to think Pets at Home are awful?

[lucylouuu]

I went into Pets at Home earlier and was wondering if the poor bunnies/guineas in there ever actually get to go outside? do they just stay under those lights and get poked all day? I asked a member of staff and they just shrugged. Seems really cruel if so

Like most pet shops then?

i’ve never been in any other pet shops but yeah i guess so!

They aren't there for long. They get purchased and go home to be allowed in and out and all the rest of it.

They tend to get bought fairly quickly into a continued life of misery in one of the hutches Pets at Home sell.

Get to go outside where exactly?

obviously there’s nowhere outside for them to go just seems sad they’re stuck in there, today there were loads in one tiny area and it was filthy and just seemed rubbish they couldn’t go and play in grass they’re just being poked all day

Whilst I'm not a fan of Pets at home bunnies. I guess the PaH you go to is different to my local one, at mine they are fed a correct diet, are cleaned daily, have fresh water and access to a vet and no one is allowed to poke them. I also think they have a better life than what the private sellers on FB seem to offer, poor mum buns in tiny hutches full of in filth, incorrect diet, not a piece of hay in sight and still charging a fortune for them for any tom dick or harry that wants to buy them.

No, you're not being unreasonable. I doubt they're properly excercised or played with. I think some PAH shops are better than others, though.

I went to one a few weeks ago looking to buy some rats. (Last resort. Couldn't find any breeders close enough who had any, and my other rat was lonely on his own after his mate dying.) The staff members at that branch had no idea about them at all. They admitted they barely handled them and the one trying to assist couldn't really answer any questions. She couldn't even pick them up. Went to another branch and they were much better. They made sure to ask a lot of questions before letting me buy any. (Got two lovely boys from there.)

Found out they get animals breeding farms though, so won't be buying pets from them again. :(

Who is poking them? Definitely no possibility of that at our Pets At Home.

They are there for a short time & then sold. Unless the staff set up a run on the car park for them, their options are very limited.

Hate PaH. Not only do they support backward 'rescues' their treatment of the animals is abysmal. The cages are far too small for the animal numbers they have in each & their advice on the animals they keep is often limited or wrong.

Computer says no!

What’s a “backward rescue”?

One that breeds so that they constantly have a supply of cute fluffy pups to sell. Basically a shit one that shouldn't exist

They haven't got a clue about some of the animals they keep, ive seen chewed up plastic (and far too small to boot) wheels in the chinchilla cages before

I actually think keeping caged animals should banned indefinitely for all species. I hate it.

I feel sad for the token rescue rabbits you see at PAH. Often they are stuck in a much smaller hutch than the brand new bunnies, who have a big run.

when we got our last cat from the local shelter they had loads of Degus, chinchillas (the animal, not the cat breed) and corn snakes in. That is because our local PAH sells exotic species that people buy on a whim and then get sick of when they realise they can't look after them.

I think it is totally irresponsible.

Our local pets at home is in an industrial estate. There'd be a lot of squashed guinea pigs if they took them outside. I feel a bit sorry for a lowly assistant (probably on NMW) who got barked at by a customer - who chose to go into a pet shop - about animal welfare 🙄

At our local pets at home, they have loads of space. Yes its indoors. They are near the till and no one is allowed to prod or poke them. The staff are happy to talk to kids about animals but are clear you need to be as quiet as possible. No banging om the run or poking.

Tbh the local small pet shops, around here, have far worse conditions.

YANBU

They do not sell a single cage in store that is suitable for hamsters. What they call their "large wire hamster cage" is only about half the minimum recommended size of 80x50cm unbroken floorspace

That same cage is supplied with a wheel so small (14.5cm diameter) that the poor hamster (especially Syrians) has to bend its back and neck to run in it. That causes painful spinal problems, to the point that the hamster learns to stop using the wheel and so can't get anywhere near enough exercise. Want to upgrade the wheel to one that's the recommended 28cm diameter (dinner plate sized) for a Syrian? You can't. They've made the cage too short and it won't fit.

They will sell you all manner of expensive pretty wooden chews. What they don't tell you is that many hamsters ignore wood, and the thing to offer is Whimzee dog chews. But they can make more profit on wooden chews. Hamsters need to chew to wear down teeth that constantly grow. If they won't chew wood, you end up with a hamster that starves to death when its teeth get too long.

Meanwhile, you could get an excellent Alaska cage from Zooplus.co.uk for only £30 - their prices are a rip off. I've attached a comparison between a suitable cage and a Pets at Home one that I found online

There are many, many reports of hamsters either being missexed (in some cases resulting in unwanted pregnancies) and dying a short period of time after coming home - one friend and experienced hamster owner who should have known better than to buy from PAH recently had one die after about 3 weeks. It's because they come from rodent farms - the hamster equivalent of puppy farms.

Pets at Home are absolutely awful and I will cheer on the day they go bust.

You’re not allowed to touch the animals at my local PaH.

Oh, and the adoption section is invariably filled with animals labelled with "Fluffy has been in the store for a long time so the charity are trying to find her a home"

In other words, it's a way to offload stock that's got a bit past the cute baby stage so that they can bring in a new litter of babies. No. They should be waiting until all of a litter are sold before getting new ones in.

It's not even slightly in the spirit of a welfare and rehoming scheme. It allows themselves to whitewash the issue of overpopulation and make themselves look good while actually serving their own ends

Their fish are also just as bad...many die there because the tanks are so vile! They have no knowledge of even the simplest of animals.

PaH support animal charities in making welfare better across the UK. Think they need to practice what they preach. And just because they are marginally better than some pet shops, doesn't make it right!

The gerbil tanks upset me. Gerbils need a LOT more room than people think. (I'm no vet- I just know a lot about gerbils)

Ecuril I wish our local one had that rule. They get the snakes/reptiles out and hand them to anyone who asks! Reptiles can get very distressed (have owned several, so, again, I know a bit) if handled incorrectly!

Getting back to the gerbils (sorry if I sound obsessed) I've known people who have gone to PAH for a cage, and PAH have recommended the (can't think of the name) tube stuff, that you interlock together? This can be downright dangerous for a gerbil! Not only do they grow to be bigger than hamsters (so the risk of chewing through it) they can also chew through the flimsy plastic!

Sorry- I don't lose my shit often on a thread, but I felt the need to contribute on this one.

The turn over of animals is incredibly quick at pets at home. One of my rabbits had 10 babies and pets at home took them all and they were sold within a month. They made a tidy little profit out of me and my naughty escaping bunny. (Mummy bun has now been done so no more of that malarkey)