Where is it better to buy a hamster, Petsmart or Petco?

Question

i want to buy a hamster form either petsmart or petco cauze my town doesn't have any local breeders or shelters. i also heard that these stores take bad care of the animals, but i don't know if this is true. any information is helpful. thanx!

Answer 1

Well I would say Pet smart.

It's hard to find hamster breeders.

I got a hamster at Pet smart and it lived for 5 years!!!!

I'm not joking!

So they do take care of there animals pretty well at Pet smart. Plus, I once worked there for a rescue animal program, so it's nice to know that your getting your hamster at a place where they help stray animals.

Hope this helps!

-Laura

Answer 2

I have gotten all of mine at petco.

but you shouldnt judge one store on all the other stores in the chain.

all the petcos here, the teenagers that run them are stupid and rude, and dont ever offer help.

so petco always has cuter hamsters anyways, and I actually get greeted in the store, and asked if I needhelp with a hamster.

Answer 3

PetSmart is a much better option.

PetCo is currently under investigation for unsanitary conditions and feral rats in their stores and warehouses.

Answer 4

animals from petsmart and petco usually come from breeders or mills. they dont usually tend to the animals when sick. they even sell them when they are sick. I bought a hamster from my local petsmart and it died within a week. I am an experienced hamster owner. So i wouldnt buy from a pet store. Maybe try craigslist.com. They have pets there, thats were i found my hamster.

Answer 5

I think Petco is good. Because my teacher's hamster lived for 8 years! and for 2 of the years it was at Petco. Just saying. Get it from anywhere. Just make sure that when you choose your hamster its healthy and happy. Make sure it has no bald spots and make sure its alert. If you take good care of your hamster it will have a long happy and healthy life!

GOOD LUCKK!!!! :D

Answer 6

I suppose I'm biased because I work at Petsmart, but I've always found MY local Petco to be.. worse.

However, that's just in my area. What you need to do is go to both stores and examine the animals and the conditions they are kept in. Each individual store will be different. Chain stores aren't all the same, it depends on the managers and the people working there. Ask the employees questions and find out what they know about hamsters, check the hamsters' eyes and noses and make sure there's no discharge. Make sure they look like they're still grooming themselves and are not lethargic.

Craigslist.com and Petfinder.com are places you should look first, though. Maybe you'll get lucky. It's always better to adopt, in my opinion!

Answer 7

It depends. My local PetSmart is better than PetCo, but in a different area, PetCo may be better than PetSmart. I suggest you go to both and choose the store that has hamsters that look healthy and aren't too skittish when being handled by an employee.

Pet stores get their animals from mills. In these mills, the animals are produced in mass quantities purely for profit. Health and temperament are not a concern. It's always better to go with a responsible breeder or shelter/rescue if possible. The good thing about pet stores, I suppose, is that they readily have animals available.

Answer 8

Petsmart is way better but if i am in a rush sometimes i will go to petco. petco is closer to me but pets smarts pets are healthyer i think! Petsmart also has more options in pets and supplies. I love petsmart!

Answer 9

None of them. They all buy from breeding mills.

Answer 10

Neither. Hamsters there are shipped in and are more likely to die from wet-tail. Wet-tail is when hamsters are taken away from its mom too early and it doesn't get the nutrients it needs. Both mine died that way and I got mine from Petco. If Petco or Petsmart is all you can find, then go for it, but I would try to find a local pet store. Google maps may help you, it helped me!

Hope you find your hamster!

Answer 11

PETSMART PETSMART PETSMART!!!

petco's around me are very dirty and i bought a bunny at petco and they said it was a guy so when i went to get it fixed (he) ended up being a girl!

Answer 12

honestly i would say neither. I saw this one website, www.petsmartcruelty.com. And the conditions of the animals were horrible. Check out the website it's really bad. Does your town have a mall with a pet store? I get my hamsters there. They lived a long time when I had them.

Answer 13

neither. both are cruel. look in the newspaper's classified adds every week. you'll find one eventually. i bet they will be in better condition than petsmart and petco

Answer 14

check out both stores and the conditions the hamsters are in.

also, you might want to ask when they get more in, so you can go soon after that

Answer 15

Neither they're both terrible!  I always go to Paradise Cove!  I depends where you live.  What city do you live in?

Answer 16

hello i got my 3 hamsters from a place called pets world. i live in VA and the petco i went to had unhealthy animals and petsmart may or may not care for the rodents im not sure hope this helps

Answer 17

Well. . .  it's a hamster, so. . . I'm thinkin that one store is the same as the next. They all have about 100 of them running around in a cage. Not like you're looking for a purebred puppy.