I will never go into PETCO again!

[WeeziePeezie]

So last night I needed to run down to Petco because I needed to buy bedding for my piggie and they were having a sale on the stuff that I like. So we go in and I always take a peek at the guinea pigs and the other small animals I walked over and in one of the pigloos there was a poor little black piggy he was visibly ill. He was breathing very heavy and just sat there in the pigloo and never moved. I hung out in the store for about an hour and kept checking on him.

Finally there was a lady walking by looking at the bedding as well as a Petco employee putting hay in some of the other cages, I saw this as my opportunity. I said to the lady quite loudly "Can you believe the condition these animals are in at this store?" She looked at me like I was slightly crazy but asked me what and I said "This guinea pig in here clearly is very ill, he's housed with another and I'm sure he's contagious Can you believe they take care of animals this way? You know they will euthanize this pig instead of taking care of it right?

The lady was then looking at me as though I was completely nuts but still listening. So the employee slowly wanders over to the cage I am standing at and goes to put in the hay and I said are you going to check on that piggy he needs vet care right away or he is going die?

The employee then told me that she would remove the piggy and take it to the "sick room" to be cared for....by this time I still had the lady's attention as well as a few people looking around at the other small animals. I asked to speak with the girls manager to which I got the reply I am the manager. Anyhow I went on with a bit more of a rucus and got nothing other than she would take the pig to the sick room to be cared for.

So I addressed my audience as well as this wonderful PETCO manager with the story of my piggy that was bought for me from PETCO for my birthday and died after only 4 hours. When i returned the pig to the store the girl told me that it must have been scared which was bull it was sick. I then asked everyone what if this was your kids pet? I cried for two days after that pig died how would your kid feel? I went on another speel about rescues and healthy piggies and if they would just look online they could find hundreds of small animals of every type that are healthy and need a loving home! I then told the "manager" I would never buy another thing from PETCO the way they treated their animals was ridiculous and any intelligent person new the sick room was basically a table for the animal to be euthanized on, then I kind of did a little kid tantrum by throwing down my things and stomping out.

I'm not sure if I was right in doing this. The manager did remove the piggy although sadly I doubt it made it through the night. I do think I defered a few possible customers that night from buying an animal at PETCO, it was either my story or they wanted to get out of the store before the crazy lady did something crazier? I don't know. I felt so bad for that pig I wanted to take it home and run it to the vet and save it but I couldn't make room in that petstore for another pig. Helping that piggy also wouldn't have saved the other one who was no doubt sick as well just not as advanced.

That is my PETCO story and the LAST one I will ever have as I will not set foot inside that store again.

[Mutty]

Good on you wheezie. I had planned on doing the same thing at the pet shop that I bought Beanie from, the next time I go in there. They sell the wrong hay and pellets and tell customers lies about guinea pigs. I haven't been back there and I now buy all my goods at a new pet shop that has opened up just near them that dosen't sell pets, only pet products and toys for pets.

I have told the Vetinary hospital near where I live that the hay that is sold is wrong and they have ordered some Timothy hay in from Oxbow. The more we all do the better eh?

Thank goodness for this forum for us all to learn, and then to go out there and create havoc for pet shops.

[gps78]

Good for you Weezie. I hate that animals are treated inhumane. It is not fair to them. They can't help themselves.

[PiggiesAndMice]

I went to Petsmart recently for supplies. The guinea pigs there are kept in cage that can't possibly have ventilation, as it was glass with a metal top and back wall. There were flies in that cage. There was no hay, only several ancient looking orange rinds. The two pigs were all huddled in the pigloo. I went back the next day because I'd forgotten something I needed. There were then at least seven pigs in the cage.

[papiggieluverz]

I hate pet stores! I can't stand to see guinea pigs kept in aquariums, it makes me sick.

GO WEEZIE! That was such a great thing you did!, I don't stop at pet stores anymore. When I need something for my fish I go and buy it from a pet warehouse. When I need things for my guinea pigs, I go to the tractor & Supply down the road. And I order my hay online.

[BUSHPIGS]

GOOD ON YOU WEEZIE.

I have done much the same thing, with the same looks etc. until the said pet shops realized I was dead serious. Only one, privatly owned shop, was interested in learning anything and improving conditions but have since closed down.

We have a chain of pet shops in Qld that have a large pink elephant as their logo. I have been banned from entering that shop after I went in and found one GP dead, in a fish tank and surrounded by his mates, on their last legs with mange.

I no longer go into any pet shops as you cannot achieve anything and I get very angry. Buying all the sick ones just compounds the problem as they just get more.

Education is the thing and every opportunity I get I am on my soap box.

[papiggieluverz]

I know it's very heartwrenching to walk into a pet store and see all the sick guinea pigs, and know that you won't be helping if you buy them all up because the store will just order a dozen more sick and pregnant guinea pigs. The world is disgusting sometimes, but we just have to try our best to educate the people we come in contact with and do all that we can for the guinea pigs that we have. We keep wanting to adopt more and have been looking at a few online, we'll see what happens! We can't say no to a cute fuzzy face that needs a new home!

[WeeziePeezie]

Yeah the heart wrenching part is part of the reason I will definately never go back. I can't believe that people treat animals this way?! I understand that its not really the employees fault that the company is run that way but someone needs to say something maybe if we all do everytime we see this someone will eventually get the hint!

I still feel bad for that poor piggy.

[papiggieluverz]

Yeah, It hurts to walk away but I just try to keep repeating to myself that it will make the cycle continue. If we don't buy the pet store guinea pigs then they won't breed more to fill the aquarium back up.

I never go into pet stores if I don't have to , I find my stuff elsewhere It's easier for me that way.

[WeeziePeezie]

Yeah the main reason I bought things at Petco was my thinking on it was if they realize they aren't making money off the animals but they sell a whole bunch of supplies maybe they would just sell supplies? I'm niave though when it comes to that stuff...i like to think everyone has good in them.

Either way I have decided to write a letter to PETCO's central offices. I think if everyone banned together and did the same maybe they would see how many customer's they have lost. How much more money they could make by not selling animals? I don't know. Either way i'm writing. I'm still mad after 2 days that means I can't let it go and I'll have to do something else!