Inside Petco...

[FranktheTank]

Petsmart makes me sick. They had no hidey houses for there pigs, no fresh hay, food, or water and they were kept in 10 gallon aquariums, and there bedding was filthy. Should I call my local ASPCA or what because they are in such bad conditions.

[mommyoffive]

Originally Posted by FranktheTank

Petsmart makes me sick. They had no hidey houses for there pigs, no fresh hay, food, or water and they were kept in 10 gallon aquariums, and there bedding was filthy. Should I call my local ASPCA or what because they are in such bad conditions.

Yes...they are not only abusing and neglecting their animals but they are also breaking Petsmart policies.

[FranktheTank]

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

Yes...they are not only abusing and neglecting their animals but they are also breaking Petsmart policies.

Thanks, should I call Petsmart before I call the ASPCA or should I just bypass that or go straight to the ASPCA.

[momof2pigs]

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

Well I went spying on my local Petco yesterday and the place made me sick! I got chatting with one of the pet care assocites and this is what I found out...

First of all I found out that have no quartitine room, they leave the animals were they at for the public to see and "treat" them right were their at.

This is a BOLD-faced LIE. Every Petco has a Wellness room. EVERY animal must have an attached wellness chart describing the symptoms and prescribed vet treatment AND incident report, no exceptions! The charts MUST be initialed in the a.m and p.m.

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

They have no idea who their breeder vendor is, but they only deal with one so when and animal dies in their care they can blame it on the vendor not on their neglagence sp? jerks...

We do know who our (local) vendors are. As to the second part, you are speculating!!

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

They was this poor little oscar cichlid (a fish for people who dont know) who had ick (a horribel parasite disease) really bad...I asked the guy in teh fish department what they were treating it with and he said nothing!!! I asked why and he said simply..."its gonna die anyways, there's no point it trying" I wanted to punch him so bad, I swear I felt handcuffs already on my wrists!

*sigh* FIRST of all, Ick is a very, very common parasite that is present in ALL aquariums and only when a fish is stressed does it break out in the symptoms (white spots). It is a very common thing in all pet-stores and is VERY treatable with ick medicines of which there are LOTS to chose from.

Second, I highly doubt an employee would say that to a customer.

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

There was a guinea pig who I know had mites...the lady who was giving the guinea pig hay said that he just scrached his ear and thats why is was red and raw. She took him out to "treat" him, and she put on this ointment stuff on his ear...the poor little guy was sqeeling so bad, you could probably heard him on the other side of the store. I told her to take him back to vet because he needs ivermectin. She got all snotty on me and said that ivermectin is only used on horses. So I argued with her for a couple minutes before I won. She said that she would "try" to take him to the vets but I dont know if she really will.

Are you a vet?? You can tell just by a scratching GP that he has mites when a certified vet needs to actually examine (not observe) the GP?? The employees are not allowed to medicate ANY animal without the proper go-ahead from the vet, and it is NEVER done on the sales floor. Employees can lose their jobs over this. Geez, how gullible are the members/readers on here? Seriously.

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

In the finch cages, there was 5 spice finchs and 3 zebra finchs all who had plucked feathers really bad. They had no shredded papers, no timothy hay, nothing for them to make nests and thats why they were plucking out each others feathers...thats what they were using to make nests. I wouldnt leave until they did something about it, so the lady just put the plucked feather guys in a cage up above everyone else apparently so they can "heal"

Again, Unless California's Petcos are full of idiots and their standards are lower than the rest of the country, I say you are exaggerating in this case. It IS possible to find plucked finches on the floor, but most employees try very hard to avoid it. If a DM catches plucked finches on an animal walk, the store gets a reprimand, loses points and gets a "CARE ALERT" for their negligence. Every so often, I even miss a couple of plucked finches for a day or two, but sooner or later they get noticed and put in wellness with a nest and timothy hay (if that is the reason for their plucking).

Originally Posted by mommyoffive

I want to turn them in, but I have no idea where to turn them into, so I know this is the place to come! I live in Antioch, CA...the Bay Area to be exact, what organizations are there over here where I can turn them in?

I think you are trying to be a 'big man' on here and look like a hero but IF (a big if) you are telling the truth, then yes, by all means go ahead and report this Petco.

