Complaint Review: PetSmart - Elyria Ohio

Firstly, even though I am only a part-time weekend employee, I take offense at the idea that PetSmart hires ignorant teenagers. I don't know of a single person in my specialty department that doesn't have a college degree. I, for one, have even studied at St. Anne's College of Oxford University on a scholarship. While many customers look down on associates and treat us like high school dropouts, I feel safe in claiming that I have probably attained a higher level of education than 90% of them. We associates know more about animals than any reasonable human being should. And we care about the animals a whole lot more than we care about you, the customer - if we noticed an animal was sick, we would take all measures to make it better, on the clock or not. Now that I've vented, let me state that I'm not a fan of PetSmart in general. The corporatiion is headed by a bunch of people who know how to run a business, but understand very little about animals. I sympathize with you on the loss of your pet. If it were in my power, I'd probably hook you up with a new, healthy (as far as I could gauge that) rat. But after two months, you have to take some personal responsibility for the health of the animal. It may have been predisposed to certain ailments, but there is NO, I repeat NO way we could judge that from the time the animal arrives to the time it's sold. You have two whole weeks to kill it without any financial repurcussions. And just to clarify, I really could care less about the company making money. I'm not a salesman. I don't get a commission. I don't have quotas. I have absolutely no stake in whether or not you buy an animal, or whether you ever return to my store. Just to reiterate, I don't care whatsoever if you open your wallet. I work at PetSmart for some extra cash, and because I get paid to play with the animals I love (plus first dibs on adopting neglected pets who need a good home). I'd probably do it for free (note to management - this is not an offer). To the respondent who says we purchase from animal mills: While we may engage in business with large scale breeders, none of these appropriately fit the bill of a "mill". Vets inspect every facility from which we buy, and I can assure you that I am limited to ordering from 4 companies for small animals, 3 for birds, and 3 for reptiles. These are supposedly clean, sanitary outlets, or at least this is the line I am given. PetSmart isn't the greatest company. But it's better than PetCo or Petland. We serve a certain American instant-gratification seeking clientelle, and if you're a true animal enthusiast, what are you doing in our store in the first place? Find a breeder. Go to a family-run petshop. This to me is like shopping at Walmart and complaining about cheap, shoddy merchandise. You should know what you're getting.

Returning to the original issue, I also agree with Chandra as far as: "Pet lovers, please listen to me and boycott Petsmart. Together we can stop this mindless neglect of these animals!" Actually, this subject is larger than just one particular store. "...Customers all over the United States have reported that PetSmart is selling sick and injured animals, including guinea pigs with eye and upper respiratory infections, sick and dying betta fish, and many kinds of suffering birds, including mite-infested parakeets, a cockatoo who was screaming and bobbing up and down out of stress, an African grey parrot and a macaw who were tearing out their own feathers, and a Jardin's parrot who was very ill in a dirty cage with filthy water." I ask everyone to visit There are also sites such as: And thank you very much for caring. CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

"Ohio has put more of their people in space than any other state". Great. I wish we could put more of you out there. Michael Smith was from NC. He piloted the Challenger. Nothing about the Challenger was made in NC. Maybe it should have been. It may have returned. It seems people in NC are smart enough to not blast off attached to a rocket anymore. By the way...I need to readjust my outlook on stupidity. While Ohio still ranks up there in the #1 slot, Florida cannot be far behind. I have seen some of the most amazing stunt driving ever, since moving down here. But alas, we may have a river that runs North, but you have one that caught fire.

The problem with pet store is they are there to make money. So store as it seem know what they are doing other do not. I have bought fish and gerbils from different stores and at sometime, either with in the time limit of 24 hours to 7 days they have died. Or sometimes I got lucky and they lived. Try to get your pets from a local owned or specialist store. We in OHIO have many in the smaller towns. Sorry for your lost. Those people who see rats as snake food or just rodent, you have to relize the in other country they eat horse, and some people think cows are holy. As far as people from Ohio, Robert look up something for me at NASA. Ohio has put more of their people in space than any other state. Ohioan was up there first. Ohioan was on the moon first and with John Glenn we still kick it when we are old. How many NC have been in space?

The problem with pet store is they are there to make money. So store as it seem know what they are doing other do not. I have bought fish and gerbils from different stores and at sometime, either with in the time limit of 24 hours to 7 days they have died. Or sometimes I got lucky and they lived. Try to get your pets from a local owned or specialist store. We in OHIO have many in the smaller towns. Sorry for your lost. Those people who see rats as snake food or just rodent, you have to relize the in other country they eat horse, and some people think cows are holy. As far as people from Ohio, Robert look up something for me at NASA. Ohio has put more of their people in space than any other state. Ohioan was up there first. Ohioan was on the moon first and with John Glenn we still kick it when we are old. How many NC have been in space?

The problem with pet store is they are there to make money. So store as it seem know what they are doing other do not. I have bought fish and gerbils from different stores and at sometime, either with in the time limit of 24 hours to 7 days they have died. Or sometimes I got lucky and they lived. Try to get your pets from a local owned or specialist store. We in OHIO have many in the smaller towns. Sorry for your lost. Those people who see rats as snake food or just rodent, you have to relize the in other country they eat horse, and some people think cows are holy. As far as people from Ohio, Robert look up something for me at NASA. Ohio has put more of their people in space than any other state. Ohioan was up there first. Ohioan was on the moon first and with John Glenn we still kick it when we are old. How many NC have been in space?

The problem with pet store is they are there to make money. So store as it seem know what they are doing other do not. I have bought fish and gerbils from different stores and at sometime, either with in the time limit of 24 hours to 7 days they have died. Or sometimes I got lucky and they lived. Try to get your pets from a local owned or specialist store. We in OHIO have many in the smaller towns. Sorry for your lost. Those people who see rats as snake food or just rodent, you have to relize the in other country they eat horse, and some people think cows are holy. As far as people from Ohio, Robert look up something for me at NASA. Ohio has put more of their people in space than any other state. Ohioan was up there first. Ohioan was on the moon first and with John Glenn we still kick it when we are old. How many NC have been in space?

Most small animals come with some sort of warranty that varies from a few days to two weeks. I have never heard one that last 2 months. I am not a "rat " person but I am a die hard hamster person so I have alot of experience buying small animals. If they become sick, they need the same vet attention as any other animal, I don't care if you only pay $7.00 for them. You adopted them and by doing that you agreed to care for them, if it was a free puppy and he was sick would you have let him die too? Check out your new pet yourself BEFORE you buy it, hair, teeth, coat, if possible even poop.EDUCATE yourself about the animal That way you don't have to relay on the teens that are employed at petstores that sometimes give wrong information.

Most small animals come with some sort of warranty that varies from a few days to two weeks. I have never heard one that last 2 months. I am not a "rat " person but I am a die hard hamster person so I have alot of experience buying small animals. If they become sick, they need the same vet attention as any other animal, I don't care if you only pay $7.00 for them. You adopted them and by doing that you agreed to care for them, if it was a free puppy and he was sick would you have let him die too? Check out your new pet yourself BEFORE you buy it, hair, teeth, coat, if possible even poop.EDUCATE yourself about the animal That way you don't have to relay on the teens that are employed at petstores that sometimes give wrong information.

Most small animals come with some sort of warranty that varies from a few days to two weeks. I have never heard one that last 2 months. I am not a "rat " person but I am a die hard hamster person so I have alot of experience buying small animals. If they become sick, they need the same vet attention as any other animal, I don't care if you only pay $7.00 for them. You adopted them and by doing that you agreed to care for them, if it was a free puppy and he was sick would you have let him die too? Check out your new pet yourself BEFORE you buy it, hair, teeth, coat, if possible even poop.EDUCATE yourself about the animal That way you don't have to relay on the teens that are employed at petstores that sometimes give wrong information.

Most small animals come with some sort of warranty that varies from a few days to two weeks. I have never heard one that last 2 months. I am not a "rat " person but I am a die hard hamster person so I have alot of experience buying small animals. If they become sick, they need the same vet attention as any other animal, I don't care if you only pay $7.00 for them. You adopted them and by doing that you agreed to care for them, if it was a free puppy and he was sick would you have let him die too? Check out your new pet yourself BEFORE you buy it, hair, teeth, coat, if possible even poop.EDUCATE yourself about the animal That way you don't have to relay on the teens that are employed at petstores that sometimes give wrong information.

i bought my rat "Sneezers" at petsmart over a year ago. he's happy, healthy and was very social due to the personal care that he recieved at Petsmart. I went to several other stores but found their rats antisocial, lethargic, and several with balding spots. The employees at Petsmart give the rats personal time to socialize them. I came in every couple days to find the right rat for me. I could see the difference in about a week and a half from being skiddish and in the nest box to coming up to the window and happily chilling in my sweater pocket. they were very helpful and told me if he shows any sign of being sick to come back and they would have him checked out. When i get another rat, I'm going back to my Petsmart.

Merry Met I have been parousing the bases for a bit when I ran across this thread. First a little background. I live in NW Ohio, like Chandra I am wiccan of the celtic tradition, and I have had a lot of experience with small animals AND Petsmart. As a matter of fact my wife works for another pet chain in the area and we both have quite a bit if experience with animals. About three years ago I too bought a new pet from Petsmart, a large grey rat names Osiris. I was told at the store that all of there animals were checked by a vet before sale. In my case it took less than a week before Osiris began to have problems. He died during the night before I could get him to a vet. I brought him to a vet the next day to see what had caused his death. The Vet said it was some kind of poisoning, possibly caused by contaminated food and had probably traken place long before I got him. I have since then talked with several other pet owners with similar stories about that store. I will no longer patronize it. It is one thing for an animal to suffer through accident, but through negligence is unforgiveable. The three fold law shall balance Karma I am sure. Blessed Be..

ATTENTION EVERONE, I WORK AT PETSMART IN PUYALLUP WASHINGTON AND I DONT MAKE 6.00 AN HOUR, LOL, $11.22 AN HOUR AND IVE BEEN THERE LESS THAN TWO YEARS.AND I MAKE THAT MONEY BECAUSE I HAVE ROUGHLY 80 REGULAR CUSTOMERS BECAUSE WE HAVE SAVED SOOOOOO MANY LIVES, ANOTHER THING, YOU SIGNED A LEGAL BINDING CONTRACT SAYING THAT YOU WERE AWARE OF THE DISEASE POSSIBILITIES AND WE WOULD COVER THE VET COSTS ANYTIME IN THAT TWO WEEK GUARENTEE. UPPER RESPRATORY DISEASE (MUCH LIKE WET-TAIL IN HAMSTERS) IS STRESS INDUCED. IT IS A VIRUS THAT IS PRESENT IN EVERY RAT ON EVERY CONTINENT IN EVERY STATE AT EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY HOUR. AND BY YOUR DUMBASS NOT NOTICING IT RIGHT AWAY YOU IN ESSENCE KILLED THEM. IM SURPRISED YOU DIDDNT KILL THEM SOONER BECAUSE THEY OBVIOUSLY HAD IT BEFORE YOU GOT THEM, IT KILLES IN LESS THAN A MONTH CHANDRA!!!!!!!

I have worked at Pets Mart for almost 6 months now. I would have to agree that in general, they don't seem to care a whole lot about their animals, but there are those of us who do care. I fought VERY hard to see the living conditions of some of our animals in our store changed. I used to work for another pet store before I worked at Pets Mart. I was properly trained by this privately owned store on how to care for these animals. After ownership of that particular store changed, I swore that I would never work for another pet store again, because the animals were so badly neglected. I will have to say that the animals at the particular store that I work at, are by no means neglected, because there are a couple of us in the department that genuinely do care about these little critters. With each animal that may pass away in our store, I feel a great deal of sadness and sometimess find myself crying over their loss. I find it quite frusterating sometimes when I see animals being repeatedly returned because they are sick. It is truly heart breaking. For those that are sick, I spend a great deal of my time giving them extra care and attention to try and save them. However, there is only so much that the boss will let me do. Please don't think that all employees at Pets Mart are the same because we are not. Animals have always been a very strong passion in my life and they always will be.

