# [email protected] in Bristol



## Phenobarbie (Sep 28, 2009)

I apologise as this is a mighty wall of text!

I was really suprised when i went into my local [email protected] the other day - IN A GOOD WAY 
I was stocking up on cat litter, rat food, hamster toys... lol
And having a little nose around at the animals - I knew i didnt have the money to buy any so it was ok.
There was an older couple (I say older, they were probably in their 40's)
Looking at the adoption bit, and had gotten a hamster.
I was suprised to overhear one of the staff telling them that the rats/hamsters/rabbits etc etc were NOT from rodent farms.
The woman had asked, because she didnt want to buy from them if they were stocked from such a place, but the member of staff said that all the animals from the store are brought up from one breeder, who lives down in Devon or Dorset (i forget)
Which is why sometimes they do not have many animals in the store.
She was also thanking them for asking, as they had been made aware of the situation.

Alot more was said, for example, The [email protected] by me ask if you've got a cage, food, bedding, sawdust, toys etc etc before letting you have the animal
(Although its fairly obvious THIS depends on the staff your talking to, and you can lie)
Rather than going to a breeder out of preloved or trade-it or the local newspaper, who wont even ask if you've got all the equipment and a decent sized cage.


Im not sure whether what she was saying was all BS, but i was happy to hear someone else asking about rodent farms, and for the staff (well, at least some..) to be made aware of this situation, and to have perhaps finally gotten rid of rodent farms stocking their shops - At least this one, anyway!


----------



## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

thats good... if they actually meant it! i hope they did


----------



## metame (Sep 25, 2009)

oh wow, that sounds positive for them. It's good to read some positive stuff about [email protected] with all the crappy stuff that happens there. I must say I havnt really had any terrible experiences with [email protected] at home or here, luckily.


----------



## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

My local [email protected] ask about cages, food, bedding etc but thats as far as they go with discussing the pets they have in 

Sounds like you are near one of the better stores. I really hope they meant it


----------



## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

Phenobarbie said:


> I apologise as this is a mighty wall of text!
> 
> I was really suprised when i went into my local [email protected] the other day - IN A GOOD WAY
> I was stocking up on cat litter, rat food, hamster toys... lol
> ...


I'm affraid that they have lied 

Their rodent farm is located in either Devon or Dorset, there was a topic about where they are located a while ago


----------



## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

Marcia said:


> I'm affraid that they have lied
> 
> Their rodent farm is located in either Devon or Dorset, there was a topic about where they are located a while ago


Maybe they don't class it as a *rodent farm* and are calling it a *breeder* to make it sound better? Cos whoever runs the rodent farm is effectively a breeder just not a very good one!


----------



## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

Flissy said:


> Maybe they don't class it as a *rodent farm* and are calling it a *breeder* to make it sound better? Cos whoever runs the rodent farm is effectively a breeder just not a very good one!


That's essentially what it is  Regardless, these animals are still mass produced for profit


----------



## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

I was reading another forum where rodent farmers were being up-front about their practices - doesn't mean they appeal to you or I, looking for a household pet - and yes they also supply frozen reptile food. One was in Devon, one in IOW.


----------



## Sarah+Hammies (Jul 20, 2009)

Marcia said:


> I'm affraid that they have lied
> 
> Their rodent farm is located in either Devon or Dorset, there was a topic about where they are located a while ago


    thought it was too good to be true.


----------



## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

I don't believe that for one minute.

Even my local pet shop uses a rodent farm (i'm convinced of that now that I saw their 'delivery' last week - about 20 syrian hamsters in crappy corrugated plastic boxes being literally thrown into the tanks by the pet shop owner ) so I don't think for a second that [email protected] will use a breeder.

I also don't believe a proper breeder would want to associate themselves with being a supplier of [email protected] after the kind of reputation it has from knowledgeable people!


----------



## emzybabe (Jun 30, 2009)

doesnt mean theres not 1 person who breeds all these animals on a mass basis for a certain store, without directly being able to see who bread the animals, the conditions, the genetic history and the parents, I still class it as farming


----------



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Phenobarbie said:


> There was an older couple (I say older, they were probably in their 40's)
> Looking at the adoption bit, and had gotten a hamster.


You meanie:crying:, that isnt old.:crying:


----------



## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> You meanie:crying:, that isnt old.:crying:


no you're right it's not old at all!!

it's bloomin ancient


----------



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Verbatim said:


> no you're right it's not old at all!!
> 
> it's bloomin ancient


:crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: I would have a go back but I think Im senile now.


----------



## happysaz133 (Jun 5, 2008)

Mine are good about asking you questions, asking about the cages. When I got William the girl asked me if I had a cage, I said yes, and she asked what it was. I said a Cambridge and she said 'yes, thats a good one for Syrians'  so there are some knowledgeable ones out there!


