What's the worst piece of pet advice you've ever been given?
One of my favorites:
I walk into a pet store and ask 2 employees the same question, "Are guinea pigs nocturnal?" Their response? "Oh yes! Just like mice they would run in their ball all night!" I just walk away with a look of disbelief on my face(:
Well, let me think about this one...When we went to get Ronin's supplies (before I knew pet stores were bad), the man told me to put mass amounts of C drops in his water. When I refused he told me he had his own guinea pig and that's what he does, plus he feeds him orange slices everyday...
It was that instaed of a cage(because, apperently they can't be dog proofed. Acorrding the the lady I asked), I should just let them live in a big hamster ball. And Let them out 2x daily for food&water.
The worst advice I received:
Buy a guinea pig and keep it in a pet store cage.
Last edited by sdpiggylvr; 05-22-10 at 04:59 pm.
PiggiePaws (05-23-10), Silverbeat (05-22-10), tabikat55 (05-23-10)
Originally Posted by 1frankie7
It was that instaed of a cage(because, apperently they can't be dog proofed. Acorrding the the lady I asked), I should just let them live in a big hamster ball. And Let them out 2x daily for food&water.
You've got to be kidding...
I wish I was.
She said to keep 'it' in a ball, so the dog couldn't eat it.
This is not guinea pig related, but it is the worst bit of advice I've ever been given by a pet store employee..
I wanted to have an aquarium of 15 gallons with a few small fish--asked him what kind and how should I care for them. This is the advice I got..
15 gallons of water can hold about 10 goldfish. you'll need a filter and a HEATER [goldfish are coldwater fish], and you'll want to strip down the tank and clean everything with BLEACH once a year. When I asked how often I should change the water, I was told "oh, you don't need to, that's what the filter is for."
Good grief.
Feeorin215 (05-22-10), sdpiggylvr (05-22-10)
Ditto.
It seems this is a frequent occurrence--ill-educated employees equals more ill-educated pet owners equals more animals dumped at shelters and rescues. A cycle of abuse that never ends.
Just today, at the piggy rescue for which I foster and volunteer, a lady came in with two sows she had bought from Pet[NotSo]Smart for her 6 year old son. "He doesn't like them anymore and won't pick them up or pet them," was her explanation.
If the woman had adopted the pigs instead, this problem may not have happened. The woman would have received a detailed explanation about the care and commitment a guinea pig requires, and she would have known that a 6 year old cannot handle such an animal by himself. She would have been screened and interviewed and would've had to submit an application. If she hadn't bought from a pet store, we might not have been burdened with yet another "we don't like him/we can't take care of him" case.
This is why pet stores aren't to be supported nor listened to, for their employees are 99% of the time as educated as doorknobs.
Feeorin215 (05-22-10)
Maybe not the worst, but when I took my boys to the local vet for suspected lice when I first got them, the vet told me to put Tang(!) in their water and to give them lots of dried fruit. I told him that you should never put anything in the water and the only dried fruit they were allowed was figs and raisins, about once a month, as they are way too high in sugar to feed regularly. I'm sure I now have "difficult owner" on their file :-)
(I have also found a better vet).
First and last piece of advice I got from a pet store employee (last because after I got my very first round of supplies I found from here that I could get everything online):
"You can put a guinea pig on a leash and take them for walks around the neighborhood. The pig leashes are on Aisle 4".
Last edited by Cogni; 05-22-10 at 05:21 pm. Reason: missed a word
For me it was your pig doesn't need veggies apart from a carrot every day and some potato and make sure you get the food with lots of coloured bits inside . Seriously are you kidding me ?
"I dont like cats because my mom sai they try to suffocate you by sleping on your face."
"Llamas are related to horses."
"No, they're actually part of the camel family."
"Shut up."
This was a conversation overheard between two of my colleagues.
The first loves her cat, and insists on picking her up and cuddling / kissing her at every opportunity. The cat doesn't like it, struggles and the owner ends up covered in scratches. This is regular as she knows the cat doesn't like being babied but she does it anyway.
Colleague 2 suggests: "You must have a really dominant cat. You need to scruff her".
I nearly wet myself laughing. Good luck with that - don't come crying to me when you lose an arm. Dominant cats - please! And of course, scruffing a cat that already hates being picked up is going to be sooo effective...
I was in Jack's Aquarium once to look at those alligator and octopus hideys and a worker came up to me and told me that I should get a plastic ball instead. He was like,
"Oh, your pet would love this! You can throw the ball outside and let them play in the backyard. I put my guinea pig in there sometimes and she loves to just roll around upside down like it's a roller coaster!"
I called him a moron and left.
Oh, when we bought our girl Freya (this was before we found the site and knew just how bad pet stores are), the worker put her in a box and duct taped it completely shut. We were like, "Shouldn't you at least make some air holes after you just trapped her in their like that" and he said "Nah, she'll be fine for a while." and we told him to just make the holes anyway. He got out his pocket knife and started stabbing wildly all around the box. It's a wonder that he didn't stab Freya...
Thank god he didn't! What an idiot.
Last edited by zebraXqueen; 05-23-10 at 11:54 am.
I didn't know better when I got my guinea pig, and got him from a pet store. I asked if this 1 by 2 cage would be good for a guinea pig "Yes, it's plenty big enough" I'm so glad I found this site before I did too many stupid things.
A friend took his dog to the vet for losing weight. The vet told him to feed her cake.
You have got to be kidding me! That has to be the most ignorant, absurd thing to ever come out of a vet's mouth!
Cake?!
I ditto what piggypaws said!! I hope your friend found a new vet!
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