First of all, anyone who doesn't understand small animals won't get this anyway. However, the initial complaint was about pet stores selling sick animals. For those who feed live animals to their snakes, you should listen up. Domestic rats, mice, rabbits and other small animals can carry diseases. Feeding live animals to your snakes may cause them harm. If you do not have a knowledgeable exotic reptile vet for your snakes, get one. Soon. I do not rescue reptiles so I am unsure of what diseases can be passed from mammal to reptile. For all humans reading, most illnesses carried by small animals cannot be passed to humans. The safest way to obtain any companion animal is to know the facts BEFORE you bring that animal home with you.

It's always tough to lose a pet, but for cryin out loud, ya'll are talkin about two rats. I used to feed rats to my pet snakes (who have now graduated to bunny rabbits) and I shoot rats whenever I see them in my back yard. Get over it, and find something else to do with your time! Petsmart rules!!!!

If you used pine or cedar bedding, you killed your rats. Sorry, but it's the truth. They are natural pesticides. I know from experience becuase I all most lost my gerbil to pine bedding. Luckily I was smart enough to go online and research his syptoms and bought the $10 bird antibiotic at fist sign.

You know what disturbs me here? I'll tell you. I hate the completely dismissive nature towards Satanism. Firstly, anyone who has read the GREAT Anton LeVay's work (and those who haven't really shouldn't speak of Satanism) knows that he was an animal lover. He would never offer animal sacrifices. He was a great man with a great philosophy and his philosophy should not be demonized or trivialized, especially by Christians or Wiccans. Come on. There were so many people ready and willing to jump in and defend Christianity (the reason for more death and destruction than almost any other religion and for Wicca (which is sincerely nonsense with more Christian philosophy than any real insight...btw New Age Wicca is even worse and I guarantee that all the people who are self-proclaimed Wiccans are New Age...white magic...isn't it lovely?) Satanism is STRONG, and it is empowering. It's about taking responsibility (instead of say blaming Satan for being addicted to alcohol or Pet Smart for two month old rats dying) and putting yourself above anyone else. Being a Satanist is instinctive when ones surrounding doesn't brainwash the hell out of you. It's natural. That said I'm not a Satanist. I love LeVay and share his works with everyone because he was a true genius who understood the human mind and motivations moreso than anyone since Friedrich Nietzsche, but when speaking of Satanism don't trivialize it into some strange crap that Geraldo Rivera has convinced you exists. There aren't people being killed in the name of Satanism. There are however people actually LIVING in its name. AND Frankly Chandra couldn't be a Satanist if she wanted to. Go out and by Satan Speaks. It's an easy quick read and provides the best LeVay essays offered. Then say what you want about the religion. Peace Out Melissa

I am sorry about the loss of your little ratties. I have had pet rats since I was little, I have 3 rattie girls from petsmart for a year now and have never had any problems, I also use echinacea for my girls when they seem to have a cold. I put a couple of drops in thier water. I have also used that new stuff "airborne" for children. My oldest rat just passed, her name was River. Anyway, I wonder if you seperated the new rat from your existing rats for at least a couple of weeks before introducing them. Sometimes colds will not show up for a while. Also, I think it is strange about the convulsions, I have not experienced that before. In short, I don't think petsmart is to blame , I think you just had some bad luck.

Sorry bout your rats ms. wiccan. Trying to be a vet doesnt usually work with animals unless you are a real vet. We bought a pet from petsmart and it was ok. The employees have been for the most part friendly. But the loss of an animal can be trying indeed. Some employees can be insensitive. Try to buy some more animals and start again. Good Luck.

Man someone has been feeding you a lot of BS. I worked for Petsmart before, so really, try that same BS on someone who really doen't know the truth. Let me break the facts down for you. First, small animals were not available for purchase, through Petsmart, until a few years ago. When I was there, they gave us this pamplet to explain to customers as to why you can not purchase a small animal there. In this pamplet, it went on and on about how these animals are harmed to be caught, how breeders are no good, etc... Once they did start seeling small animals, they failed to notify owners of proper care. How many times does your store run out of the "care sheets?" In ours, it's hard to run out of something you never seem to have. These animals are not given medications upon getting off the truck and into the store. If and when these animals get sick, most do not take them to the vet, once in a great while will you find an employee taking them to the vet. They are not quarantened in accordance to law. When they are isolated; their isolated for 2 to 5 days. For a hamster with wet tail, all caged together must be isolated and on medication for no less thasn 10 days. Again, this is not PetsMarts way of doing business. Appearently, you haven't read the horror stories above. Do you know what happened last time I walked into a PetsMart? They had one cage with a dead hamster and another with the cage full of wet tail. I went to an employee and their reaction was, "Oh, OK." There is no way, if they kept the cages clean, like you preach they do, should these animals always becoming sick. There is always a stinch from this area. I have hamsters and when you clean the cage, they do not stink and usually don't get sick. As for your "they take a dead animal to the vets..." Again you're way off, they go right in the trash, been there, seen it done on numerous occasions. Hey, tell us something, if PetsMart cares so much about the health of animals and people, then why are there no signs posted anywhere in their store stating that health concerns of owning a reptile and birds? Petco does, at least they do something right. As for telling someone in management or over their heads, been there done that, nothing is ever done. The managers are even more uninformaed than the other staff. Go to PetsMarts main office and they send your complaint back to that store. So, why isn't anything being done? I just answered that. By the way, PetsMart and Petco have been under investigation for cruelty to animals for sometime now. How do I know, I have been a member of PETA for over a year, you see I DO care about the animals.

There is no differnce in the actions. You can not blame a pet store 2 MONTHS after you buy something because it got sick!!! Anything that is sick when you buy it you will see within hours or days...not 2 MONTHS. So get real there, people. I get my info from the one who does this at the store, and if your store isn't doing it...sorry, maybe they are not up to par. Who is the wonderful person who gives me so much information? And who I believe? My husband, who worked in EMS as a Paramedic for 10 years, who saved lives everyday. When he got sick of seeing dead bodies, he decided to work in retail, and since he likes animals, he went to work for this company. He gives those animals the same care he would give a human, and I have seen the vet bills on rats, gerbils, hamsters, birds, lizards, etc. The company requires that any sick animal be taken to the vet immediatly...you can loose your job for not taking a sick animal to the vet for treatment. If your store does not do this...you need to contact the manager, or go above his head. Because the people who founded and run the store want it done this way. They will spend hundreds on animals so that they do not die. I'm a little partial to this specific store...I know how it is run...I am in there often, I know the employees, the managers, the DM's. I know who they have fired and why. The original poster lost her animals because she did not care for them properly...plain and simple and she can't accept responsiblity for it...so she blames someone else. Simple as that...like a 2 year old saying...she did it...not me! You can not find a pet sote chain that does more for animals...can not. Mom and pop store that everyone seems to back...are gross, the cages are never clean...the animals have no water or food...and are often sick..and you better believe they don't go to the vet. Other pet chains put their animals in freezers to die when they are sick, or toss them in the dumpster. At PetsMart, if an animal dies it has to be picked up by the city animal control and disposed of by them in the correct fashion. I don't know of another store that is so strict in it's policies and guidelines. There has not been a dead animal at our store in over 3 months, and the last that died put up a good fight, but it died despite the vet care and antibiotics...it was a lizard...there were 3 that came in and all died...so they did necropsies on them to see why. Do you know how much that costs? So, keep on ranting...you will never change my mind...I know how out store is run...and it is without reproach. THE FACT REMAINS THAT THE REASON THE GIRLS RATS DIED IS BECAUSE SHE DID NOT TAKE PROPER CARE OF THEM...THE STORE IS NOT TO BLAME...HECK...YOU COULDN'T EVEN BLAME PETNO FOR THIS ONE...IT WAS HER ALL THE WAY.

Stacey: First, there is a BIG difference between something materialistic and something living. PetsMart does NOT take proper care of their animals. They DO NOT give preventative meds to them upon shipping. Where do you get your info?

Stacey: First, there is a BIG difference between something materialistic and something living. PetsMart does NOT take proper care of their animals. They DO NOT give preventative meds to them upon shipping. Where do you get your info?

Stacey: First, there is a BIG difference between something materialistic and something living. PetsMart does NOT take proper care of their animals. They DO NOT give preventative meds to them upon shipping. Where do you get your info?

I just figured out something that will maybe make this make sense to all of you who want to blame the pet store. This is like going to the store and buying a shirt, then 2 months later you are walking down the stairs and your shirt hangs on a nail and it rips, then you go to the store and blame them for your shirt being ruined, they ruined your shirt, two months after you bought it because you walked down the stairs and it got ripped. That is what this is like, only she bought two animals and didn't take care of them and they died. The pet store is no more to blame than the store you bought the shirt from.

Your 2 cents was very expensive! You quoted almost everyone who responded. And still managed to blame a pet store for animals that died 2 months after they were bought, which is way out of the 14 day guarantee, and who were never taken to a vet after purchase, and who's immature owner gave a herbal remedy, and then when she was done playing goddess, got mad because it didn't work. Wow...let's get the facts straight...she didn't take care of them from the start...she never took them to a vet...end of case. She was not responsible and therefore her animals died. PetsMart takes good care of their animals, and I know who their breeders are, they are not rat mills, by the way. All animals are put in quarantine when they come into the store and given a round of preventative meds...just in case they have a little something from being shipped. After quaratine they are put on out the floor for sale, they are kept in clean cages with food and water and toys, and are played with by the workers. Any animal that seems ill, is taken out off the floor and put in isolation and then taken to the vet, where it is treated at the expense of the company. (Unlike at a similar chain PetNO, who will put them in a bag in the freezer and let them freeze to death.) After this, the animal gets adopted out...at no cost to the adopter. HMMMM. Sounds horrible, doesn't it. The only person to blame here is the owner who DID NOT care for her animals...by her own admission, she did not seek a professionals advice. That means she is at fault, not the store, not the person who made the herbal remedy, just her. So get over it people!! This girl is just mad because she killed her animals, and she can't accept blame for anything so she must find someone else to blame. Leave the pet store out of it.. it was her fault.

Although it was a long response, a lot of what you said made a lot of sense. I have been told by other rat caregivers that spaying/neutering rats can minimize the tumors you speak of. In our area there are no vets that will spay and since the male we have was a shelter rescue and we knew he was older we did not risk surgery for neuter. I do use herbal treatments and alternative medicine for the other rescues I have including domestic rabbits and canines, but would never do so without approval of an alternative medicine veterinarian. We have started adding alternative medicine to the Kind Planet site, http://www.kindplanet.org. I don't tout alternative meds as a cure all. We use them most often in conjunction with traditional medicine.

