Small pets from pet stores?

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by PWCorgi

In just todays CL there is:
3 rats (+ one ad that just says the person has some male rats for sale)
1 sugar glider male
Cockateils
Degus

Yesterdays CL ads:
Cockateil (2 ads)
Lovebird
Cornsnake
Ferrets
2 male rats
Parakeet
Ball Python
Guinea pigs
2 female sugar gliders
Russian Dwarf Hamster
Red Tail Boa
Bearded Dragon
5 month old Guinea Pig
More guinea pigs
Male guina pig
2 more male gpigs
ANOTHER sugar glider ad
'nother cockateil (this makes 3 for one day)
Gecko
Baby Cockateil
Baby Parakeets
Orange Opaline Lovebird
Chinchilla
Parakeets
Ball Python
Ringneck Parakeet
3 bearded dragons
2 bearded dragons

This is why I never feel the need to get a small animal from a pet store. Granted, I live in a very urban area, so there are a lot of ads, but ANYTHING I could want, I'd just have to wait a couple days to find.

Hush you Lol told ya I never look at the ads!

[Dekka]

I have gotten rats from stores that only sell pocket pets and fish. I seriously looked for a rat breeder in ontario. No one answered my emails. NOT one. (I didn't even mention I owned JRTs in the intro email) As they are pets AND GTG rats I don't want to adopt an older one. IME a baby gets used to barking dogs much more easily. Older rats get really stressed and often try to attack the dog as they really think they are about to be eaten

[Whisper]

OMG! I thought this thread slipped through the cracks- I didn't think anyone responded. Just saw it.

Something that really bothers me about the animals for sale (in at least my experience) the employees push and push and push to sell them. I was at Petco (or Petsmart? I think it was Petco) and I stopped to admire the ferrets- they were freaking adorable. Then one of the employees appeared out of nowhere, asked me which one I wanted and started literally pulling me to where they had the supplies (cages, food, etc) I was just stunned and it took me a while to tell her to let go of me! That one person fortunately was unique- no one else ever laid a hand on me, but they always start chattering at me if even look at the animals.

I got my hamsters at pet stores when I was a kid, and I'd love to have more in the future- and rescue them, but I'm selfish enough that I'm afraid I'd get them and they'd die 2 months later. Having only a year or three is short enough already. So, I think I'd get the teeny short-lived ones from a breeder and buns and ferrets from a rescue.

[SarahHound]

In the UK, we have Pets at Home, who are the largest chain around. They recently started a program where they were selling 'VIP and SVIP' bunnies. The VIP's were vaccinated and micro-chipped, and the special ones were vaccinated, neutered and chipped.

At first everyone thought this was a great idea, they were £99 each, compared to £30, so discouraged impulse buys. Then it came out that they were being neutered at 5 weeks old and shipped from Spain, because no UK vet will neuter at such a young age.

Their UK breeders are mass farmers, someone went undercover, and the places where they are bred are disgusting.

So no, people shouldn't get pets from pet stores in my opinion. There are plenty of rescues and free-ad pages to find small pets on.

[Gypsydals]

Originally Posted by Fran101

It bothers me.
aside from the health aspects, it's the whole IDEA of selling animals to people on impulse that makes my mad
and that's what pet stores are all about!

They don't give people the right info, they don't screen people, the employees have NO IDEA how to care for them or what to tell people and they cater to people who just walk in, see something cute and decide "I want to buy that pet today!" which IMO is wrong.
Pets should be thought out and planned for additions. Not something that you pick up at the pet store just because and aren't prepared for.

Especially when it comes to parrots, it makes me sick :/ probably because we have one but they are way too intelligent of creatures to just be stuck in tiny cages with people who have NO IDEA how to care for them and how much human interaction they need.

Puppies, kittens, hamsters, birds.. I don't think anyone should be able to walk into any place, throw down a credit card and leave with a pet no questions asked. regardless of where that animal came from.

Originally Posted by Dekka

I have gotten rats from stores that only sell pocket pets and fish. I seriously looked for a rat breeder in ontario. No one answered my emails. NOT one. (I didn't even mention I owned JRTs in the intro email) As they are pets AND GTG rats I don't want to adopt an older one. IME a baby gets used to barking dogs much more easily. Older rats get really stressed and often try to attack the dog as they really think they are about to be eaten

If you are ever looking for rats again there are lots of rescues all over Ontario that often have young rats looking for homes. Even if none are close they will find a way to get them to you.

[JessLough]

So I was bored and looking on kijiji.. Just in the last 24 hours...

