Petco will do anything to make a sale

[PookiesPiggies]

I finished making my C&C cage this weekend and now I'm sitting here looking at Caesar's cage I bought from Petco over a year ago. Right now I want to kick myself for trusting the information they gave me. When Caesar was given to me by my friend, she came in a 10 gallon aquarium. I was so excited to go buy her a bigger cage. I went into Petco and found a (what I thought was huge) cage, but they didn't have them in boxes. I knew assembled, it wouldn't fit into my car and I told the girl that. She frekin flat out lied to me and told me that Guinea Pigs were frearful animals and too much space would be bad for them and I should get the smaller one. I asked if the cage could house 2 in case I wanted to get another one in the future. She said, "easily". I wish I could punch that girl in the face right now.
I wonder how many people who had the viehicle for a bigger cage was sold the biggest one they had cause they were told GP's needed lots of room. I really hate them. Sorry, looking at this empty cage reminds me of how much of a sucker I am and how little they care for out pets. The almighty buck wins again. This is why I hate people trying to rub my face in how "well educated" people who work for these places are. It sickens me. The only education they have is how to rip people off no matter what it does to the pet. Thank you for letting me vent. I think I'm PMSing.

[mini'smama]

PookiesPiggies;

I think alot of us have experienced the pet store cage buying scenario that you just described. It is frustrating to know that pet stores world wide continue to spout such ignorance to their customers.

(can't help ya with the PMS, but maybe you ought to hold a guinea pig for awhile? )

[MilwCavyMom]

Originally Posted by mini'smama

PookiesPiggies;

(can't help ya with the PMS, but maybe you ought to hold a guinea pig for awhile? )

Works for me.

[cusunfireguy]

I know where you are coming from. Now that I am educated, I find myself sometimes testing employees of these stores to see how educated they are.

Steven

[cavyowner2007]

I bought a petstore sized cage (not from a petstore, from a breeder) and she gave my family (I wasn't there) the smallest one and said it could easily fit three or four as long as I gave them room outside the cage, well when they got home with that cage I immediatly through a fit. It wouldn't even fit my hidey house without taking up ALL the room. It fit the two foster babies fine, so I kept them in there until they found a new home.

Then thats how I found this site in February. Some breeders AND petstores will do absolutly anything to make a quick buck. I agree with you 1000%. I did go back up there and now lets just say they don't sell pet cages any longer.

[momof2pigs]

This is why I hate people trying to rub my face in how "well educated" people who work for these places are. It sickens me. The only education they have is how to rip people off no matter what it does to the pet. Thank you for letting me vent. I think I'm PMSing.

You're welcome (for letting you vent). Now it is my turn to "vent" I am sick and tired of people who generalize. ONE bad experience doesn't mean every employee is bad or store. I happen to have a teaching degree and also work for Petco. If spending four years in college, maintaining a 3.4 GPA, running my own pet-sitting business while doing so, and passing student teaching doesn't require intelligence (and tons of sleep-deprived time), I don't know what does. I think I am "educated" (I will not discuss WHY I haven't found a full-time teaching job as it is a long explaination).

The person who told you that information wasn't neccessarily trying to "rip you off". She may have heard that GP's ARE frightened of larger, open areas and need a smaller area to feel safe. Who knows???

Petco has opportunities for employees to learn much more about animal care. They have videos and training programs. One GP website I frequent is quite large. The mods there feel that NO one has the right to INSIST that cage sizes be a certain minimum and so on. They have banned members who push their OPINION of cage sizes too. JUST because GPC.com says that minimum cages sizes should be XXX, doesn't make it gospel. It is the opinion of the website owner and SOME members. Don't get me wrong, it is a GOOD opinion and one that does benefit the piggies. I have two large C&C cages myself, but that still doesn't mean this site has the ONLY right answers in regards to how big a cage should be.