Because of the issues of negligence in the early 90's and the trouble PETCO got in with PETA (who now supports us to a degree) our care standards, I'm proud to say are the best in the business. The little mom and pop places don't have "big brother" watching them so they seem to care for their animals any way they chose.

If the care was as bad as you claim, I wouldn't work there. Oh, and for the ones who say: "Yes but Petco SELLS animals and that is wrong, yada, yada, yada....." That is NOT the point of this particular post. Once again it is someone trying to villanize PETCO through gross exaggerations and lies (downright slander if you ask me) about the CARE.

Again, notwithstanding the issue of whether it is ethical for Petco to even sell Guinea Pigs in the first place, their CARE (at least in every Petco I've been in) is as follows:

1. GP's get Timothy Hay 24/7 (we fill the bowls 2X's daily)
2. GP's get romaine lettuce and bell peppers DAILY
3. GP's do NOT get vitamin drops in their water
4. cages are freshened up daily and completely disinfected/cleaned out every week.
5. GP's nails are clipped when they get too long.
6. GP's are IMMMEDIATELY isolated and vet is contacted when they show signs of illness.
7. If scratching is a problem and IF a vet diagnoses mites, they are treated with Ivermectin shots.

So, please, enough with the slanderous comments about their care. If you want to complain a blue streak about the small cages (even though they are temporary and most of our GP's get purchased before they grow too large) and the fact they are there at all, go right ahead.

[momof2pigs]

P.S, mommyoffive, don't you work for Petsmart?? If not, I got you confused with someone else.

[momof2pigs]

Yes, you do. That's like the pot calling the kettle black.

[Guineapigluver2]

I hate petco also. I once went thier to buy a fish so the guy was looking for the tank that the type of fish I wanted was in (this just shows how much he knows all he had to do was read the lables on the tank). He was looking in one tank picked up a rock and out came a dead fish that must have been there for a while and all he said was oh thats not good. I finally got the fish that I was there for but about 5 minutes after I left the store I noticed it had ich and I had to return it. Unfortunatly petco is the best petstore that is close to my house. There is a smaller one but I dont like that one any better. They sell puppies that are usually 2 per cage and the cages arn't even big enough for one puppy. Thank goodness my shelter sells piggy food and hay so I can avoid petco as much as possible but on those rare occasions when I do need to buy things there I feel terrible supporting a horible store. I dont understand why they cant just sell animals.

[mommyoffive]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

This is a BOLD-faced LIE. Every Petco has a Wellness room. EVERY animal must have an attached wellness chart describing the symptoms and prescribed vet treatment AND incident report, no exceptions! The charts MUST be initialed in the a.m and p.m.

Well the lady who was working in the pet care department said specifically that they do not have a quaritine room. End of story, she's works there she would know.

We do know who our (local) vendors are. As to the second part, you are speculating!!

Well they didn't, being that you guys work in a different petco, it doesnt matter that you guys know who your vendor is...they (at my petco) had no idea, which is sad. As for speculating, YOU should know the truth as do I and everyone else on this board. Admit it.

*sigh* FIRST of all, Ick is a very, very common parasite that is present in ALL aquariums and only when a fish is stressed does it break out in the symptoms (white spots). It is a very common thing in all pet-stores and is VERY treatable with ick medicines of which there are LOTS to chose from.

Wow, do you know your fish? Ick is a common parasite but it is NOT present in all aqauriums. If this statement was in fact true then ALL fish would have Ick because the fish tanks in petstore are usually less then 5 gallons, and they are usually crowded with many fish...this leading up to stress. Ick is treatable in the early stages...once the fish gets the white dots, its usually a gonner. The Oscar not only has white dots, but he was swimming almost on his side, which indicated that he could have had bloat as well. And yes he did say those nasty words to me, and thats why I was ready to slap him.

Are you a vet?? You can tell just by a scratching GP that he has mites when a certified vet needs to actually examine (not observe) the GP?? The employees are not allowed to medicate ANY animal without the proper go-ahead from the vet, and it is NEVER done on the sales floor. Employees can lose their jobs over this. Geez, how gullible are the members/readers on here? Seriously.

