• DONATIONS NOW OPEN! TGPF relies on donations to run. If you'd like to donate towards running costs you can find out more HERE
  • Fresh grass and lawn tips to avoid springtime deaths Click here for details

Sorry everyone but Pets@home again....

Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MemberY

Joined
Mar 12, 2007
Messages
6,975
Reaction score
31
Points
0
I went in to my local store 2 weeks ago for pellets and as always, had a quick look at the piggies. I was horrified to see a baby guinea with a rabbit in one of their sale pens.
No one was around and I was in a rush but later, I emailed customer services to highlight this. I received a reply a week later saying the store manager, retail manager and so on had been informed and this wouldn't happen again. She even suggested that the piggy had wandered in there as they are old style pens (they're not) rolleyes

I went in today and blow me down, the same guinea and rabbit together and in another pen, a larger rabbit and 5 teeny ickle piggies, 4 weeks old at the most!

I spoke to a nearby staff member who informed me it was perfectly acceptable to house the two together-I politely explained why it isn't and a nearby customer defended the staff member saying it was ok as she had rabbits and guineas together. OMG!

I quoted RSPCA guidelines and in the end, the person in charge of the pens said she would sort it and I said she better as I would be back and I have emailed customer services again. I just can't believe this back track as they had kept them seperate up until now :a19:
 
People these days are morons! I've explained this to my boss too but OFC NO ONE LISTENST TO ME! I know the frustration
 
This drives me absolutely NUTS grrrr TELL them to LOOK IT UP

YOU SHOULDN'T HOUSE GUINEAS WITH RABBITS. I realise that some people do and that they're perfectly happy, but it's not a good idea!
 
Our local pets at home store always has the guinea pigs and rabbits separate now although it wasn't that long ago that they did house them together. Wonder why all pets at homes don't follow the same rules?:(
 
The Pets at Home in our last area always kept rabbits and guinea pigs together, too.
There was always the same very large rabbit in with all the baby boars, and that was the same for over a year. To be fair, though, it was a very placid rabbit and it didn't seem to mind the pigs crawling all over (and sometimes humping) it at all; but it still wasn't safe.

I complained about it several times over the year and a half we lived there, but nothing ever got done about it, despite being assured several times that it would be sorted.

Mind you, they didn't do anything about it when I complained about the poor baby guinea pig that was obviously very seriously ill, either... the next day he was worse, so I called the RSPCA, and the day after that, he was gone. Sadly, I think the poor thing must have died before the RSPCA got there.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
My local P&H also told me that piggies are 8 weeks old before going in the sales pens - they're not, the last lot at the one near me were tiny and far too small to be on sale, especially if being sold to outdoor homes!

Sophie
x
 
Actually my loal PAH (Chingford) is relatively new, been there almost a year now I'd say. They've always had their piggies separate to the rabbits and they're all kept well.

I just can't understand either why it isn't done throughout the chain mallethead
 
I had the same thing happen in my local store Fiona. Having spoken to a member of staff I was told it was fine to keep baby buns and piggies together - I told her it wasn't. I then asked to speak to the manager who admitted that this wasn't the two shouldn't have been in the same pen, but he had had to take in too many giant rabbits that week so had doubled up the babies! Yet again, finances over animal wefare.:(

I emailed head office and finally got a reply 10 days later, when I went back to check in store, the babies had been put in different pens. It's no wonder joe bloggs public gets the wrong idea about rabbit and guinea pig keeping:{
 
Caviesgalore said:
I had the same thing happen in my local store Fiona. Having spoken to a member of staff I was told it was fine to keep baby buns and piggies together - I told her it wasn't. I then asked to speak to the manager who admitted that this wasn't the two shouldn't have been in the same pen, but he had had to take in too many giant rabbits that week so had doubled up the babies! Yet again, finances over animal wefare.:(

I emailed head office and finally got a reply 10 days later, when I went back to check in store, the babies had been put in different pens. It's no wonder joe bloggs public gets the wrong idea about rabbit and guinea pig keeping:{
Click to expand...

Sandra is that the Maidstone or Sevenoaks one?
 
Let's all e-mail PAH and complain!

I often see people in the pet shops wanting a bunny and a guinea pig. I guess you can't blame them as they would think that it's fine as they're seeing them together in the shop :-(

Well it's NOT BLUDDY ALRIGHT 8:)
 
sophiew said:
My local P&H also told me that piggies are 8 weeks old before going in the sales pens - they're not, the last lot at the one near me were tiny and far too small to be on sale, especially if being sold to outdoor homes!

Sophie
x
Click to expand...
Our local pets at home was all refurbished a few months ago and they do keep guineas and rabbits in nice pens now where they have room to run around and I've never seen any very tiny ones for sale - not when I've been in anyway and I always have to go and look at the piggys.:)) The only thing I hate about our pets at home is how they keep the hamsters - altogether in a small tank like cage with nothing for them to do - I think that is really cruel.:( The rats have bigger tanks but hamsters also need room to run around too.
 
I have to say my local P@H is brilliant. The guinea pigs and rabbits are all kept separate and split into boys and girls. They always have pellets/muesli, water (which is reachable), hay and fresh veg. Also when I've heard the staff giving advice (and my 2 girls were from there) they were great - everything they have said is correct. I really can't fault them whatsoever.
 
I didn't have too much to complain about with mine either as up until recently the rabbits and guineas were housed seperately but either it is a financial thing or perhaps a new store manager or whatever that has no clue or doesn't care! What got me was the interfering old witch that reassured the staff member that she was experienced and that I was talking nonsnse :a19::a19::a19::a19:
 
At Truro the guins and the rabbits are kept separate, but they are in open-topped pens which must be very frightening, as their natural predators come from above.