Petco has had trouble with sub-standard animal care at SOME locations in SOME states or towns. I can tell you at our store, I bust my A** to make sure the GP's get fresh hay,pellets, and veggies daily. They may not have the largest cages in the world, but MOST are not here that long. MOST sell pretty quickly. I spend a LONG time with each prospective owner; explaining the good, the bad, and the ugly of GP ownership. I explain about adoption and C&C cages. I recommend this site and Guinealynx to new owners even though I know they bash Petco and its employees.

I am sorry, just because I CHOSE to buy my first piggie from Petco (I did adopt my other three), a Silver Agouti, doesn't make me horrible because someone ELSE decided to get a GP for the wrong reasons and then dump it a few weeks later in a shelter where it MIGHT get euthanized. I refuse to feel guilty because OTHER people are making poor choices. I bought my pig at a Petco and I did it "impulsively" but you should see how spoiled he is and how I will never give him up!)

Sometimes in spite of adoptions as an option, people fall in love with one of a particular color or pattern or breed. and sometimes no matter what, they WON'T wait forever for the right one or won't go to adopt. So we do provide GP's for sale too. If some of ours are in the store too long, we DO put them up for adoption anyway.

I understand this is an anti-pet store website. However, it just seems so one-sided to listen and read comments over and over, people B---"itching" about Petco and other stores without a person or two trying to put a balanced perspective on things. What kind of site just looks at and accepts ONE narrow-view on things and jumps all over someone with a different opinion. That is militant and frankly, kind of boring.


*ducks head and runs for cover*

[salana]

I'm glad you like the other website so much. I feel sorry for the people who have been banned for "pushing" their opinion of cage size, though. Who decides what is "pushing" and what is simply trying to convince others to share in an opinion?

However, there are some things that aren't matters of opinion, but rather matters of fact. Like the guinea pig overpopulation problem. That's a fact. You can take it however you want to, and be part of the problem or part of the solution: that's your choice. You can take the information and try to help, or refuse to accept any responsibility for improving the lives of other animals. But the numbers of pigs in shelters, the conditions of piggy mills, and the number of sick pigs in pet stores, are all facts.

In the same vein, it is an opinion that C&C cages are the best. The facts are the experiences people have with them. Active, playful pigs; cases of boars who get along in larger cages but not smaller; and cleaner, healthier cages (because the pigs have more room to pee and not lie in it) are facts. It's your choice what to do about that. Do you want to give those opportunities to your pigs, or not? Just like it's your choice whether to help an animal in need or buy at your place of employment. Do you want to help animals, or help yourself? Your choice.

(Most of us choose to help animals, so you may feel left out in the cold around here.)

[momof2pigs]

I do agree that there is a pet-overpopulation problem. However, it is my opinion that PEOPLE should be more educated before they choose to buy or adopt ANY type of pet, including GP's. If more people did their research, didn't give in to whiny kids, and didn't have such a disposable mentality, then GP's could be purchased from pet stores, less would be dumped on shelters or rescues, less would be euthanized and so on. It would also help if there weren't tons of people who allow their GP's to accidently breed and so on.

I may be wrong in this, but if every pet store ceased to stop sellling GP's then what?? You could only adopt?? Well that would be great except without the pets coming from the pet-stores in the first place, then there wouldn't be any to adopt either (unless the rescues got their pigs from hoarders or small time breeders. Either way, the pigs won't be coming from a reputable place). One depends on the other. Should only a select few people be licensed to sell GP with a spay/nueter contract?? How much would these rare GP's cost?? Could a person get a wide array of colors/breeds/patterns?

I personally would rather get a baby GP from a well-established pet-store with a health guarentee then from some "farmer" selling GP's from his back-yard or from a flea-market or wherever (which is what would happen if all pet stores were banned from selling small animals) you would only see an increase in "hobby" breeders and still pigs would be over-bred.

There isn't a clear-cut answer. I believe it is the responsibility of the INDIVDUAL to educate themselves and not to breed for fun or dump a pig at the first inconvience. ALL of those things lead to pig overpopulation issues.

