PetSmart Should Stop Selling Small Animals

Issue date: 3/27/07 Section: Commentary PetSmart, an animal supply store, needs to get out of the small animal business. via The Daily Campus

[shishi]

i don't know what this is about but i was looking on the internet on pet smart to look for sugar gliders when i found this.

[Pessimist]

shishi wrote:

i don't know what this is about but i was looking on the internet on pet smart to look for sugar gliders when i found this.

Can you actually buy sugar gliders

[Brit]

What is up with this. I was looking to buy chinchilla, and instead, I found this. I think that is great that PetSmart sells small animals, because if you can't find a pet at a pet store, then you have to go on the computer, like I am doing right now, to fond the pet you are looking for.

[Julieta]

Go to a shelter, and you will find pelnty of animals that were bought at a pet store, and people(stupid people) did not want them afterward.

There is small animals shelters all over the country!!

Brit wrote:

What is up with this. I was looking to buy chinchilla, and instead, I found this. I think that is great that PetSmart sells small animals, because if you can't find a pet at a pet store, then you have to go on the computer, like I am doing right now, to fond the pet you are looking for.

[Andrea]

Yes. I don't think Petsmart really has the resources to take care of the animals they sell properly. Plus, it encourages people to buy these hamsters, birds and the like as impulse buys. These types of animals need special care and Petsmart staff don't have the know how to give people advice about them. I think they should leave the selling of animals to breeders and specialty stores.

[Maemae]

I agree. Here in our country they even sell hedgehogs. Most of the buyers have no background in taking care of them. Poor animals. When you ask the store owner/crew how to go about taking care of them, they have no answers! Im ok with my hamsters. They make great pets.

[Shannon]

Do They Sell HedgeHiogs I've Been Lookin Everywhere For Them !!!!!!

[susiepie]

i went to the petstore, to buy a hamster, its been a years since the passing of my last hamster who live a good full life (3 years)(got it from petsmart) and i find that they dont sell them anymore. In a way its good, but i cant find hamsters anywhere, ive checked shelters, other pet stores, my friends, no where.I dont know what to do now, im signed up on a list at the shelter if one comes in but where else can i find one? i never knew it would be this hard just to try and find a hamster.All my hamsters that i got from petsmart were all healthy, just wondering but why did petsmart nad petceter etc. stop selling them?

[Kaydi]

I agree with susiepie, i think petsmart's hamsters and small animals look perfectly healthy and fine. also,of course the staff arent going to know whats up!!! it's usually just college students with summer jobs. if you are looking to buy an animal, do the research yourself, at the petstores it is their job to sell you as mush as possible. you should never believe them unless they obviously know what they are talking about.

[hamster owner]

i agree that petsmart should not be selling animals. i purchased one hamster and a week later woke up with ten.
i purchased a pregnant hamster and didn't know it, and the store refused to take the babies back, claiming that they would be used as snake food if anything. i didn't have the heart to do that.
they should be more responsible and separate the males from the females.

[Air Cav]

hamster owner wrote:

i agree that petsmart should not be selling animals. i purchased one hamster and a week later woke up with ten.
i purchased a pregnant hamster and didn't know it, and the store refused to take the babies back, claiming that they would be used as snake food if anything. i didn't have the heart to do that.
they should be more responsible and separate the males from the females.

If you bought a snake would you not give it what it feeds on?

[Dillon]

I'm just learning that PetSmart seems to have a poor history with PETA and animal care. I can't speak for all stores, because it is a large chain, but when I adopted my hamster, Neo, from PetSmart - the staff was very knowledgeable about hamster care- even directed me away from certain products that they carry. I was counseled on taking care of Neo properly and had to sign a sheet stating that I would. The store I went to was a female only store, meaning that ALL of their small animals were female and pregnancy was not an option - Neo has been a great pet for over a year and a half. However, after saying this - I do recommend checking online for shelters. I'm adopting a second hamster named Zinger from a local humane society right now.

[PETsMART fan]

I think petsmart is doing really well with their animals. I don't think they should stop selling. I have two very healthy guinea pigs (Tigger & Errol), and they are perfectly nice pets.

[Travis]

I recently bought a chinchilla from petsmart (about 2 months ago) they had a huge display case with just two in there.They both were from the same litter.I did research on the animal and decided i wanted to have one as a pet.When i came back to get one i asked to see one i held her than i asked to see the other one and the sales guy made a bunch of excuses for me not to see the other. so the sales man told me i only needed a one level cage and not that big. i had a small cage that he picked out and my chinchilla was banging its head on the top when she would jump.A week later we came back and exchanged the cage and asked where the other one went. They said that the other one diddnt get fed on time and handled with and passed.The animals dont get takin care of good there i wish i would of known this before!

[cristi]

Shannon wrote:

Do They Sell HedgeHiogs I've Been Lookin Everywhere For Them !!!!!!

I am looking for a hedgehog to adopt. Did you find one? I live in California. I own a hamster and a chinchilla. I know I can take care of a cute little hedgehog.

[cristi]

I am looking for a hedgehog. I live in California. Can anyone help?

[Patricia Grader]

I can't believe you people are complaining about things that RARELY happen. You will ALWAYS be able to find people who misshandle animals. I don't think you should blame PetSmart for that.

[Manna]

Quite honestly I agree with everyone who says Petsmart should not sell small animals. I grew up with Hamsters. One of them lived for 3 years. One lived for 2 years.
I just got my own daughters hamsters. The hamsters are in a cage not accessible by the children. Are cleaned out at least once a week if not more. Are fed and watered daily.
First hamster I brought home. Died in 5 days. brought it back to the store because they warranty them. Got a replacement. It died in 3 days. My daughter was so heartbroken!!! Now yet again, 3 weeks later the NEW one died!!! These animals are obviously NOT healthy! They don't know what's going on with them at the store. They need to stop selling them. I see lots of ads for hamsters in the classifies on craigslist around here. But I don't want to drive an hour away to get one. So My children who are very heartbroken have gone through 3 hamsters in a month. It's too sad. I think we're done. And I suppose It depends where you live how well they are taken care of.

[Overlord-1995]

i think that it all depends on which store you go to because i went to a petsmart and their animals didnt look so well. but then i moved and all the hamsters there look healthy and happy. and i bought one from there and its been good ever since.

[Mel]

I used to work for PetSmart as a Pet Care Specialist. You know where they get their small pets from? They are shipped from only a few states away, and it's a puppy/animal mill!
What I have observed is that there are some, but not all employees that just don't care about the welfare of the animals. They are occasionally neglected and are not given the proper care that they should have at times. Like after a hamster died of wet-tail, I was instructed to only replace the bedding. There was more than one hamster (like 5) and the manager did not even suggest to clean and sanitize their cage or anything!!
I quit after so much bs with the company and the employees.
I now breed Gerbils as a hobby in the hopes that they will outlive/outgrow the "pet store animals."
The pet store animals are constantly being produced to meet the demand of the public. As long as the public stops buying these animals, PetSmart will have no choice but to quit selling these animals as they'll lose profits.
They continue to sell them to this day as there are high demands for them...unfortunately.
You buy their animals, and you also support those puppy/animal mills. That's sad...
Go with a reputable breeder, it's the best way to go.