I am sorry your rats died. It is very possible that the rats you bought from the store could have genetic defects. The convulsions may indicate that. Yes, breeding mills are as bad as people have claimed. However, as a rat owner myself, it makes me wonder why you did not at least contact a veterinarian about these symptoms or had the rats checked up at a vet when you first got them like a responsible new pet owner should. Herbal remedies may often help, but they should never be used as a cure for a serious disease without a veterinarian's opinion. As you may or may not know, rats are very prone to respiratory infections which can progress rapidly to a dangerous state. It baffles me why after one of your rats died, and your other was showing symptoms, you didn't take either rat to an emergency veterinarian. You cited the Rat and Mouse Club of America's very informative website, claiming that it claimed echinacea was a cure for respiratory infections. Let me give you real quotations from that same article: "The important point here is that echinacea is not a 'magic bullet' - a complete cure -- and it is certainly not a substitute for caution, common sense, and regular attention from a qualified vet!" "As happy as I am with the results of using echinacea to help my girls, I cannot stress enough the importance of continuing to work with a licensed veterinarian experienced in the care of rats. In fact, if you are using an alternative product, you may want to take your rats in for routine veterinary checkups, just to make sure you're not overlooking an important symptom." http://www.rmca.org/Articles/herbal. Nowhere in that article does it claim that echinacea is an effective alternative to conventional treatments for respiratory infections. jASON from Wichita Falls, Texas wrote: "There is no way that PetsMart would know that the animals were sick that far in advance. There are not many test that even a vet can do to find potential problems with small animals such as rats, and the few that can be done are very expensive. " This is just wrong. Symptoms of an upper respiratory infection in rats include sneezing, porphyry staining or other discharge around the eyes or nose, lethargy, wheezing, or lack of interest in food. If the people of Petsmart gave their rats quality socialization every day, as healthy rats need, then these symptoms could be noticed and should be treated by a veterinarian. As far as genetic problems that might show itself later in the rats life, the fact that the employees at the PetsMart retail location could not detect that does not absolve PetsMart of blame. It is well known how pet mill breeders give little regard for breeding for health, or anything other than making money. You say they were about four months old when they died. That means that if they were born with some type of problem(genetic, etc) then they lived for four months with it. If they were carying some type of disease or sickness when you bought them, like you seem to think, then they lived for at least two months with it. The odd thing about either of these possibilities is that the odds of them having or carying something this long and then dying within hours of each other are VERY slim. This is wrong as well. Genetic defects can present themselves at any given time in an animals life. Mycoplasmosis, a very common respiratory infection in rats, can often be carried by the rat for months until symptoms of that infection are triggered by stress or another infection or illness. In the case of Sendai and SDA virus, RMCA recommends quarantining animals from 3weeks to 2 months depending on the situation. Kristi of Chesterfield, VA wrote: I would recommend not to make such outlandish and unproven remarks about were petsmart gets their animals without any sort of documentation or proof. Have you ever actually tried to get the information about where PetsMart gets their animals? Ask them - they wont tell you. And if you somehow obtain the name of their supplier, there is literally no way to investigate their treatment of animals unless you happen to be in the Midwest where these mills are located and apply to work for one. Hey, and you know what Petsmart employees are told to do with sick animals shipped from Ohio to New Hampshire who arrive sick? Send them back to Ohio. What do you think will happen to them there? And what are the chances that if one in the bunch was sick, all the other ones are? Chandra of Loraine, OH wrote: if you don't wish to fill your rats' bodies with antibiotics, which will ultimately cause bacteria to become resistant to treatment Bacteria become resistant to antibiotics not with sensible, regular use but with overuse, misuse, and with individuals taking the antibiotic for less than the recommended period of time. Giving an animal an antibiotic for a bacterial infection *that herbs alone will likely NOT cure* is a pet owners responsibility. Liz from Ottawa, IL wrote: I do not understand the big deal about a couple meesely rats. They are essentially just rodents that people and other pets try to kill daily. They are disease carrying creatures which have a very short life span. I could understand a complaint if you bought a $1,500 dog from the place, but you probably spent more than the cost of those fish on phone calls and gas complaining about two dead rats. When something is so minor as that, you cut your losses and be done with it. If the pet store is to blame, then file real reports with Aminal Control Agencies or something. You dont understand because youve never owned a pet rat. Every life is intrinsically valuable and infinitely more valuable than any monetary sum. Pet rats are wonderful, affectionate, loving creatures full of life, spunk and personality. Yes, rats are essentially just rodents. And humans are essentially just apes. What is your point? Are some species more intrinsically valuable than others? You are obviously misinformed about pet rats. Pet rats are NOT wild rats. Rattus Norvegicus is their scientific name, and this species includes wild rats, rats in the pet and scientific trade descend from lines that have been bred in captivity for centuries. Pet rats carry about as much disease as dogs or cats. People associate rats with carrying the plague. Actually, people are infected by the plague by fleas. Cats and dogs are just as likely to transmit the plague as a pet rat who lives indoors. As far as other diseases, the ones that can be transmitted from rat to human are largely the same as for other more common household pets - rabies, ringworm, intestinal parasites, salmonella, parrot fever, etc. Incidents of these diseases being passed on to humans from rats is minimal to rare. Brianna of Tucson, AZ wrote: Wicca is NOT a Western culture. It was formed in Europe long before the western culture ever got a hold of it. Actually, European culture is considered Western culture. Janell of San Diego, CA wrote: They are fed a balanced, appropriate diet; quarantined upon arrival, and viewed by our in-store Banfield veterinarian whenever necessary. Many Petsmarts do NOT have an in-store Banfield vet (who often times isnt experienced in treating small animals). It takes a lot of pulling legs in the store where I used to work to get a sick animal to a vet. To the managers, a $200 vet bill isnt worth a $7 hamster. Thats why I quit. Amaya of Phoenix, AZ wrote: The customers always have lame excuses for why they should get something for free or why we should take back their clearly used & abused items. Ive worked in a variety of retail jobs since I was 14 years old. Yes, customers suck. But I find rather insensitive that you view a customers upset at the loss of a pet as whining or merely an annoyance to you. Get another job. My brother bought two rats from PetsMart and they lived at least two years, until they got out and disappeared for good. Tame, domesticated animals can not survive in the wild. They will die from the elements, starvation or predators. You apparently dont give a crap about this do you. Pet Lover from Waldorf, MD wrote: You probably wondering why I shop at PetsMart, I simply don't have a choice, we don't have a Petco, yet. PetCo is just as bad if not worse than PetsMart. Why dont you shop online at someplace like Petfooddirect.com? Or better yet, at a pet store that does not sell animals? As I sId, not only did these hamster have wet tail, but the guinea's had/have ring worm. There are dead animals in their cages and they don't know the differnce between a gerbil and a Siberian (and yes, there are several BIG differences.) Again, the only reason I shop at PetsMart is because there IS NO OTHER pet store here. Have you ever considered pointing this out to anyone in the store or better yet reporting the abuse to local animal cruelty investigators? Or maybe you couldnt be bothered because hell you just went into the store for five seconds, so youre not REALLY responsible, are you? Meagan from Seaside, CA wrote: It may not even be the fault of the individuals selling the animals (in the case of PetCo, PetSmart), but most of the animals are poorly bred. After all, if a breeder does not care enough about their stock to supervise the purchase and rehoming of their animals, then they cannot be considered responsible, and therefore their breeding practices must be suspect. A PET STORE THAT BUYS ANIMALS FROM AN ABUSIVE BREEDER IS SUPPORTING THOSE BREEDING PRACTICES. A CUSTOMER WHO PATRONIZES A PET STORE WHO BUYS FROM AN ABUSIVE BREEDER IS JUST AS RESPONSIBLE. J from Hendersonville, TN wrote: I don't know much about where our animals come from. I do know the name of the company, and the people who deliver the animals. Before we even accept the animals, we check them over for any signs of visible illness. If we see one hamster with wettail, we refuse the entire box of hamsters. We'd rather be out of hamsters than have a treatment room full of them. Gee, and what happens to those sickly animals? Are they sent to the vet immediately for treatment or humane euthanasia? No, they are put back in the truck and shipped 500 miles back to where they came. Where is that? - you dont know, do you? So how do you know these sick animals will be taken care of? Or do you not care? Robert from Hubert, NC wrote: Get over it...they were snake food to begin with. And ended up being worm food. Yes, stupid man, and one day we all will be worm food and maybe shark food or cougar food or food for greedy human souls. Why dont you get over it. S.N. in Bucyrus, Kansas wrote: There is a medication your vet can give your pet rat to treat upper respiratory problems. Our male rat, from the local shelter, came to us with upper respiratory problems. The medication is pre-mixed and simple to use. Our the vet mixed it with a "taste good" syrup that actually has the rat begging for the medicine. It is not expensive. It is my understanding that older rats will need the medication for the rest of their lives. Upper respiratory problems in rats are caused by a variety of things. Bacterial infections, viral infections, heart disease and tumors. There is no cure for mycoplasmosis or malignant tumors. I am very familiar with antibiotics used to treat bacterial infections. Travis, from Hicksville, NH wrote: Well they do have a place in my life. They are bait for my dogs at trials. Gosh don't the Jacks like finding the rat at the end of the tunnel... LOL I would hate to see what would happen if one was let out of it's cage You must enjoy seeing an animal be eaten and ripped apart alive. Have fun in your next life, a**hole.

Well they do have a place in my life. They are bait for my dogs at trials. Gosh don't the Jacks like finding the rat at the end of the tunnel... LOL I would hate to see what would happen if one was let out of it's cage...

These RATS would be much better if they were gotten from a breeder. Try Manhattan. Or better yet, anywhere in India. India is, by the way, the ONLY place on the planet that still has Bubonic Plague. Thank you RATS. Yes, I know it's the FLEAS on the rats, but without the RATS, there would be no PLAGUE. Oh, the fun and joy of living with RATS.

Hi All, First this should be about the animals that are sold in pet stores, not about people belief's. Most people know that if you go to a pet store to get an animal you may get something that is not the best. I breed Jack Russell's, I have bought 1 dog from a pet store ( my first Jack) this poor thing is not a "true" jack. She has some issue's but that is what I get for buying her from a pet store. As a "breeder" I have my buyers sign a contract. I stand behind my dogs 100%. I give them up to 6 months to return the puppy if they are not happy, If they return it for non-health issue I don't refund 100%. If it is a health issue that comes up in 2 years they get a full refund. I guess what I'm saying is go to a breeder that you can trust and will stand behind what they breed. We should breed to better the breed not breed to make tons of money ( as there is not alot of money in it if you are doing the right thing)

Calling me a "well known pervert" eh? Nice try. I can use the same tactics as you. Are you still blowing horses for a nickel? Do you still bend over for stray dogs? Has your wife finished servicing the homeless guy around the corner yet? See how easy it is? You have no clue as to who I am. If you did know me, you'd be more careful of your tone. You should always show respect to your "betters". How else do expect people like me to give you our spare change? Maybe if you stop breathing that stench you call a lake, you'll develop a functioning brain. As for me being on here for "over 2 years", sorry, wrong again. I found this site about 3 months ago. And as for you dear Lisa, living in the "Garbage State" isn't helping you either. S.n., try using your name. I've read lots of your responses to ongoing reports, and they all carry the same tune. Oh, the evil big business and the poor innocent consumer. Someone call the Wahbulance! The only people I've ever heard of who won't use their REAL names are criminals. And again people....These are RATS!!! Don't try to say they make good pets. They are RATS!! Rats are not intelligent or useful for any other purpose than being used to feed other animals. Train one to do ANYTHING other than chase it's tail or run on a wheel, and I may give you points on it. But just because they recognize the hand that feeds them is not indicative of massive brain power. Even Keith knows who feeds him. My birds are smarter than a RAT and if one of them got sick, too bad for him/her. Teach your rat to sing songs, come when called, alert you when someone is on the property, or any number of other tricks, and you'll get points. For the record, I've had cats, dogs, rabbits and all of them were more useful as a pet than a rat. All recieved proper burials when they died and have small stones indicating what/where they are. So, for all of you who think ill of me, who cares? I know the difference between snake food and the snake. Do you?