Where people GET an animal should be a choice. Otherwise GP's will cost WAY MORE than most people would be willing to pay for an animal that lives 3-7 years at best.

I will step down now. I am not here to change your minds. I just think that other readers *might* want to here the "other side".

[Ly&Pigs]

Well that would be great except without the pets coming from the pet-stores in the first place, then there wouldn't be any to adopt either (unless the rescues got their pigs from hoarders or small time breeders.

This statement is rediculous as well as false. The big time chain petstores aren't breeding the pigs purposely at least. Some smaller mom and pop stores do breed their own "stock" though. It's backyard breeders and pig mills along with irresponsible breeders creating the overpopulation problem. The pet stores contribute to that by making the pigs and other small pets available for "purchase" to anyone that has money to buy one.

If we were able to manage getting all pet stores to stop selling pigs and other small animals, the pigs and other small animals wouldn't cease to exist because there are still going to be backyard breeders and irresponsible breeders out there breeding not to mention accidental pregnancies that do happen.

So yes even without petstores selling pigs, there would be pigs to adopt because of rescue centers and private people that do rescue (like me and many others). As long as there are people out there breeding them, there will always be pigs that end up in shelters and rescues for adoption.

[hydrohoki]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

Where people GET an animal should be a choice. Otherwise GP's will cost WAY MORE than most people would be willing to pay for an animal that lives 3-7 years at best.

This statement bothers me. I can't quite put my finger on why except it makes guinea pigs seem like no more than an expensive toy. I don't understand the point of the 3-7 years part. Would I pay more if they lived to be 10? Personally the shorter lifespan (well I don't want to say it's a plus) but it is the reason I have pigs instead of cats. I have no idea where my life will be in 20 years so pigs fit.

Perhaps high costing guineas would be good, then people would think real hard about owning two. I don't see that happening though. As long as pigs are missexed (and they will be for a long time), there will be accidental litters that need homes.

Again, it's even more about where the pigs in the pet store come from than the pet store itself. See your thread on the most recent delivery for an example. Until the source of the pigs is upheld to higher standards, I have the right to generalize about pet stores.

[momof2pigs]

T
This statement is rediculous as well as false. The big time chain petstores aren't breeding the pigs purposely at least. Some smaller mom and pop stores do breed their own "stock" though. It's backyard breeders and pig mills along with irresponsible breeders creating the overpopulation problem. The pet stores contribute to that by making the pigs and other small pets available for "purchase" to anyone that has money to buy one.

I think I was trying to say that. So how could my statement be false if I said what you said?? BYB = small-time breeders, no? anyway, my point is that rescues and shelters WILL always have pigs regardless of pet-stores NOT selling them because they will come from even LESS scrupulous places that have NO health garauntees, and no care standards. As I said, at least Petco has high care standards, but I digress. Even though I believe that Petco isn't SOLELY responsible for the pet-overpopulation, they are a part of it. However, I also strongly believe that if more people who purchased their animals, did the responsible thing and tried harder to keep them forever, and they didn't allow accidental or purposeful breeding, then there would be fewer animals in shelters even IF the animal was purchased.

[VoodooJoint]

I have never seen the standards of care you speak of in any Petco I have visited. I have never met an employee in any one of the stores that seemed to know anything about properly caring for the small animals. I'm certain you are a wonderful animal caregiver and employee but YOU cannot make a difference to the BIG problem that Petco and other petstores are causing.

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

Petco has had trouble with sub-standard animal care at SOME locations in SOME states or towns. I can tell you at our store, I bust my A** to make sure the GP's get fresh hay,pellets, and veggies daily.

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

As I said, at least Petco has high care standards,

You say that, while another member has this to say about the petstore they work in.

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

when the guineas came in their whole undersides where wet and matted,... Their so tiny right now, that you can feel their ribs, ...I'm trying to see if our sore can switch to another dealer, because the people we deal with right now are so rude and inhumane to our pets.

