The Dreaded Back Room: WARNING: Graphic Photo

[bleachmiracle]

I often read about the "back room" when reading discussions in the kitchen. I also know that a lot of people on these forums are lucky enough to never have seen a back room. I have a picture that I took with my phone of a guinea pig in a back room of one of the big chain stores. He was covered in ringworm and living in a drawer. When I asked why the store would even take him from the breeder I was told that they could not turn down a pig even if it was sick, that ringworm was commen at this time of year, and that most of their cavies came in with it. I also know that they employees were not properly administering it's medication, because they were afraid that they would get ringworm, too.

I do not know the outcome of this little guy, but we all know what they problem is. Pet stores will even support breeders that know their animals are sick!



Just please don't support this kind of treatment.

[exsNohs]

WOW. How sad!!

[Cavie Cove]

That poor pig. That looks like ringworm and something els probably mites, he/she looks so sore from scratching.
Poor poor pig. I have heard about guineas been kept in backroom etc but never seem the condition of them untill now.
Can I ask how you manages to get into the "back room"?

[Hansel]

Poor Baby, can you take that pic to the SPCA or something along those lines?

[FoolOnTheHill]

That's so sad. Poor pig...but it makes you realise that's only one, and how many others are suffering in just the same way, out of site of the general public?
I also think you should get in contact with the SPCA because although I'm no vet that looks like it needs treating urgently and looks very painful and sore! They might at least go to the store to have a look at the conditions. How did you manage to get the pic?

[Lyndsay]

The back room in the local Super Pet is always kept open.... maybe I'll go snag a few pictures, its pretty horrid most times of the year, especially around christmas.

[bleachmiracle]

I have some very good friends who are just crazy enough to work there, and I can pretty much go back whenever I want. I've talked to them about quitting numerous times and they always say they want to, but they sure haven't yet. I didn't take the picture to the SPCA, but I know now I should have. I don't know why I didn't. I will ask if he is still there. I also know there are up to 43 animals back there right now. They changed managers to an absolutly horrid woman who does not care about the animals AT ALL. I will try to sneak back and take more pictures some time. We've got to figure out ways to stop this!

[cavyinhawaii]

Please! Please! I beg you, take any pictures you get like that to the SPCA. If you know the owner of the chain an anoymous picture sent in the mail may not hurt. They may have no idea how their animals are being treated.If they get enough reports, That manager will be fired. That poor baby. He must have been so uncomfortable. Honestly rubber gloves will protect you from getting ring worm. They should be ashamed. The yellow kitchen gloves even come almost up to your elbow. Easy handling.

[Luvthempigs]

I'm wondering if that picture is really from where she says it is from- it is an icky picture.

I've never worked in a petshop, but where I have worked in retail, NOBODY but employees have been allowed in the back. If anybody else was caught in the back with you, you were likely to be fired. It was common to have friends waiting just outside the door for you instead. The only exception to the rule were contractors hired by the company- like maintanance, delivery and so on....

[bleachmiracle]

Originally Posted by Luvthempigs

I'm wondering if that picture is really from where she says it is from- it is an icky picture.

I've never worked in a petshop, but where I have worked in retail, NOBODY but employees have been allowed in the back. If anybody else was caught in the back with you, you were likely to be fired. It was common to have friends waiting just outside the door for you instead. The only exception to the rule were contractors hired by the company- like maintanance, delivery and so on....

I find this post too funny. I never said what store it was at, and the picture was taken with a cell phone. Of course it's going to be low quality. There are a lot of rules that get broken.

I am also very offended and don't see your point. Do you think I photoshopped it to make a pig look disgusting? Really, what is your point?

[CavySpirit]

Well, I've been in the back room of plenty of petstores.

[bleachmiracle]

Thanks T. I didn't see what was so unbelievable about going in the back. I adopted (yes adopted, as NO money was given) my first guinea pig from that store and had been in the back to check on him a couple of times before I ever brought him home. This particular pig was not in their at the time that mine was, but my friend showed him to me.

Whether you believe me or not is not the issue. The cruel treatment of these pigs is.

[Marina_7]

That poor little pig- those sores look really painful
I second everyone here- Please DO NOT ever buy from Pet stores!
I used to work at Petcetera (Canadian pig pet store chain) and the sick room in the back was terrible. Basicall it wasnt a place where they try to nurse sick animals back to health, but where snake owners can get cheap food for their animals. Pretty sad! And pathetic!
And the owner of Petcetera ( who is totally full of himself, I got the honors of meeting him) prides himself for opening an instore SPCA adoptions centre, instead of buying from puppymills. Well, that is a good thing, but he should stop making profit from buying from guinea pig mills

[Fay]

I know someone who worked at a petstore and I made a post about it, they got treated horribly there. It's just so tough to just sit here not being able to do something. There should be laws against this kind of treatments, Does anyone know how you can suggest a law?

[smartorl]

I have also, wandered into the back of many pet stores, it is not like there is an armed guard there or even that most of the employees really care. Most recently, at my local store which to be very honest usually surprises me by not having something horrific, had a tank on the floor right inside the door, the bedding was aspen and there were dark things that I did a double take thinking that is was maybe food. On closer inspection, it was mice parts, hundreds of them. This 10 gallon tank of mice had apparently turned on each other and had eaten many of them only leaving remnants. I am not sure whether there wasn't adequate food or crowded conditions caused it but it was pretty gruesome.

[this_lil_piggy]

I have never worked in a petstore, but I have worked in retail where I was allowed to take someone in the backroom with me. Furthermore, take a walk through Petco, for instance (using them for example because that is the only petstore I have gone to!), sometimes and try to find a manager. Everytime I have been in that place and needed a manager it was an act of God to get one to come talk to me, or to find one. I don't think they really pay attention or care what is going on in their stores--if they did, animals wouldn't be kept in those conditions!

Several years ago I was in Petco several times to get crickets for my sisters lizard. Once they were out of them in the front, so the employee goes into the backroom to collect more and I followed him just inside the door, and no one ever said a word to me about it.

[grEEEn]

poor poor little piggy T_T I admit to getting supplies from those big chain petstores because the food tends to be fresher than at the little ones (so I've been led to believe?) and there's a girl at the pet store we normally go to who always comes over to visit my boyfriend and I and ask how our piggies are doing, and telling us about her experiences with the piggies in the store... we were in there this weekend and she told us about how they just got some baby piggies in, and one of them was weak from birth (the mother died about 4 days after giving birth too T_T) and that just that morning the little baby piggy died and it was so sad T_T

and this other time I remember seeing a mousey desperatly trying to escape from his... tank? And he had a owwie on his foot, we told one of the workers there, and they just sort of removed him from there and I wondered where he was put. Thanks for the photo and the info.

[this_lil_piggy]

I wondered where he was put.

Sadly, probably down the belly of a snake. A mouse that they sell for around 3.00 isn't worth a vet bill or treatment to them, so they "recycle" by making it food.