stores simply because they sell small animals. Not to mention, living in a small place like this, with no shelter having anything but cats or dogs or the occasional odd rabbit, I don't have a lot of options other than the petstore if I want a more exotic or unusual pet.

How about a breeder?

With that mentality people think it's okay to buy cats and dogs from petstores, too.. and since they don't want to be inconvenienced to buy responsibly, they'll support stores that do... *shrugs* why not? there's a surplus of animals anyways...

I have bought small animals and fish from pet stores, and also from breeders. Frankly, many of the breeders are creepier than the pet stores . . . but not all of them.

I'm very picky about where I buy my small animals; they have to be clean, healthy, separated by gender, and played with by the staff. So far, I've not gotten a rotten one under those rules.

I have to say that the sale of small animals from pet stores does not especially bother me . . . as long as they are well cared for.

Now my reptiles (which I guess count as small animals) are all from breeders. There is too much ignorance about their needs in almost any pet shop I've been in . . .

Despite the fact that I am terrified of birds, and don't particularly like snakes or rodents, I feel pretty much the opposite. I will never own an animal that needs to be caged for the majority of the day because I don't think it is fair. My horse goes in a stall at night, and my dog can be crated, but for a huge chunk of the day, they are in a relatively natural environment for them - outside, tons of space, etc. Maybe it's just because none of those pets appeal to me, but it just seems wrong.

I don't doubt for an instant that the many people here with those pets take spectacular care of them, and truly love them, but something about it just seems wrong to me.

Yes, thank you RHD & RD.

After I read my post again this morning, I realized that I didn't really make it clear. I view these small pets to be just as important to people who love them as I do dogs, cats, horses......etc...

It's just that they will ALWAYS live in a cage, and therefore as long as they are clean, have food/water, and their habitat is clean at these places I don't see the cruelty in it (at least no more than they will ALWAYS have)

So YES........if a certain store had messy dirty cages, sickly looking animals, all genders mixed, then I would probably be disgusted and not shop there anymore.

I buy my gerbils from one pet store because it looks really good. they breed their own and never have tons of them. The breeding cage is up top in the show room with the light off and it says "do not disturb mother and babies" Even after they are weaned they will not sell them until they are of age (whatever that may be for gerbils) because the one on display I wanted last time she told me she was still too young. The cages are clean and they are not on pine or cedar bedding they look well fed. I myself think it's a pretty good place. Plus if I ever told my parents I wanted to get the gerbils from a breeder they would laugh in my face

I don't buy any small animals from the pet store. I get my guinea pigs from the animal shelter. People are always getting tired of them and surrendering them there. My first guinea pig came from a pet store (a small no-name one that is no longer in existence) and she turned out to be pregnant. They offered to take the babies back, but we declined.

I've heard from a Petsmart employee that they have male and female designated stores, where certain stores get all male animals, and others all female animals. I don't know about Petco. I remember once a long time ago they had several large enclosures with a multitude of young guinea pigs, both sexes. And one that was almost dead. I heard somebody yelling at the employees about that one.

So yeah I never get my piggies from a store. Don't need to. And IMO anyone who wants a rabbit shouldn't need to go to a petstore either. The shelters are just as full of rabbits as they are of cats and dogs.

I don't know if that was directed at me or not? But if it was, in a place like this, if I want to get say an african grey parrot, the closest breeder is probably about 400-500 kilometres away on a one-way trip. That is not a distance I'm willing to drive and take the parrot back in the car with me. I'd do it for a dog, but not for a small exotic animal that might not be able to tolerate long car travels in extreme heat or cold depending on season.

If it's feasible to buy from a breeder, then I do but in most cases when wanting an exotic or unusual pet where I live, it means driving a really long way. We simply don't have the same kind of pet overpopulation that exists in america or other big countries. I do see your point though and I agree it's better to get from a shelter or buy from good breeders if that is a possibility, but for me it's usually not a good option. At least no one here can get tempted into buying cats or dogs from pet stores because there are no pet stores that sell cats or dogs.

we buy our dog food at Petsmart which sells small animals. I don't have an issue with it. the feed store around here sells dog food in bags coated with an inch of dust. I would rather buy food that is fresh and from a place that has some standards in place as to it's handling.

Our Fish expert and our bird expert have had CORP complaints made from custumers who they REFUSED to sell animals too even feeder mice..
I work at Petco- where many of the very animals are sold to employees who get too attached.
Ive adopted out a bunch of hamsters, and will be adopting out a Canary this month.
Yesterday we adopted out 14 Cats with a local group.
And raised Millions for xmas for unwanted animals.
We have many great custumers who are educated people who want the best for their pets be it lizard or dog.
But yes many uneducated ones.
In addition we host classrooms studies for local schools and disabled kids/adults as well.
We promote education and adoption and at least the pets can be returned to be adopted out. Where many breeders of all animals could care less once sold.

I think they have managed to stop the selling of large parrots that outlive their owners.

The biggest pet that I feel most can Not handle and should NOT be sold at Petcos is Ferrets.. Owning one bird or one lizard can help you become a better future owner of different varities of these animals.

But Ferrets are in a league of their own they live 7-10 years and no other animal be it hamster rat mouse can help you understand what they are.

Well any way my 2 cents..