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

Update- 2 of those 5 guinea's have head tilt...there where taken to the sick room today and I was feeding 1 of them through a tube because she was to weak to drink or eat any thing. Banfield would not see them, rather they were going to make them so antibiotics sight unseen. Banfield got there weights at 7 am to make their medication, at 2 pm when I left work, the medication still had not been made and my boss was getting mad at me because I keep on bugging him about the medication... I'm expecting to come into work tomorrow to find that 1 guinea died, the sad thing is that I feel like I cant do anything about it.

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

They are, banfield is not even suppost to be treating small pets...thanks whats get me angry. Even in the past, when they would treat guinea pigs they would give them .05 ml of baytril...what is that going to do??? nothing, and thats why my baby Leo's head is permently tilted to the side.

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

the one guinea pig died, the other one is doing better, her head is going straight so I know the meds are working

[hydrohoki]

Oh my apologies, I got confused and thought that mommyoffive's thread was started by momof2pigs in my previous post.

Sorry!

[daftscotslass]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

One GP website I frequent is quite large. The mods there feel that NO one has the right to INSIST that cage sizes be a certain minimum and so on. They have banned members who push their OPINION of cage sizes too. JUST because GPC.com says that minimum cages sizes should be XXX, doesn't make it gospel. It is the opinion of the website owner and SOME members. Don't get me wrong, it is a GOOD opinion and one that does benefit the piggies. I have two large C&C cages myself, but that still doesn't mean this site has the ONLY right answers in regards to how big a cage should be.

Well, the fact is, this site really does provide the right answers with regards to cage size and design. If you ask any vet, pet owner or professor of zoology, the answer you will get is that more space is better. As many of the laws regarding animal welfare across the world state, animals should have the right to exhibit "natural behaviour" through enrichment of their environment - be this more space or addition of objects into their cage. I do not believe that animals squashed into inadequate accomodation can exhibit such behaviour. The new laws in the UK mean that failure to provide such accommodation can result in prosecution. Bigger really is better. End of.

Since you are on the Guinea Pig Cages forum, you will find that MOST of the members agree with the website owner with regards to suitable dimensions, not SOME.

[Slave to the Wheek]

The argument that pigs need to be available in pet-stores in order to "keep the prices low" is preposterous.

Pet stores carry "high quality" animals ?

Supposing that if animals are not available in a retail store then there wouldn't be any is leaves me dumb-founded!

The truth is that the only people who support selling pets in stores, are people who breed them and sell them to pet stores, people who sell them in pet stores, or who have not taken the time to educate themselves on what happens in pet stores, and that's usually young children and adults who are reactionary and want to defend something without first researching it fully.

Quality dog breeders NEVER EVER sell their dogs in pet stores. Why do you think that is? If someone takes great care and spends all their time and energy to bring forth an animal into the world, they want to ensure those animals are going to bring them "prestige". People who sell through pet stores have no concern for "the breed" or even the dog. They are simply trying to breed enough animals to "fill the order"

Don't you think there is a reason that PetNO doesn't sell dogs and cats? Do you really think there is some kind of altruistic motive behind that decision? No, there isn't. It was good business sense. The educated public became aware of the horrors of pet mills. In California, stores that sell animals go out of business all the time.

Why? Because the kind of people who have tons of money to spend on their pets are educated. Educated people do not want to support the practices the pet mills and avoid stores that sell them. As a result, stores that sell dogs and cats are pariah's. I don't know a SINGLE person who would even consider buying a dog in a pet store. In fact, our local humane society can brag that it actually adopts 100% of it's dogs and cats, but NOT it's guinea pigs. In the area I live, we no longer have stores that sell dogs/cats here. In fact, most no longer offer rabbits as the awareness of their overpopulation has become stronger and people know to adopt them. Guinea pigs still aren't on most people's radar, so the stores get away with selling them--for now.