This is to the groomer who just replied..um..yeah..well..this report was filed against Petsmart's handling of their pets, and in particular whether they were responsible or not for the death of 2 rats, it had NOTHING to do with their grooming department. Your defense of Petsmarts' grooming department was admirable, but it was not relevant to the topic :)

Those of you who bad mouth petsmarts grooming salons and groomers have no idea what your talking about. For one maybe you've had a bad experience and im sorry for that. But in the three years i've worked for them almost all complants about the grooms were do the pet parents ignorance. Be for you by a dog learn a little about it. I can't count how many time a day some one comes in to my salon that bought a dog just because its cute or friend has the same one or thats the trend of dogs going around. They have absolutley no idea of how to properly take care of the animal. All long haired dog need to be brushed daily every other day at the least. Most of the complants are because a dog had to be shaved and the owner didn't know what the dog was going to look like when it was finished. A matted dog has to be shaved it the human thing to do. Think of it this way; Im sure you all know what a dredlock is a matt is basicly tha same thing. Now imagine going to a salon and that hair stylist brushing and combing those out. How bad would that hurt! If you don't want your dog shaved, brush it, if you dont have time to brush a dog don't buy one that has long hair. After shaving matts off a dog there are almost always red spots not because of razer burn but because a matt is constantly pulling on the skin causing irritation some times even sores. I've even seen dog and cats come in to our salon so badly matted that the we're literaly pulling and ripping their own hair out making sores. I know we have reputation of shaving all dogs, which we do shave a lot of them but if people took care of them like they should they would'nt need to shaved. Also thoses of you that come in and have absolutley no idea what you want done, how much you want taken off, or even how long an inch is and than get mad because we couldn't do what you could'n explane need to get a life. And the ones who send the dogs in with a friend or child and that person gives us the wrong information that's not our responsibility all we can do is asume the person droping the dog off knows what needs to be done and is able to make decisions for that dog. Petsmart has the highes safty standards for the salons and thoses of you who don't understand that you cant muzle certan breeds because of calapsed trecias (those are any breeds with flat faces) because they can not breath with them on and it can be a hazard the health of those breeds. So if your dogs bite we can't muzle them if you care about your pet you'll understand. If your dog is completey unruley and we are unable to cut the hair saftley we're going to send it home. Don't complane most likely you wont get charged at least you wont get charged for full package and we're just taking the saftey of the pet in to concideration not the fact that the dog dosen't look like a master piece. And for all of you that get mad because we require prof of rabies vaccinations. Its the law your pet has them and even though many of you think it our job to get bit, which it's not, if we did and your pet hasn't had them it would have to isolated for ten days at you expens and the groom who got bit would have to get a rabies shot. In case you dont know what a rabies shot is for a person it's six shots in the tummy. We can only do whats capable with each pet without puting harm to it. Those of you who look apon us grooming and thing we're being to tough on a dog becuse its strugling need to get real. Why don't you try it than you'll know. The positions you hold a dog head is for reason to keep them still so they don't move and they dont get niked. Im not going to say that get niked is completley out of the picture either becuse it is posible look we're using sharp objects( sissors, clippers)on a moving animal all we can do it our best and take every saftey procidure possible. And if it does happen we will always take full responsibility for it paying vet bills and not charging for the groom and even giving you an extra free groom. Im sorry for how some of you feel about our stores and out employes. But I can say every one in my salon really cares for each and every pets that comes in. Just because there are a few bad seeds in some stores doesn't mean the company is bad nor does it mean all the emplyes are. Thank you

Robert is the only one making himself look like an idiot. He acts like a 14 year old boy with his harassing. I really don't know why anyone would keep typing two years on a report only to bother people. Doesn't he have anything else to do with his time?

There is a medication your vet can give your pet rat to treat upper respiratory problems. Our male rat, from the local shelter, came to us with upper respiratory problems. The medication is pre-mixed and simple to use. Our the vet mixed it with a "taste good" syrup that actually has the rat begging for the medicine. It is not expensive. It is my understanding that older rats will need the medication for the rest of their lives. If anyone here is interested in getting this information to their vet, please contact me via the editors at Rip-off Report. And a special Thank You to Keith for explaining Robert. It's nice to know he doesn't just bore this message board. You are right, ignore it and eventually it will tire and go away. We can only hope that there is reincarnation and that Robert's actions will catch up with him in his next life.

I'm sowwy Wisa. Are you speciaw too? Again...THESE ARE RATS!!!! It shouldn't have taken 2 days for them to die. A snake will devour them in 2 minutes.

Do you research an animal before you bring one(or two) home as a pet? Captive-bred rats have a bacteria in their nasal passages, called Mycoplasma pulmonis. The only rats who are found to be free of this bacteria are those kept in laboratory-sterile conditions, where the bacteria cannot grow. For this reason, mycoplasma pulmonis is the most common cause of respiratory infections in rats. Although there are several other bacteria that can cause the same symptoms, the usual culprit is mycoplasma. When a rat gets old, or gets stressed, the mycoplasma bacteria has a chance to take hold and multiply. Pneumonia is when the infection gets into the lungs. With rats, a "cold" (i.e., sneezing and sniffling), can quickly lead to pneumonia which can cause permanent damage to the lungs and even death if left untreated. On that note, I've raised pets of every kind for twenty years, and I know a thing or two about animals. I kept a rat recently who died of the very same thing. I took him to the vet on several occasions, and was finally told that he wouldn't survive because of the respiratory infection. Though I would love to blame the pet store for selling me a sick animal, I did the research and found that it wasn't their fault. Hopefully you'll read up and come to the same conclusion. Rats are iffy pets to keep because they don't live long to begin with, but they are prone to illness like pneumonia and respiratory infections. Please please please do your research before you go accusing pet stores. I'm not calling PetSmart a saint, but they certainly didn't kill your pet.

Well Lisa,seems the only retard is Robert,who appears to just hang around this board 24/7[not to mention he is also a well known pervert on the internet.He seems to have a thing about commenting on certain states & names.Can only imagine what is"real"name is,as perverts rarely use their real names.Of course he will comment back,as that's what he lives for,though not worth further comment from me.I suggest you ignore him.As we know,that's what gets them them most.Seems he sits back and comments on every subject brought here,no matter how old,and will continue to do so,as he's been doing for years now[along with many,many other boards on the internet].To ignore is to win.

I believe it wasn't Petsmart's fault this time. The rats died not long after she gave them the "herbal remedies" Also she had the rats for two months after she bought them. Thats enough time for them to get sick of something. I do believe though that there are pets that are sold sick at petsmart so boycott if you want to. Robert how old are you? You sound like some sixteen year old boy who has to much time on their hands. If your wondering why people think your unemployeed, think hard. You've been posting since this report was started and all you've done is harass people left and right, and you wonder why people think you don't work. Also the comment on the retarded boy down the street. I have a cousin who is like that! Its people like you who make me sick!

You're response gave me a headache trying to read all of your misspelled words. Luckily, I had the little retarded kid down the street(his name is also Keith) read it for me. I'm glad you think you're funny. At least someone does. Who is Jed? I've never met anyone by that name. And, I'm sure someone out there believes you worked and earned enough money to retire at 33. Getting hit while walking on the double-yellow and collecting a fat insurance check doesn't count. Keep sniffing that lake Keith, one day it's vapors may cure you.

Robert Robert Robert,Florida?Maryland??And you talk?Or should I say"tried"to talk while wiping the chew from your chin?I admit that Ohio is"different"to say the least,but let's behonest here,you really should have kept where you live a secret.We all would have understood,oh,and as your comment"moneywise",I have nothing that is not paid for,in all cash,43,retired @33years of age,and more money then Jed could or will ever dream of,so go to work now Robert.

So's Robert,i's takes it's you's & your kins are nasty hillbillies?Jed and all your kin?Does you do the deed with your sis or your daughter???Don't worry with answering this Robert,as I'm sure your typing skills are not the best.So what DOES Jed do for himself?Since when are there ANY living brain cells in TN??ALL the brain cells left that state when elvis left the building!ROFLMAO!Robert and fam. must be some real winners,a Rob??LOL.

It sounds like to me if the rats had sudden convultions it could have been a nerve agent involved. Alot of people dont realize alot of household chemicals have nerve agents in them like raid for example just not amounts large enough to harm humans but a small pet like a rat it probally would. Just My 2 cents worth

I have been shopping at Petsmart since they first opened up in this area, and I have never had any problems with any of the animlas I purchased from them. I have bought fish, 2 birds, a mouse, a gerbil, a rat, and recently adopted a bunny. All my pets have been healthy and lived their expected life spans, the birds, and rat are still alive and well, as is the bunny. The staff there are young, but handle the animals well. I take my ferret in there all the time, and they all come and pet and love on her. My comment on the rats you bought are this: First off, your religion is not even an issue, and has *NOTHING* to do with whether the rats were sick or not when you bought them. That's the real issue: were the animals sick? They lived for 2 months and seemed healthy enough when you bough them, so my general guess would be that yes, the rats were healthy when purchased. Most small animals, esp. rodents, if they are ill, will die within a few days of being purchased from the shock and fright or being moved to a new home. That's why they have their 14 day garantee. Your rats probably were not sick when you bough them, so you have to look deeper than Petsmart at what may have happened to them. Here are some things to consider. 1. what sort of bedding/litter were you using in their cage? was it Pine or Cedar? If so, these are HIGH allergens to rats, and can cause respitory failure, and death. 2. did you spray any chemicals or cleaning products near the cage? many rodents can die from common household cleaners. 3.the herbal remedy you used..was it formulated for use in rats? or was it something made for humans? many foods and herbs that are fine for us are deadly to animals.(chocolate being a good example, as it is toxic to most animals). 4.was their cage well ventilated and clean? I do sympathize with your loss, it sucks to lose a pet, and it breaks my heart. Anyone who says rats are for food are pests, or whatever, well, people, my gosh, show some compassion, it is a life and ALL life is precious and every animal serves it's purpose (the circle of life). Anyway, you might look at some deeper factors before pointing all the fingers are Petsmart. It's not all your fault, or theirs.

To Stacey: I found out yesterday that one of the rescue groups I work with will no longer be working with PetSmart because of their continual sales of small animals. And the group will be writing letters to the corporate leaders explaining why. We DO get involved. To Robert: Not all rats are bred as snake food. I have two rescued from local shelters. I was not overly fond of rats, but after the first rescue discovered how intelligent, loving and caring they can be. And grateful for being taken out of terrible places and cared for. They have distinctive personalities just as all animals (and humans) have. The only draw backs in having a rat as a pet is the short life span they have and the fact they are prone to upper respiratory problems.

1...I work for myself, not any government check. 2...I pay for everything I own(alot of stuff mind you) out of my money that I earn. 3...These are RATS you people are whining about. In most places, they are considered a nuisance, not a pet. Of course, these places wouldn't be OHIO or it's next door neighbor, INDIANA. I am not the only person out there who has noticed the "stupid factor" that eminates from both states. There are several others who have commented on it in these threads. Keep in mind that the original author can't figure out males from females, nor did the other genius from Ohio. I for one, try to name my animals according to their respective sexes. That's how we do it on EARTH. And the idea of trying to cure a RAT with herbal concoctions as "according to Wicca" is retarded at best. These are RATS!! Rats are sold as food for other animals. You don't feed them, you feed them TO other animals. Maybe the stench of Gary is killing off brain cells Keith. You may notice I use 2 different cities/states to write from. I also have an adress in Maryland and Tennessee. How about you?

I came here and commented only because I just came across this subject,but Robert??He seem's to actually live on this site.I will bet money that he comments on EVERY report listed on this site.I will also bet we are supporting him with our tax dollars no doubt,and paid for the computer he's using to sit in front of 24/7,and no,you can't tell all the"roberts"of the world to just get a job because it won't happen,mostly if they own a computer. We all continue to pay for"wasted"flesh. Back to the rat subject:I think more should listen to"J"the PetsMart employee.She/he sound to be very intelligent for so young.I wish to thank you"J"for all the comments you've made regarding the subject.

I am currently a manager with Petsmart although I have worked in the pet industry for about twenty years. One of the main reasons that I am with Petsmart now is because of the quality of care that they provide for all of their animals. At all times, we have two company vets that we work with closely on a daily basis, along with local vets that we can call or have an appointment with at a moments notice. I personally have cared for many of these animals and worked with "young" associates that are brought to tears if anything goes wrong with one of our little critters. Petsmart associates do not work on a commission basis so there is no pressure on the store level to push animals on potential customers. All associates are trained on the signs and warning signals of illnesses. It is a strict policy that if ANY animal shows signs of illness, they are immediately removed from the habitat, put into isolation under controlled conditions, and the vet is then contacted. Petsmart NEVER questioned any vet bills that I have personally incurred for these animals. Nor would I work there if they did. One more point, Petsmart pets are vet assured which means they are treated with preventative medications and the breeders are regularly inspected. Vet assured is not a 100% full proof system for purchasing a perfectly healthy pet. It plainly means that every step has been taken to make sure that these animals are as healthy as possible. We regularly refuse to sell any animal as a food source nor do we just "throw" a bunch of rats in a habitat. These very special little critters are put in isolation for a period of time before they can even be put out for sale so that we can observe them to make sure they are healthy. We also have the authority to NOT sell a pet to anyone that we do not believe is going to give that pet a good and healthy home life. Sorry that I sound like a Petsmart advocate but Ive worked for many pet retailers and NOONE has policies and proceedures such as Petsmart for insuring the health of their animals. I am very sorry to hear about ANYONE losing a pet but I do agree that if the rats were ill, it shouldve been noticed by the employees. Petsmart also has a 14 day, unconditional guarantee on all their animals including fish. I dont know how this ended up being an arguement about religion. Bottom line is that Petsmart as a whole, is a very caring company. Its a shame if anyone has come across anything different than what Ive experienced there.

