Here a few reasons and questions why I do not like Pet store pets!

[IluvePiggies]

I adopted my two Guinea Pigs from Pet Stores. Mandy was of course too small to be two and a half but I took pity on her and bought her to get her back in shape. Isn't it true that if pet store animals don't get sold, they get put to sleep? Why not try to re-sell them or give them to a rescue? Every pet needs a second chance, isn't that right? I think you should post your feelings here(Without too many excalimations or bad words) about your pet store and how you feel about craiglist or Petfinder? I find that Petfinder is an awesome way but I never really thought about fostering or adopting from a shelter until reading a few threads from here. its horrible that animals don't get second chances, right?

Remember post your feelings about your petstore without too many exclaimation points or bad words.

[Paula]

You do realize this very topic has been addressed over and over again on this site? All you really have to do is look around to find the horror stories about pet stores.

And to clarify, I don't think anyone here has anything against the pet store animals themselves, but the practice of breeding a living, breathing creature and selling it for profit. All animals deserve the best home, whether bred or sold or what have you.

Animals in pet stores are sold to anyone who will buy them, whether the buyer has any idea how to care for that animal or has any intention whatsoever of doing right by the animal. In most cases animals are sold at discounted rates as a means to get people to buy the "bigger ticket" items, like cages, toys, other items that really make the store money. In other words, they are viewed and sold as little more than merchandise.

They are often sold sick, or pregnant, and given little if any vet care, and in most cases no consideration is given to adequate space requirements or dietary needs. Petstore staff is usually ill-equipped to care for the animals themselves, but they are allowed and trusted to give out what usually is faulty care information.

People are allowed to walk in and pay for an animal they know nothing about and have no intention of keeping beyond its "fun factor."

Think about it, how many times do you run to the grocery store for a few items and while you're there decide to buy a candy bar, some chips, etc., things that weren't originally on your list? Essentially that is exactly what petstores enable and allow to happen with an animal that lives and breathes and needs care.

Animals in petstores are being bred by breeders, in many cases backyard breeders, while countless other animals are euthanized in shelters every day because no one wants them, and those that might be able to give them homes are buying animals instead of looking in shelters for them.

What happens to animals that aren't sold probably varies by store, but they probably are shipped to another store for sale, or euthanized, and if the latter is the option I doubt it is humane, because putting an animal to sleep humanely costs more money than some other options that pet stores have available to them. If they aren't sold it's entirely likely that they become part of the store's "breeding" program, which is a set of horrors all in itself.

Petfinder is a way of searching shelters, not petstores, and so it is the preferred way to "shop" online for an animal you might be looking to adopt.

Craigslist is fine as long as you are acquiring an animal from a private party and not a breeder.

[IluvePiggies]

That's what I meant

[sophistacavy]

I actually don't know what happens to pet store animals that don't get sold, I've definetely thought about it before, but I haven't ever really come to a conclusion. I always liked to think that they would keep them forever until they die of old age, but I don't think thats a fair assumption......I think a lot of pet shops probably like keeping younger looking and smaller animals "on display", to attract people to buy them because they're a cute cuddly baby animal. I'd like to know what happens to them, for knowledge's sake at least.

My PetStupid has this thing in the middle of the store, and its very small inside for people to get in and such, and on one side, there are the birds/parrots, and on the other side they have hamsters, guinea pigs, rats, chinchillas, and I think they have gerbils and "fancy" mice too. The habitats are waaay too small for any of the species, even when they let the chins or budgies go in the larger habitat in the front of this stucture, it is still too small. Sometimes the guinea pigs have water dishes instead of water bottles, and same for the birds/parrots sometimes. They give the rats and other smaller "pocket pets" those colored twig things by that t-rex company, that are the typical junky treat. For some reason, the water in the water bottles sometimes looks yellow. The repitles are in what I call miniature habitats, way too small for any of the species they have. The fish are extremely overcrowded (what else is new), and still in way too small of a gallon size for any of the species they have there. The betta fish are, of course, in those little cubby things.

They also have these tiny little sideways moving crabs, definetely in too small of a habitat, and they have hermit crabs, which are really crowded, and they all still have space to walk around, but they still need tons and tons of more room. Also, there are fire-bellied toads, overcrowded, and in too small of an enclosure.

I have a Pet Supermarket by me too. They have slightly bigger enclosures for the small pets (ferrets, hamsters, rabbits, cavies). But they have the budgies in the same type of enclosure, which has solid smooth glass sides, so they can't climb! The other parrots and birds are in even smaller enclosures than at PetStupid, they have one enclosure that wouldn't even be enough for space, and its divided into four sections for four different species of bird/parrot. They also have fish, and they have some kind of amphibians, I think firebelly toads, and sometimes they have something else thats amphibious. They have reptiles too, in teeny enclosures that make me sad, and they are crowded.

We have an abhorrent (sp?) store near us called Exotic Pets.....you can look them up on google if anyone wants to, just type in exotic pets asheville nc....linking to them on here is not allowed.

Well thats about it for now. I'm interested in other's local pet store situations as well.

[pennykit&amanda]

My local pet store gives away animals that aren't sold... countless times I've walked in there, and they ask "do you want a free rat with a cage?" (I don't shop there anymore, BTW).

I don't think they would spend any money to euthanize any unsold "merchandise". Seems like it would be a waste of money when you could just give it away, feed it to a snake or whatever, right?

[Amsley246]

For some reason I think I've heard that some give them back to the breeder/mill. And then they "dispose of the animal". The very thought of it disgusts me, but it doesn't surprise me with the amount of things the news has on them last few months. Not long ago I heard something about Quebec having a bunch of mill busts, and the scary thing is, they think they haven't even put a dent into the amount of mills that need to be busted in that province alone.

[Henle15]

Petstores either keep them and then "adopt" them out because they are too big to fit in the aquarium holes to put them in the aquarium, or they "give them away". They do not euthanize, they won't spend money on correct care so why would they bother with euthanization?

I have heard some will take them to the back and stick them in the freezer and euthanize them that way...but I have never seen it or heard it from a credible source. Not a humane way to do it, but what do you expect from a petstore with people making little to no money and don't care about the care of the animals.

Petfinder is the best way to find better pets as most are legit rescues that take care of the animals and know about them the best.

You have to be careful with craigslist because many breeders will pose as "re-homers" and "rescues" or they say adoption when they are really selling.

[IluvePiggies]

Originally Posted by Henle15

Petstores either keep them and then "adopt" them out because they are too big to fit in the aquarium holes to put them in the aquarium, or they "give them away". They do not euthanize, they won't spend money on correct care so why would they bother with euthanization?

I have heard some will take them to the back and stick them in the freezer and euthanize them that way...but I have never seen it or heard it from a credible source. Not a humane way to do it, but what do you expect from a petstore with people making little to no money and don't care about the care of the animals.

Petfinder is the best way to find better pets as most are legit rescues that take care of the animals and know about them the best.

You have to be careful with craigslist because many breeders will pose as "re-homers" and "rescues" or they say adoption when they are really selling.

Exactly. I would love to do a protest against pet stores because earlier a person had said that there was like 1 50% coupon off a small animal and a starter kit. How horrible!