To be disgusted with Pets at home?

[MadHattersHat]

I had to pop in there yesterday to get some food. I had my toddler DD with me so we had a look around all the animals. We got to the adoption bit and there was a gorgeous brown rabbit there called Thumper - if I could have taken him home I would. He was so friendly and kept trying to reach up to us - really friendly. However, his water bowl was bone dry with what looked like remnants of what looked like straw.

I went over to one of the employees to let them know he was completely out and was rudely told: "Well, I'm a bit busy at the minute!"

Fair enough, they might have been busy - but they weren't swamped and there were about 3 of them working in the store. But I found their tone disgusting. They seriously don't care - despite what they like to say.

I just hope he did get his water. I feel awful that I wasn't able to take him. If I could, I would have in a heartbeat.

Which store is it?

Name a 'region' if you don't want to out yourself.

My local one is crap too, wondering if it's the same one.

online not offline lol!

I was in my local yesterday and they were brilliant.

I was asking after a royal python my daughter wants for her birthday and was very impressed in the advise and was told he wasn't for sale (not that I was buying, just concidering!) as he missed a feed and they won't let them go untill they have been feed ect properly for a while.

The poor guy even got some out to show DD even though he is terrified of snakes

No excuse for the rudeness, but I don't know rabbits but our tortoise has kicked dirt in his bowl and its obsorbed the water, could that have happened with the hay?

So would that be a rescue rabbit they now rehome for a fee after selling it at full price despite not spaying or neutering their adults as decent small animal rescue would. Or was it a rescue that got too old to be sold so was moved to their rescue section to make room for some younger, cuter bunnies? No great surprise that they don't value animal care when their pet sales don't value small animals.

The was a poor little baby puffa fish on the floor last time I went there. I told someone, and she picked it up with a paper bag and threw it in the bin! I'm sure I saw it move!

I didn't know rabbits could drink out of a bowl (although thinking about it they don't have bottles in the wild do they.)

I would write to the store and complain but as others have said you may just have got a rude member of staff, the standards at Pets at Home seem to vary dramatically from store to store, the one near me is appalling and the staff haven't got a clue but the one near my mums is great and are quite happy to talk children through how to care for a pet etc

I guarantee they are not knowledgeable about fish, nor are the fish in good condition. They are known for selling tanks that are too small and giving crap info about stocking fish tanks.

Trofast did you read my post? They spent a lot of money to rehabilitate a rabbit many pet owners would have put down? And supportive adoption costs a lot too.

Their supportive adoption is NOT for adult animals that are less 'cute'. It is for animals that arrive injured or unwell or have needs best met by people who have extra knowledge of these animals.

Contact the store and they'll verify what i have said.

I have sent Pets At Home a link to this thread. They need to address some of the comments on here.

My local store has an excellent fish advisor BTW. Highly trained and always having to turn away customers who want to buy a tank AND fish at the same time.

Ignoramuses.

Write a letter to head office. Ideally mention the name (or at least give a description) of the assistant you spoke to. But don't do nothing in case this sort of thing isn't a one off.

I used to keep tropical fish so was often in the local shops to see stock. I had cause to report 2 places to the RSPCA (one because of the sheer numbers of dead and dying fish on display, and another because of 2 territorial fish who kept attacking each other in their too small tank) and both places changed. The first (a pet shop within a garden center) closed down their fish section, and the other separated the males. To some people they are "just fish", but they are living creatures who deserve to be treated well.

Until they stop selling tanks that are unsuitable for any fish and stop telling customers that they can add fish 3 days after setting up a tank then I will continue to have the opinion that they are an absolute disgrace to the hobby of fish keeping.