To S.n. in Knasas. I am sorry to hear that stores in your area are not up to par. You should complain to the corp. office. Any store employee should give you the number. At the store my husband works at, he refuses to sell animals all the time. They are encouraged to refuse a sell if something seems out of place, the animal will be used as food, or if the person refuses to get the minimum set-up(they don't have to buy it at the store, they can get it from anywhere, just so long as they get it) Many people have gone home mad, because he would not sell them a hamster, or something. Many snake owners have been ill at him because he would not sell feeder mice, rats. PetsMart will not sell an animal for a feeder(save rosies and crickets). It is against store policy, and if you know of a store that is doing it, report them, they will get it. PetsMart is a store in for the money, I don't deny that, all are. But there are stores, like the one we support, that have a staff that care and go above and beyond the call for their animals. We work in rescue as well, with Greyhounds, PetsMart is very wonderful to our group and many others. In fact of the two stores in the town where I live, our store is prefferd by all adoption agencies. It comes down to people, not stores. People are what make a store what it is. At every level, it is the people that define a store. And our store has the best people in the world. So, don't just complain, do something. Contact people, make a difference, there is a diffence between working with adoptions and actually doing something. Don't blame pet stores for unwanted animals. That is not the problem, lack of education is the problem, you must educate the general public. The store is only doing what the general public indicates it wants, in surveys, etc. IF you educate the public, they will in turn educate the store, by sending the message to sell products and adopt animals. That is the true answer to all this. People.

Sarah, I wholehearteldy agree that anyone looking to have any sort of companion animal should research the animal they believe they want prior to any purchase/adoption, etc. However, pet stores that sell animals are part of the problem. Unless pet stores are willing to "adopt" animals only to worthy persons and do follow ups and take any unwanted animals back for re-homing then they aren't helping. I can walk into any PetSmart and purchase any pet (or any number of pets) without anything but proof of ID if I'm writing a check. No one at any of our local PetSmarts care about anything else. I work in rescue so I do know how many unwanted animals there are out there. I also know that any animal can be found in rescue or shelters from hamsters to birds. When I do any adoption and am going over the items a new pet parent will need, I ask them not to purchase from stores that sell animals. There are animal supply stores they can purchase from without having to give money to those places that create part of the unwanted pet population problem.

I am a Petsmart management employee for the past 2+ years. I do believe that circumstances vary from store to store. Unfortunately, Petsmart is comprised of over 600 stores and that number is growing. Depending on who your superiors are, the pressure to perform tends to be quite stressful, and it all ends up feeling like a numbers game in the end. I wanted to work for Petsmart because of my adoration of animals, and because of their committment to not selling dogs or cats. The farther you climb up the chain, the more you feel it is all about profit. I am sorry for your experience at Petsmart, and for the loss of your rats. They were not "just rats"...they were your pets. As for the lack of training among associates...Petsmart does provide numerous training booklets for all associates at this time. In the end, it is managements responsibility to make sure that all associates complete all required books, follow company policies regarding petcare, and adhere to strict company standards. I would also like to add this...whatever pet you are interested in adding to your family, whether it be a dog, cat, bearded dragon or parrot, it is ultimately your responsibility to research the species and figure out if the animal is right for you and your lifestyle. Too many people in our society purchase animals as if they are purchasing a pack of gum...impulsively. I am so tired of seeing so many unwanted animals.

This board should have ended a long time ago. I have bought two hamsters from there over the years and they had no problems. Not all Petsmarts are alike so I don't blame the Company in general, just certain stores. For example:There are to Petsmarts near me. I refuse to buy anything from the one closer to me. The hamsters were suffering from wetail. At the other Petmart the hamsters live clean cages and I have never seen a case of wetail there. Oh and Robert heres a few words for you. I really hope you don't have animals. On your comment"who gives a sh*t they are only rats" It doesn't matter what kind of animal they were, the point is they were someones pets. You sound like someone who isn't an animal person. If you were one you might have understood what the orignal poster was feeling. Insulting the poster was very rude on your part. Do you have nothing better to do then to insult?! As for the rats, I don't think Petsmart was at fault in this case. She shouldn't have given them a herbal remedies to help them. For the people on this board, just let this board die in peace please. The poster left it long ago and has gotten on with her life so why can't you people.

Ok..this "post" has gone on for 2 years, over 2 rats. I own a rat, sorry yours died. But, really, herbal meds are not quality controled and your animals may have gotten a deadly dose. (Yes, I know this, I am in the medical field.) Herbal meds are not controlled and often are dangerously over potent or useless, they may not contain enough of the active ingredient to do anything. Second, the PetsMart I am loyal to, my hubby works there. This store is wonderful, not all are, but this one is. I have seen them, with my own eyes, spend over $200 on a $7 rat. And after that, he got better, and they did not sell him, they adopted him out...free of charge. It is against policy to sell an animal that has been sick and has gotten better. Janell wrote somethings that really made me happy...she sounds like her store is as good as this one. But onto other matters. A Wiccan is not what this person was. They are human and do loose their tempers, but this person was obviously young and immature. Wiccans are also governed by a 3 fold type law. So this person has it coming to them for the outburst they gave. Unfortunatly, this person over reacted, I believe, because they felt guilty. Herbal was not the way to go and was most likely the cause of death and they felt bad about it. When dealing with rats, mice, etc, they are very sensitive to meds, just a little over the prescribed amount and it will kill them. Again, this has really gone on forever. This poor person hopefully has matured and realized that they should not play god/goddess.

A few postings ago I read where another ex-employee was given workbooks to complete... i would like to say that that was also the case when i first started working there, but by the time i left (in 2000) the workbooks had become extinct, and there was no longer any special training given at all. This of course increases the likelihood of any problems such as the hamster deaths and mis-sexing, or our miss Chandra's unfortunate event with her rats. I do believe that it is necessary to contact the company and persuade them to stop selling live animals. Petco, too. Patronize small mom-and-pop stores. They usually have more of what you're going to be looking for, or if not, will definitely be more willing to order it for you. Look for rescue groups in you area. For rats, and other small animals, there is a terrific one out here called The Forgotten Kingdom, which rescues rats, gerbils, hamsters, etc. As for being Wiccan, you all have your own minds to make up and do what you will, as long as it harms none. This includes verbally. Blessed Be.

Ok, first off I have to tell you I have done rescue for over 10 years in the field of Birds and Reptiles. I used to breed birds and now deal with behavior issues and the like. I am not far from both a Petsmart and a Petco. I am constantly bombarded with flows of people who have puchased these types of animals and have been givin incorrect information. I have had countless conversations with the people in management as to why these issues continue. The issues have ranged from avian bordatella (lockjaw, which is hereditary) to respitory infections in Mali Uromastyx due to low heat and water dishes being in the cage with the animal. The last incident (only last week) was the death of a beautiful Yellow fronted Amazon due to Chylamdia in later stages. If you are not aware of this disease, it can be fatal to humans as well. This came from Petco. This bird had been previously ill, and had been sent out to be treated with Tetracycline, but he was NEVER retested before he (his name was Quervo) was back in the store and sold to very nice people who fell in love with him. Their heart is broken and they had been given my name by someone in the store who heard them becoming more and more upset with management. This has been a very familar senario for me. I am NOT against all Petsmarts, Petcos and pet stores for that matter. I dissagree that every petstore is bad, as I have seen some very good ones. These two particular companies should step away from selling live animals as they have not the proper training to do so, and are not willing to pay the salary of those who are qualified to do so. I was contacted by a manager of Petsmart and offered a postion. As I was in the store and listening to this person speak, I was saddened by the attitude he had. Did you know that large birds who dont sell are shipped from store to store until they sell? Does anyone care what that does to a developing parrot? I have a houseful of birds who were sold as kids pets (which they are not) and were never given any clue as to what that "sweet" baby bird grows into? There are lists of things I could say, but I think everyone understands. I have to say, I appreciate all the things I read both pro and con, but please, consider what I have said and reconsider purchasing from these places. I am not angry, I guess Im just tired.

Back when I was in the USMC, I used to ask a question to all the incoming young Marines to Camp Johnson. All those fresh faces out in the room. I was their Sgt and was going to be responsible for them for the next several months as they went through school to gain their MOS(Military Occupational Specialty). The question was very simple and direct. "Which one of you people is the dumbest, densest, most idiotic moron present?" Everyone would then point at one, maybe two individuals sitting there. I would then ask a final question. "What part of Ohio are you from?" For five years, I asked that same question every week, sometimes twice a week, and everytime I got the same answers. Cleveland, Cuyahoga Falls, Cincinatti, Toledo, Akron, etc. Sandi, do you see the trend here. Get a grip. YOU need to go get a job and then take your meager paycheck and buy a sense of humor. Your compatriot who wrote the original missive(also from Ohio-DUH) named two females with male names, and was whining about how rats died. WHO gives a sh*t? They're rats. I know how babies are made. In MY case, it was a girl from another family who bore my children. Most states, the other 49 in fact frown upon the same family sex trends of Ohio. Makes West Virginia look downright cosmopolitan. You suggested she could have named them StevieWonder and Marvin Gaye. At least YOU know boys from girls. And since you seem worried about the amount of time that passed, why are YOU putting your whimsy into this "2 or 3 years later". Seems hypocritical to me. But alas, do not fret, The Jerry Springer Show (also an Ohio culture standard) will be calling you soon. Toodle-oo.

Back when I was in the USMC, I used to ask a question to all the incoming young Marines to Camp Johnson. All those fresh faces out in the room. I was their Sgt and was going to be responsible for them for the next several months as they went through school to gain their MOS(Military Occupational Specialty). The question was very simple and direct. "Which one of you people is the dumbest, densest, most idiotic moron present?" Everyone would then point at one, maybe two individuals sitting there. I would then ask a final question. "What part of Ohio are you from?" For five years, I asked that same question every week, sometimes twice a week, and everytime I got the same answers. Cleveland, Cuyahoga Falls, Cincinatti, Toledo, Akron, etc. Sandi, do you see the trend here. Get a grip. YOU need to go get a job and then take your meager paycheck and buy a sense of humor. Your compatriot who wrote the original missive(also from Ohio-DUH) named two females with male names, and was whining about how rats died. WHO gives a sh*t? They're rats. I know how babies are made. In MY case, it was a girl from another family who bore my children. Most states, the other 49 in fact frown upon the same family sex trends of Ohio. Makes West Virginia look downright cosmopolitan. You suggested she could have named them StevieWonder and Marvin Gaye. At least YOU know boys from girls. And since you seem worried about the amount of time that passed, why are YOU putting your whimsy into this "2 or 3 years later". Seems hypocritical to me. But alas, do not fret, The Jerry Springer Show (also an Ohio culture standard) will be calling you soon. Toodle-oo.

