# Pets at home



## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

Have sold a single male out of a pair and left a boy on his own. Grrrr what is wrong with them? In a weeks time he'll be in the adoption centre. Makes my blood boil.


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## ajohnson (May 4, 2011)

I absolutely *hate* Pets at Home, they're useless. None of the staff in my local one know anything about animals. I purchased a hamster 2 years ago, got home and read the form and it said "X has told the customer the hamster's gender, age etc" when he hadn't told us anything! Luckily we've had pets all our lives but imagine first time buyers.

Makes me so angry.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

We got Binky 4 weeks ago "poor thing was on his own and no one wanted him" out of the adoption centre. Now another one is going to be there. Yet they tell people rats need company why sell one of a pair then? Or in Binky's case a pair out of a trio.


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## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

When I got Cookie it was from the adoption bit but apparently "he is aggressive" so I enquired about taking him to live with a group of boys as he should be and was told that "you cant add rats to an existing group" so I asked to speak to a manager and said that you can, and I had bonded new rats, male rat groups and female groups, so they let me have him but with the warning that "his name is Hanibal the canibal because he bites so much". Anyway he doesnt live with my boys as it happens SHE lives with my girls (yay for [email protected] and their ability to sex animals ) and she is the sweetest natured rat that anyone could ever meet, she has never bitten or tried to bite since the day I got her.


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## celicababe1986 (Jun 22, 2009)

Pets at home only sold me 1 rat (this is a good few years ago) because they 'couldnt live in pairs/groups'

I went elsewhere to get her friends, they were fine and live to good old ages 


They also sold my friends 'groups of syrian hamsters' she kept wondering why they died?? :blink:


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

They told us Binky was 5 months old. No way. He's much closer to 3 months. I mean we knew he was going to be an unknown. Based on his behaviour he's been on his own longer then the week they told us before he got here. On the plus side he's extremely people oriented but on the down side, not much of a clue what to do with rats.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

celicababe1986 said:


> Pets at home only sold me 1 rat (this is a good few years ago) because they 'couldnt live in pairs/groups'
> 
> I went elsewhere to get her friends, they were fine and live to good old ages
> 
> They also sold my friends 'groups of syrian hamsters' she kept wondering why they died?? :blink:


My local RSPCA once told me I was cruel to keep my Syrian on her own  With advice like that [email protected] ranks quite knowledgable round here lol Give them their due I have heard them give good advice to customers but that makes it worse when I see one male sold, one left.


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## simplysardonic (Sep 1, 2009)

Its not just them, there was a single girl rat in Jollyes when we went in there, it was quite upsetting as my daughter kept asking if we could adopt her as, in my daughter's words 'it's not fair that they're selling rats on their own', I had to explain to her that buying an animal because we felt sorry for it would mean they have more money to buy in more animals
No wonder first time owners who buy from pet shops often end up with pregnant animals or don't keep them correctly when the staff don't even know correct husbandry themselves


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

Its so hard to leave them, we caved with Binky as he was so tiny and boney. First time I have bought/adopted from a pet shop. I know they call it the adoption centre but it is really for the sale of 'old stock'. We'll not be visiting [email protected] over the next few weeks if we can help it because I know there'll be a lone male in their adoption centre.


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

ceretrea said:


> Its so hard to leave them, we caved with Binky as he was so tiny and boney. First time I have bought/adopted from a pet shop. I know they call it the adoption centre but it is really for the sale of 'old stock'. We'll not be visiting [email protected] over the next few weeks if we can help it because I know there'll be a lone male in their adoption centre.


They do run 'some' adoption. Mine are actually fairly honest in their adoption descriptions. A lot say 'nobody wanted to buy me' whereas the adoption ones always tend to say 'my owner couldnt look after me anymore' I only ever look at those ones.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

I wish mine were, I was very disappointed. 

I'm going to have a chat with them at some point and see if they will change their policy and sell rats as pairs and trios.

They've had animals in as 'my owner didn't want me because I was agressive' the day after we've seen them for sale. So I think they've fibbed on that score in the past. I'd like to say we won't use them again but an animal in need is an animal in need wherever they are from.