Are you for real...honestly.

I suggest you go and read this.

Guinea Lynx :: Mange Mites
Guinea Lynx :: Ear Mites

maybe you will learn something out of it.

Mites is VERY common in all petstore guinea pigs. You could see plain and clear that he had mites. Not only was his ear red and raw where she thought so ignorantly that he had scratched it, but when she pick him up and started rubbing his back he started sqeeling no doubt out of pain. Mites is very painful indeed, and when she put on that ointment he started sqeeling even more no doubt once again, in pain. And if you said it is "never done on the store floor" WHY did I watch her give him the ointment?

As for your vet comment you DO NOT need to be a vet to know that your guinea pig has mites especially when scabs start breaking out. I went through a bout when all 9 of my guinea pigs contracted mites. I gave all 9 of them Ivermectin for 3 weeks until they where better. I know what mites are all about. If your a non believer then go read this:

Guinea Lynx :: Ivermectin Treatment Guidelines

Oh and by the way i'm in college TO BE a vet tech.

Again, Unless California's Petcos are full of idiots and their standards are lower than the rest of the country, I say you are exaggerating in this case. It IS possible to find plucked finches on the floor, but most employees try very hard to avoid it. If a DM catches plucked finches on an animal walk, the store gets a reprimand, loses points and gets a "CARE ALERT" for their negligence. Every so often, I even miss a couple of plucked finches for a day or two, but sooner or later they get noticed and put in wellness with a nest and timothy hay (if that is the reason for their plucking).

These finches were completly neglected. One of the Zebra Finches had a bald spot on his head so bad, that is was raw and nasty looking. So you say that they are "put in wellness with a nest and timothy hay." Then why the heck is it that out on the store floor there is NOT one nest and no timothy hay? Do they only get special treatment in your "wellness room" when they get so plucked that their close to death. And you know that wanting to make nests is the reason for their plucking. If you did a little research you would know that finches are common for making nests and if they do not have anything to make nests with they will resort to any means to make them.

I think you are trying to be a 'big man' on here and look like a hero but IF (a big if) you are telling the truth, then yes, by all means go ahead and report this Petco.

Oh of course, I go on forums to drag attention to myself And no I have not reported this to Petco, rather I have reported it to my humane society...I think they can take care of it a little bit better then Petco's slap on the wrists, you lose points type of game.

Because of the issues of negligence in the early 90's and the trouble PETCO got in with PETA (who now supports us to a degree) our care standards, I'm proud to say are the best in the business. The little mom and pop places don't have "big brother" watching them so they seem to care for their animals any way they chose.

Honestly I hardly doubt that but if you have proof by all post it here so I can see for myself. And no I dont believe ya'll are the best in the buisness...after what I saw I think you guys are right down there with the mom and pop stores.

If the care was as bad as you claim, I wouldn't work there. Oh, and for the ones who say: "Yes but Petco SELLS animals and that is wrong, yada, yada, yada....." That is NOT the point of this particular post. Once again it is someone trying to villanize PETCO through gross exaggerations and lies (downright slander if you ask me) about the CARE.

Not villanize, but the TRUTH. I know what I saw...yes gross, because it was gross and it made my heart sink to see those animals it that kind of condition, especially the finchs.

Again, notwithstanding the issue of whether it is ethical for Petco to even sell Guinea Pigs in the first place, their CARE (at least in every Petco I've been in) is as follows:

1. GP's get Timothy Hay 24/7 (we fill the bowls 2X's daily)
2. GP's get romaine lettuce and bell peppers DAILY
3. GP's do NOT get vitamin drops in their water
4. cages are freshened up daily and completely disinfected/cleaned out every week.
5. GP's nails are clipped when they get too long.
6. GP's are IMMMEDIATELY isolated and vet is contacted when they show signs of illness.
7. If scratching is a problem and IF a vet diagnoses mites, they are treated with Ivermectin shots.

So, please, enough with the slanderous comments about their care. If you want to complain a blue streak about the small cages (even though they are temporary and most of our GP's get purchased before they grow too large) and the fact they are there at all, go right ahead.

1. Bowls...you hit the nail on the coffin...bowls, and rather small bowls at that. Guinea pigs need plenty fulls of hay and they dont not get it in these bowls.

