118 replies to this topic

[Jaybee]

I know that the laws in California are quite strict concerning the treatment of animals being sold for pets, including hamsters. But, I seriously doubt that this rainbow company is in any district, maybe not even in the country. I guess my primary concern is that petsmart shouldn't by their hamsters from distributors that treat there animals with so little respect. I couldn't believe it when that guy stepped on that poor hamster, it wasn't like he did anything wrong poor little guy, just did what they do, try to explore and escape.

linda from the california hamster association has told me so many horror stories about petco and petsmart :( despite whatever laws our state has, i dont think it matters :(

[Whisper<3]

I just looked at the video and I cried. It is so sad how those people can do that. How would that person like to be gassed and thrown against a wall. It's sick and disgusting. I hope my petsmart and petco don't do this. Do all petstores do this? It's horrible! :(:(:( How would they like it? cry cry

[Lestette]

I've seen those things happen at a few pet stores here... It doesn't seem to matter what I try to do either, it just keeps happening. I think the majority of pet stores in this city are particularly bad. We just recently acquired a Pet Smart here... and I am surprised to say that this is the only store that seems to be housing their animals properly. I plan on doing a little more digging around to see if all is well. I haven't yet been able to figure out who the supplier is for the store either... every other pet store in the city gets from the same guy and I do not agree with his practice one bit. I hope Pet Smart is getting from else where.

[Christmas_hamster]

Petsmart's usually get from their own large scale supplier. Typically if there's a pet in a pet store they came from some sort or back yard breeder or large scale supplier. No decent breeder would give up their hamsters to a pet store. :/

[Azayles]

I couldn't read much more than half of that PDF report file. That was absolutely heart breaking D;
I expected more for a store as big as petsmart. I didn't expect such acts of animal cruelty so inhumane, only a human is capable of them.
This has shaken me

"Until he extends the circle of his compassion to ALL living things, man will not himself find peace."
- Dr. Albert Schweitzer

[PinkPumpkinGirl]

My petsmart is a really good one. I know the employee that I went to when I got my hamster knew about every since hamster (it's temperament and how long it's been at the store). She told me which ones were nice and which ones bit. But she said all the hamsters besides the robo ones were mean and she wouldnt suggest them. :/ She said the Syrians were there for 3 months now.

[Christmas_hamster]

Certain stores can have good employees and clean cages but the problem is with where the animals come from. And as a robo hamster lover I would recommend them to anyone that has plenty of experience handling hamsters and is willing to watch them more than play with them (there are exceptions but generally....). Any hamster can be a biter, it doesn't depend on the species of hamster though but the individual.

[Whitehouse]

Yes hence why adopting/rescuing is not supporting huge chain stores. ;) And sometimes those people/idiots that get bored with their pets get them from back yard breeders which are a whole other problem.

This topic is old but people take PETA with a grain of salt, most of what they say is 98% crud.

I'd like to take a moment to say that not all "backyard breeders" are irresponsible. I'm trying really hard to be a very good independent WW breeder ... AND I got my stock from PetSmart. I agree that PetCo & PetLand are much worse. I once saw a mouse removed from a crowded tank by a PetCo employee because a customer told her the mouse had Wettail. The mouse was put into one of those cardboard travel carriers because they didn't know what else to do with it. No effort was made to clean or sanitize the tank from which the infected mouse was taken, or inspect the other mice in that same tank for signs of illness. And don't get me started about PetLand.

Our local PetSmarts are clean stores that take excellent care of their critters. At the first sign of trouble, the animal is removed, & examined by the (in-house) Bansfield vets. In fact, I offered to buy one of their WWP females that had been banged up a bit in a fight with another WW female. I was told that although the wounds were superficial, the WWP would remain in a tank in the recovery area in the back of the store until the wounds were completely healed, & they were in no hurry. They just wanted her to be OK.

That's the exact opposite of every other pet store I've encountered ... where a problem animal would have been the first to go, even at a discount, just to get it out of the shop. Oh, & the smell ... so many shops I've visited in recent years just plain smell terrible. I've even been to one (large) local vet clinic that smelled strongly of ammonia.

