Pet Stores Pet Store Guinea Pigs

[Ly&Pigs]

Yes, actually they do. The Petsmart near me has stacks upon stacks of small animals crammed into tiny aquariums.

No, they do not! What pet store have you been to?

You must be speaking of another planet. Because no pet store I've seen is that humane.

Not every single store takes bad care of the animals or keeps them in tiny cages so unless you've been to every petstore on the planet, you can't state for a fact that ALL petstores are like that.

In the end though, it doesn't really matter how good they take care of the animals, the bottom line is that they are nothing more than "stock" or "merchandise" to the store and they enable animal mills and breeding.

 

[heather_545]

you should watch PetSmart Cruelty // Now Playing On PetSmart Cruelty TV and i hope this will change your mind about petsmart, petco, or any other commercial pet or animal stores. It surely changed my thoughts about it and i hope it will for you too. *caution* EXTREMELY SAD!!!!

 

[iPiggyLover]

I thought I would post this though. I have rescued a female guinea pig from someone I know. I did not know anything about guinea pigs back then. The person who gave it to me told me it was a male. So we went and bought another male guinea pig right away, because I did read on the internet that they were better with friends. (from a pet shop, I do regret doing it now. Even though the pet stores in my region do not treat animals like they do in other places.)

Then when I got home, put them together I noticed the humping. Thought it was dominance. ( nothing happened though. The female told him off and they fought so I seperated) Then we seperated the cages, and checked the sex. Then a friend of mine asked me if he could have my guinea pig male. I said yes under the condition that he would build a large enough c&c cage for it.

Then I went to a pet store not far from here, and bought two guinea pigs. (Yes I bought them.) But on a side note, it was a women who did bring those two there and donated them. They were also already in a huge cage. I wish I could of gotten there earlier to talk to the lady so she would of donated it to me instead

But anyways, even though there is some exceptions. And some pet stores do not treat their animals bad. To be on the safe side you should always get them from rescue shelter. Even if it's a 3 hour drive. I actually drove 2 hours to get our first guinea pig which a friend of mine gave us for adoption.

I personally learned my lesson, and from now on if I see guinea pigs for adoptions (that are females) I will gladly rescue them. I no longer buy anything from pet stores either.

They sold me a 42 dollars ball for the piggies, and never mentioned to me that it was dangerous for their health. (I only read about it on the internet after. Do not worry, I have not put any of my piggies in it.) But pet stores don't refund here.

Lately I have been looking at this website and learned so much, my piggies will be treated like queens. And it is because of this community.

 

[blackarrow]

The only difference between our pet store in my region and the others is they act as shelters for animals. They don't breed or anything. They just sell the pets that they get from people who don't want them anymore. So technically it's a shelter but they make you pay for it.

Today I made a small visit in a town about an hour from here, to see the difference. What I saw was horrible. About 6 guinea pigs in a cage which would barely fit one. I asked the store clerk where she got em, and she told me her boss would breed them at home. Bring in a batch every months or so. Now that's where it crosses the line in my opinion.
. . .
And technically piggies in pet shops are homeless. Sadly there is no way to stop any of it.
. . .

Most guinea pigs even in rescue shelters comes from pet shops. Abandoned by their owner. Which is sad. In the pet shops where I live it's about the same. They rarely make any profit, since people don't really buy guinea pigs around here. I've seen guinea pigs staying in their cages at pet shops for 5-6 months. All the food they spent on feeding it barely pays the guinea pig when someone buys it. I am making a huge block of text, make that a wall of text. Just to say that not EVERY pet shops are cruel and guilty of mass breeding just for money. The town where I live at is so small that there is no profit to be made out of mass breeding. Sorry for this gigantic wall of text. If you did read it all, I thank you.

I love the fact that everyone is concerned about guinea pigs and the way they are treated in here.I hope I am not judged too much for disagreeing a bit on this. Though I will say this: If you know what you are getting into, and you know that the pet shop you are buying from are careless fools. Then in my book you shouldn't get an animal. I know the owners of both pet shops in my local area, and they are animal lovers. They would not allow animals to be treated wrong.

