Frustrated So mad with Petco

Mwhite104 · Feb 27, 2012

Ok, so I made the mistake of getting my guinea from Petco. This was before I read anything about the horrible conditions they might come from. I really wish there was a way to get the word out to adopt, instead of finding this site after I bought. Anyways, won't make that mistake again.
However, my guinea has fungus near is eye. He had it before I got him, and I called the store about it. They said to bring him in a vet would look at him. So I get to the store this morning and the manager says "ok good pick out a new one" and I'm like "excuse me? He isn't a hair dyer or a cell phone, he isn't broken and I don't WANT another one" and he starts trying to talk me into leaving him there and getting a new guinea as a replacement! I demand that he takes my pet to the vet, as per the Petco policy that they will treat sick animals within 15 days of purchase.
He promises to take him at 11, I just called now (2) to see if I could get him. At first no one knew what I was talking about, then finally someone said they haven't even taken him to the vet yet!

I'm about to just go to the store and get him. Just a word to the piggie shoppers out there, don't go to Petco unless you want to deal with a sick guineas and people that treat animals like objects.

Don't shop, adopt!

Petlovr · Feb 27, 2012

Yep, that's why we are here. And, I hate to tell you this, but had you left your piggie there, and chosen a new one, the sick one would probably have been euthanized. Cheaper to breed than get vet attention. They do this with dogs all the time.

The best thing you can do is get the word out yourself to as many people as possible that adoption is the way to go. Good luck with your piggie.

Check out https://www.guinealynx.info/ - best info on piggies I've found, and get to a vet ASAP to your piggie doesn't get worse.

beachgurl_1988 · Feb 27, 2012

I saw a piggie in a Northern VA petco here and it was adorable, but had no hair around it's eye. Looked like maybe mites, or ringworm. I don't know if piggies can get ringworm, but deff. looked like when my kittens had it!

Unfortunatly I think it really depends on the manager of the store. I am fortunate enough to have 2 petsmarts and 2 petco's within about 20 mins of my house. Of the two, I think Petsmart does better at caring for their animals. At one of my Petcos, I have seen them giving fresh foods, like oranges and kale etc. but that is not often. At Petsmart one time I witnessed one of the employees saying she had to clean out the guinea pig cage (which was disgusting) and another member said 'yeah she didn't clean it out last time because it smelled badly). I brought that one up with the store manager.

Petlovr · Feb 27, 2012

My Petco seems OK, too. I emailed a concern with the hamsters cage, and it was investigated within 24 hrs. Other times, the employee was lazy and didn't change a habitat. I think the stores get short-staffed, and are so busy they get short-changed on time to care for the animals. Thus is retail. Petsmart, here, seems pretty good, too. I was buying a muzzle for my dog (long story) and the cashier was quizzing me on why I needed it, and referred me to the trainer. I thought that was pretty good.

Scintie · Feb 27, 2012

Yes piggies can get ringworm, mine had it horrible around the eye.

turcoworld · Feb 27, 2012

that's so sad,i'm sorry,i've had my little girl since thanksgiving,love her so much I could just kiss her eyeballs out

cavyluvr · Feb 27, 2012

I must say that the petco where I live ( and where I purchased Lizzie and Marie ) is an amazing store. All the animals are well cared for and no they don't know much about c and c cages but hey most petstores don't. Now I have been to a petco where they took horrible care of their animals there was a guinea pigs who looked scared out of his mind and what I'm prett sure was a hamster that looked half dead! But the one I go to has clean animal cages and are very knowledgeable especailly in the reptile department so not all petcos are the same.

Little Mommy · Feb 27, 2012

I got two of my 3 piggies from petsmart and they are very healthy. The store was clean and the people very helpful. The piggy I got from a breeder (she is a long hair) was the one that was sick and needed to see the vet and be put on meds for a respiratory infection. I think if all depends on the specific store or breeder..... you can't generalize either way.

kendalm7 · Feb 27, 2012

wow i am so sorry! thats so horrible! i almost made that mistake before i found this website and got my baby harvey! i went to petco before and i heard birds screaming from the employees room .... and there guinea pigs had running wheels and you could tell some were like drugged and very ill its so horrible what they are doing

and im so sorry about your piggy

kittymalone · Feb 27, 2012

That is very sad. I hope they do the right thing and get him checked out by a vet and return him to you. I have a friend that was a groomer at Petco and every time I went to visit her, I checked out the pigs. I was happy to see that they always had great looking hay, fresh water, pellets, and fresh veggies! My friend said that the girl in charge of the small animal department was VERY particular about the way the animals were taken care of. I was impressed. The other Petco in my area...well, not so much...Good luck.

Mwhite104 · Feb 27, 2012

Just got him back from the vet, they gave me monistat, the same thing I was using before! At least it was a free trip.....still pretty mad how they treated my pig like an object I could replace. I'm sure not all stores are the same.

Mwhite104 · Feb 27, 2012

They wanted to replace him because it would cost them more to take him to a vet than to give me a new one. I'm not that kind of pet owner.

Scintie · Feb 27, 2012

My sister pretty much said the same thing to me when my sparkles was sick "it would be cheaper to buy a new one then take her to the vet" I was furious! People don't stop to realize that animals are just like us, they aren't a broken video game console or a phone that doesn't work. They are a breathing living being.

Sl and S · Feb 27, 2012

luckily my petco and petsmart arent that bad. they take pretty good care of their animals and have helped me find a vet for my bearded dragon before. plus there was a bearded dragon that was sick when i got mine and the girl said she was going to take it to the vet(hopefully she did).

Frapplove · Feb 27, 2012

Does anybody try pet supply stores? Here in Oregon there are lots of pet stores that aren't chains, and lots of "pet supply stores" -that don't sell pets. In Corvallis there is a Petco, but there is also Animal Crackers Pet Supply. They sell great high-quality supplies, but no pets, and offer a lot of natural/organic/eco-friendly/sustainable and the like supplies. They're not as well advertised, but they're there. Corvallis isn't even a big town.

bpatters · Feb 27, 2012

There aren't any pet supply stores where I am. Petco, PetSmart, and farm/feed stores that sell live animals, including guinea pigs. That's it. That's also why I order most stuff online.

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Frustrated So mad with Petco

Mwhite104

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