3. of your "list." Is a complete and down right lie. This Petco had 2 water bottles and one had a sign above it that said "vitamin c water only" or something like that.

6. Isolated...I dunno how this can happen if there is NO isolation room. I know what I heard...

And I didnt make this thread to complain or "slander" Petco about the size of their cages and the fact that they sell animals in the first place, I made this thread to let it be known what kind of condition that these animals are in at my Petco and I hope that my human society will do something about it.

[mommyoffive]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

Yes, you do. That's like the pot calling the kettle black.

Yes I do, and at least my department is in order. At least my department has a quaritine room. At least my petcare people KNOWS the signs of mites. At least we have a sick tank were our fish go if they have an illness and are treated as well, NOT neglected. And at least in our finch cages, they have 2 nests and plenty fulls of timothy hay.

I hate it that we sell animals, but at least I try to make the best out of the situation, and not neglect animals like their nothing.. My department will NEVER run how this Petco does. Ever.

[momof2pigs]

Well than, I guess it depends on the part of the country and the INDIVIDUAL stores. Our petco at least gives Timothy Hay to the GP's and we fill the bowls twice a day. Most of the time there is still hay left in the bowl in the a.m so, rarely do they run completely out. The Petsmart across from us doesn't even GIVE the Guinea Pigs hay as I have never seen it in their cages. Also, as far as that Petco not having a Wellness room? I find that very hard to believe. Why would the company have such high standards in the midwest and such low/sloppy ones on the west coast?? It doesn't make sense.

As far as ick is concerned, it is an organism (parasite) that "is present in aquariums" It attaches itself and the fish show symptoms of it when the fish are severely stressed. NOT all stressed fish show signs of ick however.

The cages at Petsmart for the GP's are very similar to the ones at Petco. How does your store supply the hay? Not in bowls??

I am WELL aware of GL and mite symptoms, however, scratching alone doesn't mean it is an absolute certainty the pig has mites. A skin scraping is usually needed to confirm treatment. Does Petsmart automatically treat their pigs with ivermecting every time they have an itch?? No. They take them to a vet to confirm a suspicion of mites.

When you say "Petco" you are implying that ALL are as crappy as you made the one in your post out to be. That is generalizing and that would be like me saying ALL Petsmarts are like the one across from the Petco I work at.

All I am saying is if you are going to mention Petco and not make it look like you are here to drum up support and business for Petsmart, at least have the decency to say the "I can't speak for all Petcos, but his is what I experienced at the one near me." or something along those lines. For almost a year I have ocassionally read your posts and again, it is amazing the well-educated people on here permit you to have a double-standard (posts on a rescue forum and continue to sell animals from a mill) when I got royally bashed for it myself and I had (up until now) stayed away out of respect for the site owner and mods because they didn't want me mentioning Petco in any sort of positive or even nuetral light, yet you have been free to do the same for Petsmart and bash Petco at the same time (unchecked apparently).

[momof2pigs]

P.S You and I both work for companies that have $$ as the bottom line. They BOTH pretend that animals come first and BOTH make goodwill gestures towards that statement, but we BOTH know we are working for entities that don't really have the animals BEST interests in mind. We both are earning our paychecks and trying to stop up a dam full of holes with our thumbs. We make a very minute difference but yet here we both are, still working for these companies. I have been looking lately for other types of employement as I am getting tired of constantly having to look after animals (sick ones especially) when the cycle never ends. I am a C.A.S and as much as I *think* I am making a difference, in the long run, probably not so much.

It's good that your Petsmart (and my Petco) are among the better stores but that doesn't change the fact both companies provide the stores with mill animals. That is what weighs most heavily on my mind. So many have to get sick and/or die just so a precious few can make it into caring, loving, forever homes. It doesn't seem right.

[mommyoffive]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

Well than, I guess it depends on the part of the country and the INDIVIDUAL stores. Our petco at least gives Timothy Hay to the GP's and we fill the bowls twice a day. Most of the time there is still hay left in the bowl in the a.m so, rarely do they run completely out. The Petsmart across from us doesn't even GIVE the Guinea Pigs hay as I have never seen it in their cages. Also, as far as that Petco not having a Wellness room? I find that very hard to believe. Why would the company have such high standards in the midwest and such low/sloppy ones on the west coast?? It doesn't make sense.