When I got Oreo and Nugget, they were in a Huge 3 Feet by 4 feet cage. They had tons of veggies, and toys to play with. They were basically treated like they are in my house. Except for the fact that they have a c&c cage here, and fleecee as bedding. (also a larger cage.) As I saw today, pet shops are cruel. But not every single pet shops are like this. Even if I will never change your mind with this it does not matter. I still agree on the fact that 99% of pet shops are cruel.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that the pet stores in your area treat the guinea pigs better than many of the pet stores do, and that they don't actively encourage breeding. That said, unless they are willing to screen prospective guinea pig owners and turn away those who are interested them on a whim or for the wrong reasons, including those who think it would be fun to buy guinea pigs to breed to each other, it ultimately doesn't help much, and it's not at all convincing to hear you try to equate them to an actual shelter.

 

[coojoe135]

I have the same idea. Both of my little girls are in picture perfect health. Both from pet stores. They didnt grow up together and came from 2 different pet shops. Please dont be rude guys. That is a little immature. We have all walked into a petstore and bought a dog toy ,food, or bedding. I know that shelters uthenize there pets. (sorry if i spelled it wrong) The only shelter where I live is 2 hours away. I couldnt drive it. My grandparents bought me Lilly and L0la. I am against pet stores now, but I wasnt then. I guess I was sorta stupid. I told my dad I wanted to adopt, but they already had them. I am just lucky they are healthy.

 

[iPiggyLover]

You can't drive 2 hours away? If the nearest shelter was 2 hours away, I would go there anytime. My nearest shelter is 6 hour drive. One day I am planning to do a little road trip with my girlfriend to go there.

I don't agree with pet shops or breeding. But the only reason I got my first guinea pig out of a pet shop was out of ignorance when I didn't know better. Then the 3 others I consider them adopted. Even though one was from a friend (rehomed) and the two others were from someone who gave it to a pet shop. (I got there like 2 minutes after she handed the piggies to the clerk. She was still in the shop when I got there. I know it doesn't really count as adopting since I bought them, but technically they were not bred. They were healthy. They were not mixed with other guinea pigs from the pet shops.)

Pet stores in my region are really not bad compared to others. I've said it many times. But I would still rather get my next piggies from a shelter or from other people who can't take care of them anymore.

Also, don't buy dog food out of pet shops. Especially if you can get them at basically any stores. Buying anything from pet stores is pretty useless in my honest opinion. The are overpriced, while you can get all the stuff they have in other stores. Plus encouraging them just make them live longer. If you don't buy from them and encourages other people to do the same, they might go out of business.

Right now, you can get a guinea pig, make your own cage, make your own accessories, bedding, and feed them without the need of a pet store. With all the useful posts from everyone. Not to mention that you will save a lot more by using the tips from everyone here, and your guinea pigs will be much happier. You have every reasons not to use a pet store, and not support their cruelty.

 

[2PreciousPigs]

Buying from a Pet Store encourages breeding when there are so many animals in need of homes. Now that isn't saying buying from a pet store is the most horrible thing ever. It depends on what store you are buying it from. If you go down the street to the family owned pet store that keeps their animals in nice sized cages, keeps them clean, feeds them appropriately, then that is a store you would want to contribute to (if you were going the store route in the first place). They may even buy their animals from local small hobby breeders. But the big chain pet stores are typically the ones that have not so great conditions and buy their animals in bulk from mills, keeping them in cramped small cages without adequate food.

I worked at a pet store in my teens. I cleaned the cages every single day and made sure everyone was well taken care of. Keep in mind that non of these animals are played with unless there is an employee there that has enough of a heart to take an animal out here and there. I was that one employee, who took an animal out just because I felt like, but no one else did. Then the pet store started selling dogs and it got really bad. They would feed the puppies expired SENIOR dog food, or anything else that was expired. They would get extra meds from the vet and if the dog looked sluggish or ill, they would just self medicate. They would break a pill into half and give it to the dog, hoping it would temporarily clear up the problem so it could be sold. I was asked to get a pill and put it in one of the dog's food, so I did. When the owner found out I put a FULL dose in there and not a half dose I was yelled at. It was HORRIBLE. I bought one of my puppies from the store (I did work there and I felt so bad for this dog) but they just replaced it with yet another poor dog. That is when I realized exactly what I just did... I just made this pet store a profit and allowed them to put yet another poor dog in the empty spot.

