Petco VS. Petsmart - Page 2

**RubyPiggie2** · #21 03-20-05, 05:24 pm

Just as stated before, no pet stores that have their own animals (unless they get them from the local shelters with adoption applications) or breed their own animals are ok. I occasionally go in them to see how the animals are being treated. One of the last PetCo's I went to had a fairly large cage(still aquarium though), but the hay was brown. And PetsMart has very small cages for the guinea pigs and chins. I don't buy from them, I go to a local feed store.

**cinn&sprinslave** · #22 03-20-05, 09:11 pm

I go into both Petco and Petsmart, I don't buy animals or small animal supplies from either store (I purchase those at the feed store), but I have to get my cat food some where (I try to buy most of my cat food from my vet, but they don't always have what I need). My local Petco does a so-so job of caring for all their all animals, they have the nessecities food/water and a fairly clean cage, that's about it though. A lot of their animals are pregnant, and the employees are extremely rude.
My local Petsmart takes fairly good care of their animals, some of the info they tell people is wrong, but they pretty much have their facts straight. Their animals are cared for pretty well, the guinea pigs do not live in C&C cages or anything (occasionally they keep the guinea pigs in the bird aviary when it is vacant). But I don't expect them to either, it would be great if they did, but I don't expect miracles. I was just in there on Saturday, and their guinea pig they had for sale had knocked over her water bottle, I told an some one and they took care of it immediatly, I was happy that they did.
Neither store is perfect, and they both support breeders.

LuvMyPiggers · #23 03-21-05, 07:25 am

I go to PetSmart for supplies but I have bought a Guinea Pig from my local Petco. At my Petco they are treated VERY well. They are in aquariums but they're huge. They feed them daily and everything is fresh and clean. The guinea pig I got from there was extremely healthy. The other one I adopted though because a lady just left it there. She must have taken pretty good care of it or I got lucky. THat one is healthy too.

**DaCourt** · #24 03-21-05, 01:01 pm

I was so excited when the new pet store opened by my house. It is Centinella Feed. THey do not sell any animals and are very pro rescue. I never have to set foot in those evil places EVER again!

***Piglets-Angel*** · #25 03-21-05, 01:04 pm

Lucky you DaCourt!!!

#26 03-23-05, 06:17 pm

I buy most of the cage accesories for my guinea pig at Petsmart, the one by my house is great! The cages are always clean, the fish tanks, too. There is always someone there who knows what they're talking about and will answer your questions.

**Slap Maxwell** · #27 03-23-05, 06:56 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chrissy

I buy most of the cage accesories for my guinea pig at Petsmart, the one by my house is great! The cages are always clean, the fish tanks, too. There is always someone there who knows what they're talking about and will answer your questions.

I agree that the cage accesories are great, but when I went there to get my pig, they told me it was a boy, but it was a girl. They also told me that I needed to use multivitamin drops in the water, feed food with 'interesting' (i.e. nuts) things in it, and that the cage I was buying was 'almost too big'. Turned out all of this was wrong.

#28 03-23-05, 09:11 pm

I guess it depends who works there. The people at my petsmart know what they're talking about. (I've quizzed them :-D )

**RubyPiggie2** · #29 03-24-05, 08:07 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by moomoo2262

I go to PetSmart for supplies but I have bought a Guinea Pig from my local Petco. At my Petco they are treated VERY well. They are in aquariums but they're huge. They feed them daily and everything is fresh and clean. The guinea pig I got from there was extremely healthy. The other one I adopted though because a lady just left it there. She must have taken pretty good care of it or I got lucky. THat one is healthy too.

It dosen't matter.... they still buy from breeders.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #30 03-24-05, 10:40 am

Actually pet mills and you should see the conditions of those.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RubyPiggie2

It dosen't matter.... they still buy from breeders.

**DaCourt** · #31 03-24-05, 10:44 am

Exactly Ruby. They may have great stuff, you may even be able to find someone who actually knows what theya re talking about. BUT...the bottom line is, by shopping there, you are contributing to store that supports breeding mills.

LuvMyPiggers · #32 03-24-05, 01:10 pm

When it seems like you are finally making a friend, One opinion can ruin it all....

**DaCourt** · #33 03-24-05, 03:10 pm

Who is that directed at Moomoo?

LuvMyPiggers · #34 03-24-05, 09:07 pm

No one. Just I hope that I don't lose friends on her for speaking an opinion. But Im shutting up. See my other boards in cavy chat.

**Susan9608** · #35 03-25-05, 09:25 pm

I don't think Petsmart is any better than Petco, even if there are a few "good" Petsmart stores scattered here and there.

Before discovering this site and finding out about the guinea pig overpopulation problem, my husband and I purchased a guinea pig from Petsmart. Their small animal "expert" assured us that the pig was only 3-4 months old. When we discovered a lump on her face about a week later, the same expert assured us that it was just an abcess and it would go away in about a week (which would put us past their 2 week return deadline). When it didn't go away after a week, we visited my vet, who had to sedate the pig and x-ray her head. What he discovered was not an abcess, but a tumor ... a tumor so far advanced that it had lysed away most of her jaw bone on that side. The x-ray also showed her growth plates, which were fused, signaling that she was closer to a year old than just 3-4 months. My vet told us that pet stores are notorious for selling animals they know are ill, in hopes that the customers won't realize it until they are past their 2 week return deadline. And if a customer does notice and return the animal, most pet stores simply put the animal back in a cage so it's up for sale again. Our vet told us that pet stores will simply send the ill animal to a different store in the area, so that the original purchasing customer won't recognize it in their store. Pretty sick.

We had a very difficult time getting Petsmart to refund our money and to cover our vet bill ($300!). The manager wanted to make it a condition that we return the pig to them in order to receive reimbursement. We said no way to that, thinking that the pig would either be inhumanely euthanized or just resold. So it was a huge hassle to get our money back ...and our poor pig suffered greatly.

Petsmart, Petco ... to me, the only difference is in the name.

**optimusprime** · #36 03-25-05, 11:30 pm

petsmart dosnt do that, at least not by policy,

we have a sick room that all of our returned animals go into for at least 2 weeks
any animals that we see are sick go to the vet if it isnt something simple that we can do at the store, sorry if thisnt donsnt make since, im pretty drunjk

**wuany** · #37 03-25-05, 11:45 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by slap_maxwell

When I went there to get my pig, they told me it was a boy, but it was a girl. They also told me that I needed to use multivitamin drops in the water.

We were told the same thing by the Warwick Petco. What is the other alternative to feeding the piggys more vitamin C? I have been putting drops in the water and Cali drinks a lot but after reading some posts about it not being good I would like to change that approach.

**Slap Maxwell** · #38 03-25-05, 11:50 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by wuany

We were told the same thing by the Warwick Petco. What is the other alternative to feeding the piggys more vitamin C? I have been putting drops in the water and Cali drinks a lot but after reading some posts about it not being good I would like to change that approach.

Yes, please change that. She should get enough through vegtables. Esspecially if it is a multi-vitamin. That can be detramental to their health.

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