# pets at home



## gypsybitch (Aug 6, 2010)

i didnt know where to put this thread because there is no shop section that i found. 

i know alot of people on here dont like pets at home, but i have only had a good time there!!

i used to buy all my fish from there and the man who works there is great explained everything to me that i need to cycle my fish tank for atleast 6 weeks before even considering which fish to buy. he gave me great advice when i needed it most and it worked.

the furries section have been only to glad to help from explaining to me about rats and mice, what food i would need that it would be best if i added a few things myself. i like to go to a pet shop and ask because, i know my stuff, if they are wrong i like to point them in the right direction lol. 

the dog section isnt all that great as they couldn't even get me a choker lead!!! a friend asked me to get one so she could put the 2 end loops together as the collar (not as the choker) as her dog could not abide collars while she took him for a walk. he was an old bull mastive R.I.P.

i cant comment on the cats,birds and reptile sections as i have never used these sections.

i think it is to do with the staff not the store unless im missing some mass breeding and importation scam they have going on.


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## sullivan (Aug 29, 2008)

i think some have had sickly pets bad advice and not got advice from some of the pah . When it comes to it there out to make money. Although to be fair our local pah has improved alot and has there own vet on sight etc and advice is always on hand. so i suppose not all are bad. Its personel circustaces with experiences people have had them selfs. I must admit where ever poss id rather by from a good breeder than a pet store any day. but then thats my own opiuon.


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## gypsybitch (Aug 6, 2010)

sullivan said:


> i think some have had sickly pets bad advice and not got advice from some of the pah . When it comes to it there out to make money. Although to be fair our local pah has improved alot and has there own vet on sight etc and advice is always on hand. so i suppose not all are bad. Its personel circustaces with experiences people have had them selfs. *I must admit where ever poss id rather by from a good breeder than a pet store any day*. but then thats my own opiuon.


yeah i know what you mean when i was a tiddler i bought rodents from a pet shop, but now i have only ever bought fish from there which was along time ago as i have found a breeder for them too!! i think it is best to get a good breeders stock than mass farmed from pet shops.


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## princesslea (Jul 6, 2010)

i recently went to the pah in bolton lancashire, i personally only get my animals from breeders or rescue but i must say that the staff were helpful and knowledgable about the rats, the cages were immaculate and the cages were a lot bigger than other petshops i have seen in the past. My only gripe is that the ratty toys are quite expensive!!!!


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## CheekoAndCo (Jun 17, 2009)

princesslea said:


> i recently went to the pah in bolton lancashire, i personally only get my animals from breeders or rescue but i must say that the staff were helpful and knowledgable about the rats, the cages were immaculate and the cages were a lot bigger than other petshops i have seen in the past. My only gripe is that the ratty toys are quite expensive!!!!


The toys are really expensive.. There is an expensive pet shop here who is nearly half the price of PAH at times!

There is one opening up here soon.. Feel sorry for the small pet shops around here but then PAH can be really over priced so I know where I'll be going!


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## Emmiiee (Jan 3, 2010)

the only thing i find a fault at [email protected] is they dnt feed the rabbits enough! their bowls are always empty and they are always reli thin! apart from there top marks!


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## Saria (Aug 26, 2010)

I don't really like [email protected] that much, however, I love the fact that they have the adoption section for unwanted animals


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## gypsybitch (Aug 6, 2010)

my pets at home is not to bad to be honest


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## Allana (Jul 7, 2010)

There is another thread on PAH called Idiots @ [email protected] .

xx


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## BattleKat (Oct 26, 2009)

Emmiiee said:


> the only thing i find a fault at [email protected] is they dnt feed the rabbits enough! their bowls are always empty and they are always reli thin! apart from there top marks!


It's a good sign that their bowls are always empty! Rabbits shouldn't have mix/pellets 24/7 - they should have a very small amount once or twice a day.
The main part of a rabbits diet should be hay, if they don't have a constant supply you should consider reporting them as they have a duty to provide it.

