I'm so angry and sad right now!

Lunasmom

Post   » Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:53 pm


We went to Petco and Petsmart today for supplies and to look at piggies.(I know everyone says not to buy from petstores,but that is were I got my Luna)My god was I lucky to get a healthy first piggie from those hell holes!
Petco had 3 females and the baby had a huge sore on his ear,so I asked for the employee to show her to me.He was busy trying to convince me that it normal and it was a bite from another pig that just happened.You could see the swelling and tell that it was clearly not a bite(it was on the base of her ear!)So I asked to see the manager and took his name and asked for medical attention for her ASAP.
So we hit Petsmart,another know it all employee tells me that you cannot introduce a new female to another or they will try to kill each other,even if there is an adjustment period.They had a baby there and since I knew this guy did'nt know squat I asked another employee to show her to me,she opened the cage and I was horrified at what I saw.The water bottle was leaking and was forming a moldy pool,there was a fly buzzing around with this poor piggie.So employee hands her to me and her eyes had quite a bit of goop.I asked the employee about this and being the einstein she was she told me"Just put soap on a q-tip and wash her eyes out if you buy her"!
My heart is broken because I would love to bring those piggies home and nurse them back to health,but I cannot compromise Luna's health nor afford plentiful vet bills.
So just so all of you know,I'm proud of us,seeing the pics of all your piggies healthy and happy is keeping me from crying.My thoughts and prayers go out to all those piggies that do not have the luxury of having loving owners.Thanks for letting me vent!

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sus4rabbitsnpigs

Post   » Thu Aug 09, 2007 7:58 pm


That's typical of pet stores. Even if you 'saved' them by buying them, you'd just be enabling them and let them order ten more from their pet mill, where conditions are usually worse than you saw.

I'd look into better places to shop if I were you.

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MotaroRIP

Post   » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:19 pm


For every pig you take, another one is put there in it's place. The best solution to avoiding things like that, is avoiding places where that is possible.

I'll second sus and say look for better places to shop.

Lunasmom

Post   » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:34 pm


I go to get my hay and bedding and I get all transfixed on those little piggie eyes.All creatures need TLC but I agree with you.

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crazypiggie247
The Herd Of Wonders

Post   » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:42 pm


I have pet store rescue syndrome bad. Last time I went into a pet store, it was a locally owned one and they had a sweet golden agouti guinea pig in a teeny tiny filthy wire bottom cage. Someone had gotten it for their kids a couple years ago and didn't want to go through the hassle of taking it to the shelter so they brought it here so they could sell it. Well, now Maxx is living with us and though I love him to pieces and would never ever regret my decision I had to put a stop to it somewhere. I knew it was bad when I almost bought a whole cage of fancy mice and Syrian hamsters at the local PetSmart. My fiance drug me out of the store bawling my eyes out.

*sigh*

I had to resort to having all of my pet supplies ordered online. I use Hunt Club bedding for the hay boxes and thankfully there's no animals at the farm supply store. I couldn't see myself putting money into these "businesses" that treat their animals like crud. Now I only go to vet supply places online or buy things through my actual vets office.

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rshevin

Post   » Thu Aug 09, 2007 8:56 pm


Yup, I can't walk into pet stores either. We have 1 store in town with small animal supplies and no small animals so I shop there and buy online. I just cannot support them. I won't walk in the door, recommend them, or shop there.

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SylvesterPiggie

Post   » Fri Aug 10, 2007 7:54 am


I won't shop there either. I have found a feed store, only adopts SPCA animals. I also found a neat holistic pet food store.

rpaws

Post   » Fri Aug 10, 2007 8:24 am


I cannot walk into pet stores that sell pets. A little part of me dies everytime I see the suffering of the small animals.

Luckily there are 2 small pet stores in the area that don't sell animals. Otherwise, I order supplies online.

Lunasmom,
When I went to the Petco near me there used to be a name of a vet -located several towns away - that was supposed to be taking care of the small animals. Maybe the Petco one near you has the same thing and you could call the vet.

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WEAVER
one pig at a time.

Post   » Fri Aug 10, 2007 11:22 am


I also do not have the stength to go into a petstore. I drive forty minutes one way to go to the grain store that carries my cat and dog food, and that is also the place I buy shavings and bermuda grass. I order my pellets from Oxbow online direct, and from KM for my hay. I use fleece so bedding from the grain store lasts me longer (shavings for high potty spots in the kitchen area with bermunda over top of that).

All of my dog toys and stuff like that I order from Petedge. I have not walked foot in ANY petstore in close to two years.

Beans_sarabeara

Post   » Fri Aug 10, 2007 1:23 pm


I would only ever buy from one pet store, they are very knowledgable and all there animals arevery healthy and well taken care of. The only reason we thought of going there was to check on prices of gp food and bedding. when we saw that all there gp's were good looking and very healthy my mom said we could buy one.My next pig or pigs will be rescue pigs though. I hate going to petco also, last few times I was there all there gp's had URI's. The lady was all "Im going to have to have the vet check her out." I dont know if that ever happened though.

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DaCourt

Post   » Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:23 pm


Luna, I see you are in AZ...Have you tried to locate a feed sotre, or a store that does not sell animals?

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sus4rabbitsnpigs

Post   » Fri Aug 10, 2007 2:49 pm


Beans - just because the store looks okay, doesn't mean much. Their animals still come from breeders and pet mills, and contribute to the pet overpopulation problem. It's what you don't see that is the problem.

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