Re-homing pet store question

[Jennicat]

Ah, the "great local breeder" myth. Our "great local breeder" gifted our rescue with 48 pigs last year. She lied to us to make them take them. They all had URIs and mites, and one of them had a bladder stone the size of a dime due to a genetic disorder. One of the ones I adopted developed testicular cancer, about a year later. This is extremely uncommon in guinea pigs. This "great local breeder" supplied many of the pet stores here, I'm sure.

[VoodooJoint]

I just read today on another forum that a girl who has a "rescued" petstore GP (she bought it but it was an owner dump at the petshop) is now having medical problems. The GP can no longer use it's back legs (it's not scurvy).

This girl managed to talk to the "great local breeder" who bred this GP. The breeder told her that is common and fairly normal for elderly GP to lose function in their back legs.

Right, "common and normal". Seems to me that this "great local breeder" is breeding animals with genetic defects that cause spinal deterioration. There is nothing "common and normal" about an elderly GP losing the use of it's back legs.

[fourbwabbys]

Let's share my story. I had researched guinea pigs for years, I didn't know much of the information I got was false until I came here a year after I got my pigs. I got Trixie and Spaz from a local Ma&Pa pet shop. I had been going there for years, the pigs were always healthy and active, the only problem was their cage size. I even knew the breeder that stocked for that store, she worked there and had answered all of my questions. The day we got Trixie and Spaz, we went to the pet shop (I had no idea there were even guinea pig rescues, none of the care sheets I found on the internet even said anything about them) I made sure they were all healthy based on what my guinea pig book said. They were babies, only around 4 weeks old, clear eyes, nose, good fur, active and eating well. Everything I saw gave me the ok. So I got them. The pet shop workers just told me no iceburg lettuce, that's it. About 2 weeks later, Spaz had two babies. We brought back Trixie to get him sexed at the pet shop and the guy said it was clear as a bell, he's a boy. Yet, the lady who worked there triple checked for us right before we bought them. The man said nothing about taking Trixie out of the cage. We just took him out because the babies were trying to nurse on him. As I'm researching what to do for the babies, I came across GL, but quickly read through the baby page and didn't read the rest. So now we go back to the pet store, they sell us the same pet store cage that's a little more than a 1x2 saying it's plenty of room. The employees were so nice, I knew the breeder and everything looked well.

Now where is the breeder that cares so much for the pigs she sells these days? She works at the Fudge Shop.

My ordeal has taught me to look at the whole picture. Just because what you see on the outside looks pleasant, in no way does it make it ok. Sure the pigs may be cute and healthy, but so are the thousands of homeless pigs in the world right now. The pigs that lost their chance for their forever home because soem quick thinking selfish person wanted a pig now.

Since the whole ordeal happened, I have adopted Eddie and may be fostering for a local rescue that took in pigs from a "nice breeder" that kept them in a barn with 2 feet of their own feces. I have looked at the whole picture, and know I am doing the right thing now.

[evilnumberlady]

Originally Posted by ccrunner

And thank you evilnumberlady, for giving me the okay to "express my opinion."

I was assuming you weren't being saracastic until I saw the (melodramatic) smiley. I still not entirely sure how you meant that, and if you didn't mean it in a bad way I'm sorry for bringing this up.. but if you are being short with me instead I really feel that was undeserved.

All I did in my first post was answer the original question, one that wasn't even posed by you. And in the second I explained a miscommunication and then apologized for being ambiguous.

Did I wrong you in some way that I'm not aware of?

[DaCourt]

Here is another link about Petland. Mites and pregnancies are bad enough...but selling Lethals...no words to express my thoughts on this one.

The Pigloo Forums :: View topic - I am very sad and upset (also need advice)

evilnumberlady...I would give up trying to explain yourself. First of all, you have no need to. Secondly, ccrunner is only go to hear what he/she wants to.

ccrunner...DO they have to buy their cages and suplies from the store? Of course not. It is all about the opportunity. People are there, they are going to do what is easy for them. If this was not true, they would research prior to going to a pet store. All the stuff they think they need is right there, and the store is more than will to help them buy everything. I will admit, I was one of the many that got y first pig from a pet store. I have been lucky. He has been healthy, but he did come with mites. But what if I picked the other pig that was with him? Would the same be true?

[evilnumberlady]

Originally Posted by DaCourt

evilnumberlady...I would give up trying to explain yourself. First of all, you have no need to. Secondly, ccrunner is only go to hear what he/she wants to.

I'll move my discussion with ccrunner to PMs out of respect to the thread, but I will question people when they treat me unfairly.

[DaCourt]

Originally Posted by evilnumberlady

I'll move my discussion with ccrunner to PMs out of respect to the thread, but I will question people when they treat me unfairly.

I agree. You should never allow yourself to be treated unfairly. I was just trying to save your sanity. I meant no disrespect. I hope you didn't take it that way.

[G_Pig_lover]

The "Pets Smart" by my house rehomes animals too, But when they "adopt" them out they don't even do background checks or ask how big a cage you have. I heard one staff member asking an adoptee you have a cage right, Okay thats good. It made me so mad.

[ccrunner]

At the Petland I went to, the males and females were NOT housed together. Anyway, I am done writing here because it is getting boring and there is really no point. I feel I have gotten my point across, so let's agree to disagree.

[Tatalp]

Petlnd is definetly the worst store I've ever seen. The cavies are housed together(male and female), and people can reach right n, possibly hurting them. I actually saw someone pick up a hamster, hold it up high in the air, and let it jump into the cage.
And the employees don't know a thing. When my friend and I bought cavies there, we had decided to get two females so that they could play together. I wound up with a male, Snickers. I still belive i is sheer luck that he has had no health problems.
By the way, the Petland that petstorecruelty.org writes most of its' articles about is my local Petland.

[fourbwabbys]

At the Petland I went to, the males and females were NOT housed together. Anyway, I am done writing here because it is getting boring and there is really no point. I feel I have gotten my point across, so let's agree to disagree.

But how do you know they were actually sexed correctly?