2 rabbits
1 hamster
4 hamsters
7 lion head bunnies
Undisclosed amount of dumbo rats
Undisclosed amount of catfish
1 male bunny
3 hamsters
6 rats
Chinchilla
2 guinea pigs
Rabbit
5 mollies(?)
Boa for trade
2 pregnant guppies
Dwarf lion head bunny
Bearded dragon
Hedgehog (!!!!)
2 hamsters
Many spiny mice
Undisclosed amount of bunnies
Undisclosed amount of lizards
Hamster
Hamster
Hamster

Just yesterday...
5 African fish
Lizard
Tropical fish
Guppies
Sugar glider (illegal here)
2 piranhas
Ball python and corn snake
Rabbit
Guinea pig
Pleco and piranha
Hamsters ($350 take 10 or more)
9 rabbits
Baby hamsters (bred by a 4 year old)

Yah, no need to go to a pet store

[~Jessie~]

Like PW and Jess, I live in an urban area and our craigslist is BRIMMING with small pets. If you don't have too demanding of requests, you can probably find exactly what you want within a week.

Look at these cuties:

http://orlando.craigslist.org/pet/2995341552.html

Baby rats for $3 a piece.

Personally, I wouldn't buy a small animal from a pet store. I can find what I want at a breeder or craigslist. Probably for even cheaper in both respects!

[ravennr]

Originally Posted by JessLough

Pet store ferrets come from Marshall's Frrret Mills. It's an absolutely disgusting place where ferrets are free to breed to whoever, at whatever age, and then the employees guess their age to sell them to let stores.

IMHO, buying a ferret from a pet store may even be worse than buying a kitten or puppy -- not only are you supporting the mill, you are supporting Marshall's breeding laboratory ferrts, beagles, pigs and mongrels.

It absolutely disgusts me when people go on ferret forums and brag about buying a pet store ferret.

came here to post this.

I try to only buy from supply stores, myself. of course, I have bought some live animals from pet stores. the last thing I bought was a corn snake, which I only bought because the store I bought him from was actually somewhat strict with who they sold to. they also did all they could to get you to sign up for classes for whatever reptile or bird you bought (don't think they had mammal classes). but that is definitely not the norm, and even after all that, I don't know what the conditions were like from the breeder. the staff at that pet store, for the most part, knew what they were talking about. particularly in the reptile room. some of the employees were breeders themselves, and they were always hiring kids and teaching them as much as they could, rather than just letting them tell people what sounded best. I only had one issue at that pet store, and I sorted it out straight away. I think the kid got fired, but that's not my problem (he was crap at his job and scared the hell out of the animals by putting them in boxes then stabbing the box with scissors, animals inside, for air holes). this was a pet store that dealt a lot in exotics, too. that may have had something to do with it, but since it's the only exotic pet store I've been to, I don't know.
I liked that they put books, for the animal, near the animal, too. they really did push knowing what you're getting into.


but sadly, people aren't going to hunt down a hamster breeder for their kid's first personal pet. nobody, especially a busy parent, wants to do that. they definitely don't want to face being turned down, possibly. so I don't know how you'd be able to do anything about them.

other than Marshalls, I have no idea what conditions are breeders are like for things like hamsters, bird, snakes, lizards, etc. I like to think with reptiles at least, there is some sort of sophistication in the breeding program considering it isn't exactly just putting two things together and getting all the babies you need to make the money. but even intelligent people can be scummy.

[Cali Mae]

Originally Posted by Fran101

It bothers me.
aside from the health aspects, it's the whole IDEA of selling animals to people on impulse that makes my mad
and that's what pet stores are all about!

They don't give people the right info, they don't screen people, the employees have NO IDEA how to care for them or what to tell people and they cater to people who just walk in, see something cute and decide "I want to buy that pet today!" which IMO is wrong.
Pets should be thought out and planned for additions. Not something that you pick up at the pet store just because and aren't prepared for.

Especially when it comes to parrots, it makes me sick :/ probably because we have one but they are way too intelligent of creatures to just be stuck in tiny cages with people who have NO IDEA how to care for them and how much human interaction they need.

Puppies, kittens, hamsters, birds.. I don't think anyone should be able to walk into any place, throw down a credit card and leave with a pet no questions asked. regardless of where that animal came from.

This.

Ironically, my friend and I were talking about this just the other day. She has a cavalier king charles spaniel, whom the family did buy from a breeder because they did do their research and were aware of the many health issues. So we both were on a rant for half the class about the people who pay $2000.00 for a dog of unknown lineage and unknown health when we got our purebred, healthy dogs (with nice lines too!) for even less than that.

We also talked about the parrot. It's been there for years now, it started out colourful and happy.. but now, it's dull, dirty and is clearly not taken care of. I feel so bad for just about every animal in there, although the fish I'm never too concerned about. I just look at all the puppies, all the rats, and pray that they go to a decent home. Although, we know that will never always be the case, unfortunately.