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About LinkBacksSame exact thing for the one by me, except they have small houses and mostly everything I had went in there the water bottles were knocked down and I told an associate.Originally Posted by SFailed186
Same exact thing for the one by me, except they have small houses and mostly everything I had went in there the water bottles were knocked down and I told an associate.
Wheekie (08-10-10)
I was nosing around Pet shops here. calling in regards of Cavies, The guy was very short with me, I asked him where his cavies come from.. A Breeder that Breeds all small animals. He doesn't even give a health assurance with his pets he sells, calling them "Livestalk". I told the guy that he was a monster and hung up. I've yet to call the SPCA, I've checked all over the internet, closest place I found was in the states. I am unable to travel all over the place due to not having a car, and taking taxis wherever I go. So my last resort maybe a petshop... Which I am sorry to say.
Nothing more than an excuse. If you are patient enough, you will find pigs to adopt without resorting to going to a petstore. If you post the area you are in on another thread (not this one) then I betcha some members will help you find pigs.
1frankie7 (05-06-10), flomopiggie5 (08-10-10), Peggysu (04-08-10), rabbitsncavyluv (04-07-10)
I've actually found a rescue in my area, I have just sent them an email, perhaps they may not have cavies, but may know where I can find a cute pair to adopt. Thanks for the help.
To add to this. Remember that owning these creatures is a privilege, not a right. Your options are to wait, not to get one at all, or indirectly abusing guinea pigs. C'mon, you have a 2/3 chance of making the right decision. Be PATIENT, please!
flomopiggie5 (08-10-10), SnowPrincess (05-06-10)
There will always be those who choose to go to a petshop; many are in ignorance.
Education & a wider advertising of the plight of guinea pigs who are in rescues awaiting homes is needed. I am speaking about the UK where it still is not widely known that rescues for small furries exist.
Most pigs in rescue will likely have been in a petshop, probably an impulse buy by an irresponsible parent for their child who wanted a pet .... until the novelty wore off.
Cut out the middle man (the petshop) & go straight to rescue.
If what others have been posting about PetSmart etc. is valid across the U.S., then something is changing. If pet shops give up selling small animals (whether because of a widening boycott, or finding that such sales create too big a loss when they get sick ones from breeders and then get complaints and have to make good, or any number of other reasons), then it won't be true, for the U.S., that there will always be those who choose to go to pet shops - because they won't have that choice. Without pet store chains selling small animals, a lot fewer breeders will stay in business, too.
I hope this apparent trend continues. And that the U.K. eventually follows suit. I think the army of animal lovers in the U.K. could be mobilized on behalf of small animals if a boycott campaign catches fire there too. I think they must have something like that going on already, because I saw at least two pet stores (in West Midlands towns) that had signs saying 'NO LIVE ANIMALS SOLD HERE'. (It is very possible that the U.S. is following the U.K.'s trend rather than vice versa--I have come to know about these issues rather late, not having had pets since I was a child. I do think the U.K. is ahead in some ways with regard to concern for animals. )
The Animal Welfare Act has brought around a lot of change but sadly the majority of opinion is, not enough. However i am aware change doesn't happen overnight regardless of how much you will it.
Most petshops here no longer sell puppies or kittens but the vast majority still sell small furries. The big chain does seem to be better educated regarding their care & (for the UK) do sell appropriate sized housing based on the minimum requirements stated in the Welfare Act. However they are nowhere near perfect & still sell ill & mis-sexed animals.
The independants are worse; These too mis-sex, often house them in cramped/dirty conditions which invariably leads to ill health & fights & sell totally unsuitable accommodation.
I would like to ask are rescues in the US licensed?
Here in the UK, anyone can set up themselves up as a rescue & the only ones who are registered have to register as a charity but this costs money to do, which a lot of people can't afford to do as it takes away funds from the rescue itself.
Last edited by Mishy; 04-07-10 at 07:51 pm.
No, not really.
If a rescue wants the donations made to them to be tax deductible to those who donate they have to file 5013C and be labeled as a non profit organization.
The rescue I was involved with was not 5013C at first but we later got our paperwork filed and were approved.
I would say probably just about anyone could call themselves a "rescue." Some rescues take in too many animals and over extend themselves to the point of neglect of the animals.
It is a good idea to look into your rescue. The humane society close to us in Chattanooga, TN was anything BUT humane for many years until rescuers and an angry public got involved.
Mishy - sadly, the Animal Welfare Act has done very little to help animals in pet shops, and I certainly don't agree about the big chain being any good.
I have contacted MPs, DEFRA etc regarding the AWA and making recommendations for more secondary legislation. My suggestions included banning the sale of live animals in pet shop - particularly dogs and cats, bringing in minimum legal cage sizes (as we already have for lab and farm animals), etc.
The response was that this was unnecessary and was not even being considered. As to cage sizes - they do not believe there is a need to state minimum cage sizes as the animal welfare groups already make suitable recommendations.
So how does pets at home fulfil these?
The suggested cage sizes (according to the RSPCA) are about 2x6 foot for medium sized rabbits, 2x4 foot for guinea pigs, and about 1/2 a sq metre for a hamter.
The largest hutch pets at home do is 2x6 - all the rest are smaller, some tiny. Not one of their indoor cages gives 8 sq feet (for g-pigs, let alone 12 sq feet for a bunny). Almost all of their hamster cages are well under half the recommended size - in fact some of the guinea pig and rat cages are the correct size for a hamster.