You know what the pet store did when someone came in to buy a DEAD rat to feed their pet snake? They would take the rat, which is well and alive, hold it by its tail and slam it over and over again onto the tile floor. I would hold my ears and run to the very opposite side of the store and just wait for it to be over. Sometimes I would go back there and you would find blood splatter on the floor that wasn't cleaned up. I was 16 at the time, this was my first job. I thought this was normal pet store stuff, I just dealt with it.

If you want a pet, look into the classifieds and the shelters first. Wait a bit and see if an opportunity because available. If you are going to buy from a pet store, be selective. If the pet store had poor conditions, don't support it by purchasing your pet or supplies from there. Try to be as selective as possible.

 

[iPiggyLover]

Buying from a Pet Store encourages breeding when there are so many animals in need of homes. Now that isn't saying buying from a pet store is the most horrible thing ever. It depends on what store you are buying it from. If you go down the street to the family owned pet store that keeps their animals in nice sized cages, keeps them clean, feeds them appropriately, then that is a store you would want to contribute to (if you were going the store route in the first place). They may even buy their animals from local small hobby breeders. But the big chain pet stores are typically the ones that have not so great conditions and buy their animals in bulk from mills, keeping them in cramped small cages without adequate food.

I worked at a pet store in my teens. I cleaned the cages every single day and made sure everyone was well taken care of. Keep in mind that non of these animals are played with unless there is an employee there that has enough of a heart to take an animal out here and there. I was that one employee, who took an animal out just because I felt like, but no one else did. Then the pet store started selling dogs and it got really bad. They would feed the puppies expired SENIOR dog food, or anything else that was expired. They would get extra meds from the vet and if the dog looked sluggish or ill, they would just self medicate. They would break a pill into half and give it to the dog, hoping it would temporarily clear up the problem so it could be sold. I was asked to get a pill and put it in one of the dog's food, so I did. When the owner found out I put a FULL dose in there and not a half dose I was yelled at. It was HORRIBLE. I bought one of my puppies from the store (I did work there and I felt so bad for this dog) but they just replaced it with yet another poor dog. That is when I realized exactly what I just did... I just made this pet store a profit and allowed them to put yet another poor dog in the empty spot.

You know what the pet store did when someone came in to buy a DEAD rat to feed their pet snake? They would take the rat, which is well and alive, hold it by its tail and slam it over and over again onto the tile floor. I would hold my ears and run to the very opposite side of the store and just wait for it to be over. Sometimes I would go back there and you would find blood splatter on the floor that wasn't cleaned up. I was 16 at the time, this was my first job. I thought this was normal pet store stuff, I just dealt with it.

If you want a pet, look into the classifieds and the shelters first. Wait a bit and see if an opportunity because available. If you are going to buy from a pet store, be selective. If the pet store had poor conditions, don't support it by purchasing your pet or supplies from there. Try to be as selective as possible.

That is so horrible. Especially when you are a pet lover and you have to sit through all of it.

All the pet stores around here are family owned. None of them are big business. Usually when I go there, the owners are playing with the dogs or other animals. They actually have a cat that roams around in the store freely.

Most big stores like petco and petsmart don't treat their animals like this. I don't want to get into details what they do with it, since it breaks my heart. But if you research them on this site you can find videos and pictures for sure.

Supporting those kind of pet shops is the worst thing you can do.

Also, If I could thank you for the post I would. But that's what I get for being new =P

 

[Ly&Pigs]

I want to make it very, very clear that this site does NOT condone purchasing pigs in ANY petstore, whether it be in a large chain petstore or your local mom and pop petstore because it still supports breeding. It doesn't matter the conditions of the store. More often than not, the small local mom and pop stores are often as bad if not worse than some of the large chain stores as many of them breed their own pigs or obtain them from local backyard breeders.

We also do NOT allow members to suggest going to ANY petstore to purchase pigs or other animals.

 

[Cogni]

Also, please do not buy supplies in any petstore that sells animals. The animals aren't the profit center, but the supplies are--chains especially sell cheap stuff not good for animals and with very high mark-up.

By buying the supplies from such a store, you support the store using the animals as 'bait' to sell their supplies and you keep the breeders who supply such stores in business.

 

[2PreciousPigs]

I understand this site's position on breeding, showing, and pet stores.