Back when I was in the USMC, I used to ask a question to all the incoming young Marines to Camp Johnson. All those fresh faces out in the room. I was their Sgt and was going to be responsible for them for the next several months as they went through school to gain their MOS(Military Occupational Specialty). The question was very simple and direct. "Which one of you people is the dumbest, densest, most idiotic moron present?" Everyone would then point at one, maybe two individuals sitting there. I would then ask a final question. "What part of Ohio are you from?" For five years, I asked that same question every week, sometimes twice a week, and everytime I got the same answers. Cleveland, Cuyahoga Falls, Cincinatti, Toledo, Akron, etc. Sandi, do you see the trend here. Get a grip. YOU need to go get a job and then take your meager paycheck and buy a sense of humor. Your compatriot who wrote the original missive(also from Ohio-DUH) named two females with male names, and was whining about how rats died. WHO gives a sh*t? They're rats. I know how babies are made. In MY case, it was a girl from another family who bore my children. Most states, the other 49 in fact frown upon the same family sex trends of Ohio. Makes West Virginia look downright cosmopolitan. You suggested she could have named them StevieWonder and Marvin Gaye. At least YOU know boys from girls. And since you seem worried about the amount of time that passed, why are YOU putting your whimsy into this "2 or 3 years later". Seems hypocritical to me. But alas, do not fret, The Jerry Springer Show (also an Ohio culture standard) will be calling you soon. Toodle-oo.

I can't believe people are still harping on this reprt how many years after this woman posted it. Most of you do need lives, especially Robert who seems to think that the lady who posted this is such a moron that she would use two female rats to breed (which was not even insinuated here). HELLO! EVEN A 7 YEAR OLD KNOWS THAT TO REPRODUCE, A MALE AND FEMALE ARE NEEDED! Also Robert, why are you so concerned with what this woman named her late rats. Did it hurt you personally that she named her female rat Ozzy? You know, for all I (and most sane adults with a life) care, she could have named her rats Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye. It's really none of your concern, and besides most people have better things to think about at night than two rats that have been dead for two or three years, and so should you!! I also want to say that I am laughing at all of you who are still posting snide remarks to someone who has obviously moved on to greener pastures. I leave you with the advice to go get a job because obviously you don't have one if you're spending inordinate amounts of time making up insults for someone who most likely could care less about two long-since dead animals now.

The same thing applies. You see, once again, wet tail takes 7 to 10 days to show symptoms, by releasing these animals before they have a chance to be carefully monitored, it isn't right. Maybe all these stores should stop selling small animals period. Otherwise, there needs to be some sort of regulation on the care and handling, not to mention what employees training should really involve.

April, I apologize if my previous post was unclear. When we receive NEW animals, they are isolated in the arrival room for 1-3 days... sick animals are isolated in another room, where they stay for 5-7 days. If an animal is sick for longer than 7 days, we have to report it to our regional manager, take it to the vet, and keep the RM updated on its progress.

Hi, I thought I would respond since I just invested in hamsters for my three kids. I bought my first hamster at PetCo and he is still alive. But I went through three hamsters that I bought at PetSmart, we found out later that they had wet tail I being a new owner to hamsters had no idea why my hamster kept dieing until my husban decided that to go back to PetCo instead of returning the dead hamster to PetSmart it was at PetCo that the girl told my husban about the wet tail problem that has been happening at PetSmart. I dont blame the store for selling me sick hamsters since they seemed fine when we bought them. I just told my kids that they were sick and went to heaven so god could play with their hamsters. I wont buy anymore hamsters though at PetSmart since they have been having this problem. I do plan on going to the huamne society the next time I have to replace a hamster. I didnt realize that they sell hamsters there otherwise I would of bought them there. As for the person that made the comment that they are rodents and who cares well I like to see you tell small children that they are just rodents and get over it. That doesnt matter to small children they love them just like a person would love a dog or a cat.

As a long time customer of PetsMart (no I have never worked fore them), I would like to say that the quality of employees vary from store to store and place to place. I have lived in Pa, NJ, MD, DE, VA, GA, TN, NC. I have been to the stores in numerous states and different locations within those states. I have found that the product knowledge (yes the animals are a product for them), care for the "pets", etc. do indeed vary as much as the locations do. If anyone has doubts about the care and practices at locations close to where they live, they can contact their local consumer alert agency, and/or contact the corporate office for that chain (PetsMart, Walmart, PetCo, etc.). All of these live creatures need people to stand up for them, as they cannot do it for themselves. I love the prices, the grooming center (I have a toy poodle who I take to the local PetsMart here for grooming), the selection of products and the selection of "pets". I feel it is wrong for one or two locations to give a bad wrap to the entire company. Yes they ARE in it for the money (number 1 as with all businesses), but they are also there to please customers, as that is where their money will be coming from. As for the age of employees, I do not feel that is something to complain about. I have found that the younger set has more compassion and are like sponges when it comes to learning. They are also more than willing to boost their egos a bit by learning what they can and passing that knowledge on to others. I love shopping at the local PetsMart (No PetCo near me so I have no knowledge of their stores), and I will continue to do so as long as I live here and the store remains open. PetsMart is no different than any other chain, whether it be food, pet centers, clothing, etc. There are great stores, mediocre stores and poor stores. Just my 2 cents on this topic

In some of these little tales of woe, it's implied the 2 rats were for breeding. While one was named Ozzy(a guy's name...how odd) perhaps they should have been named Rosie and Ellen. Then they could have adopted some little rats. HAHAHAHAHAHa. Get over it...they were snake food to begin with. And ended up being worm food. as a Wiccan, you should be happy they are helping to rebuild the earth.

In some of these little tales of woe, it's implied the 2 rats were for breeding. While one was named Ozzy(a guy's name...how odd) perhaps they should have been named Rosie and Ellen. Then they could have adopted some little rats. HAHAHAHAHAHa. Get over it...they were snake food to begin with. And ended up being worm food. as a Wiccan, you should be happy they are helping to rebuild the earth.

In some of these little tales of woe, it's implied the 2 rats were for breeding. While one was named Ozzy(a guy's name...how odd) perhaps they should have been named Rosie and Ellen. Then they could have adopted some little rats. HAHAHAHAHAHa. Get over it...they were snake food to begin with. And ended up being worm food. as a Wiccan, you should be happy they are helping to rebuild the earth.

In some of these little tales of woe, it's implied the 2 rats were for breeding. While one was named Ozzy(a guy's name...how odd) perhaps they should have been named Rosie and Ellen. Then they could have adopted some little rats. HAHAHAHAHAHa. Get over it...they were snake food to begin with. And ended up being worm food. as a Wiccan, you should be happy they are helping to rebuild the earth.

im not an educated man and idont have spell checker so this may get alittle rough. ive raised animals all my life some may say i run a pet mill or backyard breeder. this may be so because i dont know the defination of these. i raise rat terrier dogs pure bred but not registerd i raise them to sell for money but also because i love them. i have raised rats hamsters,horses cows chikins,pigs guine pigs ferrets etc. i dont sell my dogs to just anyone the rats i sold to a local pet store.i raised 2 kinds of rats 1 for snake food and one for pets any i say that to say this. dont buy any animal from anyone if you dont know what your doing or have someone with you who does.because the people you buy from may be as clueless as you. the legal term is buyer beware. my papaw woudve said dont buy no pigs in no pokes. may the gods bless and keep you all

PetsMart sold you sick rats? Maybe it is your local PetsMart, but our PetsMart seemed concerned when they sold us a rat. They also mentioned that if your rat was sick, bring them back for free medication/check-up/so on... Did they tell you this?

Just so that you know both are just as bad as the other! They both dont train as well as they should they both have lots of small animals die monthly there is actually a tab on these facts that petco reports an can be accessed @ peta.com please rember that they show some things not for a weak stomachs. I have been asked to go in an check counts on dead fish animals left unattended on tables etc.. I cant comment on the stores as I signed a disclaimer an dont want the law after me but you can find out for yourself. Please go to a pet shop without the "pet" an save the mill pets by not suporting them !!!

Again, as an employee, must are reluctant to admit there are problems. As I stated before one or two stores doing things right, isn't good for hundreds. You made great points, however, I must point out some things. First in the early part of your rebuttal, you claimed that sick animals are isolated for one or two days, later you claimed that they are removed for 5 to 7. Which is it? Again, (w/ hamsters)wet tail does not show up for 7 to 10 days after stress has been given. And again, the antibiotic they take is administered for 6 days plus. Vegetables do not prevent wet tail. You can give a hamster with wet tail baby food sliced or mashed carrots when they have wet tail to help them along in their recovery. It is also good to give a breeding mother carrots and scrambled eggs. The only prevention is health and unstressed. Your store may hire teenagers to run the registers, however this particular store I am referring to, only has teenager employed aside from the managers. Let me tell you what the assistant store manager said when someone asked why they has a sign that they sell ferrets, yet have never had one since opening 8 years ago: The manager replied, "We do not sell ferrets and our corporate office no longer permits any other store to sell ferrets." The man asked, why this was? The assistant manager then goes on to say, "Ferrets are illegal in all states to sell and own." The man asked why because he heard different. The assistant manager says, "They are destructive rodents that bite and are not good pets for anyone, especially people with children. The need a lot of medical care and no vet will see a ferret. They spell bad and are too hard to take care of." My husband and I stopped the man he just said this too and spoke to him a few minutes. We told him the truth about ferrets and gave him a phone number to a shelter where he could adopt one needing a home. The truth; ferrets are ONLY illegal to sell and own in CA, however numerous breeders are located in CA. The AFA (American Ferret Association) and other coalitions are trying to get them legalized. Ferrets are NOT rodents in any way shape or form, but come from the weasel family. ferrets make for the best pets as they DO NOT bite (maybe accidental nips from kits as they play), all breeders have ferrets descented and spayed/neutered before they leave their breeding farm. They do not require a lot of medical attention as they need rabies and distemper shots once yearly. They do get colds just like people. The only can inherit or develop diseases from other sick ferrets like ADV and need testing, which is also done at the breeder then again yearly. If your familiar with canine parvovirus, it is similar to this. They do not need a lot of care and hard to take care of. If you can take care of a cat or dog, you can take care of a ferret. They eat, drink, play just like cats and dogs. And ferrets are the best pets to get when you have children. They are the only pet that generally gets along with children and other animals. So, this man had absolutely no clue to what was coming out of his mouth and should not have spoke. Mine you, this was the same assistant manager who didn't care when I told him that there was a dead gerbil in the cage. Therefore I applaud you for checking things out before speaking on what you don't know. Most would not take the extra time to even care. Like I said many times, it's great that there are some stores that care, but for the hundreds of others, it's not good enough. It's great you have a regional manager that pops in, if all regional managers did this, maybe more stores would be like yours. And people would not be posting about their experiences at any other these stores. Maybe some extra training and time put into hiring people would also help. Hell, when I worked there, I be the first to tell you, I had no clue about fish or small animals. But that's the department I worked in. And at this point our manager sexual harassed the girls and the regional manager at that time allowed this knowing it was going on, that's why their was so many turn over in employment. And, yes the corporate office stepped in an fired both, they're both probably flipping burgers somewhere now. But that's entirely another story. Luckily, as far a I know, this has stopped. But when it comes to customers logging a complaint on the store, they send all complains BACK to the store manager and when the store manager is part of the problem, how does that really help?

