[reachthestars]

So, being in the martimes and all, we don't have Petco or Petsmart. We have a chain though that is just as bad (IMHO). I went in today to pick something up for discouraging kitty from getting my computer chair (and scratching it up), so I decided to pop over to see the rats. What I saw disgusted me to no end.

I swear that is the most rats I've ever seen crammed into one cage, especially one that is maybe 5 gal. tops. I turned around and told the girl that was feeding and water the critters that that was way to many, and that what they were doing was abusive. She rolled her eyes at me and made some comment about how 'they all sell quick as feeders anyway'. That made me see red, so i went and hunted down the manager and told him what was going on. I showed him the tank and he quickly arranged to have them spread out into the 3 other empty tanks that were right there. They were still over crowded in there, but it was better than before. As I was doing that I bumped into the guy who runs the local rat rescue (Clark). He had actually been on the verge of going to find the manager about it himself, so was very pleased to see me there.

We stood around and talked (rat rescue owner and I) for about 30 minutes in the pocket pet section, and in that time no one had been back to give the rats food, water or shelter. Clark made a comment to the same girl I had talked to, and again she rolled her eyes and made a comment about how she was 'all over that like white on rice'.

And it wasn't just the rats that were suffering.....

These Skinny Pigs were advertised at $80 each but no one could be bothered to make sure they were off pine, in a proper enclosure, or heck, EVEN CLEAN.

I was so pissed I forgot what I was in there for, not that I want to support a place thht treats their animals so badly anyway.

Sorry for the crappy images, cameras are 'not allowed' so I had to be all stealthy-like with my camera phone.

As to having something done about it, I left my name and number on the SPCA's machine. I normally wouldn't do that, but I have picture proof of what was going on there. There was no excuse for the animals to be in that condition.

 

[Phobie]

That is absolutely disgusting, you did the right thing.

I can't believe that!

 

[madeittothemoon]

WOW... that seriously makes me want to cry. You definitely did the right thing.

 

[sonoma]

That's just awful! Poor little guys.

But yay for camera phones! Let us know what the SPCA says.

 

[reachthestars]

I'll be sure to keep you posted as this progresses. I should hopefully hear from them tomorrow, and if not I'll be calling them back myself.

I'm VERY glad I brought my phone. It was actually sitting on my dresser with the battery nearly dead, and I decided that I should take it anyway since I'm a small girl taking a city bus. I ended up needing it, just not for what I thought I might!

 

[rat_ratscal]

that's shocking

 

[glindella]

We have those units for the small animals at the pet store I work in, we all felt bad when we had three young boys in there, so we took them out all the time (and I brought them home pps For reference the lock you see in the pic, the metal circle is about the size of a quarter, to give you an idea on the size.... oh! and I have keys that could open that display........ ::cough:: ::wink::

 

[cjshrader]

You know, I *just* got a Pets Unlimited near me and I was like "Oooh, new pet store, maybe they'll be better with their rats?" I'd never heard of the chain before.

I'll still go check them out and see if they are just as bad, but it sounds to me like I won't be buying anything there.

 

[yonksgirl]

That is just awful! It makes me so sick to see things like that!

oh! and I have keys that could open that display........ ::cough:: ::wink::

I will distract and you get them :twisted:

 

[reachthestars]

They actually didn't start locking the displays until about 2 months ago. I would have been very tempted to put some rats in my purse, so it's probably a good thing that they were locked. There was a little fawn girl i had my eye on, but I can't bring home a rat from such a terrible place when the rat rescue in this very city is overrun.

I actually have my name in for an agouti variberk dumbo at that rescue. He's still on the fence about if he wants to keep her or not.

 

[twitch]

i heard he was parting with his dumbos now though, which is a step above when we went there together.

which reminds me, where's the updated pictures of Cinder?? (and the rest) i believe the request on that went out a couple months back now.

as to the pets unlimited, not every store is quite as bad as that one. i think it depends on the people around it and how much hassle they get to improve conditions. the one in saint john, though not ideal, is still better then the one we just saw in moncton, or the one i saw in fredericton. it also of course depends on how willing the mangement and staff are to accept rats as actual pets. in any case, you did a lot to shape up the saint john one, i'm sure you can get the moncton in to better shape as well. and this time you have clark to help you.

 

[yashu]

They must be very young. That, or it is much more than 5 gallons.

2 adult males could cover the entire floorspace of a 10 gallon... so it must be more than 5 gallons, even if it was young females or something. Just sayin'

Either way, at least they have friends

However, that is a lot of rats, and it looks like the kind of setup that assumes the buyers are looking for feeders.

 

[reachthestars]

They must be very young. That, or it is much more than 5 gallons.

2 adult males could cover the entire floorspace of a 10 gallon... so it must be more than 5 gallons, even if it was young females or something. Just sayin'

Either way, at least they have friends

However, that is a lot of rats, and it looks like the kind of setup that assumes the buyers are looking for feeders.

There were 25+ males who were between the ages of 4-6 weeks. That round metal thing you see there? It's the size of a quarter, for size comparision

"Atleast they have friends"? They had to walk over each other in order to get food and water. They had been like that for just over a week. That cage has the same amount of space as a hamster cage.

 

[twitch]

i don't think he was meaning that in a good way. kinda like saying when it rains on you out-door wedding day: "at least the grass will be really green for the pictures" the pictures are still going to suck cause you'll be soaked and the make-up will be streaking. same idea with that remark, hence the wink.

 

[magster321]

those pics are awful - poor little things :-(