They also sell those tiny bird cages that would barely allow a budgie to stretch its wings, and those fish tanks aimed at kids that are far too small for even a single goldfish.
Whilst pets at home does sell smaller cages than I would like to see, I will say this for it. Everytime I have been in there the animals have at least been attempted to be separated by sex and they have all had appropiate nuggets and hay.
The pet shop staff do make you sign an agreement before buying (know this from when I got first piggies - but won't be doing so again) and they do advise hay, and nuggets. They also advice buying a pair of the same sex (I'm not sure but I don't think they sell mixed sex pairs - although I don't know how accuratly they do sex them)
Whilst they sell smaller cages they do advocate getting a run and allowing daily exercise in it for the guinea pigs.
In addition they do take in unwanted pets and put them up for adoption. Some branches even have vets who will see your pets.
Now I'm not agreeing with pet stores and its far from perfect, but at least there is a chance that an ignorant buyers get at least a little of the correct information when buying.
I would like to see staff even better trained and getting rid of the sale of animals and more into the adoption. All the animals generally seem well cared for. So it is a start.
Like Mishy said the bigger chain is much better than the independents in the UK. So I hope they continue going in the direction they have started.
I didn't say Pets at Home were perfect, i know they aren't but they are better than they were & are far better than independants.
However this does seem to fluctuate between stores.
I agree that not all hutches/cages etc they sell are suitable but they have gotten better regarding their hutch sizes & with the information they give.
The last time i was in P@H they didn't sell birds nor cages but i rarely go into any petshop as i buy all my food & bedding from a farm shop.
Sadly a lot of people still see small animals as being "throw away."
I myself have had the arguement with family members regarding the cost of veterinary treatment v the cost of the animal.
You cannot put it where it won't go with some.
I too would love to see no animals in petshops; wether i will in my lifetime is debatable.
Last edited by Mishy; 04-08-10 at 06:41 am.
I'm sorry - I find it very hard to defend pets at home in any way - they still do so many things I strongly dislike..
Ok, they brought in their "adoption centres" but almost all of these are NOT genuine adoptions. The animals may in a few rare cases be handed in by the public for rehoming. Most (certainly in my local store) are ones that didn't sell in the "for sale" section - either no demand for that species, "ugly" animals, or in the case of the hamsters usually because of injuries caused by fighting (from overstocking, or simply group housing syrians). They also take surplus or retired "stock" from their breeders.
And despite their suposed adoption drive, they have since branched out into more exotic and harder to care for pets - inc giant breed rabbits and reptiles.
As for cages - a store that sells both normal and giant rabbits having only one single hutch that is large enough for a normal sized rabbit (but nothing suitable for a giant) is inexcusable.
They may push nuggets and hay (which is good in theory) but their own pellets are pretty crap (cereal based), they do not mention veggies and they try to push vit C drops which are best useless and at worst potentially harmful.
Finally - selling animals in same sex pairs is better - IF they did it. But even the shops with a vet on site still will not garuantee the sex of their animals, and mis-sexing is still common.
I wasn't trying to defend them, and indeed I don't buy anything from them, have not for a while. Nor Was I saying that all they do is right.
My point was simply that it is a start - a step in the right direction compared to smaller pet stores.
Thats all.
I know it's a month old thread, but I have something to add.
I was planning on getting my guinea pigs at a pet store 6 months ago when I first decided I was getting guinea pigs. I got on this site and found out about shelters. I looked around for shelters in my area and the closest thing wasn't too close and didn't really have the guinea pigs I wanted. Still decided to check out pet stores. But after awhile of being on the forum I found out why I shouldn't buy from pet stores. So I checked out shelters again. I found a shelter with lots of piggies that's up by Ft. Worth. That is a 5-6 hour drive 1 way from San Antonio. My parents and brother think I'm crazy still. But I will be going up there May 16th to adopt 3 females hopefully. 3 hours isn't bad at all...
Ibbet (05-06-10), Paula (05-06-10), Peggysu (05-06-10), sdpiggylvr (05-06-10)
Have you checked local classified ads? Sometimes there are people needing to rehome their pigs. Or a rescue nearby may be able to meet you halfway.
Good for you for rescuing!
If you look in the photo gallery, A LOT of guinea pigs are bought from a pet store. If i had to guess i'd say atleast 50% of the pigs there are from a pet store. Remember that theres always a risk when buying from adoption areas or pet stores because their past history is unknown. If guinea pigs are treated badly in the past, they are generally more feisty and may bite you and in some cases will not bond with you. Theres also the possibility that they have have an illness.
I know this is not recommended but I buy mine from a breeder because i love seeing the development of the pigs as they get bigger, and also for their unique coating. I have two small ones and they are more gentle to play with than my adopted pigs. Also breeders are often much better owners, so you know the babies are coming from a good home. And your also helping the breeder if they cant afford to keep all of their pigs.
How are breeders usually better owners than a rescuer?
You can watch a baby pig grow up at a rescue, lots of litters are born there.
lissie (05-06-10), rabbitsncavyluv (05-06-10), sdpiggylvr (05-06-10), Wheekie (08-10-10)
Those baby pigs at the rescue are just from breeders or people with 2 sexed guinea pig that gave birth
Same as a breeder sort of i guess.. but over at the rescue here we only have big pigs. and the only place to get litters are from breeders on trademe auction site
But yea i would start off with small guinea pigs because they are so cute and theyre most likely not mistreated
I can't properly express my disagreement with you so I'll wait for one of more experienced member to do it.Cheers.
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