The water is often too high for the guineas, and I have to lean in to dislodge some hay for them. There used to be a member of staff who had 17 guineas and was quite experienced but I think he has gone....
 
Well my PAH is good too, they never house there gigs and rabbits together and they even have a picture on the back of the door of the boys pigs so they know [*]not[/*] to mix them up when they arrive from Shropshire (i have bee told). I think it is down to lack of training in the areas and we need to contact head office to sort them out. As far as pet stores go I don't think they are the worst, I have 2 local pet shops not PAH and they put rabbits and pig together and even one of the stores is advertising for local piggy breeders !mallethead
 
my pets at home have them seperate and very clean large pens, weird they dont all do that.
 
moonie8404 said:
Sandra is that the Maidstone or Sevenoaks one?
Click to expand...

Sorry Emily only just seen this. It was the Aylesford (Maidstone) branch. I am also always having to point out that the water bottles are too high for the piggies to reach - it's not rocket science!
 
grrr how annoyin that all P@H dont follow same rulesgrrrr

Lucky ours do pggies and buns seperate, was very impressed when a woman was refused a sale of a piggie to live with a bun-c
 
Seriously, if a customer had butted in on a convo I was having with a member of staff she would've been sorry. I know I sound threatening! But what I mean is, if I know I'm right about something it reaaally ****es me off when people try to make out I'm wrong. grrrrgrrrrgrrrrgrrrrgrrrr
 
Caviesgalore said:
Sorry Emily only just seen this. It was the Aylesford (Maidstone) branch. I am also always having to point out that the water bottles are too high for the piggies to reach - it's not rocket science!
Click to expand...

This branch aren't great. I've had to moan to them about not enough hay or bedding in the pens too. Like you say, hardly rocket science!
 
Caviesgalore said:
Sorry Emily only just seen this. It was the Aylesford (Maidstone) branch. I am also always having to point out that the water bottles are too high for the piggies to reach - it's not rocket science!
Click to expand...

i have found that in Aylesford one. My main one is Sevenoaks - its a tad smaller but i think its so much better and the staff there seem to knw what they are talking about. I find Aylesford really messy at times and half the shelves empty!
 
Well I am not going to let this drop! If they don't sort it, I will contact the RSPCA :a19:
 
Oh don't get me started on Pet at Home. When we first got our two males, one died the next day and what he had had been passed to the other one who died soon after. I have 8 piggies now, alll from rescue centres. I have complained to their head office about this and said that they would pass my email on to all the head manager around the country.

The wee ones were is such a bad way. I think they had some sort of infection. And I tried everything I could with the second one, took him to the vets on many occassions, and nursed him day and night. It broke my heart as there was nothing the vet could do.

I also got some dried food for them and the bag was full of maggots. So went back to complain and they explained that it was because they were selling bird feed which was attracting moths.

However they have moved and really cleaned up their act. And they are also working along side a local animal shelter to help re-house unwanted guinea's. I still worry about the advice I have heard the very young staff give to their customers.
 
Update!

Thought I would update you on this; here is the email I sent to P@H customer services on 11th Nov:


Thank you for your reply Louise.

However, I went to the Raynes Park store today and not only was the guinea pig and rabbit I highlighted in my initial email still together, but in another pen a large rabbit was housed with 5 baby guineas, appox 4-5 weeks old. I studied the pens and it is not possible for the guineas to have got in any other way than by being placed there by a "human".

I spoke to a nearby member of staff to tried to "educate" me that rabbits and guineas are fine together....they clearly are not. You obviously need a staff training programme in this particular store as they have no idea what they are talking about and potential customers will think it is perfectly acceptable to house these two different speices together.

After speaking with the staff member, I was assured the problem would be dealt with and I sincerely hope so as I will be visiting the store again in the very near future. A retail chain as large as Pets at Home has a serious responsibilty to ensure the wellbeing of all its livestock and to suitably educate it's customers on the correct care of the animals they sell.



Ms Grace



P.S: this quote is taken from the RSPCA website:




"We like many other organisations do not recommend pairing of guinea pigs and rabbits as the rabbit often unintentionally bullies the guinea pig. Rabbits naturally scrabble at each other and nip each other as part of their normal communication this can be quite frightening to a guinea pig as when he runs off the rabbit thinks he understands what he wanted. Also their diet is totally different - remember rabbits need a high hay diet, guinea pigs need Vitamin C (fruit/veg diet)at all times and it is difficult to ensure both species are properly catered for. Rabbits also can be carriers of the bacteria “ Bordatella” - which can be fatal to guinea pigs. Why risk it when a rabbit is happier with a rabbit!"


Here is the reply I recieved:

Dear Ms Grace

Thank you for your email.

I have discussed this matter further with the store, the Field Pet Manager and the Maintenance team.

The store has confirmed that the divider is in need of replacing in all of the pens as the Guinea Pigs are managing to push the bottom of the divider and get in to the other enclosures. The maintenance team has just arranged a Maintenance Work Order for a contractor to go to the store to fix this problem.

Pets at Home changed the company policy on keeping rabbits and guinea pigs together due to risk of injury and the difference in their diets.

I hope this has somewhat eased your concerns but should you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact me. It is wonderful to know that our customers are as passionate about animals as we are.

Kind Regards

Louise



(I especially love the last bit rolleyes)


 
Well that sounds like a good result really then doesn't it, job done, hopefully.......!?!?

It does seem odd though that stores are all so inconsistent in putting into practice thier company policy.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top