They were rude to my mum recently when she took her ancient cat to one of their vet nurse appointments have his claws trimmed. He had been twice before, no problem. They accused her of not letting him out to wear down his class naturally & suggested this was cruel. He is really old, creaky & arthritic & although he nips out to go to the loo he prefers sitting on her knee or dozing in his bed. He can't scratch properly to keep his claws nice because he loses balance & falls over. Once the weather warms up he'll be outside a bit more, sitting in the sun but still not wearing his claws down

Our local store is really good they won't sell animal to anyone - wouldn't sell us guinea pigs at one point ( long story) and insists on testing tank water before selling fish

I read your post les and that is great but I also read the post where they refused to accept a rabbit back after selling two females as a pair without advising neutering. I can also read the signs on the rescue cages at my local store where they advertise many animals who became too old to be sold (as customers paying full price want younger cuter bunnies...).

As a store they may treat their staff well, they don't manage this for many of their animals. Rabbits on a pellet diet rather than hay, some store still have pigs and rabbits together, chinchillas in horribly small cages, fish often in obviously poor health.

I am sure individually the stores vary but their pet sales continue to contribute to their in store rescue and the business of many small animal rescues.

I use 3 different PAH and online occasionally and always had a fabulous service. Could it be that all the pets water/food is replenished at X time and the bunny wouldn't be left for long? Bad attitude is unfortunate but not inline with my experience of the staff there at all who are in the main very knowledgeable and pleasant. Sorry you had a bad experience.

My local PAH are brilliant.
They've been really helpful, even if the animal in question hasn't come from there.
If anyone from PAH management are reading this it's in Huddersfield and the staff are all fantastic !!!

forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=90447

There are threads like that about Pets ar Home all over the internet. Do not ever take their advice on fish. Look at the internet. Practical fishkeeping is particularly good although Mumsnet's fishnet is helpful too :)

forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/showthread.php?t=90447
Working link

I agree that you're right to be disgusted. However, in general, I think pet shops are appalling places for animals and I wouldn't condescend to even enter the store let alone purchase anything from them.

Rabbits generally don't prefer water bottles at all - after all it's not the way they would naturally drink in the wild. A bottle is simply more convenient as the water stays cleaner/less contaminated. Ideal for those who can't be bothered to give their pets a fresh bowl of water at least once a day )

I once went into a PAH and there was one poor little guinea pig trying desperately to reach the water bottle. It was too high for him. His fur was all sweaty. I told an assistant and they immediately lowered it and he drank and drank and drank! Poor thing.

We were sold two 'female' rabbits (with no mention of neutering). They turned put to be a male and a female. Luckily we got them sexed properly by a vet before any 'accidents'. I understand that it's very difficult to sex very young animals so why don't they just say they don't know?! Do they ever stop to wonder why the vast majority of their stock is 'female'?! (nothing obvious to see = must be female )

I hope someone from PAH is reading this.

Pets should never be bought from Pets at Home or any sort of pet shop - rescue centres should be the first place to go.

I keep rats and the fish tanks Pet at Home have them in are APPALLING. Far, far too small and they are all bored shitless. It is disgusting. I understand when people go in there they feel they need to 'rescue' the animals - I have been very tempted myself. But if everyone stopped supporting them in this way they would hopefully stop. They have no idea who they are selling too and animals bought from places like that are often the ones left at rescue centres.

Trofast makes good points LESuffolk. PAH 'adoption centre' is a joke tbh. They don't neuter the animals, they don't keep them in even halfway suitable conditions, at least half the animals in there at any time are old shop stock. They are pretty much prepared to give them to the first person who comes along and asks for them. No home check, no questions asked, no follow ups done, no stipulation that if the pet can't be kept in the future it is returned.

Adoption centre aside, They sell reptile species that are not suitable for beginners, they give some dreadful advice and despite selling rabbits they don't sell one single hutch that is big enough to keep rabbits in.

Perhaps the rabbit is on medication and his fluid intake is being limited for a time because of that? Not everything is so black and white.

But neutering an animal is the owners responsibility surely?

Why fob that off on a shop?

If you are unwilling to neuter your own animal then you are unfit to own one.

Do you expect them to subsidise every need of the animal you bought from them?