Are pet shops really cruel?

Question

My pet shop bought hamster had babies recently, and i was wondering that this was due to keeping it with male hamsters.
I also know of Peta's plight against petshops. Are petshops really cruel?

Answer 1

This can't be answered by a simple yes or no. Bearing in mind that half of the people that will answer you don't actually have a clue what they are talking about I would be careful who to believe.
I have worked in a pet shop for thirteen years and can honestly
say that we are not cruel.
I don't sell pets to idiots and I don't sell cages that are tiny just to make a quick buck.
Our animals are well looked after and get prompt veterinary treatment in the rare case that they need any. I know a lot about animals and advise others how to care for their chosen pet.
Not all shops are the same as us but we are definately not cruel.

Answer 2

Petshops are businesses like any other, so the owners try and make enough money while supplying a suitable product. In all the pet shops I've seen there is care taken over the appearance of the animals, and their living surroundings, but not who they mix with, so your pregnant female hamster is probably due to natural causes, which does not mean the pet shop was cruel, just that they kept all the hamsters together and they did what hamsters do...

Answer 3

Pet shops have quite a big responsibility really. They have to present those animals in the best possible way to set a good example to new owners. When i bought my Leopard gecko i got so many good idea's from the pet shop because the viviarium they had him in was set up really good with lots of plants and rocks etc. I think you get good pet shops and then you get the bad. I disagree with pet shops selling puppies and kittens because they simply cannot provide the correct care or space for such needy animals. Puppies and Kittens need unconditional love and lots of play at an early age, exspecially if they have just been taken away from their mothers. Pet shops who sell Puppies and Kittens don't usually explain what care is needed for the animals to new owners, therefor unresponsible people buy them just because 'they where cute', without thinking properly about what a commitment these animals are. Whereas Animal shelters go through a big process to find the animals the right homes and even do check ups. Those animals are also well cared for and the dogs are walked reguarly.
Peta are not bad in my oppinion, yes they may be a bit over the top at times but it is good that there are people out there who highlight the cruel acts that happen to animals in this world.

Answer 4

Depends on the pet shop. I know of a couple good ones, and ones I would never buy anything from.
What I usually do is look at how clean the animal's cage is. Sometimes space issues makes for a small cage, but do they have enrichment (toys) in those cages? Do the animals seem alert and healthy?
I also will ask the owner/ manager questions about the animal that I already know- if they don't know the answers to simple questions, you can be pretty sure that they are not caring for the animals correctly.

As for your hamster having babies- yes, it would have had to have been with a male, though it is possible that the pet store just didn't look closely enough and missed one of the males.

Answer 5

It's notoriously difficult to tell the difference between male and female hamsters. In fact I've been in plenty of pet shops that have signs up saying that they believe they've sexed the hamsters correctly, but that there are no guarantees. Don't blame the pet shop for an honest mistake.

As for pet shops cruel, you say you bought your hamster from one. Didn't you see the conditions in the pet shop for yourself? Did they seem cruel to you? If so, why did you buy the hamster there? Surely whatever you see with your own eyes counts for more than hearsay from a radical activist group.

Answer 6

are petshops cruel? why not ask an easy question like are all people bad? whats life about? If there is more than one of something they should be looked at as such... individual... of course there are petshops out there that deserve about 25 pounds of c4 or such like but then there are petshops that deserve government grants and awards for their service to the animals they help, i know several like this thankfully, the way to decide is to go to a petshop and say... is THIS petshop cruel? use your eyes and common sense to make your own decision. You will never be able to say they are all cruel or they are all not cruel but you can always say you use your petshop because you know they aren't cruel. As for peta.... i've wiped my **** with better things... they are extremely radical to the point that they give proper organisations a bum-rep, they prey on those with no strength of mind who look at their slogan without looking at their true agenda.

Answer 7

I think it depends on the petshop, but as far as your hamster goes, it can be really difficult to determine the sex of a baby hamster and they can become pregnant from a young age so that doesn't necessarily mean the pet shop your hamster came from is cruel.

Answer 8

Avoid this shop. Simple as that. Any animal that comes from there, or any supplies, will only help support this abuse. Sometimes pens just smell. Especially acrylic ones-no matter what you do. That's when you replace them. The fact that their food dish is being turned into a nest says they're probably starving in there. Rabbits are kept with guinea pigs a lot in pet stores in the states. There's headway being made on this, but it's going to take some time. Edit: VVVVV Hey you, below me. The way fish are kept in pet stores is a travesty, and I think you'll agree. Noone seems to care or realize that that little goldfish at Petsmart in there with a hundred (plus) other fish needs 10 gallons to himself.

Answer 9

They usually don't mean to be cruel but often are.

They keep rodents and rabbits of both sexes together so there is a big risk that any female you buy will be pregnant.

Also the cages and fishtanks are often overcrowded and the animals are usually fed the cheapest not best diet for them.

From a consumers viewpoint petshops are not the best place to buy mammal or bird pets as they are not handled enough and will be harder to tame.Your best going to a breeder.

Answer 10

Hamster, gerbils, etc. are extremly hard to "sex" when young. I'm sure that sometimes males and females do get mixed up in the cages - but that's just honest mistakes.

And as the comment someone made that petstores are cruel because they keep animals in cages ...what do they think the people that buy them are going to do? Let them run free in the back yard?

Peta thinks everyone who cages animals is cruel - and I guess that would include you, since you have your hamster in a cage.

Peta is a group of rabid extremist - their extremism has gone so far that they have lost whatever credibility they had.