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Original poster

Are Pets at Home selling pets at the moment?

30 replies

Donatella · 03/04/2021 07:34

I know they are open, as essential retail, but don't have the gerbils/hamsters/Guinea pigs etc out on display. But does anyone know if they are still selling them at the moment, or if not, when they will restart? Were they selling them between lock downs? I'm hoping maybe they will start again when non-essential retail reopens maybe?

OP posts:
THATbasicSNOWFLAKE · 03/04/2021 07:38

All of our local stores have them on display and are selling

PumpkinsMum18 · 03/04/2021 07:38

Please don’t say you want to buy a rabbit as a Easter present!

Original poster
Donatella · 03/04/2021 07:41

@PumpkinsMum18

Please don’t say you want to buy a rabbit as a Easter present!
Oh God, no! The kids have been on at me for ages for a pet of some kind and I've finally decided that I could cope with Guinea pigs (haven't told them yet though). Just wondering when I might be able to get them.
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Original poster
Donatella · 03/04/2021 07:42

@THATbasicSNOWFLAKE

All of our local stores have them on display and are selling
Interesting! My local one definitely didn't have any out when I popped in recently, I might go back and ask them then. I couldn't see anything on their website either way to say if they have a definite policy. I thought they'd been taken off the shop floor to discourage people going in just to look at them/lingering in the store.
OP posts:
THATbasicSNOWFLAKE · 03/04/2021 07:50

Ours just has big signs up saying please dont crowd around or touch the glass, you could phone them?

Carycy · 03/04/2021 07:55

We went in the other week and they had some rats and hamsters but that was it.

Jbck · 03/04/2021 08:06

Ours have GPs and gerbils on shop floor, big signs as pp mentioned.
Have you had GPs before, we got our first ones a couple of years ago and I wouldn’t recommend if Im honest.

GeorgiaGirl52 · 03/04/2021 08:11

Please do research about Guinea Pigs. They are nocturnal and messy and smelly. They require a lot of cleaning and care. They might be perfect for your family but don't expect kids to be able to do all the care they require.

Chunkymenrock · 03/04/2021 08:19

Guinea pigs need more than you just being able to 'cope with them.' The are lovely pets but require a great deal of looking after and have really important requirements. Buying from a petshop is rarely a good idea as they are churned out for profit, often unhealthy and as they are rarely handled, they can be terrified and skittish which can remain in them throughout their lives. Home breeders are better, rescued piggies are the best of all.

midnightstar66 · 03/04/2021 08:47

Mine have coveted back up the animals displays and stopped selling them again. I noticed last time I was in. Before that they were definitely selling since the last lockdown

hauntedvagina · 03/04/2021 08:55

@GeorgiaGirl52

Please do research about Guinea Pigs. They are nocturnal and messy and smelly. They require a lot of cleaning and care. They might be perfect for your family but don't expect kids to be able to do all the care they require.
Not nocturnal, no smellier than any other caged pet. Don't smell if you clean them regularly.
Stillfunny · 03/04/2021 09:01

Hamsters are nocturnal , GP are not. We had two and they were lovely. Like attention , eat vegetables from your hand ( check which ones ) , strokable , can be outside on grass in a pen . And not smelly at all . Very small poos , easy to clean.
Hope you find some.

Wolfiefan · 03/04/2021 09:03

I wouldn’t buy from pets at home. They tend to come from really dodgy breeders. Recent thread about poor hamsters. Both died from a condition that wouldn’t have happened if they had come from a decent place.
Rescue?

Profiterolegirl · 03/04/2021 09:17

We got our guinea pigs from pets at home 5 years ago. They are very healthy and have never been even slightly sick or had any health problems. They are friendly and interesting to watch as they go about their business and chat to each other. They are most brilliant when running around the garden on warm days. They need a lot of space which needs cleaned out on a daily basis. Finding someone willing to look after them so we can holiday has proven difficult. They and all their stuff can be transported and taken to self catering but don't underestimate the hassle involved.

Notavegan · 03/04/2021 09:21

Guinea pigs are not nocturnal. They are messy and they smell and they need a huge cage. Y3s I am trying to put you off! They are lovely and interactive but the cage needs to be 6ft to meet welfare guidelines. Best inside as outdoors with kids they just get forgotten. Mine live inside all winter. They have an indoor cage, a run and a hutch. Cost me a fortune.

Stompythedinosaur · 03/04/2021 10:24

Amazed people are saying gps are bad pets, I've always found them one of the most pleasant animals to keep. They need a big cage and are better as indoor pets, but are friendly and easy to have a good relationship with.

PrudenceDictates · 03/04/2021 10:39

I've also found guinea pigs to be nice, reasonably easy pets. They are not nocturnal, but their sleeping window isn't too long, so they may be noisy/active quite late or early, but no problem if not in a bedroom. They are awake in the day.
Not really smelly, either; though experimenting with different types of bedding helps: some absorb and hide smells better than others. But it's quick to sweep out cage and replace anyway.

I got ours from a rescue, and they are so lovely. Their stupid faces always make me smile.

Sillydoggy · 03/04/2021 10:52

Guinea Pigs are lovely pets but please consider getting them from a rescue - you can still get young piggies because sadly people surrender them quite often when ‘the kids won’t look after them’.

ElderMillennial · 03/04/2021 10:52

You could just call your local store and ask what they have.

Even better, look up local rescues. There are always pets needing homes.

ratspeaker · 03/04/2021 11:34

do your research before getting any pet.
Have you got time to clean them out, let them free roam, take them to vets?Sure as fate kids will get tired of the " boring" bit of looking after a pet.

Lots of recues have animals looking for homes at present.
Check on face book to see if theres any near you.

Original poster
Donatella · 03/04/2021 11:47

I'll look in to rescues, thanks. I've ordered a double height cage which will sit on the landing, so indoors so they don't get forgotten, but not in a bedroom. I've done plenty of research, thanks, I know what I'm getting in to.

OP posts:
SunshineCake · 03/04/2021 11:50

We had our first two GP from the rescue centre and our next two from PAH adoption centre. All lived until over six.

I loved them but I wouldn't have them again.

Definitely need more than to cope with. TBH if it was me I wouldn't sell them to you if you said that.

TroysMammy · 03/04/2021 11:50

I went in yesterday to get something that again wasn't in stock. I didn't notice rabbits and guinea pigs as I wasn't looking but I saw hamsters and a couple of rats as I like them.

UnitedRoad · 03/04/2021 15:52

I’m amazed that someone’s said they wouldn’t recommend them. We’ve been keeping them for the last fifteen years - 90% have been either from a rescue, or from friends children who no longer wanted them. We started by getting them for our daughters, but they’re 19 and 22 now, and we’ll continue to adopt.

Definitely not nocturnal.

peachhouses · 03/04/2021 16:46

Adopt don’t shop