Do you honestly think we have a shortage of dogs? HA! Nope. Instead, people now purchase dogs who can afford to care for them. People adopt animals first, and purchase animals from breeders second. No one even thinks to go to pet stores. I don't know of a single pet store that sold dogs that has stayed in business more than a year or two.

Why do we need a lousy pet store to insert themselves into the process? What need would it fill other than to line the pockets of the store owner?

Like I've said before, it's impossible to care for an animal properly in a retail environment. Impossible. I've been in management in retail. I know what it takes just to keep basic stock up and keep employees showing up to work and manage customer needs. Where do you think the creatures end up on the list? Do you have any idea how many hours a week a regular retail store manager works..WITHOUT pets? Do you have any idea how hard it is to find people to work for minimum wage, and to keep them? It's hard. VERY hard. Very few people even want to become retail managers because of the hard work and small amount of income to show for it. Even fewer want to work for more than a few months in retail before they tire of it and move on. I got out as soon as I could because I knew I was doing nothing but making someone ELSE's pocket fuller.

Sometimes the reason why everyone is all shouting the same thing is because they are trying to get you to listen to them.

..sure sometimes people all get onto a bandwagon like sheeple and are all reactionary without researching what they are talking about and get the "mob mentality". That is why it's important not to support something until you know the whole story.

One might be wise to ask themselves what the big deal is. Why are so many people in agreement? Why are there so many forums who support rescues?

When I asked myself WHO would start a public internet forum, and then start threads on how horrible other forums are I started on a journey I didn't expect to find. I went out into those other forums before I discovered exactly WHO funds them, and what they have as goals for their websites. When I figured out that they were all breeders who are trying to sell their animals to little kids who come to their site it started to become clear.

Since this site and Guinea Lynx are completely supported by it's members and the people have no financial interest in selling or breeding guinea pigs, who do not have products they are trying to sell you, who spend their OWN money to teach others what they know, who put their money where their mouth is and actually rescue unwanted animals, pay vet bills for problems OTHER people created in the process, who take the time and energy to go out into the world and share that knowledge, who drive hundreds of miles to save animals, who rescue pigs from shelters who are getting ready to euthanize them. The list goes on. I know who owns this site, in person. I know she has no ulterior motives behind what she does, unless it's to try to recoup some of the thousands of dollars she's already sunk into this site alone by offering site membership. No one really knows about it though because she doesn't ASK for money.

These are the people who's opinion is far more worthy to me, and who I have come to respect because I dared to question them! I dared to challenge everything everyone says here. I found that everything that T. says about cage sizes is RIGHT! It's not an opinion! It's a FACT! There are other forums filled with dullards and children who are breeding animals and don't even know what "animal husbandry" means. (yes, I got into a fight at one of those forums because I suggested that a good breeder is educated in animal husbandry..and they almost banned me for it saying that it was mean to suggest that you should have to have an education to breed animals because many of the children on the site were breeders or because the adults couldn't afford to learn about it -- seriously!!!) These people don't support OUR cage sizes because they house their pigs in cage upon cage stacked up in sheds. They want people to think that owning a guinea pig is EASY and it's CHEAP and it's LOW MAINTAINENCE.. they think that's how they can sell them. They are TERRIFIED that they will lose money if people find out exactly how much work it REALLY is to own an animal and PROPERLY care for it.
I found out for MYSELF what the deal was with this pet store discussion. I researched it fully until I figured out what the big deal was. Then I made a decision as to where I stood. In this situation, there is a clear answer. As far as I'm concerned, if one really does some serious research on this, there is only ONE answer.

