Petsmart Animal Cruelty ***WARNING*** maybe be disturbing

[Randi]

I still have friends working in stores like these, and I support them and their love for animals. I used to work in two pet stores. I know how it is. The policies need some changing. I was hopeful to speak to a representative like I was told, just to see if there could be improvements. If they wanted to make an improvement and reach out, it would have made them look better. It just shows, the lack of care the people who make all the money have.

 

[Randi]

It definitely would be a problem that's higher up. I have many friends who work in pet stores, they care and value the animals life. Some try to research as much as possible and do as much as possible. Others don't care. I guess my problem is that if they are selling a life, they should be held more accountable for its well being and the care provided. One misinformed person will share that information with another, and so on. And then it leaves a bunch of misinformed people who tried to go somewhere for guidance.

I feel some policies need to change. An example.. the policy here is to use soil for all tortoises because it is cheaper for the store rather then using mulch. The soil gets wet, is not cleaned in due time, molds and the tortoise has problems.. now mulch, you can soak too much but you'd have to be misting for awhile. That one little change can help solve an array of problems perhaps. This one store in particular always has tortoises pass away or get extremely ill. That should be a sign that something isn't working. A company would probably save more money in the long run even if they had to spend a little more to ensure an animals well being. They wouldn't have constant trips to the vet, returns and refunds on sick animals, etc. If they are selling the animal, they need to sell the ideal lifestyle with it as well so to speak. If that company takes steps to correct a wrong, they are a better company for doing so. There's always things to learn and improve. My opinion on this, I suppose.

 

[dmarshall1991]

I worked at petsmart for 2+ years. From my experience at MY store the animals were taken care of wonderfully. 3 times a day we went to the "sick room" to medicate any sick animals and check on them. My store had a Banfield vet in it so whenever we'd get sick animals in we would take them there and they got the proper care. We also made extra sure that anyone wanting to purchase animals had all of the proper things needed and knew all the information about these animals. if they didn't we would outright refuse to sell them the animal. I can't even begin to explain the number of times I had to tell people "no I'm sorry you are not prepared to give this animal a proper home. Do some research and prove you know what your doing and be willing to give it proper care and THEN come talk to us" Now I HAVE heard terrible stories about the suppliers. But I have no experience with them so I don't know. Petsmart does get a bad wrap on how their animals are cared for, and I'm sure some of them do deserve that because not all petsmart or petcos care for their animals like we did at my store, but there definitely are good ones with employees who know what they are doing and do everything they can to make sure these animals are happy healthy and going to homes with people prepared and knowledgeable on their needs.

 

[ahawashin]

You know something I know that petsmarts is responsible for these breeders and what are they doing to the poor animals , but I shop at petsmart I buy my fish there and I bought 2 parakeets from there the lady who cares for the fish is knowledgeable and she takes care of her animals that's what makes me shop there , if we have to start somewhere we need to send a message to the regional managers and to the CEOs of the companies that deals with the cruel breeders

 

[Magilla504]

You know something I know that petsmarts is responsible for these breeders and what are they doing to the poor animals , but I shop at petsmart I buy my fish there and I bought 2 parakeets from there the lady who cares for the fish is knowledgeable and she takes care of her animals that's what makes me shop there , if we have to start somewhere we need to send a message to the regional managers and to the CEOs of the companies that deals with the cruel breeders

The only way to put them out of selling pets is for there to be no market for them. For example, I love russian torts and it's not that common for the average person to come across captive bred Russians. All of us on here can get them but for those who do not have Phone apps or are tech savvy may not know where to get cb torts. So the way to get chain pet stores to get out of the pet market is to make captive bred babies more available to the public. There is a reason chain pet stores don't house and sell dogs. There are too many private breeders to compete against.

 

[Randi]

I understand that there are people working in these places that are knowledgeable and informative. I understand that there are people who love their job. I like Petsmart because they will bring sick animals to the vet but I'm trying to say, if there's good enough preventative care and husbandry, the vet won't really be needed. These stores shouldn't be bringing in reptiles that they can't properly care for in the store. An example.. if a store keeps bringing in an animal, and it keeps dying, wouldn't that mean something that it requires wasn't met?

