Wonderful Petstore Experience

CashewTheQueen · #1 12-07-06, 10:15 pm

I think one of the best petstores ever I've seen is California Pets. It is simply awesome. All the piggies' bedding is clean , they look very happy, and they're beautiful. Not to mention all of the pets are wonderfully taken care of. All of them are spunky and healthy. It brought joy to my heart to see such a great petstore. The employees are well informed, and made sure we knew that a pig was pregnant. Not to mention they were kin.

Awesome.

This just goes to show that all petstores aren't horrible.

**CavySpirit** · #2 12-07-06, 10:18 pm

Oh please. Not another 'this pet store is great' post.

**VoodooJoint** · #3 12-07-06, 10:21 pm

Did you also visit the breeders? The backroom? How about all the homes that this petstore has sold animals to to see how they are kept and if it's a good and appropriate home? Do they pre screen buyers and do home checks?

What kind of foods do they sell? Do they sell foods with seeds and cancer causing preservatives? Do they sell vitamin drops for the water and mineral wheels?

Do they sell large hamster balls, wheels and harnesses for GPs? Do they sell large cages or do they sell the typical, small cages?

Are all their animals spayed and neutered to keep inexperianced people for easily breeding?

By my questions you may be able to tell that there is alot more to a petstore then what the consumer immediatly sees.

**nonamian_girl** · #4 12-07-06, 10:30 pm

Cashew, I know you mean well but you should really do some more research before posting stuff like this. The truth of the matter is that no matter HOW good a store looks on the outside, if they sell animals, there is always, always, ALWAYS a dark side to it.

Even if EVERYTHING else is done by the book, the fact that they sell baby guinea pigs shows that they breed, and the fact that they breed contributes to the HUGE overpopulation problem, which is especially awful in California (just ask CavySpirit who runs her rescue there). Every single one of those baby guinea pigs which have been brought into the world means one less home for a homeless guinea pig in need.

**standuprookie** · #5 12-07-06, 10:31 pm

From your third sentence I already know that they are not a great petstore and I wouldn't shop there. If they sell animals the are not wonderful.

This just goes to show that all petstores aren't horrible.

No, petstores that don't sell animals are not horrible. Petstores that sell animals contribute to the overpopulation of animals and in my book that makes them horrible.

**wickedrodent** · #6 12-07-06, 10:40 pm

No petstore that sells animals is a good petstore no matter how it looks. There is only one store that I shop at that has animals and the reason is because they actually do not "sell" animals they adopt them out.

Ususally the only have a few small animals, depending how many were "dumped" but they always have kittens that they are adopting out from the local shelter.

They also take great care of their animals. Carefresh bedding for the small animals. Never housing Syrian hamsters together or Rabbits and Guinea Pigs together, and Guinea Pigs, Rabbit and Ferrets are kept in C&C cages. (Although it is rare that they have Guinea Pigs, and Ferrets.)

I really wish more places were like this place. Its owned by a very nice lady, I am thinking about getting a job there this summer, although I would end up spending my entire paycheck on supplies..

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #7 12-08-06, 12:59 am

I'm confused. How are they a great pet store if they are selling animals, pregnant ones at that? Especially considering that CA is overloaded with homeless animals and they are likely from pet mills and backyard breeders?

And what do you mean by kin? They are breeding related guinea pigs so they are inbred??? Do they sell puppies and kittens and rabbits too? If they do, that is another can of worms. If you want to support puppy mills and the selling of unaltered animals, then kindly do it somewhere else.

You're naive if you just take the store at face value. It's what you don't see that's the problem.

jthocker · #8 12-08-06, 07:10 am

What about rescues that go to, lets say, Petsmart and hold adoption events there? What are they doing? Im asking because a local rescue will be doing this here this weekend.

**Percy's Mom** · #9 12-08-06, 09:28 am

Unfortunately, they are also supporting breeders and pet mills.

Say someone goes to the adoption event and adopts a dog, cat, guinea pig, whatever. Unless that person already has all of the supplies they need, they are very likely to head into the store and buy things. They give money to the store. Money goes into the one big pile of money. Money goes back out to all of the vendors for more merchandise, including the breeders.

