Would you trust a pet store like petco or petsmart when buying your first Guinea pig?
Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 at
7:25 pm
or would a shelter be a better place to buy one?
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I would always recommend going to a shelter first, if only because the pets there are more in need than those at a pet store.
However, if you mean whether or not a pet store like that will give you a "bad" or sick guinea pig, it really depends on the individual store in your area. I work at Petsmart as a Pet Care Specialist, which basically means I care for the animals. I take care of them as well as I possibly can, ALWAYS alert a manager when we have a sick animal and we make a vet appointment right away, and try to handle and socialize them as much as I can.
Some places don’t do this. It depends on the managers and the employees they hire. There are some people who only do the least they can without getting fired, and don’t much care about the quality of life for the pets. Check out your local stores, and see how clean the cages are, how active the animals are, things like that. If it checks out, go for it. The obvious benefit of a place like this is one stop shopping, of course. But I would get my list of supplies ready before getting there, just in case the person isn’t as knowledgeable as you’d like, and you can get through quicker. With a guinea pig, I’d always say to get the biggest cage you can afford. Sometimes people think that I’m just trying to get them to spend more money, but guinea pigs do SO much better with a good amount of space (Sorry if you already know this, I tend to go off on tangents. ;] ).
Again, though, I would definitely recommend going to a shelter first to try and find one. Saving a life in a shelter is a wonderful experience. :] Good luck with your new cavy!
EDITAGAIN: kcal, it’s untrue that chain pet stores don’t quarantine their animals. We generally quarantine them for a week before putting them out on the floor. And when any appear sick or lethargic we get them a vet appointment right away.. Caring for the animals, well, that varies from store to store. Mine takes very good care of the animals, as everyone in the Pet Care department has their own and loves them. My "mom and pop" store is much worse than the Petsmart I work in. They have DEAD FISH on the floor in the fish section. Have the budgies shoved into aquariums, which are too small for the amount of birds in them. They also sell puppies, and keep them in unsuitably small kennels in the back..
Sorry to ramble & I don’t mean to be argumentative, I just worry when people say "go to a mom and pop store" too much, because sometimes they’re much worse than a chain store, like in my case.. Other times they are much better and have more knowledgeable people working there and they breed the animals themselves and hand-tame. I have another pet store I know of that is great with that, and the owners are very involved. It’s a toss-up.
YES! Petco is a great store. They will inform you about everything you need, and how to take care of it. If it’s your first guinea pig, I would suggest getting one from a pet store, preferably a baby (so that it can be raised around you and your smell). Shelter adoption is an amazing thing to do, but sometimes small animals like this can be very scared, and sometimes never get used to a new owner. But whatever you decide, I wish you the best of luck!
NO! I wouldn’t trust Pet Co or PetSmart when buying any live animal.
Our PetSmart just had an out break of Parrot Feaver (which is highly zoonotic -tranmissable to people-) and they were slow to react and are still offering the birds forsale after they treat them. Parrot Fever will contiue to pass in the infected birds dropping when stressed for the res of their lives, and PetSmart is going to sell these birds to people if they survive the intial treatment!!!!!
Also there have been many occasions, when I have seen dead animals in the enclosures for long periods of time! I know they get pretty busy, but its just bad buisness to leave a dead chinchilla in the cage for everyone to see for two hours!
I would recommend adopting from your shelter or find a breeder! They tend to offer alot more information and know the animal pretty well.
Best of luck.
Yes I would trust them, but look at shelters first!! There are some really cute guinea pigs on http://www.petfinder.com that will love you just as much.
I bought a hamster from petco, they werent too helpful on how to take care of it or what I should buy for it. Luckily I owned hamsters before so I already knew. It died within a week so I took it back (they do a return policy) and the girl said "oh they just die sometimes" and gave me another one. The next one lasted 3 months and then passed away too. I’m not sure if they do their own breeding but it doesnt seem like they have very healthy animals. When I owned hamsters before the female I bought lived for 5 years and I ended up giving her away so she may have lived even longer. Best of luck!
I would NEVER buy animals from chain stores like that, not even fish. They don’t quarantine and only care for the animals minimally. The animals always look depressed and sickly. Look for shelters or rescue groups in your area. Check craigslist too, but I would trust a rescue group or shelter more. Or if you have the option. Go to a mom and pop pet store. You’ll be supporting local business and have a better chance of knowing your future pet’s past.
I am not anti chain pet stores. I get toys for my pets at these places sometimes. GL.
I have seen a few pet stores that had plenty of atrocities. I have had good experiences with Petco. I chatted with one of the employees today who was cleaning guinea pig and hamster cages. She was very careful to replace all the bedding and wipe down the bottom and sides of the cage with a disinfectant before putting in new bedding and then gently handling the animals when putting them back. She wore a new pair of disposable gloves for each cage. This is the kind of care I like to see. It is a good thing to check on the pet store before you buy an animal. Check with local animal authorities to see if the store has ever had citations for mistreatment or disease outbreaks. Ask the store pointed questions on their medical care of the animals when they arrive.
Our local shelter hardly ever has small animals. The exceptions being if someone should pass on and no one is there to inherit the animals such as chickens, geese, rabbits, etc. If this is the case in your area, then yes a pet store might be a good idea. Be cautious and make sure that the animals look bright eyed and healthy. Do they do nothing but huddle miserably, or are they lively and interested in their surroundings? Are the pet store employees well informed on the care of each small animal? They should be! Look as well for obvious signs, weepy eyes, huddling, diarrhea stains on their hind ends, water container empty, employees that just "don’t seem to care" These are big signs that this is a pet store you don’t want to be at!
As I mentioned, I have had good experiences with my local Petco, people who are interested and love the animals they work with. They each have favorite treats they like and though not all of them agree on foods, they know what is in them.
Check carefully and I’m sure you will find a place and a pet to your liking, good luck!
I would definiatley go to a shelter first. But i got my two guinea pigs at a pet store, because no local shelters had any guinea pigs. If you do get a pig from a pet store you are taking the risk that they may have diseases. They come from huge factories and carry them in trucks with tons of others, and its a very very easy way for them to pick up lice, or other diseases. My pigs are perfectly fine, but i would go to a shelter first.
Good Luck, you’ll love your piggies! =]
I wouldn’t trust either of those stores to sell me a stuffed toy let alone a live animal….
Both petco and petsmart sell a lot of dangerous and unsuitable products (very poor food, toxic bedding, dangerous wheels and balls, inadequate cages etc). This alone suggest that either they know absolutely nothing about animal care, health and welfare – or that they do not care.
Both places also get their animals from mass mill breeders. They then take poor care of these animals until they are sold (again – poor diet, unsafe bedding etc).
Buying these animals encourages and funds animal abuse!
It is also common for people who have bought pets from both stores to find out they are mi-sexed, pregnant, sick or all three! Definately not good news for a first time owner!
Going to a rescue is a much better option. They will accurately sex the animals, and make sure they are healthy etc (giving vet treatment where necessary) before they put them up for adopting. By rescuing you are saving a life – by purchasing from a store you are condemning a homeless pet to death.
Don’t breed or buy while shelter pets die!