But to ask a serious question, not trying to be sarcastic or start a debate. Without breeding, there would be no guinea pigs. Does this site also take the position of only having guinea pigs as pets because they are out there and because of the breeders that do exist? That no one should have pets at all?

I just want to know where the site stands. I do believe in pets, I believe that the love and affection a family pet gives can make the family as a whole healthier. But prohibiting the purchase of pets in any nature would make that impossible. If breeding stopped all together, right this moment, in 10 years guinea pigs would be gone (as pets, not in the wild).

Again it is a serious question, I really am not trying to dig into this, just wondering!

 

[VoodooJoint]

But to ask a serious question, not trying to be sarcastic or start a debate. Without breeding, there would be no guinea pigs.

This is a common debate against breeding control. It is a moot point because there is no way that all breeding would stop. However, by encouraging an anti breeding stance we have a much bigger impact against irresponsible breeding.

Besides, why don't we worry about getting the overpopulation under control before we worry about extinction.

 

[Cogni]

2precious, here's the info you need to answer your question: The so-called Responsible Breeder! - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

There CAN be genuinely responsible breeders, but they would have to be caring for those pigs because (and only because) they genuinely love animals. Because nobody is ever going to make a profit breeding in the way described.

Unfortunately this is an ideal that is unlikely to be reached. But I think people should not be able to set themselves up as breeders without, minimally, demonstrating a high level of knowledge about how to prevent lethals and bad genetic traits generally, proving they know how to provide a high standard of care appropriate to the species, screening potential owners, and guaranteeing they will take back unwanted pets that they have bred for people.

 

[2PreciousPigs]

Thanks for the info!

 

[PiggyLover726]

I only said thankyou because in massachussets pet stores they bring in animals from the shelter to sell,and find them homes.

 

[drumfun]

The pet stores that I've been to and the employees I have spoken with do not seem educated about animals.In the past I was told my one guinea pig was female.This was also coming from an employee who looked miserable.I was pissed.When I went back there the other day,I said out loud "never buy a animal in a pet store" to my kids.

 

[Nogger&Friday]

My guinea pigs are from a pet store and I now feel awful, I didn't know any better and I now know I shouldn't have done it. I would like to highlight the conditions they were kept in, glass aquariums, several pregnant, boys and girls together. We made our point and visited and complained but they took no notice. Let me assure you I will never be buying from one again, they were incorrectly sexed and not in the best health. I love my pigs but I know where I should have got them. I will certainly be visiting a shelter next time...
Don't support these places, you'l feel as guilty as I do.

 

[Ly&Pigs]

Nogger, you didn't know buying pigs in petstores was a bad thing, but now you do and that puts a smile on my face because it means you've listened to the advise on this site and that's a large part of what we are about. We try to educate those who don't know so they won't keep making the same mistakes.

 

[utsarah]

Our two boys came from the a pet store. The conditions weren't horrible or anything, we really just didn't know better.

I don't really feel guilty about getting them at a store. I think this is because we love them SO much. These two boys have far surpassed our expectations of what it would be like to have two guinea pigs in our family.

But we have altered some of our habits. We now use Dr Fosters and Smith for food for the pigs and our bird instead of a pet store. Also going forward we'd wait it out for a pig from Craigslist or shelter first. I hope that won't be any time soon.

 

[Biscuit]

I don't really feel guilty about getting them at a store. I think this is because we love them SO much. These two boys have far surpassed our expectations of what it would be like to have two guinea pigs in our family.

To me, feeling guilty would not relate to how much I adore the critter, as I always know somewhere there is a mother being bred over and over, and somewhere there is a shelter pig that could have been adopted. Loving my pet beyond comprehension does not change that fact, or my guilt.

That being said, when you purchase out of ignorance, it is pretty senseless for the guilt to last much beyond when you resolve to make a different choice in the future. I will let you know when I learn to take my own advice in that regard, as I am still feeling guilty for getting a pig from a pet store then my mom selling him in a newspaper when I failed to take care of him when I was 10 years old. And that time I drew on my wall with my mom's lipstick. And the time I lied about why the inside of my ear was all black, allowing my mother to think I had a deadly infection when really I had just being sticking pens and pencil in there for fun. And the ferret incident which we don't talk about.

Oh okay, I'll stop there.