Dimite102245
New Born Pup
I went on petsmart.com today to find good things for a guinea pig cage, and I found something that was not just concerning, but distressing. It was saying that a guinea pig would be a great pet for a classroom setting. After seeing this article I immediately contacted PetSmart and said this:
"It's very concerning and distressing to me that on your website you say that guinea pigs are great for the classroom. They are not. Guinea pigs need things that cannot be provided in the classroom. They are social animals and need a guinea pig partner. What happens if school lets out and the guinea pigs run out of food or water? What happens on the weekends when they will be left completely alone in a dark classroom for 2 days with no one to give them attention, take care of them, or give them food? Even if a kid takes a guinea pig home with them for the weekend, they will likely be an incompetent handler, and being moved around a lot is very bad for guinea pigs. Guineas are prey animals, and a loud environment such as a classroom is damaging. A classroom situation does not lend itself to supervised interaction at all times if they are kept within reach of the children. A well kept guinea lives 5-7 years. Will the teacher keep it for future classes? What happens over the summer? Many classroom pets are some of the most neglected and traumatized guinea pigs out there. Can teachers assure that guineas are seen, fed and watered on a daily basis including weekends and school breaks by an experienced and welfare savvy guinea pig owner who can pick up on the very subtle signs of illness early on and that they are protected from the extremes of weather (especially heat spikes and heat waves in classrooms) at all times? Can teachers assure life long weekly weigh-ins and body checks to make sure that the piggies are healthy and well cared for? Far too many guinea pigs go without feed and water over weekends. Too many vacations and breaks and weekend handling trips in the hands of inexperienced parents or teachers have fatal consequences due to lack of supervision. Guinea pig feces can also lead to a foul-smelling classroom that no one wants to be in, and that smell can spread through the whole school! Please remove any mentions of guineas in classrooms from your site immediately to prevent any more guinea pigs from being neglected in the classroom environment based off of your silly recommendation."
Most of that information I got off of this very site :^). They say they'll get back with me in 2 business days. (Sorry that this is a late post in the U.K, it's about 2:00 P.M. where I am.)
"It's very concerning and distressing to me that on your website you say that guinea pigs are great for the classroom. They are not. Guinea pigs need things that cannot be provided in the classroom. They are social animals and need a guinea pig partner. What happens if school lets out and the guinea pigs run out of food or water? What happens on the weekends when they will be left completely alone in a dark classroom for 2 days with no one to give them attention, take care of them, or give them food? Even if a kid takes a guinea pig home with them for the weekend, they will likely be an incompetent handler, and being moved around a lot is very bad for guinea pigs. Guineas are prey animals, and a loud environment such as a classroom is damaging. A classroom situation does not lend itself to supervised interaction at all times if they are kept within reach of the children. A well kept guinea lives 5-7 years. Will the teacher keep it for future classes? What happens over the summer? Many classroom pets are some of the most neglected and traumatized guinea pigs out there. Can teachers assure that guineas are seen, fed and watered on a daily basis including weekends and school breaks by an experienced and welfare savvy guinea pig owner who can pick up on the very subtle signs of illness early on and that they are protected from the extremes of weather (especially heat spikes and heat waves in classrooms) at all times? Can teachers assure life long weekly weigh-ins and body checks to make sure that the piggies are healthy and well cared for? Far too many guinea pigs go without feed and water over weekends. Too many vacations and breaks and weekend handling trips in the hands of inexperienced parents or teachers have fatal consequences due to lack of supervision. Guinea pig feces can also lead to a foul-smelling classroom that no one wants to be in, and that smell can spread through the whole school! Please remove any mentions of guineas in classrooms from your site immediately to prevent any more guinea pigs from being neglected in the classroom environment based off of your silly recommendation."
Most of that information I got off of this very site :^). They say they'll get back with me in 2 business days. (Sorry that this is a late post in the U.K, it's about 2:00 P.M. where I am.)
I’m amazed by the lack of knowledge these pet stores have, including the UK. stores too. They just want to make money and satisfy shareholders, it’s convenient for them to act dumb and give Oct misinformation
well done on messaging them. I’d probably also add that If they are in pairs, that being passed from place to place would also make them have to keep reestablishing their bond over and over, which can be unfair on the piggies.