I have worked at the PetSmart outside of Nashville (0649, Madison, TN) since 2000. Whoever said that none of this would fly at her PetSmart is right. Our Regional Manager visits at least once a month, and we have to have our store in top shape at all times, just in case he decides to pop in and evaluate us. And by "in top shape" I don't mean the aisles full of products must be perfectly placed on the shelves and our uniforms must be pressed and our shoes must match our belts... I mean, we have to be up on our Policies and Procedures. Our animals (from the African Grey to the fancy guppy babies) have to be in top condition. And if they're not, they are to be taken to the vet immediately. We don't have a full-time Banfield vet in our store, we've got to foot the bill for one of the local vets. If any of us, or a customer for that matter, notices a sick animal, we isolate it for a day or two. (Unless it's an emergency; then they got straight to the vet.) Our store has amazing managers; I've seen them use their lunch breaks to take a sick reptile or parakeet to the vet. When I first started there, the managers -all in charge of different departments- didn't mess with Specialty much. But now, the Store Director and other managers are involved in Specialty. Most of our managers (I think only one isn't) are certified to handfeed the baby birds. (To become Certified, you must attend a certification class, take a test, and then PASS.) They're very strict on rules at my PetSmart, as they should be. Whoever said we don't care about the animals we sell is making a very inaccurate generalization. (You said, "I'm not saying all PetSmarts are like this," but you refuse "to purchase anything from this company ever again." What does that say, really?) All stores are different. And I don't mean, all chains are different. All stores are different. I think our store has a pretty good crew. Yes, we have several teenage associates, but they don't work in Specialty/Aquatics. They usually get stuck dealing with customers at the register. They wouldn't last long in Specialty, not with customers asking them the crazy questions that they are famous for... and not with the rest of us who DO know what we're doing. We have to go through training. Granted, the training we receive isn't exactly thorough.. and I wouldn't call myself an expert on any animal... and I've been there for four years. The only knowledge that I completely rely on is my personal experience. In having dogs, cats, hamsters, goldfish, tropical fish, and frogs/toads, I can offer pretty good advice on those animals. But I've never owned a reptile, a guinea pig, chinchilla, ferret or rabbit so I've got to rely on the information in books and from other associates who have. (And I'll tell whoever is asking where I got my information.) The 100+ page training manuals that we go through contain basic information for the animals, as well as trivia about them that not many people do know. But we understand that to work over in Aquatics/Specialty, we're going to get questions from customers that we don't know the answers to. I mean, I didn't create any animals.. so I'm not going to know everything about them. If I don't know something about an animal, I tell the customer honestly that I don't know. And then I go home and get out my encyclopedia, jump online to see what I can find (through reputable sources), and check out what books are available through Amazon.com. And the next time I see that customer in the store, I'll tell them what I've found. Sometimes, I'll tell them to call the store the next time I work, and I'll tell them then. You can never know everything. I will never know everything about the animals that we sell. I do know what a sick animal looks like, and I do know how to open the habitat, remove the animal, and isolate it in the sick room. I also know how to pester the manager to take it to the vet. Then, I know to administer antibiotics, and for how long, per instructions from the vet. In our sick room, we have logs that must be filled out twice a day, where we document date/time/illness/medication/status... and then we initial it, and get a manager to sign off... we are very thorough in taking care of our animals. I don't know much about where our animals come from. I do know the name of the company, and the people who deliver the animals. Before we even accept the animals, we check them over for any signs of visible illness. If we see one hamster with wettail, we refuse the entire box of hamsters. We'd rather be out of hamsters than have a treatment room full of them. After being isolated for 5-7 days, the animals are brought out, given vitamins in their water, slowly transferred to a new diet, given the right veggies (some even help prevent wettail!) and watched closely to see how they take to their new surroundings. If we notice any stress related behavior... we isolate them again. We don't handle them much when they arrive... and I don't usually handle them unless they're an older shipment that's been there for three or four weeks. Boycotting PetSmart is not the answer. To fix a problem, you don't just ignore it. And besides, to say that PetSmart is an evil chain and should be boycotted is just unfair. In this case, I echo the comment earlier from Amaya about calling the Corporate office and reporting this store. Calls to corporate are BAD. Our managers will do almost ANYTHING to prevent one of those. I also agree that if the original poster noticed something wrong with the rats she got from PetSmart.. I think she said it was a WEEK after she bought them, she should have taken them back. If I buy an animal, and a few days afterwards, it's acting sick it's going back to the store. Why pay $7 for a sick hamster (by the way, they've gone up a dollar and are now $8) when you can exchange it for a healthy one? That's why we have a guarantee fourteen days is plenty of time to notice if an animal is not feeling well. And if it's not, take it back. I'm sure PetSmart isn't the only pet store who has ever had a sick animal returned. One particular store down the street from ours is known for selling extremely sick animals. One of the girls I graduated high school with works there and she even admits it. But it would be rude of me to post their name here, or to say that the store doesn't take care of their animals. I've never bought an animal from them, so I can't tell you anything firsthand. Maybe they got a bad batch of animals once, and since then, everyone thinks that they have bad animals. It happens. Just like a certain Supercenter that's across from our parking lot we have customers who come in just about every day and tell us that they've bought fish there and every one of them have died. We just smile, hold our tongues, and ask how we can help them. We're not going to put that Supercenter or the other store down we have more class than that. Our store cares about our animals enough to make sacrifices for them as if they were our own. Our store manager even adopted one of the gerbils in the treatment room (that I brought in after finding it in a garbage pile in my neighborhood.) George sits on the desk in his office and is the happiest, fattest gerbil I have ever seen. If you want good customer service, shop somewhere else. Because at my PetSmart good service is unacceptable.

If you haven't heard anything about Petco selling sick animals, then you haven't been looking. Kindplanet (http://www.kindplanet.org) Petco is PetNO.

For starts, maybe you should look again as my, They're, their, no and know are correct. Sorry I don't have all the time in the world to go through spell check, etc. And I am very well educated. That being said, The problems being discussed have nothing to do with grooming. As far as PetsMart is concerned, their grooming isn't much better. As I said before, if you care for these animals, you one in very few. The problems discussed were about PetsMart selling and knowingly selling, sick animals, not grooming. I would not go to either PetsMart or Petco for grooming. As many don't or won't. However, it is a known fact as to the sick animals, and not one time have I ever heard about Petco selling sick animals, being investigated for animal cruelty or being investigated for spreading disease, PetsMart has. As for the person saying that PetsMart's employees are well trained in the area they work, Hello, I've been there, I've worked there. No one is WELL trained. If they were, these problems would not persist or happen in the first place. Not to mention, the fact that when someone addresses these problems to management and or an employee, they don't care or make up some outlandish story as to why these animals are sick. Like I said, a book with Q & A found throughout the store is NOT training.

I did NOT get any of my grooming stories from the news and don't know what gave you that idea (by the way, you should learn the difference between "no" and "know" as well as "their" and "they're"--it'll make your arguments more convincing). I am a groomer at PetsMart and I get my stories directly from the mouths of customers who've had bad experiences there. E.g. one young couple brought in a horribly matted Yorkie & I had no choice but to shave him. They were noticeably nervous about it but knew it was the truth. When they picked him up they were ecstatic, smiles from ear to ear. They tipped me very well & proceeded to explain the reason for their earlier concern. They had taken their Yorkie to Petco the last time & he came out with nicks & cuts all over his body. That was also why they had waited so long to groom him again--they were terrified of groomers! Anyway, that isn't the only time I've heard that story (FYI: we rarely nick dogs but when we do, we take the dog to the in-store vet & cover all costs incurred as well as apologize profusely and give the customer a free groom). Another common story I have heard at least 3 times in the last 4 months is, "I just want this trimmed here. I took him to Petco & they completely shaved him down w/o asking me--I DO NOT WANT HIM SHAVED." Just last month I heard, "I took her to Petco last time and I don't know what they did, but she was completely traumatized for two days. My sister brings her dog here and says she's never had a problem and you girls always do a great job." She also tipped me quite well. Anyway, I'm just trying to warn you about diving head-first into Petco--they are just as corporate as we are and certainly have their own issues.

I used to work for petsmart. All of thier employees are well trained in the area that they will be working. And for your information. I have purchased 4 rats from petsmart and not one of them has come down with any illnesses. I have had my rats for about 2 years know. If you would have done a little more research you would have known that rats do not respond well to herbal remadies of any kind. For you to bash a company with out doing your home work, and based upon personal experience with ONE store is wrong.

I read with interest the person's response that wet tail was stress related. It's bad enough when pet stores sell animals who are sick (I'm all for pet stores not selling animals at all). It's even worse when the employees either make things up or don't bother to read up on illnesses and treatments. I am quote from Ferrets, Rabbits, and Rodents Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Hillyer/Quesenberry: "The most common problems seen in pet hamsters are enteropathies. Diarrhea may occur in hamsters of any age and is known as "wet-tail", even though this euphemism more frequently is used to describe the disease i young hamsters. Proliferative ileitis is the most significan intestinal disase of 3-10 week old hamsters and results in high mortality. It is caused by the newly described intracellular bacterium Lawsonia intracellularis, which is also responsible for proliferative enteropathy in pigs and ferrets." "Diarrhea in adult hamsters is associated with Clostridium diffcile enterotoxemia and, as in guinea pigs, may occur 3 to 5 days after the administration of antibiotics such as penicillin, lincomycin, or bacitracin." Perhaps stress may accelerate actual symptoms, wet tail is not a stress related disase. I would not recommend any medication called dry tail without first consulting with a veterinarian well versed in the care of small rodents. NEVER take the word of a pet store employee on the best way to treat an illness in your pet.

To start, I am a former employee. Who said these people were, "Chocked full of selfish, uneducated idiots?" I hope that Petco's offers an educational program for their employees, as PetsMarts form of education is a booklet on each section of the store with Q & A's easily found listed on items, displays and handouts. Once finished, you give this to your manager and after so much time, you get a raise. That's not training! When you contact the main office of PetsMart, they refer complaints back to the manager of that specific stores manager. Well, if the manager is one of the problems, how does that help. This specific store has been complained about numerous times. And like I said, someone stepped in and at least got a couple of days of the sales to stop. Dri Tail, HA! Again, PetsMart doesn't teach crap. Dri Tail works as a preventative measure not a cure. Read the packaging and contact ANY vet. By the time a hamster shows wet tail, it is usually at the point of needing immediate vet help. And, no over the counter crap is going to help. PetsMart should have infomred their employees of such. As for Siberians, I said they don't, not they can't get get wet tail. Again, any vet will tell you, they usually don't see wet tail in Siberians as they don't get stressed. Now, I did say wet tail was caused by stress. It's caused by stress of moving from one habitat to another, from traveling to get to the pet store, from being handled before comfortable and from the stress of an unkept/dirty cage. As this store never changes the bedding and this could possibly be the cause for all these sick hamsters. And again, it takes 7 to 10 days for wet tail signs to show on ANY hamster. So when it dies within 24 hours, you know it's the store. As I sId, not only did these hamster have wet tail, but the guinea's had/have ring worm. There are dead animals in their cages and they don't know the differnce between a gerbil and a Siberian (and yes, there are several BIG differences.) Again, the only reason I shop at PetsMart is because there IS NO OTHER pet store here. As for Petco, people I know that have shopped or shop at these stores haven't had problems. As for the grooming issues, sure, anyone can watch the news and see someone with probelms, as I'm sure any other store has had. The only thing I recall ever seeing, a local station had a man in VA that took his dog to the local Petco for grooming, as he did often, only this time his dog had scaring and injuries. In an incident like this, you wonder if maybe it was the shampoo or soemthing like that. Know one will ever know. As with PetsMart, they know their selling sick animals.

I actually work as a groomer at the PetCo that just opened in Monterey. Funny, even though we just opened a couple of weeks ago, our salon is already full, whereas the local PetSmart is generally empty. I suppose it depends on where you are at and the groomers employed at the various salons. We take very good care of all animals that come through our doors, because every person working in that salon cares about the animals. This is regardless of whether they are biters, strugglers, yappers, or just plain easy animals. We also have had occasion to shave animals due to extreme matting over the majority of the body. However, we do this only after calling the customer and notifying them of what we will do to their animal. The customer does have the option of coming and getting their animal without the grooming being completed, but most choose to have their animal shaved. This is actually in the best interests of the animal, regardless of what the owner chooses, because it is VERY painful, if not downright impossible, to pull all the mats out with a comb. At that point it does not matter what an animal looks like when you are through. The only thing that matters is doing what is best and least traumatic for the animal. Incidentally, it is mandated in PetCo's policies and procedures that owners be contacted BEFORE we do any unrequested grooming on their animals. Any store that is not doing this shoud be reported to corporate, as they are in violation of the policies. In fact, that particular violation is grounds for being fired. And yes, we do sell animals at PetCo. However, anyone that is allowed to handle the animals must go through several hours of training to become certified. Our employees are knowledgable about the animals they are selling. But still, my previous statement stands. If you cannot see where the animals are bred and raised, you should not purchase from said individual. It may not even be the fault of the individuals selling the animals (in the case of PetCo, PetSmart), but most of the animals are poorly bred. After all, if a breeder does not care enough about their stock to supervise the purchase and rehoming of their animals, then they cannot be considered responsible, and therefore their breeding practices must be suspect. I know all of our employees are very attached to certain animals in the store (i.e. the big birds, the snakes, the guineas), and we all enjoy their company. We try to educate our buyers as much as possible, and attempt to avert bad matches before the animals ever leave the store. For example, a lady was in the other day wishing to purchase a bird for her teenage son. She had her eye on a lovely conure, but wanted a bird that made little or no noise. Anyone that knows anything about birds in general and conures in specific would know that that was a match made in hell! Conures are THE LOUDEST birds under the sun! Actually, because of her preferences, the home was inappropriate for a bird of any sort. She ended up walking out of the store with no animals, and we were all happy about that! For us it is not about the money; corporate has enough of that. We care about the homes these creatures are going to, and whether they will be 'forever homes' or just a two-week stop before the animal is turned over to an animal shelter. I cannot say this is true of all PetCos, just as I cannot say that it is not true of all PetSmarts. Each store is individual, and every employee is different. I imagine some stores stress the dollar signs, while others stress consumer education and satisfaction. With the second option the consumer lucks out. The employees generally care about the animals enough to take them to a local veterinarian at the first sign of something wrong, and employees are often very knowledgeable about the animals and their needs. I think this is the best situation over all, but ultimately I think rescue is the better option in any case. For every type of animal sold in a PetCo or PetSmart, or any other pet store or pet supply store, there is a rescue trying to place the cast offs of said species that no one wants anymore. Ah well. This is only the rambling opinion of one groomer. Take it as you want.