I know people complain about pets at home but I think as far as pet shops go they're among the best. They do put out leaflets and train their staff in an effort to make people aware, they give to animal charities and they are among the few places that stock large enough housing.


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## Lu85 (Sep 20, 2010)

I love the leicester [email protected] me and my mate are well known and they are all so helpfull, I now know the guy who deals with the fish really well as I had so many problems with an orb i was given and after going in and talking with him I tried many things that he had told me to do and eventually the tank went clear. I personaly think that some people have just had a bad experience with staff/animals at their local [email protected] I have brought two hamsters from mine and they are fine happy as anything. When ever I go in they ask me how my animals are etc.


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## magpie (Jan 3, 2009)

Some of the staff in [email protected] are fantastic and really know their stuff, and some of them are useless and don't give a toss about animals. 
You can't say that all [email protected] are rubbish anymore than you can say all are brilliant, as it really does differ hugely depending on which store you visit.

I think the biggest problem most people have with [email protected] is the fact that they sell animals, and the fact of where those animals come from. They are badly bred with no regard for health or temperament, and I can only imagine how poorly they must be housed considering how sickly some of them are when they arrive instore


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## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

magpie said:


> They are badly bred with no regard for health or temperament, and I can only imagine how poorly they must be housed considering how sickly some of them are when they arrive instore


This is the problem that the majority of people have with [email protected]!!

Their animals are bred in horrid cruel conditions with little to no regard for the health of the young produced or the health of the breeding stock. Time and time again we hear on this forum of people having trouble with temperamental hamsters from [email protected] which do nothing but growl, scream and run away from their owners and they are obviously not handled at all apart from being whizzed from the storage/transport containers into their lovely clean display tanks.

Of course the shop is all clean and shiny and nice because that is the image they have to put across in order to sell things and get the reputation of being a great place 

Many of their products are unsuitable, e.g. their gerbilariums which are unsafe and unsuitable for gerbils for a variety of reasons. No thought has been put into the design of that what so ever. The majority of hamster cages they sell are simply too small.

Although I still buy some of my pet products from there, I would never ever ever buy an animal from them. Or their adoption centre... which is basically just a 'clearance' area for unsold stock the majority of the time.


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## Petitepuppet (May 30, 2009)

Last time I went into pets at home I got into a conversation with a member of staff about rats and was given the biggest load of rubbish about dumbo rats and how they differ so much from top eareds. This girl had no idea what she was talking about and was sooo sure of herself.

I still go into the store but only because I cant find timothey hay anywhere else for my bunny.


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## Lady Sol (Aug 20, 2009)

> I love the leicester [email protected] me and my mate are well known and they are all so helpfull,


On my visit to the Leicester store the staff were fab. Had to wait 45 minutes for help, but they were knowedgable and friendly and I got vouchers for the wait. Didn't think much to the store itself though, it hasn't been done up like a lot of them have, stuff everywhere and lots unpriced.


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## Saff (Oct 3, 2010)

Merhh i bought my hamster from here and i know someone else who bought their hamster from pah and our hamsters are fine!!! 
Tbh i just think you have to handle them more to tame them as i know from experience, i bought my other hamster fom my local pet shop and they breed them there and handle their hamsters often and Yoshi was quite tame already when i bought him.
Cookie, the one from pets at home however took a bit more handling but she is fine and has only ever bit me once but that was because i forgot to wash my hands before holding her.
I do agree some [email protected] stores are bad but not all of them!!  xx


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## BattleKat (Oct 26, 2009)

Saff said:


> Merhh i bought my hamster from here and i know someone else who bought their hamster from pah and our hamsters are fine!!!
> Tbh i just think you have to handle them more to tame them as i know from experience, i bought my other hamster fom my local pet shop and they breed them there and handle their hamsters often and Yoshi was quite tame already when i bought him.
> Cookie, the one from pets at home however took a bit more handling but she is fine and has only ever bit me once but that was because i forgot to wash my hands before holding her.
> I do agree some [email protected] stores are bad but not all of them!!  xx


I think a bigger issue than handling is that the animals come from breeding farms. 
The parents are in tiny cages with no enrichment just pumping out babies based on how pretty they are rather than their genetics, which is wrong on so many levels.


