Just thought I would tell you guys something. Today when I was at the petstore the owner came out with me to help put 2 (40 pound) bags of dog food in my truck. She asked me about what kind I had and how many and did I breed ect., ect., etc. After we talked a bit she was astonished at how many people would bring back birds, hamsters, fish, etc. cause they didn`t want them anymore. I told her it was the same with dogs only they dumped them out somewhere or took them to the shelter. She couldn`t believe all that I told her and what she told me didn`t surprise me any. They just had a bout with their petshop birds cause a customer had brought one in that had some kind of contagious disease. They realize now just what can happen when careless. They had taken in some unwanted critters but she couldn`t believe at just how many would toss them out. She said "Don`t people take into consideration that these animals have to be cared for? Many just turn them loose and they can`t take care of themselves in the wild." I was amazed she had actually noticed things but one thing I like about this petstore. They DON`T sell puppies or kittens. Never have and probably never will. They do have a pin up board that has a few listings of locals trying to sell pets but there is not a whole lot of names on it...But a Dobie rescue is posted there....

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

I think that quite a few of the smaller pet shops started out because the owners really like animals. When the hunger for money takes over and you can end up with the bigger chains that are more interested in the bottom line than the animals.

Mimi

'When we stop learning, we die.'

I often wonder if the reason why they haven`t sold puppies or kittens is because of the chance of having to pay vet expenses if it is sick. I think that is why our other pet store went out of business. It seemed as if his 4 legged fur babies always had nasty eyes, or throwing up, or parvo. Maybe too they learned a lesson form the byb, commercial breeders, etc. That`is pretty bad when a petshop in the business of selling pets can`t because even they can`t get GOOD stock...They paid a fortune to keep their birds well after that episode with a customer bringing in a sick one...


BUT your right AmPugs, I think they really care about the little guys they have and don`t want to see any harm done to them except for the feeder mice and that is just something that has to happen for anothers survival.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

Hey hey hey. They could at least take a little better care of the mice! I mean, they're going to die, these are their last days on earth, and they get stuck in sweaty, cramped up, smelly, stuffy conditions. At my petshop I wanted to let them all loose because they were dying. I came back the next day and half of them were gone, I was like, 'did you guys sell all those mice?!?' and they were like, 'no, most of them died in there.' They also had about 50 'pinky' mice, and no mom to keep them alive. I was like, why isn't there a mom in there? They were like, we don't have a mom, we sold the last one because all of her babies died, and it was her fault. That disgusted me, it wasn't her fault the babies died, it was the fault of the petshop and their horrible conditions. Now they were just going to let those little babies freeze and starve to death.

~*Rats will always be your best friend, even if you don't have treats.*~

Oh look---it's KeRat!!! wonderful rat girl

I think it depends on the store. Some just don't care. Some do. Personally, if I was feeding a snake or something that ate mice, I would want them to be healthy mice. Too many problems could come from feeding sick/dying mice. I just don't buy from stores that don't keep all the animals they have in a healthy condition. The pet shops, that I do buy at, the owners care about their animals/fish/etc - maybe not to the extent of a pet owner, but they at least make sure that the pens are clean and the animals are healthy. I also make sure that the places know why I buy or don't buy. I don't necessarily mean buying animals - I mean buying anything.

Mimi

'When we stop learning, we die.'

I agree AmPugs. Even if you're feeding it to a snake, it could give the snake a disease that kills it, or parasites. And, as the saying goes, you are what you eat, if a snake eats sick mice, it's not going to be a very healthy snake.

~*Rats will always be your best friend, even if you don't have treats.*~

Rose, troll or registered user, grow up. I'm proud of my baby rats.

~*Rats will always be your best friend, even if you don't have treats.*~

Just to claerify what I said about the feeder mice: The petstore owner does care for them its just not the emotional type of care. They keep them in good health knowing that another will eat them.

"If your not in it for life, get a stuffed animal."

Yeah, that's what I mean. The mice at my petshop are in horrible condition. All have dull unsmooth coats and most are really sick. They overcrowd them and they suffocate in their cages. The cages have screen tops, but they're in a small bathroom with no ventilation, so they suffocate. I posted about this petshop before, where the waterbottles feel like little heaters from the mice. The rats are stuck about 7-9 in a 1 1/2' by 2 1/2' space, they are all stressed out and sick, it's just horrible.

~*Rats will always be your best friend, even if you don't have treats.*~