my pet shop rant

[pOker]

i went to a pet store named Animal Fair in Ridgefield Connecticut today and i was apalled by their store. as soon as you walk in you are in a completely crowded area. you walk around to the left and you are in the area with the rabbits and the birds and other small animals. they had so many rabbits and i was sooo excited to see how cute they all were. it was clear that they were mostly holland lops, but then the rest of the cages with rabbits had no names of their breed. and they were just beautiful rabbits. NOW-that wasnt the issue i had..let me give you a list here;;

1.to purchase a baby holland lop-you were to pay $100!
2. the babies were definetely not 8 weeks of age. i estimated maybe 5-6 weeks old.
3.the cages were rusting, paint was hanging off.
4.there were feathers in the cages, birds feathers.
5.the cages were so filthy, i touched it and i had dust all over my hand.they were absolutely despicable.
6.a cage is supposed to have enough room for the rabbit to hop atleast 3 times-well apparently not in this place..there was what i believed was a lionhead or something-that was AT LEAST 9 pounds. it was in a cage that wasnt even suitable for a newborn bunny.


i dont know if i can rant anymore-i was just so disgusted-and these rabbits were supposed to be purebred, pedigreed rabbits; so why are such high priced rabbits in such POOR conditions?
some cages didnt even have food, the rabbits were for the most part completely lethargic. i reached in to pet one-and they didnt budge.
the section where they kept all the supplies was a disaster area-you couldnt even touch anything without a small bug or cricket hopping out.


i cant even say anything else-i wanted to buy every rabbit that was there, and just take them home and have them take up the whole house...i just want them out of there.





is there anything that i can do in that situation-does anyone think that i can go to somewhere to complain or have them take notice to this place?? just looking in through the window you could see that there were feathers and poop and gahh-the chinchillas cage was completely covered in poop..there was dried urine on the sides of the cages.



i took a few pictures but then i just HAD to leave..i was so upset.

pictures are uploading

 

[pOker]

this is the tiny cage and the big bun..

the hay you see in this pic is all there was (below)

this rabbit belowhad no food-no water, and couldnt even fit in his litter box.

(below)dried urine in the bottom right corner, it smelled so terrible. such sweet buns.

this bearded dragon was in a 10 gallon tank..it is twice the size of my bearded dragon andmine is in a 50 gallon tank!

anyone else annoyed-or am i just crazy for feeling terrible and mad?

 

[dolly87]

That is absolutely horrible! I HATE going into pet stores because I know that:

A) There are perfectly good pets that need to be adopted
&
B) The care given to these poor guys are usually HORRIBLE.

I honestly would inquire to the ASPCA about these people!

 

[SweetSassy]

:shock: :tantrum: Terrible!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Personally I don't see much wrong with the conditions in the pictures, other than the rabbit in the cage that looks to small for it.

The Hollands looks about 7 to 8 weeks to me. And maybe they didn't have any hay because they ate it already? I know that lots of members here give there rabbits unlimited hay, but the petshop might not. They do have a full dish of food, though, that I can see.

I didn't know rabbits had to fit in their litter boxes to be able to use them properly? My rabbits just put their bottom over the litter box and go potty - sometimes they'll hop in it completely.

The "dried urine" just looks like a urine stain to me, and believe me those can be hard to get rid of without scrubbing the cage and using a bleach solution.

The rabbit in that small cage, doesn't look like it's 9 pounds...maybe 5 or 6? Lionheads can't get up to 9 pounds, so if it is a Lionhead mix, it'd be smaller than 9 lbs.
I have a cage like that, I think it's bigger though, and I have one of my MR bucks in it... though he's only 4 lbs.

Just my $.2 worth.

ETA: This is just my opinion of what I can tell of the conditions by the pictures.

Emily

 

[irishbunny]

Yuck, those conditions are awful! Poor buns! Definitely contact a local SPCA.

What I'm really concerned about is the small cage, the no water and the dirty litter box.