**FoolOnTheHill** · #10 12-08-06, 10:04 am

I know what you mean Cashew. Of course it's better if the guinea pigs are kept in big clean cages with the right food and everything at the pet shop, but as others have said, you don't know where they came from. And the only point is, they're still breeding pigs, when people who buy there could instead go to a shelter and adopt.

jthocker · #11 12-08-06, 02:08 pm

Weecompanions, here in San Diego. (http://www/weecompanions.com) Will be holding an event at a petsmart. I am going there to get Cavy Performance from them but i thought this was kinda weird.

**CavySpirit** · #12 12-08-06, 02:23 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by jthocker

Weecompanions, here in San Diego. (http://www/weecompanions.com) Will be holding an event at a petsmart. I am going there to get Cavy Performance from them but i thought this was kinda weird.

Yup, well, while Wee Companions does a lot of good regarding adopting out homeless guinea pigs, this is one big area where we strongly disagree. Cavy Care Inc. in CO finally -- after many years -- realized the errors of their ways with doing adoptions at Petsmart, but sometimes, some people, just can't be convinced and don't understand the big picture.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #13 12-08-06, 08:36 pm

So you're in OC? It looks like your pet store does sell puppies, kitten and rabbits and birds on top of cavies: Pet store with pet supplies, puppies, and kittens. Orange, California - Home

Not to mention there are tons of homeless pets of the above species in the area.

**this_lil_piggy** · #14 12-08-06, 11:55 pm

It is nice that the animals are at the least, kept in clean conditions, but.....
Do you mean you were kinned to the employee, or the pigs were kinned to each other?
1) It is as likely that this pig GOT pregnant in that store, as it is that she came to the store pregnant. Buying from the breeder, or being the breeder. Either way, it's the same sh*t, just a slightly different stinch.
2) If the employee claimed to know that the pigs were kinned, they must have just recently finished taking a hit off their crack pipe, or they were trying to sell you a big load of above mentioned crapt. These stores get a shipment of animals in and they have no clue what moms and dads they came from--it is doubtful the mill that sent them even does. IT all looks nice, clean, well managed, and caring on the outside, but behind all that shiny glass are pigs that came from conditions that would make you hurl. Many pigs crammed into tight quarters on top of piles of each others mashed up feces and with nothing resembling a proper diet. Its a big pig orgy...everyone breeds everyone and there is no way in haties that the mill workers have any clue who's breeding who, much less who is kinned to who. The employee is probably right though, it is likely that the pigs are kinned in some fashion, and the pregnant one was probably pregnant by her dad, brother, grandfather....
I know your intentions for this post were good. You see everything nice on the outside looking in and you want to hope that this place is better. The truth is though, these babies don't come from loving homes where Ms and Mr pigdoodle had cute babies and everyone is sure of who the baby daddy is. That's just the way it is. The mills, the stores, they are all in it for a buck, and nothing else.
For every cute little baby with a horrible past that they eagerly sell, another mother is being bred to her death to replace that babies spot in the pretty glass cage, and another pig dies in a shelter never having known what a good life was.

**nonamian_girl** · #15 12-09-06, 12:04 am

I think she meant kind, not kin, I think it was a typo.

**this_lil_piggy** · #16 12-09-06, 01:49 am

AHA! OOPS! *giggling at self*

*shrugs* Well of course they are kinD...they want people to buy a pig, preferrably a pregnant one!

**nismosmama** · #17 12-12-06, 01:12 pm

There is a California Pets here in San Diego at the North County Mall and Parkway Plaza, and both places I've seen pigs in very unsuitable conditions. yet, the 'tank' they were kept in was big, but all they had in there was shredded paper...no hidey house, no hay, a bowl with water and crud mixed in it, I didn't even see food in there for them. the poor baby that was in there all alone was running around scared, with nowhere to hide, with all these people looking at it.

I HATE California Pets, they always have a ton of puppies in tiny little enclosures and in not good conditions, I always try to avoid even walking by there, but when I do I want to cry as I glance at the poor puppies being gawked at through the glass.

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