Is Petsmart a safe place to buy Hamsters?

Question

Is Petsmart a safe place to buy Hamsters?

Answer 1

I buy rats as pets from there and had minimal problems. I would say yes its safe but before you get one from there look at all of them. Make sure they have clear bright eyes and the fur isnt standing straight up or wet. These can indicate a sick hampster. Also most petstore animals really arnt socialized and will run from you. Watch for a hampster that is real lethargic and doesnt run. Also after you do get your hampster if you have others make sure you quarunteen your new hampster for at least a week and a half before putting them together or in the same room. When I had hampsters I tried to give one a friend and they tried to fight to the death so I wouldnt reccomend putting hampsters together.

Answer 2

well everytime i get a hamster from petco or petsmart they dont live as long as the ones i get from my local pet store which is not a chain of stores

as far as a safe place....well ....yes but  they dont live as long is what im saying

Answer 3

Safe? It can be. I bought my gerbils from there, and I haven't had a problem with them so far.

However, please keep in mind that animals from pet stores come from mills. In these mills, the animals are produced in mass quantities. Adult animals are forced to churn out litter after litter. They're just breeding machines used to pump out lots of babies so that the millers can make money. It's all it is. It's a sick business.

The good side to pet stores? Animals are readily available. The bad side to pet stores? The animals CAN be sick, you don't know the history of them, you don't know if they're inbred, and they're not handled often so they may be fearful of humans at first.

I would recommend you check out local shelters and rescues first. http://www.petfinder.com is a great place to start. Just select "small and furry" in the first box, type "hamster" in the breed box, and put your zip code in. Then, search away. If you can't find any in shelters or rescues, you may want to try looking in your local classifieds for people who have a litter of young hamsters. http://www.craigslist.com is a good place to start looking. If you can't find them there either, it's probably a good idea to go with PetSmart. Good luck!

Answer 4

I would say try to find a rescue =D

or a breeder :)

and if not, then go to Petsmart :/

Not that they're terrible, but they often times don't know anything about the hamsters and will sell you a pet that's really old or has wettail. You might end up with a diseased or sick pet, which is never good.

Answer 5

All aminals stores are safe to buy hamsters but the prices can be way...different. I just bought a hamster 4 days ago,i went to PetSmart but they are like $20.00 so i went to Petco and my hamster was only $13.00. Petco is alot cheaper. but the cage prices are the same.

Answer 6

NOOOOO ! never ever by animals from there. Peta is trying to stop it for the cruelty. they dont show it but hamsters, birds and other animals are dying every day from wet tail (dierriah) and other things without being treated to a vet. They put them in a cage and leave them to die. Please dont by any animals from petsmart.

Answer 7

I don't know what you meen?

I buy hamsters there...

It's a pet store y wouldn't it be safe?

Answer 8

a safe place?  of course it is

Answer 9

well, i know what your talking about.. its the rat gerbil mice hamster disease your talking about right? well, hopefully thats what your talking about... as a matter'a'fact, it is right now. Petsmart has managed to fix the problem with the gerbils they sold there. there are no more diseases in the gerbils anymore... so yes.. it is.. :)