PetCo and Me

[lilipution1013]

I decided to post this here because I'm quite sure people are going to get mad about it.

Last week I started working at PetCo as a Small Animal Care Technician. My job is to feed and water all the small animals, keep their cages clean, socialize them, and check for health problems. I can tell that, before I got there, my coworkers were NOT doing their job correctly.

The hamster cage wasn't being cleaned regularly; the rats were cramped without enough hidey houses for comfort; the chinchillas were hardly ever dust-bathed; the guinea pigs... don't get me started on the poor guinea pigs. There was actual BLACK STUFF growing in some of their water bottles. One of them had pink eye, and my boss actually didn't want me to send him to the vet. Luckily the RCAC (regional companion animal caretaker or something like that) was in the store that day doing a check, so Albino Bob got the help he needed.

I've spoken to my bosses about the size of the animal enclosures, particularly the guinea pigs. There are 1-3 pigs placed in each 10 gallon tank. I clean them out nearly every day and make it a point to handle the poor creatures so they don't become sullen or antisocial.

The quality of life of these animals HAS improved since I've started working there. My boss is actually quite impressed.

And the reason I chose PetCo was because of their "Think Adoption First" program. Employees are supposedly required to refer customers to adoption agencies before they sell them a pet. When I was younger, I bought a few pets from them and never heard that. Now I make it a point to say it all the time. I give them Cavy Rescue and Cavy Cages links. I even give them a mini tutorial about how to build their own cage, quietly pointing out the inadequate sizes of the cages we sell. And I lecture my coworkers about mentioning adoptiong, too. It's working.

I guess I'm just trying to say that, if you want to help the animals at pet stores, DO something about it. Anyone can come in and talk to the managers about the living conditions of the animals. I did. And I got a job there so I could actually do something about it myself. Breeders are not going to stop breeding. The almighty dollar is too strong. But we can do something to help the poor animals that were unlucky enough to be born for sale. Don't let them suffer quietly in their petstore cages and then come bitch about it here. Do something. Get involved. Talk to store managers. Call the PetCo national hotline. Call PETA. DO SOMETHING.

*ducks to avoid the flames*

[Himino]

I am glad you took a stand for the pigs and the other animals. I would love to do something like that at my local PetSmart, but am waiting untill I'm use to high school.

[Ly&Pigs]

Maybe you can talk customers out of adopting any of the small animals and refer them all to rescues/shelters. That will be a start.

[rabbitsncavyluv]

Working for them only enables them. Peta dropped their campaign and their think adoption first is propoganda to me until they actually stop selling animals and saying "think adoption only.' It makes them look good to say that.

[Susan9608]

I think they "Adoption First" policy is ridiculous. If the company really believed in that policy, it wouldn't sell animals at all.

[mncavylover]

Exactly, susan. While I commend lilpution for the work being done (woohoo!), it is just perpetuating the problem. I know that sounds harsh, but it's how reality is I guess.

[A4PigHome]

I'll have to admit that it makes me feel good to know that someone who really cares about guineas is taking care of those at Petco, especially since I know I will never buy another one from there again. Now that I am wiser (thanks to this forum), I would get one at a rescue. The two Petco employees that helped us did NOT mention adoption, which really bugs me.

Anyway, it's kind of cool that you can work there and spread the word about about c&c cages. I like to do that too when I am at Petco peeking at the latest batch of pigs.

[Tatalp]

I think working at a pet store is actually a good idea. It makes sure the animals are being cared for properly. I'm actually thinking about getting a job at one, I know a lot about little critters like mice and hamsters, so I could probably do the small animal department.
It's kind of funny, when I went to petco looking for a second 'pig, they didn't have any at the time, so they referred me to a pig rescue. From the pig rescue, I found cavyspirit, and read their pet store page and now I hate pet stores. Thanks, petco, for teaching me to hate you!

[rabbitsncavyluv]

But what if you can't care for them properly? What if you have a really sick animal, or there are pregnant ones? What if the manager will not let you take them to the vet and they sell them anyway in that condition?

[Furkidsmommy]

For me it would be too great of a conflict of interests. I'm glad you are making a difference in the lives of these particular animals, but personally I could not step foot in that store. Thier new policy is all show and no substance.

[Piglet]

I think what you are doing is great but don't scream out DO SOMETHING! Some of use are too young to get jobs you know.

[Access]

Other than what's already been said, I think the fact that Petco refers to the position as a "Small Animal Care Technician" is goofy, I mean a technician takes care of cars or computers or electronics or such, not live animals. If they were selling GUPI maybe that would make sense but otherwise it just goes to show you what they think of their animals, they're just objects waiting to be sold.

GUPI link: http://www.iwantoneofthose.com/GUPIGP_.htm

IMO the best thing to do is try to talk the management out of having pigs in the store at all, ask (him?) to run the numbers and see if they are making a profit off the pigs or not, and make sure to factor in all the costs of treating the pigs properly -- ie. vet visits, fresh vegetable, etc. My guess is that if they were to treat the pigs properly, there would be no way they can make a profit at $25. or $20. a pig.

[CavySpirit]

She is right to say "DO SOMETHING." There are plenty of things you can DO without being an adult.

I'm going to start a separate thread with a few suggestions that people can camp on to.

[Piglet]

I do do other things - I've contacted my local petstore and written out a care leaflet for them. I'm going to volunteer at a local guinea pig shelter. I'm just saying, that working at a pet store is not the only thing to do.

[A4PigHome]

Kudos to you, Piglet! I wish I had done more things to help out when I was your age. You should be very proud of yourself!

[Sabriel]

I mean a technician takes care of cars or computers or electronics or such,

Not that I'm defending PetCo oranything but that is not the only usage of the word technician. The word technician is also used in medicine, usually to refer to someone trained to do one specific task, but is not a doctor. I had my back x-rayed today by a technician.

There are also vertinarian technicians, also known as vet techs. They are sort of like animal nurses.

So even though PetCo isn't using the word correctly, they are close. Lilipution1013 isn't a certified vet tech, but she is a small animal care provider and in a sense the name is somewhat fitting.

Now back to our regularly schedualed PetCo bashing (not that I've set foot in one. We don't have any close by)

[lilipution1013]

Originally Posted by rabbitsncavyluv

But what if you can't care for them properly? What if you have a really sick animal, or there are pregnant ones? What if the manager will not let you take them to the vet and they sell them anyway in that condition?

In that case, I have the number of the RCAC as well as PetCo district managers. I can get her in some severe hot water for refusing to treat sick animals or remove pregnant ones from their cages.