cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Sept 26, 2015 23:18:32 GMT
Before I share whats on my mind I'd like to say adoption for guinea pigs is unspoken where I live and therefore I was not informed that you could adopt guinea pigs until after like a year of guinea pig ownership but I was well educated on guinea pig care before I purchased them and was really upset after the encounter I had with a Petco employee they wernt really rude but there advice was awful!!!! First I claimed id like to purchase 2 guinea pigs and the woman was actually advising me not to get more than one and said was actually asking why I wanted 2 than she said aspen would cause respiratory problems. The water bottle she advised was one where the nozzle has a stick in the center where the pigs have to move to receive water and because they were babies they still weren't water bottle trained and almost dehydrated. She advised me to feed a guinea pig mix with seeds nuts and dehydrated fruit her reasoning was because that's what they like.........smart. She never once mentioned the importance of vitamtin c or hay. She had also talked highly of the guinea pig treats again her reasoning was cause they like them. Any type of chew/toy to wear down teeth was not mentioned. The cage she recommeded was probably 1\4 the size of what the girls have now comparable to shoe box compared to what they live in currently. If dehydration didn't kill them it would have been how bord they were in that cage which without a doubt would have caused non stop fighting. I had to go back to the petstore for a new water bottle and when I put a regular ball in barrel water bottle I couldn't get them off the water bottle if it wasn't for the fruit/veggies they probably would have died. I guess because the cage was so small she recommended a hamster wheel.The saddest part is Petco recommends employees in each department and she was the best, employee of the month for small pets. That's incredibly sad and I don't wanna see their worst I might lose it. I hate to rant but when it comes to their care and this is borderline abuse I'm very passionate about it and this is a petstore we expect them to know what their doing but they clearly don't if anyone else has had a similar experience please share.
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Post by Bean on Sept 27, 2015 13:43:59 GMT
It is awful how often this is seen - people in charge of educating the public about the animals they're buying, having no clue what their need are. I wish pet shops didn't sell animals at all and am very frustrated that we have a Pets At Home opening near us as they have an awful record on animal welfare and education.
I'd put what you've told us in writing and complain to the store and the head office.
Personally I don't use chew toys etc - they have wooden houses and things like pine cones that they can chew, but the main way their front teeth are ground down is by them grinding up against each other while they're eating hay, hence why hay is so important (for that and gastric health). But there's no excuse for advocating a mixed food, not mentioning hay or selling inadequately sized housing. The fact she'd won an award is a joke.
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Sept 27, 2015 16:45:33 GMT
I never thought it'd make a difference if I complained but please let me know if they respond in anyway. Thanks for being the voice for those who don't.
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Post by Bean on Sept 28, 2015 9:09:49 GMT
Sorry, I didn't mean I would personally contact them, but that if I'd seen what you'd seen I would definitely get in touch with the company to let them know they're failing in their duty of care to the animals. You'll need all the detail about which store it was, when you visited etc - as much detail as possible and back it up with proper care info, for example information from Guinea Lynx which is a well respected care website. So as not to overwhelm them, printing out something relatively simple like this care info leaflet might help. Sadly, it's only thinking that something they do might affect their sales that will compel them to change/ improve.
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 28, 2015 15:54:41 GMT
The saddest part of all that is that it takes great sales numbers, not knowledge of the animals or any care for their welfare, to become Employee of the month. Employees are told to push the products, especially to anyone who doesn't know any better. Few customers return bad products, or bad purchases. Once the store has sold the products, the sales usually stand. I actually tried to correct what an employee was telling customers, once, and was told I didn't work there, so wouldn't know about the products they carried. Definitely try writing to the store manager, though I doubt it will make any difference. What you can say is that you've posted about your experience on guinea pig forums, so others would know not to shop there, and you really hope they'll make changes so you can post about those, too.
There are also online sites where you can rate businesses, and post your comments as to why you're giving the rating you've chosen. The businesses hate those sites, but a lot of people visit them. I use them to get ideas about everything from a good restaurant to a new vet.
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Sept 29, 2015 22:49:58 GMT
Okay I didn't know that was a thing but now I do so I'm gonna check into it, thank you!
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Post by 3piggles on Sept 30, 2015 21:01:21 GMT
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Sept 30, 2015 21:12:30 GMT
Thank you, I was reading some myself before I posted anything.
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Post by Ch3lc on Oct 1, 2015 1:55:56 GMT
This really is serious, I had a different kind of problem when I went to petsmart to get my girls (nearest adoption for me was hours away) The employee who gave me my cavys dropped Sasame TWICE and I insisted on getting her myself (she was alright thank GOODNESS) The cashier also pet Kaori VERY aggressively and you could hear her freaking out (Like the harshness as scratching a large dog.. I was so nervous) I made up and excuse that I had to go quickly and all but ran out the store.
