Adoption Areas in Pet Stores

[Char-x]

I was in the petstore the other day and noticed 3 rats in the "adoption area". This area is when people bring their pets back because they can no longer look after them etc. I saw three wonderful rats up for adoption and when I went over to their cage bit they all came over and looked very tame and although I'm no expert on rats - healthy. I have never really even considered getting pets from Pet stores even before I knew what I did now, not even the adoption areas. I won't be getting any rats very soon since I need to get the Ferret Nation cage which is £230 ($460) but I was wondering what you all thought of the adoption sections in pet stores since I don't know much about them? Any information, why not's/why do's etc would be welcome, its more for me to learn about it than whether I will get these specific rats or not since I'm sure they will be gone by the time I have everything anyway.

I have contacted the local rescues that say they take in rats and have yet to have any replies about requirements etc (over the period of a few months I have been searching and contacting). But when the time comes I will be ringing them directly first.

Many people do say go to a breeder for rats because the health problems etc but I really don't want to even go there. I also don't want babies anyway because that would mean DIY on the cage etc.

[Pumpkin_RIP]

I personally think that it is ok to get a pet from the adoption area in a petstore, as long as you don't have to pay them a fee. Other wise, it is not really adoption. Some people don't even get pets from the adoption area and consider it wrong, but because the animals have already been bought but are now unwanted, I think it is just like adopting from a rescue.

[cavyinhawaii]

The only time I have seen this is in NC. They have a store that sells no animals except for one day once a month when the SPCA brings in about 30 animals to sell.
Does that store sell animals or just have the ones you looked at?

[Ly&Pigs]

I personally think that it is ok to get a pet from the adoption area in a petstore, as long as you don't have to pay them a fee. Other wise, it is not really adoption.

When you adopt from a shelter or rescue you pay an adoption fee.

If it's not an outside rescue/shelter coming in to do the adoptions, it's the store trying to sell you their "used" merchandise maybe for a cheaper price and calling it an adoption fee. Check into who does the adoptions in the store.

[daftscotslass]

If it's Pets at Home you're talking about be wary. My local store had rabbits that said "I'm now too old and too big to be in the Bunny Village" (Bunny Village being the sales pen for rabbits). A week later the same rabbits were still there with a new sign that said "my owner could no longer look after me". Interestingly, were you aware that if an animal comes into their adoption section pregnant (either from a member of the public or their supplier), the offspring are sold as sale stock rather than being "adoptables"?

Apparently all of the adoption fee goes to the Pets at Home charitable trust. However, on enquiring, they couldn't tell me that 100% of the donation went to charity and didn't go on corporate "administrative costs".

There's an interesting article on GPH about how such ventures are merely a ploy to gain custom - Guinea Pig Home - Social Cause Marketing - Articles

[Char-x]

It is at Pets at Home, if I was too consider getting an animal from there I think I would ask extensive questions to various members of staff to see how accurate they were. This sign said "Our owner didn't have time for us anymore" so it does seem abit fishy, although I know the main reason someone gives a pet up if because of that.

[bunnys n pigs]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_RIP

I personally think that it is ok to get a pet from the adoption area in a petstore, as long as you don't have to pay them a fee. Other wise, it is not really adoption. Some people don't even get pets from the adoption area and consider it wrong, but because the animals have already been bought but are now unwanted, I think it is just like adopting from a rescue.

I dissagree. Pet stores have the money and room, while adoption centers just have to deal with funds provided by public. As for the fee, adoption places dont have fee`s for thier own gain, its for the animals gain.

[Butterscotch2]

I went to Petsmart (before I knew how terribly they treated animals) and worked at an adoption center. They made you pay a fee (it also included getting a micro chip in the dog ((it was a dog shelter))). I worked there for about three hours. I don't think the shelter had anything to do with Petsmart other than being there.

[newpiggiemommy]

I have to guess that the rats have just been there too long and they want to get rid of them so they can get in younger more attractive rats in.

I would not buy from them. There are plenty of shelters/rescues in need of forever home families to rescue their animals. Let the petstores see why they shouldn't sell so many animals! Let them deal with what to do with them when they sit there for months unwanted!

