nearly thrown out of p@h !

[samantha.b]

arrrgh ...... really annoyed so feel i have to get my grievance off my chest !
i went to p@h yesterday to get my piggies some of those food balls you stuff with hay or veggies and hang from the mesh, and whilst there i was looking at their piggies like i normally do and feeling very sorry for them (like i normally do !) when i noticed a lady and two very excited children asking the shop assistant to get them the 2 boars they had chosen to take home. they asked the assistant how old they were, she replied 10 weeks. she asked if they were brothers and the assistant said yes. she then asked if the cage she bought (and was on the floor next to her) was big enough and the assistant said it definatley was. the lady also asked if there was no chance of the boars falling out as they had been born together and they were brothers, the assistant confirmed this ! no they would be no chance of a fall out as they were brothers ! this was the exact advice i was given in the same store a few months ago when they encouraged me to get boars as they were "more friendly" - if anyone has read my previous posts they will know that mine did fall out and i had to return them as i didnt have a seperate cage to separate them and they went into their adoption centre - however i missed them so badly that i made a suitable c&c cage and adopted them back 4 days later ! so i felt i had to speak to this women and tell her my experience and that was she aware that boars would need a bigger cage anyway and 2 of everything preferably ? the shop assistant basically told me i was completely wrong and to shut up ! i could tell she was soooo annoyed with me and if looks could kill ......... feel i was very close to being escorted off the premises so i hastilly bought my food balls and left . i could tell the lady was in a quandry as to what to do but dont know the outcome as i had gone by then. my gut feeling tells me she listend to the shop assistant and bought the 2 boars that will now be living at her house in a tiny cage destined to fall out in a matter of weeks when the hormones kick it ! been there done that and it was really upsetting for us - all due to BAD advice from a place that should know what they are talking about ! makes me so so mad that this is allowed to happen .... anyway long rant so apologies !

 

[Rachel WD]

At least you spoke to her, and even if she did end up getting the boars she might now do some research thanks to you. Better that than you having a guity conscious for not speaking up. Well done!

 

[helen105281]

Yes definitely well done, at least she is now aware that she may need to separate them at some point.

Am lucky that our P@H is a good one run by knowledgeable people, there is only one member of staff I don't like. I know not all stores are like that though. Whenever the staff in ours see us they ask if we want to adopt anymore hamsters from their adoption centre lol. No space in the inn at the mo though.

 

[Mother Hubbard]

You did exactly the right thing, I would have done exactly the same thing. What petshops often forget is that if they don't personally keep that type of pet themselves, they have limited experience i.e. what happens when they get older, puberty etc.

I've done similar things myself i.e. clothes shop when assistant is trying to persuade some poor thing to buy a dress or top or whatever that really doesn't suit. I always ask complete strangers on the clothing side and seek and research on other areas.

Good for you, you wouldn't have slept had you not said anything.

 

[lily 74]

Unfortunately this is a reaccurring problem.

All too often I see people taking guinea pig, rabbits and hamsters home in the box and with the cage as well often too small as recommened by the rspca

I always set up the cage first and these pets shops should advise the best sized cage and insist you set the cage up first.

Their guinea pigs are very expensive too and they should give good advise when rehoming them

 

[donnaf]

Thats the problem though, all these pet shops are bothered about is the profit, once those piggies are out of those double doors its not that places problem. Unfortunaly the staff at these places don't care either what may happen to these pigs either.

But at least you may have planted a seed of doubt in that ladies mind and she may just question it more! Good try!|)

 

[pammyj]

Well done for speaking out and at least you have put doubt in the buyers mind. I hope she then went away to think about it and do a bit more research as people should do anyway before buying. There is no excuse for not looking into it first before buying. There is the internet of course but if they dont have that then the library is free!