If the Petsmart near you is not giving their pigs hay then you should report them. They are breaking the law and petsmart policy. As for the wellness room, I know what I heard and I could hardly believe it myself. The only thing I could think of is that I asked if they had a quaritine room rather then asking if they had a wellness room...she could have misunderstood mean, but still what I don't understand is why the guinea pig was still out on the floor if they did have a wellness room.

As far as ick is concerned, it is an organism (parasite) that "is present in aquariums" It attaches itself and the fish show symptoms of it when the fish are severely stressed. NOT all stressed fish show signs of ick however.

Yes, but the fact is that Oscar had ick...and that associate did nothing about it, which angers me most.

The cages at Petsmart for the GP's are very similar to the ones at Petco. How does your store supply the hay? Not in bowls??

At my store we pile lots of hay up in the corner so that the guinea pigs have easy access to it.

I am WELL aware of GL and mite symptoms, however, scratching alone doesn't mean it is an absolute certainty the pig has mites. A skin scraping is usually needed to confirm treatment. Does Petsmart automatically treat their pigs with ivermecting every time they have an itch?? No. They take them to a vet to confirm a suspicion of mites.

Scratching alone no, but when there is scabs present yes... and especially when a piggie cry out in pain when its being petted. A skin scraping is painful and most "knowlegable" vets will treat for mites when it is suspected rather then doing a skin scraping and finding out for sure. More in likley it will be mites. Ivermectin cannot hurt a pig weather it has mites or not. We have had some guinea pigs that have had mites in the past...the vet has never had to do a skin scraping, they always give Ivermectin when it is suspected. This is what my Petco's vet should have done, but obvously it was someone incompeted that was treating it.

When you say "Petco" you are implying that ALL are as crappy as you made the one in your post out to be. That is generalizing and that would be like me saying ALL Petsmarts are like the one across from the Petco I work at.

I was referring to this Petco in particular, but it doesnt mean there are other bad ones out there, just like there is other bad petsmart's as well.

All I am saying is if you are going to mention Petco and not make it look like you are here to drum up support and business for Petsmart, at least have the decency to say the "I can't speak for all Petcos, but his is what I experienced at the one near me." or something along those lines. For almost a year I have ocassionally read your posts and again, it is amazing the well-educated people on here permit you to have a double-standard (posts on a rescue forum and continue to sell animals from a mill) when I got royally bashed for it myself and I had (up until now) stayed away out of respect for the site owner and mods because they didn't want me mentioning Petco in any sort of positive or even nuetral light, yet you have been free to do the same for Petsmart and bash Petco at the same time (unchecked apparently).

Well I have admited it in the past and I will again for you. My Petsmart was in a horrible state a near 4-5 months ago. It was so bad I was looking for another job. It was almost as bad as this Petco. We had no managment, no experienced petcare associates, etc. And then I became lead and things started to trun around. And then we got a new manager and things really started coming together. Our department runs great now and because of this we barley have any deaths and our quritine room is almost empty now apart from our hamster who is being treated for an eye infection, a rat who is being treated for worms, and the pregnant piggy and her babies. I make sure that customers know the truth before they go to purchase animals even if it does mean them not buying animals from us. I will always hate the fact that I work in a place that sells animals but by working at my store, i'm striding for animal knowledge for both customers and our associates and maybe just maybe that why they dont "bash" me on here. I'm making sure that not only the customers know what there getting themselfs into with buying an animal, but I make sure that my fellow associates know what their talking about as well.

And I also let people know on this forum the inside view of Petsmart. What goes on behind the scenes as well as cooperate. I do not pull the wool over anyones eyes.

[mommyoffive]

Originally Posted by momof2pigs

P.S You and I both work for companies that have $$ as the bottom line. They BOTH pretend that animals come first and BOTH make goodwill gestures towards that statement, but we BOTH know we are working for entities that don't really have the animals BEST interests in mind. We both are earning our paychecks and trying to stop up a dam full of holes with our thumbs. We make a very minute diff