Adopt vs. Buy: why is it bad to buy from pet stores??

[collinandceasar]

i just bought two guinea pigs from petco....whats wrong with that?

[vicky2]

What's wrong with that is that the Guinea Pigs and other animals from there are from breeders and are very often mistreated. When you buy a Guinea Pig they just get replaced by another. Breeders contribute to an overpopulation problem of Guinea Pigs and other animals. There ARE rescue groups dedicated to Guinea Pigs so please next time get it from there, thanks.

[akstrohm]

Even if you don't care about overpopulation (which you should), petstore pigs are often missexed, sick, and pregnant.

[vicky2]

That too.^

[gooberific]

Really? You really have to ask that?

Here's a link with all sorts of stories. http://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/...r-threads.html

Now also please look at the plethora of stickies about why it's considered bad and why this question is just absolutely redundant, and that will answer for my bad attitude about this question repeatedly being asked over and over again.

Edited to add/answer:
Yes, the way I worded it was intentional.

[Ilovemypiggies1]

Pet stores like Petco are bad to buy pets from because often their animals are ill, pregnant and/or mis-sexed. Most pet stores do not care about their animals, they just want to make money. Pet stores do not care where they get their animals from, even if they are from backyard breeders in which their animals are dieing, ill, pregnant, and are in horrible living conditions. Often employees don't even know one thing about the animals there also so you can't always trust what they say.

Therefore, adopting is better. Why? Because may pigs are placed in shelters or rescues each year, most shelters do not have the ability to care for small animals such as guinea pigs and will right away euthanize them. Our would is very overpopulated including our animal population, if you buy then you are giving the pet stores more room to take in even more animals. If you rescue from a shelter you will be saving a life and not supporting bad breeders or pet stores who do not care about their animals. Most rescues actually care about all of their animals and provide proper care and vet care for them so there is a higher chance that they will be healthy.

[TwilightStar]

We don't need to tell you. There's plenty of threads around the site...do you just want to make us mad?

[PiggieMamaKelly]

Keep a close eye on your pigs and read up on signs of illness.

I bought a pig from Petco too. She died a few days later.

[AZ Guinea Man]

I'm guilty of buying 2 from a pet store. They were brothers and in a crappy crappy cage.

[PiggieMom]

Originally Posted by AZ Guinea Man

Adopt/Rescue is mentioned over and over in this forum. I agree with that but I've read no views about the poor pig sitting in the under sized cage in the pet store. I know once a pig is bought it's just replaced with another. Younger pigs sell quickly while I've seen older pigs sit there and rot week after week. They probably get euthanized after not being sold for so long. Why forget about those poor pigs? Some people are so hardcore against pet store buying they're words are forceful, harsh, and sometimes downright mean. They love Guinea pigs so much and hate to see these pigs in rescues passed over for pet store pigs because it supports the breeding mills. No view from them on the pet store pig though.

It's been spoken about often, but I'll try to explain it as plainly as I can. We are all animal lovers and it kills us just as much as it kills you to see animals in harms way. Our heart aches and I've come to tears right in the middle of stores before. However, we are also very aware of the harsh truth: by buying that pig you do nothing but give the same death sentence to another pig (or even more if the petstore starts to thrive because of these "guilty purchases). The cycle must be broken somewhere. In order to save thousands of lives, we do not buy in hopes that one day they will not sell. If we were to buy to save one life, we would condone the entire industry. Sadly, we cannot save every animal. But this is not our fault. It is the fault of those who breed these animals. It is the fault of those who chose to sell these animals. It is the fault of those who continue to buy after knowing the truth and allowing for pet stores and breeders to perpetuate the cycle of death.

Originally Posted by AZ Guinea Man

For every pig you buy their is one that could have been adopted. I've heard it over and over again. For everyone you adopt though there is one that will live a miserable existence in a pet store and go home with someone who gets rid of it when they are tired of it. The pig will probably live a crappy life in a pet store cage and end up in a rescue anyway. What a sad and viscous cycle.

It's not just that for every pig you buy one won't be adopted. It's that for every pig you buy more will be bred. For every pig you buy it is an acceptance of the idea that it is okay for things to be this way. That it is okay to breed and sell live animals. It is a sad, horrible, vicious, violent cycle. And it needs to be broken. We break it by not buying.

Originally Posted by AZ Guinea Man

Some people may say, "dude you've only owned guinea pigs for a short time. your probably one of those type of people." I assure you I'm not. I went from one to 5 piggies in that time and spend so much time looking at this forum and messing with my piggies that I get made fun of almost daily by my wife and coworkers for being an obsessed geek. I don't care though. They bring me joy.

