Does it annoy and make you sad when pet shops....?

Question

have just one young little rat in a cage all on their own with hardly anything to do and no other rat for company?

i went to my local pet shop today and that was exactly what i saw :( i was going to get it but my 2 rats are over a year old and are sisters that have been together since birth and the one in the pet shop was only a couple months old and my rats would have probably bullied it so i decided it was not worth the risk and had to leave it there :( i was upset.

is it just me or do other rat lovers feel the same?

let me know what u think, thanks

Answer 1

I  do feel awfully bad but i know that they will have more coming and they will go to a good home

Answer 2

I can't think about it, or else I cry. Accidental animal cruelty is something all to often seen in the pet shop industry, which is just horrible.

I don't know which country you live in-but in Britain the rules surrounding keeping animals in pet shops are fundamentally flawed-animals just have to be kept in "suitable" and "adequate" conditions (i.e. the minimum standard conditions), rather than optimum and ideal conditions. Of course pet shops will often vary on what these minimum standards are, and some will be completely ignorant of them. I think really this rule needs to be revised before we expect any major changes.

Have you tried talking over your complaints with the pet store in question, or writing them a letter or an email? You never know they might decent people who are willing to make changes. Failing that in Britain it is possible to complain to the council, all you need to do is write/email/ring the relevant department (probably trading standards). If the pet shop is really negligent you could always get the big guns-the R.S.P.C.A out!  

If you live elsewhere the procedure probably won't be vastly different to this anyway.

I know all this sounds drastic, but unless we rat (and other animal) lovers make a bit of a fuss then we can't expect anything to ever change.

Answer 3

i feel bad about it too! but i used to work at a pet store so ik what their doing. its nothing intentional they just dont have enough rats with them and the other cages were probly filled with them. so dont worry, their probly gonna get more soon. but next time if u feel bad for him just buy him. i dought urs will bully him. and if u do then punish ur rats. its simple

Answer 4

YES! I feel bad for animals at a lot of pet shops. You're not alone!

Answer 5

I hate pet shops with a passion. Petsmart (or 'Petstupid') and Petco are just the absolute worst. They sell c**p that no rodent should ever eat, play with, or live in. They sell sick, pregnant, and parasite-infested animals. They backbreed the animals in the back of their stores until the day they die. They couldn't care less about cramming 5 guinea pigs in a tank not suitable for even one, with barely anything to eat and only disgusting water with useless Vitamin C drops in it. If you ask the workers questions, they are clueless. They will make up anything to make a sale most of the time. It's AWFUL and I refuse to shop at any store that sells animals. We go to wonderful feed shops for our Oxbow, buy Lab blocks online, and go to small business petstores that don't sell ANY animals for toys and supplies. I also rescued my most recent two guinea pigs from a nearby guinea pig rescue.

Answer 6

I feel bad that they are in captivity and are neglected at the same time. :(

Answer 7

I would feel bad for any animal like that =( But don't worry they probably have more coming and it will go to a good home. There are many people out there that feel the same way you do and might just buy that pet rat. I am not a big fan of rodents though :(

Answer 8

well sometimes, but sothertimes he/she might be happy having a cage all to itself, not having to share ANYTHING!!!!

Answer 9

um...that was random but yay i guess..it looks lonely and looks like it needs a friend.

Answer 10

Yes it's so sad! I see that a lot of times in pet shops with other animals too, like one guinea pig in a cage, or one gerbil in a cage, they look so lonely!

Answer 11

I saw that the other day! the poor thing was trying to get to the cage next to her's. it had other rats in it and i watched until she gave up and then she started watching and following everyone that went by her cage. I felt so bad . . .

Answer 12

Yea i feel sorry for them two. For any animal. Im an animal lover.!

Answer 13

I dont like to see pets in cages that are WAY to small for them. some of the cages are so dirty,its sad to see. i try not to go into pet stores

Answer 14

its sad!!!! get it and put it in a seperate cage till its big enough to go in with your girls!!!!

Answer 15

If it is a major store  such as, Pet.Co write  to the CEO of  Pet.Co with your concerns

President and COO

CEO

Pet.Co.

9125 Rehco Rd.

San Diego, CA 92121

United States



Write  to the PetCo executives with your concerns

you will probably, get a response .e e Goode Luck

Answer 16

YES!!! I feel bad for every animal that is at a Pet Shop and at Puppy Mills. I think animals that like to have company should have companions.

Answer 17

i feel sorry

Answer 18

I believe that rats are more intelligent than snakes. Apparently it is not uncommon for rats to kill snakes.   It annoys me when I open the frozen food section at pet shops, but it does make it seem unfair..