Those of you who aren't from Michigan might not recognize the store name "Meijer" but it's a supermarket much like a Wal-Mart or Kmart. First of all, I tend to really like Meijer in general, they treat their employees a lot better than most bottom-rung places and have this program in place that allows you to specify a church or school group and a percentage of their profits from your purchases go to that organization.
That's why I was so shocked when I saw that they kept an assortment of rodents, birds and fish in the pet section of their store. All the animals are kept in aquariums (yes, even the birds though some perches are provided) and are packed in the space really tight. I saw three guinea pigs living in a space that was about half the size appropriate for one. The aquarium with the mice had so many they were literally crawling all over each other to get around.
That being said, they had a good-quality clean bedding in the cage, plentiful water and plentiful food (though a crappy mix). However, I doubt these animals get any vegetables, attention, exercise, proper lighting or vet care.
After seeing this the first time I've come back to look for any differences. It's been pretty much the same. Bedding, water, food, enough room to turn around... and that's about it. I've gone to a couple other Meijers too and while the other two had larger setups they are also far too small.
I saw one white guinea pig with a bald spot on his face, rocking back and forth with one eye shut. He was clearly on the verge of death. I went around the store looking for an employee, found one, told her what was happening, she called the person in charge of the pet division, we walked over and it was dead. I felt so bad for him.
I wanted to report them for neglect, but after looking into it, it seems that under Michigan law, rodents are
not animals. Please tell me if I'm wrong.
Michigan Laws Governing the Treatment and Sale of Animals at Pet Shops
So, I can't report them for anything, since abusing, neglecting, and allowing guinea pigs to die is apparently legal here. I was thinking that instead I could write to the CEO of Meijer. I tracked down his work address on the internet. I just need some advice on what to say. Of course I will mention how their practices are unfair to their animals, but I'd also like to appeal to logic and profit, since I don't know if this guy has any pity for small animals.
If anyone has any advice on how to draft a letter that might really catch their attention and change their ways, let me know!