Thank you for the great posts. You have given me something to also think about.
I do believe though that Oxbow is or will be selling their product to petsmart and other large chain stores cheaper than they can sell it to local rescues. I speak from experience of what happened with science diet once it hit the petsmart shelves. I work for a veterinarian and I personally cannot buy science diet as cheap through my office as petsmart can offer it at regular price. (although I do not feed science diet anyway).
I do see the point about the small pets being used as a lure to get in cutomers as well, and get those impluse buys.
And many of you are correct. Joe Public will never stop shopping at petstores. That will never happen. I will have to stick to my belief that I can do a better good by informing Joe Public not to buy live animals at petstores though. It may be one at a time, but still better than zero. If every pet at the petstore doesn't get purchased they will eventually see that it's a loss. ANd that by allowing rescues to have a few adoptable rescues in place of the small pets there, like the cats, that they will not be throwing away money on the care of the mill animals. Especially if they never are sold. That way they still have the lure of the small pets, but the rescues take care of them.
Now because Joe Public won't stop shopping there I am happy to see Oxbow offered in petsmart. At least the little piggies stand a decent chance of getting a nutrionally balanced diet.
You also have to take into account the circumstances of my area. We don't have any well known small animal rescues. None. And I live in a fairly large bi-state midwestern city. The nearest being several hours away. This limits the ability for people to not shop for live pets at a petstore. Right now there is a little boar who has been sitting in a shelter for over 3 months. No one has been able to get him out. I am at max, and so is the other woman in my area that does guinea pig rescues. 2 more were euthanized this week at a high kill shelter long before anyone could get them out. One being a beautiful lilac male who was only 6 months old.
I am going to try to order online. But if I find it to take away from my ability to rescue I will have to stop. I cannot in my mind justify not buying product from the petstore if it means I can save a few more cavies lives. And it would just be nice if some can look at all sides and not be so condesending about it.
I am beyond max with what I have now. A small house, 3 rescued dogs, a husband who is too understanding of my habit of bringing home strays,
. Plus my 4 permanent cavies, and 4 more rescues. I will be taking in a mom and her 5 babies later this week, because let's face it the babies are fairly easy to adopt out, why I dunno. Heck even my beautiful human baby was adopted.
I as a mother must put my human family first, pets second, and if that means stopping at petsmart to save a few dollars so my human child can have what she wants and my furry pets a few more rescues to help me take care of I'm going to keep on doing it. And I can't feel bad about it if along the way I stop a few more people from buying the live pets at that petstore.