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Am I In The Right Or Wrong

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Maisy and Poppy

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hi,

My friend wants to get gerbils so I told her that the rspca millbrook has over 100 gerbils. She went home and found gerbils at a breeder for £5 so she told me that there were 4 or 6 in the add. She said she wanted cheapest possible. And she found a tiny cage from pets at home for £10.

So I told her that the cage was too small and that she should get gerbils from a rescue because they are tamer and healthier and you are supporting breeders.

I also said that if your attitude is ' I want to spend at least money as possible ' then she isn't ready for a pet.
Then my friends took her side as one of them has any excuse to go against me.

What would you have done in this situation?
Was I in the wrong?

Edit: I was saving her from the mistake I had made getting pets from a breeder.
 
No you wasn't wrong at all, they need room to run around in and getting them from a rescue is best :/ You wouldn't believe how many rodents the one I got 5 of our piggies from has...
 
They look in nice condition but that's just promoting breeding really. Also she ought do her research on gerbils, what they eat, environment, cages etc. I don't think people realise that the RSPCA have minimum size cage specs for animals :/
 
I would have done the same.Gerbils need loads of space.I had mine in a four foot tank and I would always go rescue.I have had a go at numerous people, including my own sister, that weren't looking after animals properly
 
No you weren't in the wrong but I will not say you were in the right either. I don't know how blunt you put it across to her but if it was said in the manner you posted then you could have handled it so much better.

It won't work now but maybe showing excitement and enthusiasm at a friend wanting to get pets and suggesting that you do some research together so that you can steer her towards good care etc in a way that she will then think she came up with the information herself would have been a much nicer approach. I know from personal experience that if I think that someone is telling me what I should/shouldn't do then I am more likely to want to do the opposite... it's the stubborn streak hehe
 
Ive seen the cage she is buying from there. Its a Russian dwarf hamster cage!

Those gerbils will go mad and become agitated and prob bite her alot :(

Sometimes people don't and won't listen sometimes at the expense of the animals wellbeing.
 
Wow, no offence to her but she sounds terrible. Anyone with any sense and any sort of caring attitude towards their creature will look up about required care first. Unless you are living in a third world country, there is no excuse for not getting online for 20 mins and taking the time to check out care requirements.
 
I think some of the comments on here are very harsh. Yes we are a rescue friendly forum and yes we are lucky enough that we all share the same ethos but we have to remember the other person here is a child!

Maisy and Poppy it wasn't so long ago you were having a uphill battle with your parents to get your guinea pigs into a suitable hutch instead of a battered old one that was falling apart, you got there in the end but at the end of the day, when you are a child, your parents will have the last say when it comes to spending their money. Maybe this girl is desperate to own a pet but has been given too strict a budget by her parents and maybe she is ignorant of an animals care needs rather than assuming she just doesn't give a rats a**e about the animals welfare.

I know as a teen I was finally allowed a hamster, we brought a cage for about £5 from the local auction and when he got old and needed the vets we had to go to the PDSA, my dad is still firmly of the belief that vets bills are a waste of time for an animal that is so easily replaced (luckily I am now 31 we have 2 good incomes and a rental income coming into the house so what my dad says has no impact on my decisions).

I think brandishing her as an awful pet owner is only going to do more damage than good and is certainly not going to help improving the situation. Education is going to be key especially if they have never had pets before as the parents are not likely to know any better either. It's just that any education needs to be done tactifully and supportively. I think it's easy for others to feel that someone who has a lot of pets is "lecturing" them because they believe they are better than non pet owners.
 
I would show her Youtube videos of how to make a bin cage - they are good for gerbils anyway and you can get much more space for your money, and you could help her to make it and it would be fun for you both :) The Range have suitable storage bins to make a bin cage for £10. My hamster is currently running around in one!
 
Child or not, no one should be desperate for a pet knowing that they cannot give them the care they need.
I hope you have good luck educating her! :)
 
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