Just so you all know. I will no longer buy anything from pets at home not even so much as a hamster treat!!

I am so shocked at all of this it makes me so sad

 

I would never buy or adopt an animal from any of their stores ever again. Had 2 from them and both died young and suddenly for no reason apparent.

I rarely visit pets at home to be honest. I prefer 'The Ark' which is based near me.
Another shop I use a lot is my local Jollyes. Huge range of foods and dry goods and the rodents they sell are housed with thought and consideration. All on correct substrate and toys provided along with fresh veggies/fruit. The cages are kept clean daily.

 

I've heard wonderfull things about I'm yet to go as I know I'll have trouble coming away with nothing

The ark is pretty good except one girl who think she knows everything about everything and totally addiment that buck could not be introduced to any other bucks ever! I did go back and tell her that the two were happily living with 8 other boys with no problems!

 

Do all Jollyes sell rodents? I don't think the one near me does but not 100%

 

We have two P@H branches in Huddersfield, one sells pets and one doesnt, I almost always go to the non pet one these days, I do still buy things from P@H but its just to get dog toys etc.

 

The one in Aberystwyth is terrible and needs to be shut down :/ 90% of the people there are students and p@h knowingly sells the "cuter" animals to students who get bored within a week/don't know how to look after pets/can't afford vet bills. I've heard of students buying rats and letting them free in dorms "as a joke"

 

I've heard of students buying rats and letting them free in dorms "as a joke"

As a former student, I am ashamed of such behaviour

 

I used to work at just for pets, and wasn't too happy how the hamsters were kept in cages with no wheels they got bored and started chewing the plastic houses.
I got that sad i brought a hamster home that was 4 months thats no one had brought, he was in a tiny glass cage! But now he's in a big cage with plenty to do and he gets his treat of vegetables.

But some petshops like ur local one i just cant go in cus it makes me that annoyed.

 

i dont really have a problem with PAH, ive only had one hamster from there and she was lovely, i do find them kinda expensive though

i usually get hamsters from my local pet shop and i cant fault them, they (the pets and the staff) are so friendly and lovely

 

I bought fish from them in the past which all died. I often go into 2 local stores and there is always dead fish floating around.
Last week I adopted 2 rats from them because they had been put in a small tank together, and just left, not one member of staff in that shop could tell me anything about them. In the end I just said let me get them out I'll find out for myself. They both came home with me.
Today we went into a store and I came out nearly in tears. In one tank there were 8 young male (from what I could see they were all male) rats and in the tank below was 1 male rat on his own, obviously older than the ones above. He was so miserable, just lay there chin in the floor, not moving, not interested in anything. No toys, nothing, just a bit of litter on the floor, a small bowl with a tiny bit of food in, and a hide in one corner. I wanted to take him out and bring him home but I refuse to buy from them because they use farms. However I cant get this boy out of my head and feel I should go save him, he just looked like he'd lost the will to live. I feel so torn

 

Unfortunately, you saw for yourself what happens- you took those 2 girls and they were immediately replaced with another batch. If you take that boy he'll get replaced with another batch.
It's heartbreaking to see them like that, but you have to learn to tear yourself away

 

Unfortunately, you saw for yourself what happens- you took those 2 girls and they were immediately replaced with another batch. If you take that boy he'll get replaced with another batch.
It's heartbreaking to see them like that, but you have to learn to tear yourself away

I didnt buy the two girls from there hun, they were bought by someone else, I rescued them from her because after 2 weeks after buying them she didnt want them anymore.
I know what your saying though hun and totally agree with it, its just so hard when you see them like that, he was totally totally depressed and so alone. I cant stop thinking about him.

 

The pets at home I go to isn't the worst out there, but that's only what is visible. On the surface? The cages are a half decent size. The animals are nearly always moderately healthy looking. (I have seen some horribly, HORRIBLY deformed hamsters there and several animals with flaky skin, but most of the time they look OK) But you can't see the genetics of the animals. You can't see the cages they're kept in at the back. Sure, it MAY be hunky dory, but you don't KNOW that.

A few years ago I went to P@H and asked to see the hamsters they had at the back because they'd sold out of the ones which were easily visible. The staff were very kind and told me that while I couldn't go round the back, they'd be happy to bring them out.
So I waited a few minutes and they bought out about 7 or so hamsters in a little blue plastic tub with a shallow layer of sawdust and no nest material. No food. No water. Mixed sex animals. Maybe it was temporary, but you can't know that for sure.