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## gloworm*mushroom (Mar 4, 2011)

My Bugsy was from there, he was a definite rehome as he was at least 1.5 when I got him. I wouldnt swap him, but I would never buy an animal from PAH.


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## ceretrea (Jan 24, 2011)

I agree I would never recommend buying an animal from a pet store, although most of our rescues here probably started life in one. However there are instances, in my opinion, when I could not walk past any animal I believed to be suffering. I boycott my local RSPCA but if I had to walk past them on a regular basis I'd have a house fuller then it is now.

One day, when I win the lottery lol, I'd like to set up my own rescue. When I can afford a bigger house


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## Amethyst (Jun 16, 2010)

ceretrea said:


> Have sold a single male out of a pair and left a boy on his own. Grrrr what is wrong with them?


They are only interested in making money not the animal's welfare


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## LostGirl (Jan 16, 2009)

I have never been only because i KNOW i'll end up feeling sorry for somethi9ng and buying it!


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## smudgiesmummy (Nov 21, 2009)

i went into pets at home a few months back and my mate wanted a syrian in the adoption bit ,,, i said to her, ask her assistant to get it out 


this hamster was sent back by the previous owner because it bit !!

in this time none of the staff would pick it up because they were scared of being bitten by it .... my mate said to me have a go and put your hand in,, so i did gently ,,, it looked frightened but as soon as i went to pick him up he was just fine , in fact it was so friendly ... obviously these staff had no clue how to deal with it ... i held it for 5 mins and with no bother ... my mate took the hamster home and as had no problem at all with polo

the prob with pets at home is, that most of them give ALL pet shops a bad name , i worked in a family run one that knew what they were doing ,, its still open now and the owner as had the shop for around 40 years

im not saying all pet shops are good because some aint ,,but there is some good ones there to and i wish people would remember that

*rant over *


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## Raventhorn (Apr 28, 2011)

Like feeding bearded dragons broccoli and cabbage....IDIOTS!!


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## Guest (May 5, 2011)

I got Graeme, a rescue gerbil from [email protected] He was apparently 'vicious' and 'attacked other gerbils' - he was the one who was bullied, as he has half a tail, and is an absolute sweetheart!

They said 'Yeah, he's male' without even looking. I decided to check the other day and guess what?

GRAEME'S A GIRL.


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## Toneeh (Nov 25, 2010)

[email protected] here, is quite well run! Which is weird! I know from past experience that [email protected] isn't the best for new time owners...Or any owners actually. Where I used to live, I went to get my first gerbil. I was so happy to have my first pet of my own and not a dog or cat (I was like 9 or 10?) and i got Norbert. I took him home, and soon found that he was very unhappy in his huge tank and constant treats and whatnot. I asked a friend why he was so depressed looking or sad as i probably said, and she said he was supposed to have friends.

Fortunately, my next door neighbor had a male gerbil called fatso. We put them together at her house, combining our tanks, creating around 75 gallons. 
We went to pets at home to get food for winter, thinking something with better proteins would be better and they said they hibernate and not to feed and not to clean out, or they would die. 
We didn't feed for a month, and left a quilt over the tank, helping them sleep.

When we opened, 164 gerbils were dead, as Norbert was a girl, as we found as she was the only one left, she died a few days later. Her and fatso had bred and bred and then ate their children, all thanks to them saying they hibernate and to never touch them.

It was horrible. :/ I never got a gerbil again! Now, in college, I know what happens to rodents a hell of a lot better!

Andddd, a bit old yeah, but the main reason I don't trust [email protected]

Dog's baked to death in parlour | The Sun |News

Sorry for ramble! Again ><


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## donna.n (Apr 22, 2011)

Thats horrible it brought a tear to my eyes. Did u go back to pets at home and complain I know I wud of have done. I must say that when me and hubby are in our [email protected] I look at the rats but their so high up I cant see them. Even my hubby can't see in their hammock thing and he's nearly 6ft.


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## manic rose (Mar 12, 2011)

celicababe1986 said:


> Pets at home only sold me 1 rat (this is a good few years ago) because they 'couldnt live in pairs/groups'


:blink: argh! reading that makes me feel so angry. think of all the customers they may have told that to who took their word for it and just brought a single rat


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