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Oct 1, 2015 2:35:49 GMT
Oh wow these people are so stupid like they need to work somewhere else seriously!! I read a bad review for Petco kinda same scenario except a hampster and the guy dropped him like 4 feet than put him back in the cage than he got him out again and the hamster bit him and so he dropped him again. And those poor things must have felt terrorized people have no respect for there shyness there treated like a cat\dog and there much different!!! And I don't blame you I would have done the same thing.
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 1, 2015 20:03:50 GMT
They're kept in huge, glass tanks with people poking the glass at them or walking by in the aisles, some with dogs, and general chaos. Then they're handled by employees who don't know how to handle them, have no particular love for them, and might even dislike them.They don't get hay, as they hide in it, and the customers can't see them. There's no attempt at bonding, so newbies are dumped in with animals that have been in the tanks for a while, making it harder to sell the older animals, who often pick on the younger animals.
Stores would probably sell more animals, foods and habitats, if they set them up to show the customers how much fun they are. Having them hide in the hay is part of the fun of having them, so set up the hay in the piggy tank, so the customers can see them burrowing and being active. Set up the habitat items the store sells, so the customers can see them in use. Dedicate the space to great habitats, and the animals will do the rest! I always wanted to start a store for guinea pig, and maybe for other small animals, that sold the right items; C&C cage parts, good pellets and hay, maybe some homemade treats with no salt or sugar added, and all the great habitat items I could stock. NO HAMSTER WHEELS! Now that I've said all that, I would have to stock great rabbit habitats, too, as I see those horrid tiny wood and chicken wire hutches for sale everywhere!
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Oct 1, 2015 22:01:54 GMT
That would be cool I would too but I don't have that kind of money
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Post by gitabooks on Oct 1, 2015 23:18:05 GMT
The people at our pet store are so nice, which just makes it worse when they don't know what they are doing. I just want to be able to help all the animals, and the people too, and new owners. Its so messed up today's pet culture, that buying pets is like buying a collectible. I'll try not to rant too long by the way, but its nice to have people that understand : )
At our Pet Land they have puppies in individual cages, on wire, and they have it so cold in there the puppies are shivering. They are woken up all the time for handling, and most of them are from puppy mills (very, very obvious, not to mention its on the news. So these puppies that cost $2,500 were probably bought for $600). We got a dog from Pet Land and she had pneumonia. They told us she had "a small cold". Another dog we got from a pet store, Jack's Pets, had a large hot spot on his neck and no toys to play with. Some puppies are so young they should still be drinking milk at these stores. Its hard to find dogs up for adoption, since my family has allergies and only a few breeds and mixes suffice. I've seen dying reptiles that can barely move they are so thin, gerbils with broken limbs dragging behind them, and ferrets with eyes crusted shut with green go, not to mention the bettas in little cups.
There, I feel a little better now. : ) I plan on making a difference, I've got plans to create and start selling proper food, enclosures, toys, ect for pets and making them readily available so that more animals get the care they need and the owners get a better experience and better pet. Hopefully those tiny cages will fade away.
Thanks for listening to the ranting. : )
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Oct 2, 2015 2:07:18 GMT
Don't even get me started on exotic pet purchases.......
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Post by jolovespiggies on Oct 2, 2015 18:58:15 GMT
No it's the same here Cavylady love, the exotic pet market is generally an utter disgrace! I hvae had extics, in fact I will do and I have seen some things in the past and always reported them.
Hugs Jo xx
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Post by 3piggles on Oct 2, 2015 21:30:35 GMT
Ooh, don't get me started, either. We have one family pet store near us, and they breed their own pigs, kittens and puppies, as if we need more!!! At least Petco has started carrying rescue pets, mostly cats, in their stores. Many stores have a glassed-in area of habitats, where people can view the cats and not bother them. If someone is interested in a cat, they get to hold that cat in a little side room. A friend in SoCal, who has a rabbit rescue, takes his rabbits to the Petco in Modesto on Saturdays, and Petco gives him the space in the center of the big, main aisle. He has house rabbits who are very socialized, so he takes some of them along, to greet the people. So much better than breeding or getting animals from a breeding mill. I'm not sure they don't order animals from breeding mills, too
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Oct 2, 2015 22:15:24 GMT
I can't believe people wanna keep lions and bears as pets!
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cavylady
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Posts: 254
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Post by cavylady on Oct 3, 2015 1:43:57 GMT
That's good to hear jo.
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Post by jolovespiggies on Oct 3, 2015 19:32:01 GMT
Thank you love, I have reported quite a few cruelty cases in the past and they have always cume to fruition, so I wasn't being silly.
Hugs Jo xx
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cavylady
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Post by cavylady on Oct 3, 2015 21:03:24 GMT
I haven't actually seen cruelty but I have seen mis information given which some times causes death or injury of an animal and that is cruel.
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