Our local PetCo (PC) has had a chinchilla and white Aby boar for over a month. He has not sold and has had recurring eye discharge - comes and goes.
Due to traffic and such, PetCo and PetsMart (PM) are really the only options for buying supplies. The stores that do not sell live animals have a HIGH markup or with traffic, can take me easily an hour to get to. (Such is life outside Washington, DC). I mail order a lot of my stuff but the cost of shipping cage litter is brutal. And since my favorite groomers moved to PetCo (and no, with one of my pets, he really only tolerates this one groomer), I do go there.
Anyhow, I have spoken with PC about this boy. He is really bugging me. Local rescues will not step in because he is at a store and technically he is not really ill so animal control and the board of health are tied until he worsens (which he has not yet).
I do not buy (except fish as there are no fishy rescues and they rarely show up in shelters) from pet shops. Our local PC has had its share of issues recently. Over the winter, they gave my son a rat (animal was blind in one eye and had ringworm, which I noticed but they did not) because they could not sell it or send it back. They would not even sell it as a feeder as it was "damaged goods." (Like snakes care). My son's adopted hamster just died of cancer and he really wanted a rat. So I let him take the rat as they were going to let it live out its life in a back small tank until a staff member took it home or it died. (the rat was given free and not paid for). This summer, they got in a rat missing a leg (but the child of the rescue that adopts out of PC took her).
Anyhow, this buy is not getting worse physically and the eye issue seems to return when the cage is overcroweded (so I think it is in response to ammonia build up). But he is getting lethargic whenever new pigges are added... He is miserable.
I do not want to buy from a pet shop, but watching him just die mentally is killing me.
So, should I bite my tongue and get him the heck out of there or not?
I know they do not care that an animal is going out because he is in rough straights, all they see is $39.99 and an opening for another sale critter to be brought in. But the past month has been frustrating trying to get him help...
Due to traffic and such, PetCo and PetsMart (PM) are really the only options for buying supplies. The stores that do not sell live animals have a HIGH markup or with traffic, can take me easily an hour to get to. (Such is life outside Washington, DC). I mail order a lot of my stuff but the cost of shipping cage litter is brutal. And since my favorite groomers moved to PetCo (and no, with one of my pets, he really only tolerates this one groomer), I do go there.
Anyhow, I have spoken with PC about this boy. He is really bugging me. Local rescues will not step in because he is at a store and technically he is not really ill so animal control and the board of health are tied until he worsens (which he has not yet).
I do not buy (except fish as there are no fishy rescues and they rarely show up in shelters) from pet shops. Our local PC has had its share of issues recently. Over the winter, they gave my son a rat (animal was blind in one eye and had ringworm, which I noticed but they did not) because they could not sell it or send it back. They would not even sell it as a feeder as it was "damaged goods." (Like snakes care). My son's adopted hamster just died of cancer and he really wanted a rat. So I let him take the rat as they were going to let it live out its life in a back small tank until a staff member took it home or it died. (the rat was given free and not paid for). This summer, they got in a rat missing a leg (but the child of the rescue that adopts out of PC took her).
Anyhow, this buy is not getting worse physically and the eye issue seems to return when the cage is overcroweded (so I think it is in response to ammonia build up). But he is getting lethargic whenever new pigges are added... He is miserable.
I do not want to buy from a pet shop, but watching him just die mentally is killing me.
So, should I bite my tongue and get him the heck out of there or not?
I know they do not care that an animal is going out because he is in rough straights, all they see is $39.99 and an opening for another sale critter to be brought in. But the past month has been frustrating trying to get him help...