No one would say that here. We all start off somewhere. It doesn't matter how long you've owned pigs. All that matters is the desire to give them the best life possible.

Originally Posted by AZ Guinea Man

All-in-all there is no solution. No one way to fix the problem. Piggies will need rescued and piggies will also need rescued from the crappy living conditions in pet stores. No one wins.

You're right in a way. There is no solution. There are many solutions. Only one of which is not buying from pet stores. Do you remember a time when cats and dogs were sold at large chain stores like Petsmart and Petco? Have you noticed that now not only do they not sell cats and dogs but have signs hanging in their stores that say "Please adopt"? This was made possible in a large part because people refused to buy cats and dogs from pet stores. It is not the only step, but a very, very important one. Do not lose hope.

[SnowFlower]

Here is some conditions those little pet store piggies can be bred in (Golly this makes me so ill )

Hollister Rescue

Also, here is a very complelling argument against Pet(insert add on here):

PetCo and PetsMart


Yes, it is very hard to walk by a cage that houses scared little piggies in cramped quarters with no veggies. I almost "rescued" from there myself , but this site and a ton of research (including talking to former Petsmart employees myself) has changed my mind drastically. If possible, I don't even enter stores that sell animals. Yes, it is hard - but just walk away - they actually house the piggies and other animals like that so you buy them (gotta love the marketing department of these places, huh?)

[Sammycake]

Originally Posted by Ilovemypiggies1

Pet stores like Petco are bad to buy pets from because often their animals are ill, pregnant and/or mis-sexed. Most pet stores do not care about their animals, they just want to make money. Pet stores do not care where they get their animals from, even if they are from backyard breeders in which their animals are dieing, ill, pregnant, and are in horrible living conditions. Often employees don't even know one thing about the animals there also so you can't always trust what they say.

Therefore, adopting is better. Why? Because may pigs are placed in shelters or rescues each year, most shelters do not have the ability to care for small animals such as guinea pigs and will right away euthanize them. Our would is very overpopulated including our animal population, if you buy then you are giving the pet stores more room to take in even more animals. If you rescue from a shelter you will be saving a life and not supporting bad breeders or pet stores who do not care about their animals. Most rescues actually care about all of their animals and provide proper care and vet care for them so there is a higher chance that they will be healthy.

I'm not going to say that rehoming a piggy from a shelter is generally a bad thing, but for myself, there are no shelters that will house piggies for miles around here, so my boyfriend and I have purchased a few pigs from the pet shop. We've never had any mishaps with illness, missexing and the conditions that they live in were more than acceptable - I've yet to see anything wrong with their living quarters. The only thing I have to complain about is the demeaner of the staff! Granted, I'm not aware of where they come from and what kind of breeder they came from, but there are always at least a couple of pure breeds thrown into the mix, so surely they can't be that bad?

The pet shop which we go to is of a very high standard. A friend of mine has been working there for about a year now, and he was made to go through a training process in which he would read a thick folder(made by the chain of shops) on every animal that they stocked on how to handle, care for and house them and put it into practice under controlled conditions. I can't see a fault with that if it's a high quality establishment. I'm not necessarily saying that buying from pet shops is the greatest idea, because there are piggies out there that need a lot of TLC, but I don't think that we should be hung out and shot for buying one from there.

[PiggieMom]

All pet stores support the idea that breeding and selling live animals is acceptable. So, by buying an animal from a store that treats their animal 'well', you are making it possible for animals to be sold in all of those pet stores that neglect and abuse their animals. You are contributing to the breeding ideology and economy.

And have you read what it is like to breed guinea pigs? Take a look at some of Cavyspirit's pages: breeding and the hollister story. No, not every breeder is as bad as the case in hollister, but you do not know, as you said, where your pigs come from. Even with the best and most careful breeders: there is a 20% chance a sow will die due to complications with the birthing process (that is a number from the American Cavy Breeding Association, not from us, so it is not unlikely that the number is in fact higher). Still not convinced? Take a look at this list of petstore, breeding, care and housing stories. We're not just campaigning against pet stores and breeding without reason. Many of have been on guinea pig forums for years and have heard and seen all of these horror stories. Many of us run rescues and have to deal with the aftermath. So take the time to do the reading and consider rethinking how you view the sale of live animals.

And as far as your statement there were no homeless pigs for you to adopt: I'm going to quote myself from another similar thread:

Originally Posted by PiggieMom

For people who say there is no way to get to a pig to adopt let me share the short version of my adoption stories:

I live in rural Michigan, a good two hour drive from civilization in every direction. I've been able to adopt six guinea pigs and foster one over the last three years.

