28 replies to this topic

[barrelracer]

I bought a dwarf hamster from them 2 weeks ago, it died of wetail within a week so I brought it back and they replaced him with my new dwarf "tweak", who yesterday morning I found out had wet tail. I called petco and told them I want them to take him to the vets and pay for it. So they did and guess what? he died this morning.

The person I talked to when the first one died said its been happening with alot of their hamsters both dwarf and not that theyve been getting from their supplier. The supplier apprantly has been sending them very young, to the point where petco has had to keep them in the back for quite some time before displaying them.

Also I fail to believe that they properly clean the tanks in the back and on display before they put new hamsters in them after an infected hamster has been in there. When I told them why dont you just get a new supplier they said simply because they like getting them young people will only buy them if they THINK theyre young so the younger the better.

[Kiki_Hammy]

Thank you for the warning.
I think you should report your Petco to someone. That's cruelty and abuse,and they can lose their pet sales license.

[barrelracer]

Thank you for the warning.
I think you should report your Petco to someone. That's cruelty and abuse,and they can lose their pet sales license.

I wouldnt know who to report them to

[daisylynn]

Here in Maine, the petco is the better of the shops if you want to buy a rodent. They take great care of their pets and the cages look clean. It's the pet shops that don't have a world-wide cooperation that I'm worried about. They got people who don't know what they are doing.

But I'm sorry the petco in your area stinks. maybe you could write the company an e-mail? I'm sure SOMEONE in the Petco network would be happy to help you.

[Hammie86]

I remember when I got my first Syrian. He passed within 3 days. This also happened to the second. I was so sad so I waited a while and when I got a different one (Blackie) well I have had him almost a year. So I think it depends on who supplies them and maybe the time of year. Not sure just giving my opinion and story. I would like to do more adopting from the breeder at an age where I know how old they are instead of having Petco say well maybe 6 months or whatever the age may be. Plus I would like to think that breeders take more care of the hamsters.

[cookie.monster]

This happened to me as well. My first hamster Bella died 14 days after I bought her of wetail as well. Now I don't know what area you're in, so the PetCo in your area could just have gotten a bad batch and the rest of the stores not infected, or it could very well be true thatall the chains of the shop are infected. I was very angered when I first found this out, so I stopped buying my hamsters from PetCo. I am SURE this has happened to other owners and has upset them. I was enraged, and they probably were too. I was happy with my Syrian, and then out of no where, she got sick and died. I think I will report this to PetCo and my local SPCA. Kiki's right -- they could loose their pet sales license and go out of business. The breeders could loose thier breeding license for giving PetCo the young hamsters. This needs to be reported ASAP.

[kimtekz]

Not all Petco is like this.

The 5 dwarfs I bought were 4-6 weeks old and never had a problem except for one getting injuried in my bin cage.

[Hammie86]

Thats what I'm trying to say. Im sure there all not bad, maybe the have bad times but so does everyone and everyplace.

[StarrySora]

Not all Petco's are bad. I just bought my Syrian Sora today (ok it's now yesterday, but still) from Petco. In fact the woman there had tamed most of the small animals there. The last ferret they had was extremely tame, but the woman who cleans the cages out there happens to be a specialist and I can tell she takes excellent care of the animals. It really depends on where you go, I honestly think that Vegas is one of the better places to buy animals. My sister said that she has to distance herself from Sora because she has become very attached to her as well and wants to take her from me hehehe. But yeah, it really depends on the store you go to. The specialist was very sad to see Sora come home with me, but I promised the woman that she would have a good home as did my sister. Anyway yeah, you should really check the hamsters before you buy them, make sure they look alright. If you really want to report them, they are a business, report them to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) and maybe the ASPCA.

[hamstili]

As i know, only syrians can get wet tail... wasn`t it a normal diarrhea? There`s a difference between that both things.

[Christemo]

I got Pixie from Petco and he's just fine.

[water208]

Not all petcos are bad, but the one i went to was pretty bad. Whenever i go and ask if i could inspect one, their fur is dull and the skin on them is flaky. Their eyes sometimes are dull to, when u try to wake them up (just to see if they'r ok) , they barly move and look horrible! They even put multiple hamster in a small tank with emptey dishes and grimy water bottles I told them that they arn't taking good care and they said "we know what we are doing and we don't take info from kids"! My mom told me that we should leave. I never noticed any of this bad stuff untill i baught my first hamster that almost died of wet tail and look like humans were neglecting it to make her mean. I'm never going to buy another hamster there again. Plus, they only sell girl hamsters and rodents at the Petco I go to!

Edited by water208, 15 April 2009 - 07:15 AM.

[Jibbet07]

I got my hamster from PetSmart and he is currently three years old. He hasn't had any problems.
Is PetCo owned by the same people as PetSmart? If so, I think maybe it depends on the time of year and when they were shipped to the store, or could have something to do with a sick hamster giving birth to a bunch of hamsters and they could all be sick aswell.

[Bea]

Well, this thread is pretty old but I may as well put in my two cents.

In my opinion, it isn't necessarily the pet store that's bad, but their suppliers. Both PetCo and PetSmart get their animals from huge mills, in which animals are bred in mass for profit, and housed in improper housing and in stressful situations. I got both my previous Syrians from PetSmart and I had neither for more than ten months, so I got a little suspicious of the quality of their animals. Both my robos were bought from PetCo, and they are still alive today, though living at a friend's house. I refuse to buy animals from either of these stores, as I do not like supporting mass-breeding, but also because in my opinion, their animals are overpriced for the quality of animal you're getting. I mean, I'm willing to pay twenty to thirty, if not more, dollars to get a healthy, well bred animal from a breeder. But for an animal that has most likely been inbred for generations, housed in bad conditions, and often times sick, I would much rather go to my local pet store that gets their stock from a responsible breeder. All the fish I've bought at PetCo and PetSmart don't seem to make it past a week either. And it does appear to me that they only carry female animals. I wonder why that is? Considering that in this case it would be more likely that they were purchased pregnant. In general, they don't treat their animals very well, I've seen them housing Chinese with Campbell's! I tried telling them that they shouldn't be housed together but they just looked at me like I was an idiot and replied, "Yeah YOU'RE the expert..." which I thought was rude. I avoid buying anything from them at all, even supplies, because they don't even carry the supplies I use.

[Sparklebells]

Gosh, some people are just hateful towards hamsters. Don't they realize that they're good pets, too? Dogs and cats are taking the spotlight. Poor hamsters! I wish there was a place where hamsters could live freely.