hamsters from petsmart?

Question

Has anyone else had problems with hamsters from there?

On boxing day my boyfriend got me a black bear female. She only weighted 1/3rd what she was suppose to, was very sick and unhealthy and died this morning. We took her to a vet last night and she stayed there until she passed.

Where is a good place to get a new one? I'm thinking Animal House, how are they?

I will NEVER go to petsmart again. they just treat the animals horribly and selling an animal that was sick was just rude.

Also they have signs saying the hamsters are approved for sale and healthy....that is such a lie or else mine wouldn't have died 4 days later.

Answer 1

I hope everything so far has been helpful. I understand that alot of stores sell animals from mills. I was glad when I was working when one of our breeders brought in the hamsters. His litters are all so sweet. He really seems to care alot about the little guys. He was telling me how he is redoing a room for them with like 4 big cages and they get the entire room to themselves. It was a good feeling to meet the person who sells us his pets.

Our hamsters don't actually see a vet but we check them all when they come in and go over them with the breeder. We check them all daily for any symptoms. We have cages in the back if they get sick or injured so they can recover and not infect any of the other hamsters. Since I've been there all the hamsters have gone back to the sale floor. We find the problems right away. Because our stores are mostly pets we have less supplies than most pet stores. I liek this because we can concentrate more on the animals. They made it clear to me that the pets come first, then the customers. If the pets are not taken care of with us we wont have any customers. Every single pet we sell goes home. We have never had to put one down or send them to a shelter. I take great pride in that!

I just want to reassure you that not all pet stores lack concern for the pets. Like someone else said, it depends on the employees. Those that aren't fond of small animals won't put in much effort to work with you. A shelter is a great idea too! Those need homes badly. Animal shelters break my heart because they are way over populated.

Best of luck with future pets!!

Kate

Answer 2

I have brought several hamsters from Petsmart. The first one was perfectly healthy and good mannered so I went back to buy a male. The male was ferocious so I returned it and exchanged it for another male but it didn't help. So far, there were only one that died of wet tail and returned him the next day to get a refund. I don't recommend Petsmart either because their vet wouldn't look at hamsters or exotic pets. Also, I bought a female guinea pig and brought it home to be companion to my male guinea pig and they had a bloody fight. We later found out that the female have balls!!! We tried to return it to Petsmart and they just said that it was a female. About a month later, one of their other females got pregnant. We were right.

Answer 3

Definitely not. However, Petsmart ONLY sells one gender of hamster at each store to prevent pregnancies. The store you shop in will either have one or the other. Most hamsters are solitary, though, unless raised in family groups (only dwarfs should be kept in groups).

Answer 4

PetSmart, Petco and all of those large chain stores ALWAYS sell sick animals. And they're pretty much known for that. You can submit any vet bills if you took him to the vet to them. Make a fuss until they pay. The only really reliable place to get one is a shelter. They are very overpopulated.

Answer 5

Not all Petstores are bad. Just depends on the employees that work there. I've bought Hermit Crabs before and few of them died from one Petsmart, but I have two hermit crabs I bought from a different Petsmart that have been really healthy and living still. You should have taken back that hamster that had died back to the Petsmart and gotten a refund. I'm sorry to hear that your hamster died 4 days later. Also, you should talk to their Manager prompto.

Answer 6

I used to work at petsmart in the grooming area. my friend had bought 2 female guinea pigs from there, and 2 weeks later, they both had babies. and Petsmart gave them their money back from the guinea pigs..if your hamster was sick and you have vet bills petsmart should/will pay you back. and if not you can get a lawsuit, it has happened many many time at my store.
hope this helps.
sorry about your hamster
good luck finding a new one!

Answer 7

Honestly, all pet stores are generally going to have these problems. They buy animals from animal mills. They're not in the business because they love animals, but to make a profit.

Petfinder usually has hamsters up for adoption, why not try there?

Answer 8

boo petsmart! i know. i got a guinea pig there. the petsmart lady assured me that my g-pig will grow up to have curly hair. turns out it was a shorthaired g-pig! ive seen some of the hamsters there! so skinny,no food in the food bowls. my g-pig was so skinny when i got it. try petco. the workers there really do care and the pets are in good health!

Answer 9

did you call petsmart and fuss at them about the sittuation they might be more than willing to replace the animal that you lost . This is just a thought i have never had any problem with petsmart about anything I have bought there and I always buy my chi 's toys there . good luck and god bless.

Answer 10

No petco sucks, my sis bought 3 hamsters in a row there because they all died within a week, petsmart is good!!!!!