When I worked at Petsmart, I was there for almost two years. I managed the sick rooms and all the opening duties. I remember the amount of sick pets vs. healthy pets. The stores where I am, definitely need adjustments. It should be about preventative care and what can be done to give the best life possible.

 

[ahawashin]

The only way to put them out of selling pets is for there to be no market for them. For example, I love russian torts and it's not that common for the average person to come across captive bred Russians. All of us on here can get them but for those who do not have Phone apps or are tech savvy may not know where to get cb torts. So the way to get chain pet stores to get out of the pet market is to make captive bred babies more available to the public. There is a reason chain pet stores don't house and sell dogs. There are too many private breeders to compete against.

That is so true when I use to breed African greys I learned that ppl always rather do business with the breeder than some pet store that couldn't tell anything about the animal they had

 

[ahawashin]

Lol what's so funny is the petsmart by my house has 4 tortoises now in a small 10 gallon tank they look so cluttered in the tank climbing on top of each other to get to the food they were marked Greek tortoise but I know they are Russians they look Russian

 

[rachels-torts]

It definitely varies in each store the petsmart that I use takes pretty good care of their animals. They always have fresh food and little feces in their bedding. Petco on the other hand, you should never buy from. Every Petco I've been to keeps their animals in the same filthy living conditions. The rodents are crammed into tiny cages where they can barely move and the bedding is probably 80% feces. There are always multiple fish that are dead in filthy water. Not to mention the store reeks of urine. The last time I was there, the health conditions of the tortoises made me sick. They had 3 Russians in a tiny cage and their skin and shells were extremely dry and flaky. I asked if I could take a look at them, and the first one I picked up was very sick. He couldn't move, the skin on his back leg was literally hanging off, and he couldn't open his eyes. I emailed their manager and got a reply saying that they care a lot about the health of their animals. That was a complete lie. Please don't buy anything from Petco. They need to learn that the stores really don't care about the well being of their animals.

 

[the_newzie]

I recently went to an "exotic pet store" for the first time since I was a kid last month to buy some stuff for Steve's indoor winter habitat, I could not believe the conditions these animals lived in. Everything from mid size terrariums over-filled with juvenile torts to little baby snakes kept in Styrofoam containers that seem like they'd be better suited to house drive-through side dishes. Why does anybody need to buy from a pet store when there are so many rescues that need homes?

 

[Lyles]

I recently went to an "exotic pet store" for the first time since I was a kid last month to buy some stuff for Steve's indoor winter habitat, I could not believe the conditions these animals lived in. Everything from mid size terrariums over-filled with juvenile torts to little baby snakes kept in Styrofoam containers that seem like they'd be better suited to house drive-through side dishes. Why does anybody need to buy from a pet store when there are so many rescues that need homes?

The same reason why people don't spay/neuter their pets and breed them in the backyard to sale on craigslist. Profit.

This is a huge problem that is predominant in the US with China and Japan at close 2nd. When people / companies breed animals for profit, they lower the animals' value to that below which empathy and compassion warrants. Animals that are bred in captivity should be done so responsibly as a hobby, and we know that when it comes to turts and torts you are lucky to break even due to the time it takes for them to reach sexual maturity and conditions needed for stimulating nesting. Which is why most of what you see in pet stores are either wild caught or long term captives. They also tend to be sick due to improper care and quarantine of new additions.

 

[Rick's Sullivan]

I recently went to an "exotic pet store" for the first time since I was a kid last month to buy some stuff for Steve's indoor winter habitat, I could not believe the conditions these animals lived in. Everything from mid size terrariums over-filled with juvenile torts to little baby snakes kept in Styrofoam containers that seem like they'd be better suited to house drive-through side dishes. Why does anybody need to buy from a pet store when there are so many rescues that need homes?

Agreed. I'm sure there are responsible corporate pet store locations just as there are irresponsible ones, but we need to do something about the animals flooding the rescues. I realize this is an extreme stance, but I often wish that there would be legislation to limit breeding and disallow wild caught pet sales while there are so many homeless pets (of all types) in this country. I also wish there was better legislation to enforce stricter standards so good humane breeders got the business and the pathetic breeders were put OUT OF BUSINESS. Hope you don't mind my musings too much!