The first pair: adopted from a member on Guinea Lynx who lived 2 1/2 hours from me. She was willing to meet me halfway to help transport them.

My second rescue of three: I was able to get three pigs from seven hours away. Though I eventually was able to make the trip on my own I had over a dozen members from these forums and guinea lynx offering to help transport the pigs.

My third rescue: a single pig from a rescue three and a half hours away. She was willing to actually drive to Mount Pleasant if I needed her to (which I didn't need).

With time, patience, creativity and a bit of networking I firmly believe everyone can adopt.

[Sammycake]

Piggiemom,

It's all well and good that you can go and attack others with such strong morals and saying 'if I can do it, why can't you?', but haven't you considered that some just can't? I mean, personally, I can't drive. I rely on buses and the occasional lift from my Mum to take me short distances; I can't expect her to drive me three and a half hours away just to get a rescue pig. And surely the ones in the pet store have every right to a loving home, too? Don't give me any retaliations e.g. 'it's immoral', because it's not.

Commenting on 'You're contributing to the breeding ideology and economy', well, how the hell else are we meant to breed piggies? If you don't promote home breeders because they're irresponsible, and you don't support pet stores because they're all pure evil, then where are rescue pigs going to come from in ten years time? And, if we're not even allowed to give an opinion on a topic which is, whether you like it or not, relevant to the life and wellbeing of pigs, without being dismissed and given the be all and end all answer, 'BAD, NO', then how are we meant to be educated if there just so happens to be an accidental pregnancy?

[Paula]

Originally Posted by Sammycake

It's all well and good that you can go and attack others with such strong morals and saying 'if I can do it, why can't you?', but haven't you considered that some just can't?

First of all, she didn't attack you. If you're an overly sensitive type, you might consider staying out of threads in The Kitchen. Second, everyone who is willing to adopt can do so with some patience and creative searching. I think there are people who won't adopt, but I don't think there's anyone who can't.

Originally Posted by Sammycake

I mean, personally, I can't drive. I rely on buses and the occasional lift from my Mum to take me short distances; I can't expect her to drive me three and a half hours away just to get a rescue pig.

I'm just curious. If these things are true, and you have no reliable transportation of your own, how were you able to acquire pet store pigs?

Originally Posted by Sammycake

And surely the ones in the pet store have every right to a loving home, too? Don't give me any retaliations e.g. 'it's immoral', because it's not.

It is a very cruel cycle. And unless people like you and me actually step up and tell the pet stores it's entirely too cruel to be selling live animals as merchandise, breeding them as stock, it's a cycle that won't end. And that means passing up the pet store pigs that indeed deserve a loving home just like any other, because if you don't buy them that might start to send the message to the store that it's not ok. At the very least, if the demand goes down, it stands to reason that the supply would also need to go down.

Originally Posted by Sammycake

Commenting on 'You're contributing to the breeding ideology and economy', well, how the hell else are we meant to breed piggies? If you don't promote home breeders because they're irresponsible, and you don't support pet stores because they're all pure evil, then where are rescue pigs going to come from in ten years time?

I'd be more than happy not to have guinea pigs if that's what it takes to end the abuse of pet stores and breeders.

[PiggieMom]

As much as we'd like to get to the point that there will be no breeders or pet stores that sell pigs in ten years, that's very improbable. Instead, we hope that by convincing as many people as possible to adopt it will put a dent in the huge overpopulation problem. There will always be accidental pregnancies. If you notice, in our medical forum, we have a subforum devoted to this topic. We do not talk about how to breed, just the care of the mother and babies after an accidental pregnancy or the adoption of a pregnant sow.

As I said in my post, one of the rescues was actually willing to drive the pigs to me and there were many members on different forums willing to help get them to me as well. Those are just a fraction of the resources available to adopt. There's local humane societies; craigslist.org; freecycle.org; kijiji.com; the listings on the adoptable forums of this site; guinealynx.com; and pigloo.net. There's also local newspapers. With a bit of patience, everyone can adopt.

And, as fast as you posted after me, I'm going to assume you didn't read the links I provided. Please read at least some of them, they're very revealing.

[Sammycake]

Paula, there's an overwhelming ethic on this site of there being a curse upon any who should acquire piggies from anywhere other than rescues. When both sides to an argument aren't even considered, it's a dismissal - I don't want to have to tolerate this kind of behaviour. In response to your enquiry about transport, the nearest pet shop is only about 5 minutes down the road and my boyfriend and I usually get the bus there, and taxi back home so as to keep the stress levels to a minimum for the piggy.