[Pumpkin_RIP]

I think a few people misunderstood me. When I said I wouldn't pay a fee, that was only refering to Petstores, as I don't support petstores. If it is a rescue, then I know perfectly well you need to pay a fee, and understand why.

[Char-x]

Originally Posted by newpiggiemommy

I have to guess that the rats have just been there too long and they want to get rid of them so they can get in younger more attractive rats in.

I would not buy from them. There are plenty of shelters/rescues in need of forever home families to rescue their animals. Let the petstores see why they shouldn't sell so many animals! Let them deal with what to do with them when they sit there for months unwanted!

I always look at the animals when I'm in there and I dont think these were just old stock, they looked completely different to the ones I saw before.
I will keep trying the rescues but none of them seem to reply...

[muffin]

You could try local papers and Gumtree etc. There's almost always rats on my area's gumtree site.

On the adoption area in Pets at Home, the signs don't always match the animal, but I think many are genuine surrenders. I got chatting to one of the staff and she said a guy had brought them a guinea pig in a bag, his reason was 'you didn't say what to put it in'. At the end of the day the animal needs a home as much as any other, but is probably more likely to get one in the store than at a rescue. I would go with rescues if at all possible.

I'm also suspicious of the Pets at Home Charity fund, or whatever they call it. There's no break down of where the money actually goes. My local store does claim to support a rabbit rescue with donations though so...hmm. I think standards vary from store to store. Also the fact that they sell any babies produced from surrendered animals does not inspire me with confidence. If they sell them as normal stock despite knowing nothing of their genetic history it doesn't say much about their knowledge of the stock that comes in from suppliers. I spoke to an independent pet store owner one time and they said they wouldn't touch Pets at home's suppliers with a barge pole.

Best avoided, but if I saw a guinea pig in their adoption pen with really bad fungal/mites I might be tempted to adopt it on the basis that some idiot might take it, along with an outdoor hutch that the store would sell them at the same time. So much for preparing your pets home before you buy it- I've seen plenty of people walk out of the store with the full kit, animal in it's box, screaming brats for whom the animal is a new toy, and oh yeah, a care leaflet.

[daftscotslass]

It's also far cheaper to get a pet from the adoption section than it is to buy one from the sales. The store still gets the opportunity to flog all their useless cages and accessories too.

With regards to supporting local rescues, mine were apparently eager to find a rescue nearby to support. When I was chatting to the manager about it I gave her details of TC and needless to say she never got in touch with them. All they do to support the local rescue now is stick up a poster with the available dogs.

[cookie_gal]

My Pets@Home has a sign up about the Blue Cross and contacting that place if there are no animals in the adoption bit for you. I am in two minds about this adoption centre thing. Its not fair on the animal if they have been dumped at the pet store but you don't know if the pet store is just being devious.

[Pixlet]

At the Petco in my town, there are often hamsters, rats, and mice for "adoption" - they don't specify where they came from, but for some reason, they aren't able to sell them. They don't charge an adoption fee for them, you just have to sign some sort of contract...might be the same thing you sign when you buy a live animal. I got a Syrian hamster from there once, and I don't see anything wrong with it as long as they aren't charging for the animal. Better the "Free hamster" go home with me than as python food or an impulse pet for a 4-year old kid.

[blairie]

My sister does photography for a national pet chain and brought home Orange Piggie for me because she knew I'd been looking into guinea pigs. He was for adoption, but free. She signed something and got the little small animal coupon book thanking her for saving a life, or something. If Orange Piggie had been dumped with a cage, the cage would have come with him, too.

My sister adopted two abandoned rats from the Petco we do our cat adoptions at, for free, and there's been several hamsters abandoned at that store in the last few months, too.

FYI - petco, at least, re-stocks returned "merchandise"/animals. They don't offer them for free. We took in a returned baby corn snake who was refusing to eat, because we had more experience than the employees and the manager wasn't going to re-sell it, even though he would have had to if it had been 100% healthy and not a pathetic skinny thing. He did refund the guy who had purchased it two and a half months earlier.