My heart just aches.

[Amy1981]

Ok a quick intro of me. I have always loved animals, but never truly educated myself on any specific one. They're cute and cuddly and soft, etc., but I never became any form of an animal rights activist or member of PETA (not that I disagree with them, it just didn't happen).

Last night. Out of necessity I took my daughter to PetSmart. *sigh* we’re adopting our two girls from a shelter 2 hours away in New Jersey (lest you think I'd actually purchase one from the depths of this hell). I'd like to take this moment to thank all of the contributors on this site. Without you I would have been blind and purchased my piggies from that store eventually.

So we're picking up the girls on Friday. I needed to get some quick things that I didn't have already. Never. Never. Never Again. I literally almost got physically ill. They have the poor piggies/rats/mice/hamsters in glass cases. Say it with me? Glass cases. I couldn't even believe it. There was a piggie in case by itself (they said they were all boars, but who the heck really knows) and I swear to you this aquarium thing was only 13 in long by 12 in high. No freaking joke. That's as big as my computer monitor. They are in a humungous warehouse for goodness sakes. You're telling me that they don't have the room for an adequate house? They had cats for adoption and they barely had enough room to stand in their crates... It makes me seriously sick.

Even in my youth, when I was completely lacking any knowledge, I had the common sense to know that those kinds of conditions are sick. I couldn't believe what I saw. I absolutely refuse to enter that building again. I have never in my entire life been so disgusted and sick over something. I wanted to take every animal from that place. Not for myself mind you, just take them away from there. But I know the damage that would do. I could seriously go on and on about this malarkey.

I really want to go back in there and scream at the manager. But I can't do that by myself. I'm too nice. And I'd end up apologizing...ridiculous I know. I rage by writing. I really think I might just write a real nasty letter about the conditions of their animals... What do you think?

[guineapig67]

I feel sorry for the animals. I think they should acually have vets come in every month to check the animals (if they don't already *I doubt it*) and so me and my moms friends daughter were going to hold one. So a worker opended the cage and Alexis (daughter) picked it up and held it. Alexis is 6. She asked why the guinea pigs live in so small cages. He said exactly this "well...." When I held one, they said it was a boy. I checked. It was a girl. I said how old was it. 8 months. The guinea pig probally had mal-nutrition because it was skinny as a stick. It had NO hay. It only had pellets and carfresh bedding and a pigloo. I felt so bad for them and Alexis' guinea pig was severly obese and when the worker picked her's up, he didn't even squirm. It was SO sad. I don;t think I will ever go in the guinea pig section ever again

[brindyzoeycandy]

All of my Guinea Pigs come from PetSmart. The first three were purchased without knowledge and the fourth one was a surprise from my mom.

While I love my girls so much, and wouldn't trade them in, it does sadden me that I bought them from there.

I had another Guinea Pig before I got my girls, named Sadie. She was beautiful. (At least, I believe she was a girl...didn't know anything about them at the time) She got sick, so we took her to PetSmart, not to return her, but to get her better at the Banfield there.

She died because they misdiagnosed her with a mild URI when she had severe pnemonia. I was sick about it; we could've taken her to the exotic vet five minutes from my house. While still, not really knowing that you could actually adopt shelter Guinea Pigs (I guess my mom and I figured that no one actually takes cavies to a shelter), I did buy my others from there, I promised to never take any sick piggies to Banfield, ever.

They even have guinea pig WHEELS there. I complained, and the one guy said that 'Well, we don't use them. We just use them for the rats and hamsters.'

'But someone might buy them for a Guinea Pig.'

He didn't give me an answer.

I hate that store, but my mom still shops there.

While in a frantic quick stop at PetSmart (I was reluctant to walk in), I just quickly grabbed a frisbee, collar and leash for our new adopted Greyhound, I accidently got a frisbee that says I Love PetSmart.

I hate that frisbee.

[fresian.m]

My heart aches from looking at the hundreds of craigslist adds that are like and hour away. 4 piggies, 2 male, 2 female, crammed into a smaller petstore cage than I've ever seen for piggies. She said the "were all happy and healthy" Absolutely sickening. Probably pregnant females. Unless the two males are nuetered which I'm doubting.
Like 7 years ago I bought a hamster from Petsmart it died within a week. Bought another one died within two weeks. Both from wet tail. I guess the whole store was infected. I bought a third from petco and it lived for 4 months. It was from old age. It was a year when I bought it. I trained that little hamster not to bite me too... the only one I actually got to bond with.

[Nicolene]

Maybe you can write a well thought out letter to your most popular local newspaper or magazine? There is nothing more persuasive to a business than bad publicity. Send a letter to the business and tell them you are going to get the word out in 2 weeks unless you see change. You may be too nice, but you have more power than you realize! See if there is an "animal lover" group in your area and let them know what you saw. And lastly I would complain to the animal shelter/rescue/authority. Make some waves! You can do it!

[Ly&Pigs]

Unfortunately, it's the norm for many petstores. Small glass aquarium type cages are the standard in too many pet stores with too many animals in the cage.

[katebkate]

I don't go into pet shops anymore. Only on the rare occasion to see how the animals are doing. It always upsets me when I go to our local one. Expecially animals being kept behind glass! But, I must say this pet shop is better then others I've seen, and all the glass tanks (for pigs, rats, puppies, and kittens) do have just cage at the back, so they aren't fully surrounded by glass. But the small space they have them in. What really gets me is the puppies. Mini fox pups, already grown bigger then my own mini foxy (who had a cropped tail when we adopted her-may have something to do with it), all cramped into a small mostly glass box. And I can never stay at the kittens for long, because they just cry at you, try and reach to you meowing that meow as if to say "help me". Guinea pigs and rats are kept in small tanks. And stink. I think I remember seeing a cockoroach crawling around near a tank once. And then there is a room full of birds. I can't stay in there because the constant screaming of the birds gives me a headache. It's so noisy in there, I feel sorry for the quiet species.
There used to be one in our local mall, it thankfully closed down. I don't remember much, just that the puppies and kittens were fully surrounded by glass, with small vents, and had the constant noise of shoppers and little kids knocking on the window.
Most Pet shops suck. It's very rare to find a nice one.

[GGuineaPigg]

Oh, those poor babies. The closest petstore to me is no better. They used to sell puppies and kitten there, but decided that they wouldn't sell puppies because of the overpopulation problem. I couldn't believe they'd said that. I mean, what about all of the other animals you sell, they're overpopulated too. They used to have the bunnies and guinea pigs housed in open cages, and while they weren't as big as they should of been, they were much bigger than the small glass boxes they have them in now. It's weird because they recently added on to their store, but now the animals are all in even smaller cages. All of them, with the exception of the birds and kittens, are in small glass boxes with a little vent in the back. They feed the same mice they sell to the snakes. The guinea pig never has hay, and the mice, rats, and hamsters always have way too many in one enclosure. It's not uncommon to see dead mice in there, too. It makes me sick to my stomach just driving by the place.

[cadybearsmommy]

That is so sad....the poor animals probably think that this is just the way life is. =(