I'm so upset

Aleks · Feb 9, 2013

I just went to buy more cc syringes at a pet supply shop close to my house and after buying the syringes i noticed that they sell animals there.
They sell reptiles, fish, cats, dogs, and gerbils.
I checked on the gerbils and what i saw really pissed me off.

They were being kept in aquariums and only a few of them had water bottles, the rest had bowls of water.
So i looked at every single bowl of water and they were all FILTHY! They had lots bedding and poop in them and in one of the aquariums their water bowl was tipped over so who knows how long they've been without water.
I immediately went up to the counter and told the girl working there that they were really dirty and one was tipped over and that she should give them fresh water.
She just said "oh okay thanks.." and i have a feeling that she didn't really care at all.

And one of the tanks had a full grown gerbil and babies in it with a sign that said "not for sale, just had babies. Shhhh!"
I'm undecided if the "shh!" is meant as "don't make a lot of noise" or "don't tell anyone".
I'm just so mad right now.
SO. MAD.

I think it's safe to say that I won't be giving them my business anymore, but the next time we go to the store that's next to it i WILL be checking on those gerbils.

Edit: They were also being fed the pellet mixes with nuts and seeds and such in them. I'm fairly certain those aren't good for gerbils but i could be wrong.
And pretty much every single exercise wheel was knocked over.

Cavy Treenie · Feb 9, 2013

Aww, that is HORRIBLE! The petco and petsmart nearest me really push my buttons, but they always make sure to have clean food and water. The food at least is for the right animals. But still, I hate petstores (go Walmart!). I'm glad you said something to the ditz that was in charge of them. If a momma just had babies wouldn't you put them somewhere where it was quiet and people wouldn't be poking at them. Poor thing is probably so stressed. How people can be so heartless as to let a defenseless animal be hungry and thirsty when they depend on you for life is beyond me.

spudsthepiget · Feb 9, 2013

More and more, I've noticed terrible things at pet stores; I even reported a local petland for animal cruelty recently. If they don't improve the conditions, get the supervisor, or call the owner. Threatening to get animal services involved might motivate them a little, too.

Gforcepiggies · Feb 9, 2013

There's one word that describes this; HORRIBLE. How disgusting, rude and unkind! How dare they put WATER BOWLS into a gerbil's cage! How dare they even try to have a mom with babies! Petsmart and Petco are the same. One dog I saw was in a crate in the middle of the floor in Petsmart with a "half off" sign on his crate. He was chewing at the bars and had no water or food. I asked the manager about this, and she said she'd call a person to get him some. I was there for a while, looking at cat beds, and when we left, he still didn't have food or water, so I asked at the cashier. She said it was going to be adopted soon and needed no food because it was going home. Jerk.

Aleks · Feb 9, 2013

@Cavy Treenie Yeah it really upset me. And right? I would think that if you didn't want there to be a lot of noise around them that you would at least take them into the back of the store where it's probably much quieter.

@spudsthepiget If things are in the same condition the next time I'm in that area and go in to check on them, I will be asking to see a supervisor or for their number. When we were leaving I was thinking that i should have offered to change their water for her because she seemed like she thought it wasn't a big deal.

@Gforcepiggies I mean I wouldn't mind the fact that they have water bowls so much - as long as they were clean! Ugh! About the dog; that's terrible. They definitely should have given him food and water. I hope he really was being adopted soon. :sad:

MochaAndMoo · Feb 9, 2013

>.< This is why I no longer shop at pet stores that sell animals.
And what's wrong with bowls .-.? I have to use a bowl in my cage because Moo doesn't drink out of the bottles.
Thank god I don't have any PetCo's, PetSmart's or PetStupid's in Australia.

Rybo5000 · Feb 9, 2013

MochaAndMoo said:
Thank god I don't have any PetCo's, PetSmart's or PetStupid's in Australia.

Don't know about Perth but here on the East Coast we do have PetCo, they bought out Pet's Paradise.

PetCo actually are very good here, they only offer animals for adoption (previously owned animals) not new ones.

Cavy Treenie · Feb 9, 2013

@MochaAndMoo Petstupid is what they should be called!

Sundaexoxo · Feb 9, 2013

Accually there isn't anything wrong with bowls for guinea pigs, it's just that gerbils mess them. And actually for the food that is proper food for gerbils(I'm not trying to be rude here or anything!) they have to have variety since they don't get any hay or anything except some veggies

but you're right those are horrible living conditions, I would encourage them the shape up, there are so many pet stores that don't do the right thing and dont treat their animals with the respect they deserve. I mean, their living things too right? Urg this urks me....:yuck:

madelineelaine · Feb 9, 2013

Hating on Pet Stores is like my favourite thing to do

Good for you for making a rucus. Don't stop doing it. I know a lot of people avoid petstores because they get worked up, but I'm kind of the opposite. I go in to check on animals. I do the exact same thing, they don't have water, this one needs hay etc. And I'll stay and make a ruckus until something gets done. I want people to know that it's not okay, and that some people do notice.