 

[pOker]

there was no hay in the cage..only about a handful..i did not take pictures of the whole cage-i wish i did though..yes a few of the cages had a full dish of food.

im not sure that it was a purebred lionhead though-it didnt say that it was-the rabbit was very large-and for some reason not for sale i wanted him.

yes Emily im glad you added you 2 cents..
but i think the pictures were not taken that well-i should have taken a picture of the whole cage and all the cages to show exactly what i meant.

the litter box being too small-you are right about size not mattering-i think that i am just in my "rant" mood and i am just angry and had to add something else :/

anyways--if you were in that pet store-and saw everything around it-im sure youd be angry too..even though you dont see everything in the pictures-i was in there-and i could not bare it..if i ever go back there-i will certainly take pictures to show the whole area and show exactly what ticked me off.

 

[Happi Bun]

You are fortunate to live in New York, which is covered by the wonderful ASPCA.

http://www.aspca.org/

I would definitely contact them with your concerns. If any of the animals were being denied food and/or water then that is a real problem. I'm not sure if they can do anything regarding small cages, unless it is blatant cruel confinement. Unsanitary conditions are also a real problem. They may not have enough to close the store, but at the very least they can keep an eye on the store and hopefully scare the owner straight. Pet Stores have basic animal care regulations they must follow.

 

[pOker]

but the thing is-the pet store is located in Connecticut...i am looking for some type of animal rescue that has the authority to "scare the owner straight"...before i go back to school and work i will have to go back in there and check it out and take more pictures.theres no signs saying i cant..

the buns were just gorgeous-but the conditions were poor. maybe im just a neat freak-but i dont know anyone that would keep their buns in cages like that.

 

[Amy27]

I would turn them in. Where I live, there isn't an ASPCA. I called on a pet store once and turned them in to the county Animal Care and Control department who assured me they would visit the pet store. I would be very upset to see animals living in those conditions.

 

[Happi Bun]

Opps, sorry. I blanked out were you stated it was in Connecticut. :headsmack

Maybe they have an SPCA or something similar? I sure hope so.

 

[pOker]

thanks everyone for their opinions-i think that the best idea would be to call the ASPCA, because i am sure that they have some contact with some sort of rescue in Connecticut..i hope that these beautiful buns get the homes they need and get out of there, and i hope all the mice, rats, gerbils, chinchillas, birds, and all the other animals can find good homes as well..

thanks everyone

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Poker, I agree. I'm sure that if I had saw the conditions myself I would be angry, and I can understand how the pictures might not show everything.

I would still turn them in, just to be on the safe side.

Emily

 

[pOker]

yepp-thanks Emily..by the way my name is Hannah-for future reference..hehe.. but yes-i do plan on turning them in, and i will keep everyone updated on the situation..
thanks again

 

[wallice]

Yeah, the dreaded pet store anger. I can't even go into PJ's pet centre anymore at any of three locations. Maybe because my blood pressure reaches dangerous levels, or maybe because I've gotten into a tiff with all their managers.
I agree though with what people are saying, and how pictures never really capture the full effect. When I saw them, i didn't think they were THAT bad (still not good though!) They should use actual litter in their litter pans, and they wouldn't be a problem, as I know if I didn't and my boy did his business, it would be twice that bad after a single sitting (he goes a lot!)
I must say though besides the small tank size, they did alright by their beardie. Hes on paper towel (not calcium sand) and given greens and pellets, and presumably crickets. hes nice and plump, and all limbs and fingers are intact, which is rare for pet stores. Maybe I just notice beardies a little more though cause I breed them! If you're successful, I may sick the OSPCA on a few pet stores myself...
Good luck!

 

[pOker]

Christina-thanks bunches for the input

YOU BREED BEARDED DRAGONS! wow, thats absolutely amazing.i have a beardie named Elliot-hes about 3.they are such interesting creatures..

its just, the bearded dragon there was "plump" as you said, and the cage just seemed so small-and there was only a regular light, no heating lamp, and nothing for the poor guy to climb on..

well, im sure a cute fellow like him could be out of there in no time anyways

 

[Luvr of Wabbits and Polar Bears]

dolly87 wrote:

That is absolutely horrible! I HATE going into pet stores because I know that:

A) There are perfectly good pets that need to be adopted
&
B) The care given to these poor guys are usually HORRIBLE.

I honestly would inquire to the ASPCA about these people!

:yeahthat: