Possible guinea pig cruelity?

**Lizzie127** · #1 09-15-07, 05:55 pm

Hi. Sorry if this isn't in the right place but I wasn't quite sure where to put it so..

I was at a local pet shop buying some hay for my piggies and they had a guinea pig for sale. This was a male guinea pig in a VERY tiny cage that he couldn't even move around in. The cage was also very dirty but the worst part is that there were bugs all over the cage. I have been going to this pet shop for years but they recently changed owners. The previous owners would never have put their animals in such small cages or let the store be filled with bugs. Anyways, I didn't say anything to the cashier because I know him and there isn't really anything he could've done about it but now I'm wondering if there is someone I should call? Or what I could do to help this poor piggie! The bunnies they had there were also in terrible conditions though not as bad as his. Any suggestions would be helpful! The name of the store is Butchies in Santa Clara, CA

**cavyinhawaii** · #2 09-15-07, 06:08 pm

Call the Humane society. Here's the link for the one in your area.
Humane Society Silicon Valley

**aqh88** · #3 09-15-07, 06:12 pm

That should fall under neglect conditions. Call the aspca, local animal control, or local shelters and they should either get someone to look into it or give you the number for the proper person to report it to. They will issue a warning and time limit to improve things. You may want to check back in a couple weeks in case they don't follow through and complain again if conditions aren't any better.

If you can't motivate anyone or find the right person to contact then since there are bugs around I'd look into alerting the city health officials. It probably breaks health code and might even get the place temporarily closed until they clean things up and kill the bugs.

**Lizzie127** · #4 09-15-07, 07:43 pm

Thanks. I'm going to call animal control on Monday. The humane society website said they can't directly investigate complaints so to call animal control.

**MCR_Rox** · #5 09-15-07, 08:05 pm

Report them ASAP. There is probably some crime they are committing! Be sure to tell them to bring an exotic vet to see if any are sick.

**John4216** · #6 09-15-07, 11:11 pm

You can also e-mail or call these folks at this website about it as well and they are in your area:

Making a Difference

**guineapigfan9000** · #7 09-17-07, 03:51 am

Oh, yes, these are neglect conditions. How small do you think the cage was, approximately? In grids if you like, eg was it like a 2x2, a 2x1, a 1x1?

**Lizzie127** · #8 09-17-07, 07:25 am

I think the cage was about 1x1 1/2. the pig could turn around but thats about it. I'm going to start calling places today and see what i can do.

**Bear Bear** · #9 09-17-07, 09:55 am

I had my own experience, hauntingly similar to yours..

http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...one-buggy.html

I have yet to go investigate if the store fixed the problem, but I was assured that reporting them is the right thing to do...even if you aren't sure. Keep checking on them and calling the appropriate people and I'm sure the store will get the message that someone is watching. Good luck with everything...stuff like this needs to end.

User Name		Remember Me?
Password