Caviesgalore (EPGPR)
Adult Guinea Pig
- Joined
- Feb 1, 2007
- Messages
- 3,454
- Reaction score
- 51
- Points
- 550
Having been into my nearest Pets at Home store in Aylesford on Saturday to pick up some carefresh, I was gutted to find that they had two tiny piggies in with 4 or 5 pretty large bunnies. As has been recommend by numerous members on the forum I plucked up the courage, backed up by my 12 year old daughter, to raise the issue with the staff. Having got an unacceptable response from two members of staff, including the manager, I have just sent the email below to their head office.
Dear Sirs,
After visiting my nearest Pets at Home store in Aylesford on the outskirts of Maidstone, Kent I felt that I must write to you.
As a guinea pig owner of many years, I have been very pleased to learn in recent months that you no longer recommend keeping rabbits and guinea pigs, that you have care leaflets to this effect and that you are actively housing the animals separately in your stores. Imagine my dismay, therefore, when I visited your Aylesford store on Saturday afternoon to be confronted with two tiny 8 week old guinea pigs in an enclosure with 4 or 5 large rabbits. The poor mites had nowhere to hide as all the tubes and fiddle sticks had been upturned, presumably by the bunnies. The rabbits were struggling to get into and out of the hutch in their quarters because the aforementioned items were blocking the bottom of the ramp and the guinea pigs were in danger of being jumped on as the rabbits tried to negotiate the obstacles.
I spoke to a member of staff and asked why the guinea pigs were sharing their quarters with the rabbits saying that I understood the firm’s policy had changed regarding small animal housing. The young girl I spoke to me assured me that it was quite acceptable that the animals were in together and told me that as they were babies the rabbits wouldn’t harm the guinea pigs – not knowingly perhaps, but an unintentional kick could be all that it takes to kill a tiny guinea pig. When I pointed this out to the girl she waffled and said it really wasn’t a problem! I then saw the manager of the store and raised the issue with him. The initial discussion went pretty much along the lines of the one I had had with the younger member of staff, but then he admitted that the guinea pigs and rabbits shouldn’t be housed together, but that he had had no choice but to put them in the same enclosure because he had been sent too many giant rabbits and was waiting for them to be moved to other stores. When I pointed out that perhaps his staff should be made aware of this so that they didn’t give your customers incorrect waffle, he said that they didn’t need to know!
One busy weekend (hopefully no longer) of people coming and going in your store and seeing bunnies and guinea pigs together may well have undone all the recent good publicity you have achieved with regard to rabbit and guinea pig housing. I hope for the sake of the little guinea pigs that they either found a new home on Sunday (hopefully together and not with rabbits) or that the manager had the common sense to locate them in a different enclosure, sadly I doubt it will have been the latter.
From a very disappointed customer.
I am fuming, will let you know if I get a response!
Dear Sirs,
After visiting my nearest Pets at Home store in Aylesford on the outskirts of Maidstone, Kent I felt that I must write to you.
As a guinea pig owner of many years, I have been very pleased to learn in recent months that you no longer recommend keeping rabbits and guinea pigs, that you have care leaflets to this effect and that you are actively housing the animals separately in your stores. Imagine my dismay, therefore, when I visited your Aylesford store on Saturday afternoon to be confronted with two tiny 8 week old guinea pigs in an enclosure with 4 or 5 large rabbits. The poor mites had nowhere to hide as all the tubes and fiddle sticks had been upturned, presumably by the bunnies. The rabbits were struggling to get into and out of the hutch in their quarters because the aforementioned items were blocking the bottom of the ramp and the guinea pigs were in danger of being jumped on as the rabbits tried to negotiate the obstacles.
I spoke to a member of staff and asked why the guinea pigs were sharing their quarters with the rabbits saying that I understood the firm’s policy had changed regarding small animal housing. The young girl I spoke to me assured me that it was quite acceptable that the animals were in together and told me that as they were babies the rabbits wouldn’t harm the guinea pigs – not knowingly perhaps, but an unintentional kick could be all that it takes to kill a tiny guinea pig. When I pointed this out to the girl she waffled and said it really wasn’t a problem! I then saw the manager of the store and raised the issue with him. The initial discussion went pretty much along the lines of the one I had had with the younger member of staff, but then he admitted that the guinea pigs and rabbits shouldn’t be housed together, but that he had had no choice but to put them in the same enclosure because he had been sent too many giant rabbits and was waiting for them to be moved to other stores. When I pointed out that perhaps his staff should be made aware of this so that they didn’t give your customers incorrect waffle, he said that they didn’t need to know!
One busy weekend (hopefully no longer) of people coming and going in your store and seeing bunnies and guinea pigs together may well have undone all the recent good publicity you have achieved with regard to rabbit and guinea pig housing. I hope for the sake of the little guinea pigs that they either found a new home on Sunday (hopefully together and not with rabbits) or that the manager had the common sense to locate them in a different enclosure, sadly I doubt it will have been the latter.
From a very disappointed customer.
I am fuming, will let you know if I get a response!
