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Bad pet shops

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ASTRID

ASTRID

Teenage Guinea Pig
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Well it has been ten months since I received my little bundles of fluff but i will never forget looking into my pure Himalayan marzipan dip and finding she was crawling with lice or mites at which point i almost cried i don't know if its me being picky or not but i am positive that you should never sell any animal in that condition i now had to made a decision do i give them back and ask for a refund or do i tackle the fight to get rid of these things. well i spent every day washing re applying this flee stuff and it took me a WHOLE six weeks to get rid of them i was fuming when i actually got the time to go back to the pet shop they said it was normal to get them yes i know its normal to get them but its not normal to sell two animals for the price of one.
I JUST WANT THIS TO BE A REMINDER TO ANYONE WHO IS BUYING ANY ANIMAL TO CHECK FIRST!
Astrid and my flee free six Guinea Pigs
 
I don't know if there are rules or regulations regarding selling animals that have fleas or lice, that are pregnant & pairs that are mis-sexed leading to pregnancy.

If pet shops had to pay for the extra costs incurred then they'd be more careful. Maybe threatening with legal action might produce something even if you don't intend to go through with it!
 
Yeah but at the end of the day they don't make money by selling the animals its the stuff that comes with it x
Astrid and my six guniea pigs
 
It's disgusting. I got my 2 babies with conjunctivitis and URI. Thankfully Pets at Home paid the bill but that's besides the point. Actually, if a store has vets within it why are ill animals being sold?!? Will never buy a pet from a pet shop again.
 
This is one of the many reasons we would encourage members to consider rescue and rehoming any animal (from a reputable rescue as some are not what the appear!) instead of buying.

I know it's not always possible particularly countries other than the UK but at then at least you can be assured that you are getting a healthy animal of the correct sex.

It's disgusting that many places will sell ill, infected or mis-sexed animals to unsuspecting members of the public but at the end of the day they are a business and are unlikely to be that bothered about the final outcome for the animals they sell.
 
If you have a problem with a pet that has parasites, is ill or turns out to be pregnant, please complain to your local council about trading standards.

Apart from not getting your piggies from there if possible and buying from online providers that don't sell animals, that is another way of keeping the pressure up on pet shops to clean up their act. At the moment, it is still cheaper for pet shops to pay any vet bills for ill and pregnant piggies than to properly care for the animals they sell.

Many of the bigger pet shop have now in-store vets; unfortunately, they are often general vets with rather limited experience, and we have had some not so happy stories on here.
 
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Small animals are bred (sometimes in terrible conditions) specifically to sell in pet shops. I would never buy an animal from a pet shop as I would see it as funding people to treat animals badly. Rescue is best as there are so many unwanted animals out there.
 
About 4 years ago my mum got my brother and sister 2 hamsters from pets at home and when we got them home, their fur fell out and they turned all scabby. I phoned them up and they said to bring them in which we did. They were treated for mites and lice but unfortunately, they died 2 days later. We launched a complaint with head office and refuse to go back to pets at home ever again. Makes me sick. Lesson learned though.
 
I got my first guinea pig last week and he's got sores scab patches on him I decided that I'm going to keep him and get him treated but this should never have happened turns out he's 6 weeks old too
 
I know how you feel it makes me fell sick a animal has already got a big change going to a new home but going to a new home and being unwell is a step to far
Astrid and my six guinea pigs
 
If that's the guinea pig in the photo it looks exactly like my bakewell x
 
Yep a lesson learnd indeed for you and myself when i want a a guinea pig i just get one of my guineas pregnant so i can bond with it strait from birth x
 
Well even worse mine didn,t and said that i was normal i think not
 
I know unfortunately i don't have any close to me as i find it cruel to keep them in a car for a long time x
 
ASTRID said:
I know unfortunately i don't have any close to me as i find it cruel to keep them in a car for a long time x
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Guinea pigs actually travel very well if a few simple precautions are put in place. As a recognised Piggy Bank Rescue we often have to organise piggy trains where kind members of the Piggy Bank give up their time to transport pigs around the country. More often than not they do the journey in a day, but on occasion we have had pigs stopping off for a quick overnight break with members before continuing on their journey. I find lining the carrier with an absorbent puppy pad keeps the piggies dry, we pop in some hay and take a selection of veggies for the journey including things like melon and cucumber which are great thirst quenchers - all it takes is a bit of planning :)
 
This has happened to me too...luckily I was already aware that this can happen so I checked the Guinea pig over before I bought her - turns out she had mites :...
 
Our first piggies were from a tiny pet shop - it was the friend of the owner who's sow had them and a one off 'accident' We keep in touch and he's never had more for sale and we were ignorant to rescues existing at the time.
Anyhow, within an hour of us having them, noticed they were covered in tiny white moving 'things' so used a product suitable for babies...it worked and never dreamed of taking them back :(
Sometimes, stress of moving etc. can bring on mites :(
It is always good to report back to the place you had them from so they can hopefully treat other piggies...hopefully being the operative word...
Hope your piggy is ok :)
 
Is this message to me if so yes that's my pepper he has a ginger ear one side and the others black
 
I bought 2 piggys last year.. it said on the sign that the pigs get free wealth checks before selling.. the man checked him infront if me and felt his belly etc and said he was fine and in good health..
The day after I bought them I found one of them fallin over with diarrhoea everwere.. took him to the vets and he got euthanized due to a twisted gut..
 
not all pet shops are bad The pet shop i use gives free treatment to any animal they sell if problems show within a certain time limit If any are bought and turn out to be pregnant (which can happen through no fault of their own) they will either take back the pig and give a refund or lend out cages to help owners out and take back babies when they are old enough They will give advice and support I would be lost without them as they are animal savvi
 
madguinealady said:
not all pet shops are bad The pet shop i use gives free treatment to any animal they sell if problems show within a certain time limit If any are bought and turn out to be pregnant (which can happen through no fault of their own) they will either take back the pig and give a refund or lend out cages to help owners out and take back babies when they are old enough They will give advice and support I would be lost without them as they are animal savvi
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That's very true, not all of them are bad but the ones that truly care about their animals are often small independent stores and unfortunately they are the minority. Most stores especially larger chains are not run for the welfare of the animals they sell in any way.

My Hamish came from a pet shop where he was being sold with his brother. Hamish is a 'lethal' guinea pig and is mostly blind, partially deaf and has dental problems. I approached the staff about him and they assured me he had no issues and was completely healthy. I then sent them some advice from an experienced rescue and an offer of rescue space as he was not fit to be sold as a pet. They declined all the advice and maintained he was a healthy, normal piggy. I eventually went back and bought the pair myself as I couldn't stand the though of him being sold to someone who didn't know or understand his extra needs. Worst case scenario he would have died of starvation brought on by untreated dental problems..... I lodged a complaint with the local council about their care but no action was taken.

Dental problems are more common than people think in piggies especially those not fed the correct diet or enough hay and often go un-noticed by pet shops leading to great suffering.

If a member of the public voices concern over an animal then the stores should be sensible enough and open-minded enough to listen, investigate and act accordingly. Unfortunately that's most often not the case. In all concerns about pet shops and welfare, speak to your local council as they licensec shops to sell animals. They are duty bound to investigate to ensure minimum welfare standards are met. But these standards are minimal....
 
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