That store sure is beautiful. It's a shame they can't just deal in supplies because it looks like a nice place to go. I wonder what the economics are that drive these shops to sell the animals too. It seems like the cost and complexity of caring for and selling animals would discourage it, and I would think that the markup on pet supplies ought to be enough to support a store.
The PetSmart where we got Hoove and Einie has much the same setup. They use cages that are glassed on one side and look like small fishtanks. Each one holds two pigs. They are always very clean and they always have vegetables that look fresh and of the appropriate type, but there is no way a pig could run in one of those cages, they couldn't really even take short stroll. They put in hidey houses, so then there is only room for one pig to come out to eat. The pigs spend most of their time sleeping in the house, understandably.
I thought the pigs were more reclusive than they really are, because they don't tend to come out much in the shop, no matter what time of day you go. At home, even though they often sleep in the shelter, they like to do it with their heads sticking out the doors so they can see what's going on with the family (and in case of food.) And they often prefer to nap other places in the enclosure, and they spend their waking time outside the shelter anyway, eating hay or running around. If you wanted to showcase pigs, you would have to give them the room to do all these things.
But I think you all are right; the motivation for selling animals in these conditions has to be money. Giving one pair of pigs enough room (in our local shop that would mean giving them almost ALL the space now allotted for the pigs, hamsters, and rats) is not cost-effective. So - to discourage them, you have to make it unprofitable to sell the animals, by either reducing the market (don't buy) or increasing the cost (change the regulations for housing and care, litigate and get fines levied whenever you can). Letters don't address the basic fact that profit is the motivator. (I'm not saying don't write them, they might make a difference sometimes, but they can't reduce the market or increase the cost.)
I know you guys have already thought through all this, but I'm new to considering it. Our PetSmart does not sell dogs or cats, but they do sell birds, fish, reptiles, and small animals. Are fish all right to sell? I don't know the first thing about what they need.
It was so sad. He looked so depressed. They said a family gave him to the store because they didnt want him anymore 