I do not waste my time trying to show "both sides of the issue". Some things require one to stand up for what is right, and some things can be viewed from both sides. How one could be aware of the things that happen in ALL pet stores and still support selling animals in such an environment in them is unfathomable to me. I do not think any reasonable person could know what I know and still try to "stick-up" for a business practice that is completely impossible to manage and clearly causes a company to LOSE business, rather than bring it in. It is so STUPID for a business to cater to such shoppers. It's foolish! Why do these people INSIST on offending guinea pig people? They sell NOTHING I need for my guinea pig, and a crapload of stuff that I DON'T need! Coming into my forum and offending me because of my beliefs isn't exactly winning me over either.

After my first and ONLY visit to PetNO (where I spent $$) I have never spent another dollar there. Why? Because I was sold a bill o' goods from the lousy sales clerk who admitted she knew very little about them. She insisted that the tiny cage was "plenty big enough" when I insisted that it wasn't any bigger than a hamster cage and I knew that guinea pigs were at least 10 times larger than a hamster. She told me that they are solitary creatures and cannot be housed together...it goes on and on. The minute I got home and started searching the internet I discovered exactly how much I was lied to. Rather than sell me what I NEEDED, such as a GOOD sized cage, GOOD hay, GOOD pellets, a hay rack, a GOOD pellet bowl etc.. I was sold a bunch of JUNK that was either bad for my animals, or was a waste of money.

I was and AM so angry at how I was lied to and taken advantage of that I would never go into another one of their stores to spend money. Instead, I've made many visits to many stores to research whether my experience was unusual. I ONLY go to pet SUPPLY stores that do not sell living creatures now. THESE people get it. These stores sell HIGH quality products. They have great accessories for my animals. I have spent several thousand dollars over the last year. PetNO got NONE of it.
I do not care about the cost, and why I have no respect for such stores. They do not deserve my money for those reasons alone. Never mind the whole humane issue with selling animals. They don't CARE what my needs are or the needs of my animals. They do not deserve my money.

Any decent person who knows where your pet store "stock" of guinea pigs come from, and how they get to your store, and how they are cared for IN the store, could never support the practice. Anyone who talks to truly reputable people who are breeders and who would NEVER sell their animals through a pet store knows that there is no way one can support the vast numbers of guinea pigs required to fill the "order" that PetNo requires across it's thousands of stores without having a giant MILL of animals bred without any human contact.

Poor little Petno.. there just isn't anyone here to stand up for them..

Bashing PetNo? You BET! I'll continue to bash them at every opportunity until they stop selling living creatures!

How THAT for Venting?

[crazywiggy]

Cage size:

Please read my post on "about cages", page 3 of the thread "minimum size for hospital and cleaning". It goes into great depth to explain how small cages cause serious health and welfare problems. It is far too long for me to type again! I know this because I have experience with pets, because I work with animals, and because I have plenty of animal qualifications. I have read the scientific papers on the effects of cage size and environmental enrichment, written assignments on the subject, and spend half my life trying to convince people that I might actually know what I'm talking about.

Pet shops:

I personally would rather get a baby GP from a well-established pet-store with a health guarentee then from some "farmer" selling GP's from his back-yard or from a flea-market or wherever (which is what would happen if all pet stores were banned from selling small animals) you would only see an increase in "hobby" breeders and still pigs would be over-bred.

I actually think the exact opposite is true. Consider buying a dog. Everyone knows the "rules" about selecting a good breeder, the same can be done with cavies. See the pigs with their mum, meet other relatives see how tame and healthy they are. Make sure they are kept in good conditions, and the breeder is knowledgable etc. If people had to go direct to a breeder to buy a piggy they could make that judgement - they could be easily educated how to tell a good breeder from a bad one.
If people buy from pet shops they have no idea where that animal came from. It could be a good breeder - but it is far more likely to be a bad, byb who is only in it for the money, neglects their animals etc. This is because the pet store wants to make a profit, hence they want to buy cheap animals, hence going to the cheapest and worst breeders.

Unless you buy direct, you have no idea what your money is paying for. Also, if they had to go to a breeder or rescue less people would impulse buy, so fewer piggies would be neglected then dumped.