Many of the hamsters that we've got there have died very shortly after purchase, or some of them were ill when I got them. I don't care about money - they can keep the money they make off me if they want. I just don't want to watch animals which I love and try and tame die just weeks/days after bringing them home.

Uhhh, maybe thats because the hamsters out back were put in one tub to make it easier for you?! DERP
Every animal I have purchased (apart from my dogs) have lived very healthy lives and they had all been purchased from Pets at Home.
And maybe the complete change of diet etc had effected their digestive system which caused them to die.

 

Uhhh, maybe thats because the hamsters out back were put in one tub to make it easier for you?! DERP
Every animal I have purchased (apart from my dogs) have lived very healthy lives and they had all been purchased from Pets at Home.
And maybe the complete change of diet etc had effected their digestive system which caused them to die.

Your constant interest in Pets at Home threads is suspicious.

Anyone would think there was a BBC 1 feature on them at 8pm.

 

Do all Jollyes sell rodents? I don't think the one near me does but not 100%

Ours do but only a tiny amount most of the times ive been they have only one or two they don't seem to buy a lot of "stock" I went Monday there's was 3 hamsters (all in very very clean cages with toys etc) and 4 g.pigs gain extremely clean animals look in excellent health all very bright eyed and bushy tailed I think if I went to get a pet shop pet it would be from them

 

Every time I visit, the animals never seem happy and are jammed in too tightly together in many cases.

I refuse to buy animals from them these days - instead normally going to local pet stores that I know look after their pets properly.

 

A few months back I found out a friend (not a close friend, she'd have known better!) works in a local pets@home and after talking to her I was nearly in tears
She was telling me about the 'mass breeding' programmes they use to get their animals from, she said she knows it's not nice but at least they have a constant supply of 'stock'

She also told me (in rather too much detail) about how they dispose of animals they get too old to sell....and no most of them dont end up in the adoption centre bit as alot of the stores dont even have them.
I wont say here what she told me as I dont want to upset anyone.

I haven't shopped in pets@home in years and never will. They should all just be shut down, they dont even sell suitable cages, food or accessories so they serve no purpose!!

 

.

I haven't shopped in pets@home in years and never will. They should all just be shut down, they dont even sell suitable cages, food or accessories so they serve no purpose!!

Why is the food and accessories not suitable???

 

Until I came on here I did not realise how bad the p@h ethics were, I am guilty to say that I brought my rats from there, but as we have already said, I was unaware of rat breeders around, they were an impulse buy, but I wouldn't change them for the world! I was lucky in there that I had a staff member who was a rodent specialist, and has rats at home (read into that as you will) who was extremely good at telling me what I needede to buy for them food wise, and bedding etc etc. I do not wish that I didn't buy my babies, but do wish I had known about the whole world of rat breeders out there, and wish I didn't buy them from where I did, but I have, and they are AMAZING!!!!

 

i dont hate pets at home, never had a problem with them

although they are expensive

 

i dont hate pets at home, never had a problem with them

although they are expensive

Can I ask, how can you support this? Why not use Pet Shops?

 

i didnt say i supported it

thats awful

 

i didnt say i supported it

thats awful

You do support it if you shop at P@H

 

You do support it if you shop at P@H

ok then did support it

i got my first hamster as an adult there and you know what, she was the sweetest hamster i ever had

what i meant by never had a problem with it was ive heard stories about how the pets are kept in awful conditions in the shop etc, wasnt like that in my local one

 

ok then did support it

i got my first hamster as an adult there and you know what, she was the sweetest hamster i ever had

what i meant by never had a problem with it was ive heard stories about how the pets are kept in awful conditions in the shop etc, wasnt like that in my local one

But you still buy pet shop hamsters so therefore you are still supporting the mills
Your first hamster may have been sweet but that doesn't negate the conditions her mum and many of her family members are kept in, which is the point I'm trying to get at, just because a few people haven't had problems with petshop animals or the animals are kept in sparkly clean enclosures on the shop floor it doesn't take away the fact that petshops are responsible for a huge amount of animal cruelty because people are willing to brush off the bad because "I've never had a problem"

It really does seem to be "Out of sight, out of mind" when it comes to peoples 'wants'