Can You Believe This

[Cherryrosed]

I went in to the pet store where I live to buy some litter box bedding and they had about 11 piggies for sale. One box was 2ft by 18 inches with 6 pigs in it and the other box was the same size with 5 pigs in it. I picked up a few of them in each box and sexed them. Much to my horror, there were boys and girls in both boxes. I asked the young girl working in the store if they knew that they had both sexes mixed together. She said that they had to do it that way because one of the males had been fighting with another male and they had to separate them so there was no way they could keep the males separate from the girls. She also said they were on sale for $5 each because they had to many and had to get rid of them! So they have too many but will allow the ones they have to breed thus making even more poor little piggers! I walked out of the store without buying anything.

 

[Slap Maxwell]

You have witnessed typical pet store horror. Please remember this and do not buy anything from pet stores that see animals anymore.

 

[piggielover92]

I HATE that when pet stores do that! I went to my local petstore once and they too had different sex piggies living together! I informed them of that and have never shopped there since!

 

[carrotflavour]

Did you explain to them that maybe the reason the males were fighting is cos the cage was tiny?

 

[daftscotslass]

Don't bother saying anything. There are regulations about this sort of thing. Contact your local Animal Control or Welfare Officer and get them to sort it out. Better still, call the pet shop manager and tell them EXACTLY what you're going to do.

I have big problems with this sort of thing. If I go into a pet shop I've never been into before and it's in a state, I'm tempted to buy the animals to get them out of the situation. I've resisted, though. I went into a garden centre locally that I knew stocked pet stuff as my usual pet shop (that doesn't sell animals) was out of it. I was HORRIFIED to see that they had 2 guinea pigs (males) in one of those glass-fronted things that I wouldn't even keep my hamster in. A bowl of hamster food and a bottle of water was all they had. They had tropical fish in tanks that were so green with algae you couldn't see the fish. They had degus housed in a multi-level chinchilla cage, about 15 in each. Worst of all, it was in a large greenhouse and it was ROASTING hot. I left nearly in tears. My boyfriend, who considers himself a "hard man (!)" was furious at the conditions. I called the SSPCA. They didn't ask my name or phone number so I don't know what happened from there. I won't be calling back round to find out.

 

[momacavy]

Absolutly discusting!!!!!! I agree that animal control should be contacted.

 

[spinaylee]

i went into my LPS to get some pig food and they had rabbits and pigs in together and it was absolutely sweltering in the shop for me and the poor animals were in glass boxes which were being heated by lights so god knows how it felt for them!
One of the rabbits in with the guinea pigs had gone all floppy and looked half dead so i pointed it out to the lady there she said he was probably overheated and she took him out of the box and they were all inspecting him when i left :s