Instead of trying to rally against a system that's been working for years, why not just accept it and get on with doing what you do. Some people buy their pets from pet shops, some buy them from breeders and so on. The point I'm trying to make here is that that we shouldn't have to listen to preachy people going on about how they've driven to Brazil to rescue guinea pigs and expect others to do the same.

[Peggysu]

Originally Posted by Sammycake

Instead of trying to rally against a system that's been working for years, why not just accept it and get on with doing what you do. Some people buy their pets from pet shops, some buy them from breeders and so on. The point I'm trying to make here is that that we shouldn't have to listen to preachy people going on about how they've driven to Brazil to rescue guinea pigs and expect others to do the same.

If people don't know about the over population, then no one will do anything about it. I bought my first guinea pig from a pet store and decided to do some research. I found this site and I was mortified to find what I had contributed to. I then started doing my own research outside of the forum and what I discovered was absolutely unacceptable. I now don't support pet stores in anyway. I have three guinea pigs now and I was able to find them all. I live in a small community yet I've been able to find piggies.

I see you are new here and if you have a problem "listening to preachy people" then so be it. You obviously don't care. No ones even being preachy, I think this thread has been very polite to everyone involved and given an ample amount of examples to support their views. I think you really should check out those other links, it might give you some insight as to why we have the views we do.

Also I just want to say that this site does not in any way support people in buying pets from a pet store, it's just not the site. It's not what most of the members here believe in.

[Paula]

Originally Posted by Sammycake

Paula, there's an overwhelming ethic on this site of there being a curse upon any who should acquire piggies from anywhere other than rescues.

No, no one harbors any resententment toward the animal. The greed of people breeding and selling them is most certainly not the fault of an utterly innocent creature.

Originally Posted by Sammycake

When both sides to an argument aren't even considered, it's a dismissal - I don't want to have to tolerate this kind of behaviour.

Both sides of the argument are considered. It's just that there's compelling testimony from those who have been unfortunate enough to buy a very sick or missexed or pregnant animal from a breeder or pet store, combined with the same from those who work in pet stores or witness the conditions these animals live in that sways many to the side of rescue and adoption. Have you given any thought to the conditions animals are forced to live in in pet stores? At breeders? For many here that have not only thought about it but also witnessed it, it's impossible to ignore the cruelty these animals endure for the sake of making a quick buck.

Originally Posted by Sammycake

Instead of trying to rally against a system that's been working for years, why not just accept it and get on with doing what you do. Some people buy their pets from pet shops, some buy them from breeders and so on.

It's not a system that works, though. It's a system that kills animals and makes others miserable while there are people too lazy or selfish or just plain indifferent to their suffering to stand up and say enough's enough. Not to mention, it's a system that puts animals in rescues to begin with.

Originally Posted by Sammycake

The point I'm trying to make here is that that we shouldn't have to listen to preachy people going on about how they've driven to Brazil to rescue guinea pigs and expect others to do the same.

Then don't. No one's saying you have to stay if you aren't pleased with this forum.

[Sammycake]

Originally Posted by Peggysu

If people don't know about the over population, then no one will do anything about it. I bought my first guinea pig from a pet store and decided to do some research. I found this site and I was mortified to find what I had contributed to. I then started doing my own research outside of the forum and what I discovered was absolutely unacceptable. I now don't support pet stores in anyway. I have three guinea pigs now and I was able to find them all. I live in a small community yet I've been able to find piggies.

I see you are new here and if you have a problem "listening to preachy people" then so be it. You obviously don't care. No ones even being preachy, I think this thread has been very polite to everyone involved and given an ample amount of examples to support their views. I think you really should check out those other links, it might give you some insight as to why we have the views we do.

Also I just want to say that this site does not in any way support people in buying pets from a pet store, it's just not the site. It's not what most of the members here believe in.

Wow, you really just don't understand. This is clearly a personal attack, surely you should be reported for that? I'm just voicing the opinion that not every single pet shop in the world is pure evil, and nor are the breeders. The examples that you find on the internet are going to be negative, how else would they make it on there? I was giving a positive review of my local pet shop, and as previously stated, I have a friend who works there and he tells me what goes on behind closed doors, and even the most proud piggy owner would be impressed.

And there's the 'if I can do it, why can't you?' message again. Perhaps you should re-read my post if/before you respond again. 'Noone's even being preachy'? I refer you to your own damn post. You may not have realised, but it's not sick and wrong to buy piggies from pet shops, and nobody should have to feel bad about not being able to get to a rescue/find someone who can bring the piggy/s from the rescue to themselves. We shouldn't have to be brow beaten into one way of thinking; everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and it should not be attacked with such crude, unjustified reasoning when legitimate evidence is given to prove that idiocy and cruelty is not the case.