I don't think it matters how "educated" pet store employees are in other areas (e.g. well done on your teaching degree, but it's not relevant to keeping pets). Most stores employ people as part time staff, e.g. students etc who need some cash. MOST know nothing about animals. Petco may give staff opportunities to learn, but this should be compulsory before the person is allowed to start caring for or selling animals! It also depends on whether Petco are giving out correct information to start with. When they tell customers things like cavies are scared of large spaces, they don't need hay/veggies, should eat mixed food, have a salt lick etc I doubt they are doing any better for their staff.

[catzeye21138]

In the girl's defence, maybe she didn't know. I think that someone should make up a simple cavy basics sheet that we could all print up and give to our local petco. The petco near me keeps their cavies in tiny little aquariums with huge pigloos, and there isn't even enough room for a baby to run in.

[akintolife]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

I may be wrong in this, but if every pet store ceased to stop sellling GP's then what?? You could only adopt?? Well that would be great except without the pets coming from the pet-stores in the first place, then there wouldn't be any to adopt either (unless the rescues got their pigs from hoarders or small time breeders. Either way, the pigs won't be coming from a reputable place). One depends on the other. Should only a select few people be licensed to sell GP with a spay/nueter contract?? How much would these rare GP's cost?? Could a person get a wide array of colors/breeds/patterns?

Where do you think some of the Guinea Pigs in shelters/rescues come from? At work we get a number of Black Tag (ie. Cruelty Case) guinea pigs, that have been resuced from horrific situations. And as for ones that are surrendered, well, a lot of people that surrender animals (guinea pigs or other) lie about why they are surrendering them and the conditions they came from. I even know of a case where one of the rescues/shelters I work with found a guinea pig dumped on the side of the road!

In these situations the guinea pigs are treated by vets and not offered for adoption until they are in good health. As for the types of guinea pigs that would be available, I don't see how it would change if pet shops didn't sell guinea pigs. I have seven girls that all came from shelters/rescues the seven consist of two rexes, two short-haired piggies, one crested, one abby and one coronet. As for colours, well, I think I've seen pretty much everything come in at least once.

Where people GET an animal should be a choice. Otherwise GP's will cost WAY MORE than most people would be willing to pay for an animal that lives 3-7 years at best.

I would love to see guinea pigs cost more. The cost of any animal doesn't stop cruelty, however it does make people stop and think if they can afford to keep it and care for it properly. If a guinea pig becomes ill it's not always "cheap" to provide proper vet care. I've lost count of the numbers of people I've had tell me they didn't provide proper vet care for their guinea pigs because "it cost too much for an animal I didn't pay much for in the first place" or "it was cheaper to replace it".

[thalestral]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

Should only a select few people be licensed to sell GP with a spay/nueter contract?? How much would these rare GP's cost?? Could a person get a wide array of colors/breeds/patterns?

In the case of many other animals I would say yes, in the case of guinea pigs with their high risk pregnancies I would rather there were no pet guinea pigs than any being "produced" at all.

Guinea pigs being rarer and costing more would be excellent, maybe then people would stop viewing them as a disposable pet. The idea that because they "only" live so long they should only cost so much is, quite frankly, sickening.

As for colours and patterns.. who cares? My four girls all look completely different but that doesn't mean I love some of them more than the others. People shouldn't be basing their pet choices on appearance anyway, that's incredibly shallow.


The argument that if pet shops stopped selling guinea pigs there would be none left for us has no place in any good animal discussion. Would I rather guinea pigs were being bred for mass distribution and sales, or would I rather there were no pet guinea pigs and thus none of the cruelty involved. It isn't hard for me to make that decision and I'd hope most people would put the well being of an animal above their own selfish wants.

[Smashmymitten]

Its the same in nearly every petstore you can walk into :/.
I walked into pets at home and they were selling giant indoor rabbits and if you bought a cage you had a free bunny...

Makes me cringe to think what they do to the poor animals that they cant sell .