I'm pretty happy with PetSmart.

[Christmas_hamster]

By back yard breeder I mean people who don't do their research, do it for the money, spread false ifnromation, do it ebcause they're cute, etc. Basically not being responsible.

[Elli-Kodi'sMommy]

Petsmart's usually get from their own large scale supplier. Typically if there's a pet in a pet store they came from some sort or back yard breeder or large scale supplier. No decent breeder would give up their hamsters to a pet store. :/

I agree when I had my litter even I with no experience wasnt willing to give my pups up to a pet store

I am applying to work at petsmart though I hope I get the job. I actually know about animals ... Only one pet store employee has ever seemed to know anyone .... One told my friend syrians are way more likely to be aggressive than the robo's she was looking at ugh

[AveryJByrd]

I just watched a video on YouTube about animal supplier cruelty. It was awful. How can these people do this without guilt? These are ANIMALS. They have emotions, and they can feel the pain they are being put through. It makes me NEVER want to buy an animal from those stores EVER again.

The way these small animals were treated made me cry. It just so horrible. I can't imagine what kind of person you'd have to be to be able to work that job, to take a pay check for putting an animal through that.

We have to put a stop to this, and raise awareness for how these animals are raised. We need to get more people to adopt, rather than buy. There are homeless hamsters out there that need a hope! And we can save them. I know we can. So please, before you ever, ever think about buying a new hamster from a pet store, consider rescuing one. They need that home.

I am curious however.. Is Petco any better? I know they have in-store adoptions, but I am almost certain they obtain their rodents the same way as other pet stores.

[Azayles]

I once watched a youtube video about a puppy that had been grossly mistreated, was rescued and then rehabilitated in an animal rescue centre. The puppy was so scared at first it defecated in fear, but then the rescue worker started cuddling the puppy and she calmed right down and started wagging her tail.

I wept openly, watching this.

The puppy went to new owners, and as far ad I'm aware has been enjoying a happy life ever since.

[Elli-Kodi'sMommy]

theres too much of a demand to stop the supply

[Whitehouse]

I am curious however.. Is Petco any better? I know they have in-store adoptions, but I am almost certain they obtain their rodents the same way as other pet stores.

In my experience, PetCo is worse than PetSmart, but I have also seen (by far) worse than PetCo. I've been to small, independent pet stores, where the front door is left open so you can just walk right in, but the ammonia smell hits you the second you step through the door anyway. You know that's gotta be a terrible situation for the animals if it's that bad for a human.

I like PetSmart, at least, my local stores are always clean & smell good, the animals' quarters are clean, the staff are friendly & there is always someone to ask for help, although like every other store, sometimes they have "rushes" of customers & I've had a wait a while a couple times ... but at PetCo, they don't seem to know anything about the small pets. I witnessed an employee "cleaning" the large hamster tank with a cat litter scooper. She didn't bother to actually wipe anything down, she just scooped up the litter that was a week old & threw it away, leaving the animals in the tank while she worked. Then she put down a fresh layer of recycled paper product (maybe it was Carefresh? Or something similar) & I asked why they used that instead of the Aspen wood shavings that PetSmart uses. The employee told me they used the recycled paper product because it "absorbs odor better".

Meanwhile, at PetSmart, another employee told me they clean the small animals' tanks *every day*, including giving them fresh water in their water bottles *every day*. I guess it doesn't matter if you use Aspen bedding if you clean the cage that often.

(I have no issue with, & have also used, Aspen bedding. I've tried Kaytee brand bedding, & Carefresh too, & prefer the Kaytee stuff. But that's just my opinion.)

[tedditoo365]

Like many others have said, it really depends on the pet store. My first hamster, I got at Petsmart and he lived for a healthy 3 years! Now my syrian I got a couple days ago is fantastic! I got her from a Petco near where I live and they check every single one of their pets every morning to see if they are healthy and my hamster was played with and carried around by the employees every day and she is so friendly! She is also only 2 months old. So basically it depends on the petstore so before you buy a pet from a petstore it's a good idea to get a feel of how they handle their animals.