One time I went into a PJ's and they had hamster that were literally fighting to death, ripping chunks out of one they had turned on it's back. So I marched over to a store employ and told her what was happening. The other employee she was talking to, but I pressed on, so she went over to break it up and simply said, "Yeah they do that sometimes". That set me off. I went off on a tangent about how yes, they do in fact do that because they're Syrian hamsters which are solitaire animals that will fight to the death.

I guess I went on about it enough, because that same pet store put up a divider between the rabbits and guinea pigs, after many months of me complaining everytime I went in.

I'm sure I annoy the heck out of them, but it's just so inadequate I can't help but complain. I wrote to a newspaper once, but I never submit my article. I wish I had.

Aleks · Feb 9, 2013

@Sundaexoxo & @MochaAndMoo I don't think anything is wrong with water bowls - As long as they're clean. Like I said, these water bowls were absolutely filthy. The majority of them were half full with bedding and poop and one was tipped over. I don't even know if the few water bottles they had even had any water in them because they were in metal holders that covered almost the entire bottle.

@madelineelaine Usually I try to avoid confrontation but what i saw really made me mad so it was almost impossible to not say something. I felt really awkward when I told her about the water bowls, but I'm glad I spoke up.
Ugh! That's terrible! I wish pet stores would at least house their animals properly.

Sometimes I almost want to work at a pet store just so I can make sure that the animals living conditions are adequate. But at the same time I know I wouldn't be able to make that much of a difference and i wouldn't want to work at a place that sells animals obtained from breeders either. :sad:

madelineelaine · Feb 9, 2013

@Aleks I've long given up working at a petstore. I'd be fired within a week. I mean, it would be nice to be on the inside but I don't think it's practical for me.

Aleks · Feb 9, 2013

@madelineelaine I would probably get fired too, as i'm sure there's most likely a certain way that they want things done, and if i didn't think it was in the animals best interest i would end up doing things differently.
I would absolutely love to start a rescue, but I just don't have the money for it. :/

mufasa · Feb 9, 2013

Gforcepiggies said:
There's one word that describes this; HORRIBLE. How disgusting, rude and unkind! How dare they put WATER BOWLS into a gerbil's cage! How dare they even try to have a mom with babies! Petsmart and Petco are the same. One dog I saw was in a crate in the middle of the floor in Petsmart with a "half off" sign on his crate. He was chewing at the bars and had no water or food. I asked the manager about this, and she said she'd call a person to get him some. I was there for a while, looking at cat beds, and when we left, he still didn't have food or water, so I asked at the cashier. She said it was going to be adopted soon and needed no food because it was going home. Jerk.

Was the dog for sale or for adoption? I've never heard of a Petsmart that sells dogs or cats, although most provide space for adoption groups. In that case, care of the animals is up to the group.

MissJean · Feb 9, 2013

I got my stock of 1ML syringes for super cheap on Amazon. I have a whole box full of 'em, and I think I only paid around 15. That's including shipping. You could probably get a smaller amount for dirt cheap!

Aleks · Feb 10, 2013

MissJean said:
I got my stock of 1ML syringes for super cheap on Amazon. I have a whole box full of 'em, and I think I only paid around 15. That's including shipping. You could probably get a smaller amount for dirt cheap!

Thanks! I'll definitely look into that.

Aleks · Feb 15, 2013

So i'll be going to check on the gerbils later, probably in a couple of hours, I'll let you all know how it goes if you want.

bguardguy · Feb 15, 2013

YEAH!!! Keep us posted! I miss having my gerbils. They were always great pets! I think under appreciated too.

Aleks · Feb 15, 2013

bguardguy said:
YEAH!!! Keep us posted! I miss having my gerbils. They were always great pets! I think under appreciated too.

I went up there but they were closed so I'm going to go back tomorrow.

I LOVE gerbils. I used to have a pair of boys, they were named Coco (black) and Nut (white). I had them when I was 11, they were 'free to a good home' at PetSmart. They said a family dropped them off there because they couldn't take care of them anymore. They were sooo cute, they used to sleep together all the time.

I don't have any pictures of Coco because he died before I got a camera, but this was Nut:

bguardguy · Feb 15, 2013

Beautiful!! I had nutmeg and pepper. Both girls. And sugar and cinnamon. Girls again. And then I got a little one named paprika. Sadly they are not with me anymore but they lived long lives. Two of them lived for sooo many years. Lol

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I'm so upset

Aleks

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