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## Saff (Oct 3, 2010)

Oh right i see....i did not know this, i take that back.
I do completely disagree with that but not all the staff are bad.
If it is that bad at breeding farms how comes something is not done about it because i thought hamsters should only be bred 3 times in their lifetime and even that can be pushing it!!!


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## Petitepuppet (May 30, 2009)

I dont think people take cruelty to small animals the same as they would if say it was a cat or dog. People now are very careful about where they get puppies from, making sure that they have not come from puppy farms but a lot of people now also know where pet shops get their small animals from and yet still buy them.


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## Saff (Oct 3, 2010)

See i never actually knew [email protected] did that although it kind of makes me happy that i have rescued my hamster from it being done to her!!
My friend who i used to go to school works in my local pet shop and they breed them in the back of the shop and i got my male hamster from there so i met his dad because he is still there!!


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## Petitepuppet (May 30, 2009)

I wouldnt feel guilty about it. You have a happy, healthy hamster and you didnt know about the rodent farming industry.

Now you and anyone else reading this thread now know better, I would suggest finding a breeder or rescue centre next time you want to purchase a new furry.


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## Saff (Oct 3, 2010)

Hmmm yeah, i just hope it all gets sorted out soon!
And yes i will go to breeders in the future or rescues, Thanks!


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## colette85 (Jan 5, 2011)

i have only ever had 1 negative experience with pets at home and that is 1 of my last hamsters i ever got from them died less then 2 weeks after i got him other then that thats it

ive had 4 hamsters my other 3 were healthy

my 1chinese girl lived for about 18months the other chinese hammy got attacked and had her face chewed off by the other when i was at school my mum seperated them but unfortunately she died shortly after 

my gorgeous white syrian girl i had her for over 2 years


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## SophieCyde (Oct 24, 2010)

I have to say that the staff at our [email protected] (the ones I've spoken to anyway) are all very helpful and enthusiastic about the animals. When I got my dwarfies ( This was when I didn't know about the rodent farming aspect of it) the man was explaining everything to me , about possible health conditions ect. and I also got a care sheet with different foods you can feed ect. 

In the store I am quite happy with the way the animals are kept , roomy cages with wheels and lots of enrichment .... 

All my animals have bought from there have had good lives (rabbit lived for 10 years , gerbils 4 & 4 and a half years, chinese dwarfies 1 died aged 18 months one is 2 and still going strong) Overall I've had good experiences with them but after hearing what happens behind the scenes I've been put off


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## davidc (Dec 15, 2010)

CheekoAndCo said:


> The toys are really expensive.. There is an expensive pet shop here who is nearly half the price of PAH at times!
> 
> There is one opening up here soon.. Feel sorry for the small pet shops around here but then PAH can be really over priced so I know where I'll be going!


I once bought gerbil toys from PAH, but noticed a new mini shop open in town on the row opposite where the Barrow Boys used to sell fruit and veg (near the bookstall), they sell pet supplies (not pets though) and have gerbil toys a lot cheaper than PAH. they often have different ones too, so it's a new experience for my gerbils.


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## Wireforever (Dec 31, 2015)

Just went into [email protected] to buy a couple of tropical fish. The fish didn't look to bad to be honest, but the assistant who came to deal with me was more concerned with getting my details recorded on his tablet. I asked him what they wanted the details for and he told me it was for animal welfare reasons. Fair enough I gave him my name and address, but then he wanted my email address and a contact phone number. I told him I didn't have one, but he said he had to have one. I asked him why he needed to phone me up to discuss animal welfare. He told me it was the store policy. I told him I would get my fish from elsewhere and left the shop. I suspect the reasons they wanted this info was to bombard me with emails and phone calls to increase their sales rather than anything to do with animal welfare.
Apologies if this is in the wrong categorie or whatever, I'm a novice at this type of thing.


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