----------



## Tigerneko (Jan 2, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: :crying: I would have a go back but I think Im senile now.


aww never mind, maybe your carer will think of something for you


----------



## Mum2Alfie (Jan 4, 2010)

Our [email protected] here are very good, they ask if you have cages etc they take all your details down and now their animals come with a 3 day guarentee! We even got a phone call about our harry2 to see if she had settled in and was ok!


----------



## lozza84 (Jul 19, 2008)

omg 40 is NOT old hmy: stop picking on my sis


----------



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

Yeah Verbatim, :001_tt2:, and Ill have you know I told my carer and she said "thats nice dear now take your pills"


----------



## LisaLQ (Dec 19, 2009)

Flissy said:


> thats good... if they actually meant it! i hope they did


It's unlikely. Most pet shops will say their animals dont come from rodent farms, but from a "respected breeder".

I'd ask for details of the breeder (phone number, website, etc) and if they wont hand them out, they're likely not the kind of breeder you'd want pets from anyway.


----------



## LisaLQ (Dec 19, 2009)

Sorry - just read the other replies and realised that had already been covered.

I would consider making a complaint though - if they blatantly lied about where their animals come from, that has to be illegal?


----------



## CarolineH (Aug 4, 2009)

A rodent farmer is a breeder just the same as a puppy farmer is a breeder.


----------



## Phenobarbie (Sep 28, 2009)

Iknow that rodent farms are still techincally breeders, but i definately heard her say 'No, our animals do not come from rodent farms' and display her absolute disgust for rodent farms.
Maybe she is naive to it too.
If i could recognise her when i go back (but my memory is terrible) I would've gone back and spoken to her about it.
But having my handds full of several litres of cat litter, sawdust, hay and silly amounts of treats, i wasnt exactly in the position to put her on the spot there and then


----------



## Phenobarbie (Sep 28, 2009)

Also - Just a side note:

I was just thinking, she MAY have been talking about the hammies and ratties in the adoption bit, as its not close to the other animal section, and that is where they were.
Although i wouldn't of thought a woman down in devon would breed animals so they can go in the adoption bit, so maybe thats a silly idea.


----------



## Marcia (Mar 10, 2009)

Most of the animals that turn up in the adoption bit are animals that pets at home couldn't sell themselves. Some are genuiely from the public but most are from [email protected] stock that got 'too old'


----------



## thedogsmother (Aug 28, 2008)

I just found a receipt for one of my 'adoption bit' hamsters and I read it, I dont think I did at the time. the reason for her being in the adoption bit is "size/old stock" now I am a bit pi$$ed off cos people give money for the adoption animals so it can continue to run and benefit unwanted animals and in actual fact its just profiting [email protected].


----------



## Baby British (Jan 24, 2010)

I just got a rescue rabbit that had been rescued from pets at home after she was ousted after starting to show aggression to the other rabbits there. Keeping in mind that they are all unneutered and maturing, with territory coming into play etc

The rescue had her spayed and she has been fine with other rabbits since and although early days with my other bun Zebs I have high hopes that they're going to be the best of friends.

It's so sad that these animals seemingly have a shelf life before they become either unsaleable due to age or have other behavioral problems due to their basic needs not being met.


----------



## Flissy (Jul 27, 2009)

thedogsmother said:


> I just found a receipt for one of my 'adoption bit' hamsters and I read it, I dont think I did at the time. the reason for her being in the adoption bit is "size/old stock" now I am a bit pi$$ed off cos people give money for the adoption animals so it can continue to run and benefit unwanted animals and in actual fact its just profiting [email protected].


Its very annoying 

We put £7 in when we adopted Poppet... mainly because we didn't want him to think he was worth any less than a 2-eyed hamster


----------



## Phenobarbie (Sep 28, 2009)

Ithink i paid more for my 3 rats from the adoption than they were to buy from the normal section!
This is because i was led to beleive that the money went towards a local charity called 'holly hedge' which had adoption posters up in that area, but cats and dogs.

When i went to holly hedge not too long ago, i was looking at 2 rat boys they had there.
THe woman asked me if i had any rats, and i said 'YEAH i ought 3 boys at 8weeks old from adoption at [email protected], are they from here?'
But she said they had nothing to do with them, other than cats/dogs   
It's really misleading.
I also wonder how they managed to keep 8week old rats, when they are not supposed to be separated until 8weeks?
They were there for at least a week before i got them, and said 'available from -date-' which was the day i got them.


----------



## LisaLQ (Dec 19, 2009)

Rats are split into sexes at 4-5 weeks, it's this point when rodent farms send them out to the shops. From a breeder, they wont home under 6 weeks, in my case depending on the litter - some are ready before others (I've had big chunky babies ready for new homes at 6 weeks, and smaller ones that needed a few weeks extra).

8 weeks is a reasonable age to be selling kittens, not that I agree with pet shops selling animals at all. But considering they're "ready" at 6 weeks min, but often sold younger, 8 weeks is actually okish.


----------