I actually work as a groomer at the PetCo that just opened in Monterey. Funny, even though we just opened a couple of weeks ago, our salon is already full, whereas the local PetSmart is generally empty. I suppose it depends on where you are at and the groomers employed at the various salons. We take very good care of all animals that come through our doors, because every person working in that salon cares about the animals. This is regardless of whether they are biters, strugglers, yappers, or just plain easy animals. We also have had occasion to shave animals due to extreme matting over the majority of the body. However, we do this only after calling the customer and notifying them of what we will do to their animal. The customer does have the option of coming and getting their animal without the grooming being completed, but most choose to have their animal shaved. This is actually in the best interests of the animal, regardless of what the owner chooses, because it is VERY painful, if not downright impossible, to pull all the mats out with a comb. At that point it does not matter what an animal looks like when you are through. The only thing that matters is doing what is best and least traumatic for the animal. Incidentally, it is mandated in PetCo's policies and procedures that owners be contacted BEFORE we do any unrequested grooming on their animals. Any store that is not doing this shoud be reported to corporate, as they are in violation of the policies. In fact, that particular violation is grounds for being fired. And yes, we do sell animals at PetCo. However, anyone that is allowed to handle the animals must go through several hours of training to become certified. Our employees are knowledgable about the animals they are selling. But still, my previous statement stands. If you cannot see where the animals are bred and raised, you should not purchase from said individual. It may not even be the fault of the individuals selling the animals (in the case of PetCo, PetSmart), but most of the animals are poorly bred. After all, if a breeder does not care enough about their stock to supervise the purchase and rehoming of their animals, then they cannot be considered responsible, and therefore their breeding practices must be suspect. I know all of our employees are very attached to certain animals in the store (i.e. the big birds, the snakes, the guineas), and we all enjoy their company. We try to educate our buyers as much as possible, and attempt to avert bad matches before the animals ever leave the store. For example, a lady was in the other day wishing to purchase a bird for her teenage son. She had her eye on a lovely conure, but wanted a bird that made little or no noise. Anyone that knows anything about birds in general and conures in specific would know that that was a match made in hell! Conures are THE LOUDEST birds under the sun! Actually, because of her preferences, the home was inappropriate for a bird of any sort. She ended up walking out of the store with no animals, and we were all happy about that! For us it is not about the money; corporate has enough of that. We care about the homes these creatures are going to, and whether they will be 'forever homes' or just a two-week stop before the animal is turned over to an animal shelter. I cannot say this is true of all PetCos, just as I cannot say that it is not true of all PetSmarts. Each store is individual, and every employee is different. I imagine some stores stress the dollar signs, while others stress consumer education and satisfaction. With the second option the consumer lucks out. The employees generally care about the animals enough to take them to a local veterinarian at the first sign of something wrong, and employees are often very knowledgeable about the animals and their needs. I think this is the best situation over all, but ultimately I think rescue is the better option in any case. For every type of animal sold in a PetCo or PetSmart, or any other pet store or pet supply store, there is a rescue trying to place the cast offs of said species that no one wants anymore. Ah well. This is only the rambling opinion of one groomer. Take it as you want.

I actually work as a groomer at the PetCo that just opened in Monterey. Funny, even though we just opened a couple of weeks ago, our salon is already full, whereas the local PetSmart is generally empty. I suppose it depends on where you are at and the groomers employed at the various salons. We take very good care of all animals that come through our doors, because every person working in that salon cares about the animals. This is regardless of whether they are biters, strugglers, yappers, or just plain easy animals. We also have had occasion to shave animals due to extreme matting over the majority of the body. However, we do this only after calling the customer and notifying them of what we will do to their animal. The customer does have the option of coming and getting their animal without the grooming being completed, but most choose to have their animal shaved. This is actually in the best interests of the animal, regardless of what the owner chooses, because it is VERY painful, if not downright impossible, to pull all the mats out with a comb. At that point it does not matter what an animal looks like when you are through. The only thing that matters is doing what is best and least traumatic for the animal. Incidentally, it is mandated in PetCo's policies and procedures that owners be contacted BEFORE we do any unrequested grooming on their animals. Any store that is not doing this shoud be reported to corporate, as they are in violation of the policies. In fact, that particular violation is grounds for being fired. And yes, we do sell animals at PetCo. However, anyone that is allowed to handle the animals must go through several hours of training to become certified. Our employees are knowledgable about the animals they are selling. But still, my previous statement stands. If you cannot see where the animals are bred and raised, you should not purchase from said individual. It may not even be the fault of the individuals selling the animals (in the case of PetCo, PetSmart), but most of the animals are poorly bred. After all, if a breeder does not care enough about their stock to supervise the purchase and rehoming of their animals, then they cannot be considered responsible, and therefore their breeding practices must be suspect. I know all of our employees are very attached to certain animals in the store (i.e. the big birds, the snakes, the guineas), and we all enjoy their company. We try to educate our buyers as much as possible, and attempt to avert bad matches before the animals ever leave the store. For example, a lady was in the other day wishing to purchase a bird for her teenage son. She had her eye on a lovely conure, but wanted a bird that made little or no noise. Anyone that knows anything about birds in general and conures in specific would know that that was a match made in hell! Conures are THE LOUDEST birds under the sun! Actually, because of her preferences, the home was inappropriate for a bird of any sort. She ended up walking out of the store with no animals, and we were all happy about that! For us it is not about the money; corporate has enough of that. We care about the homes these creatures are going to, and whether they will be 'forever homes' or just a two-week stop before the animal is turned over to an animal shelter. I cannot say this is true of all PetCos, just as I cannot say that it is not true of all PetSmarts. Each store is individual, and every employee is different. I imagine some stores stress the dollar signs, while others stress consumer education and satisfaction. With the second option the consumer lucks out. The employees generally care about the animals enough to take them to a local veterinarian at the first sign of something wrong, and employees are often very knowledgeable about the animals and their needs. I think this is the best situation over all, but ultimately I think rescue is the better option in any case. For every type of animal sold in a PetCo or PetSmart, or any other pet store or pet supply store, there is a rescue trying to place the cast offs of said species that no one wants anymore. Ah well. This is only the rambling opinion of one groomer. Take it as you want.

I actually work as a groomer at the PetCo that just opened in Monterey. Funny, even though we just opened a couple of weeks ago, our salon is already full, whereas the local PetSmart is generally empty. I suppose it depends on where you are at and the groomers employed at the various salons. We take very good care of all animals that come through our doors, because every person working in that salon cares about the animals. This is regardless of whether they are biters, strugglers, yappers, or just plain easy animals. We also have had occasion to shave animals due to extreme matting over the majority of the body. However, we do this only after calling the customer and notifying them of what we will do to their animal. The customer does have the option of coming and getting their animal without the grooming being completed, but most choose to have their animal shaved. This is actually in the best interests of the animal, regardless of what the owner chooses, because it is VERY painful, if not downright impossible, to pull all the mats out with a comb. At that point it does not matter what an animal looks like when you are through. The only thing that matters is doing what is best and least traumatic for the animal. Incidentally, it is mandated in PetCo's policies and procedures that owners be contacted BEFORE we do any unrequested grooming on their animals. Any store that is not doing this shoud be reported to corporate, as they are in violation of the policies. In fact, that particular violation is grounds for being fired. And yes, we do sell animals at PetCo. However, anyone that is allowed to handle the animals must go through several hours of training to become certified. Our employees are knowledgable about the animals they are selling. But still, my previous statement stands. If you cannot see where the animals are bred and raised, you should not purchase from said individual. It may not even be the fault of the individuals selling the animals (in the case of PetCo, PetSmart), but most of the animals are poorly bred. After all, if a breeder does not care enough about their stock to supervise the purchase and rehoming of their animals, then they cannot be considered responsible, and therefore their breeding practices must be suspect. I know all of our employees are very attached to certain animals in the store (i.e. the big birds, the snakes, the guineas), and we all enjoy their company. We try to educate our buyers as much as possible, and attempt to avert bad matches before the animals ever leave the store. For example, a lady was in the other day wishing to purchase a bird for her teenage son. She had her eye on a lovely conure, but wanted a bird that made little or no noise. Anyone that knows anything about birds in general and conures in specific would know that that was a match made in hell! Conures are THE LOUDEST birds under the sun! Actually, because of her preferences, the home was inappropriate for a bird of any sort. She ended up walking out of the store with no animals, and we were all happy about that! For us it is not about the money; corporate has enough of that. We care about the homes these creatures are going to, and whether they will be 'forever homes' or just a two-week stop before the animal is turned over to an animal shelter. I cannot say this is true of all PetCos, just as I cannot say that it is not true of all PetSmarts. Each store is individual, and every employee is different. I imagine some stores stress the dollar signs, while others stress consumer education and satisfaction. With the second option the consumer lucks out. The employees generally care about the animals enough to take them to a local veterinarian at the first sign of something wrong, and employees are often very knowledgeable about the animals and their needs. I think this is the best situation over all, but ultimately I think rescue is the better option in any case. For every type of animal sold in a PetCo or PetSmart, or any other pet store or pet supply store, there is a rescue trying to place the cast offs of said species that no one wants anymore. Ah well. This is only the rambling opinion of one groomer. Take it as you want.

Well, I'm sorry that you think Siberians don't get wet tail. They do. I've seen it, I've dealt with it. Also, depending on the degree of wet tail, with long hairs often while selling them I'll double check to be sure the animal appears to be in good health and whatnot; however the unfortunate thing is that due to the amount of coat they have, it's nearly impossible to tell if they just peed on themselves or actually have the beginning of wet tail. Wet tail is a STRESS RELATED illness. We treat them with stuff called DRI TAIL. It's sold over the counter, and standard antibiotics don't help any more then this stuff does. Furthermore, it's within your right to refuse to buy another hamster and demand your money back, you didn't have to be buffaloed into it by the manager. I love it when people go on a tangent about how horrible Petsmart is, when half of them have never been in a Petco and seen the difference. I also love it when people blatantly blow things out of proportion to make their story better. Seriously people, if you feel you have that much of a problem with the company, contact corporate. I've met the CEO and President and they'd be more than happy to invesitgate anything. And somehow, ma'am, I don't think that entire store was chocked full of selfish, uneducated idiots.

Ok, to Pet Lover in Maryland, I have trouble believing your story b/c THAT WOULD NEVER FLY at my store. Please report your problem to corporate (SSG) in Phoenix and please be completely honest when you do. We would all be ripped new ones if that happened at my store. Also, don't go running to PetCo--and I'm not saying that b/c I work for the competitor. Every fish I ever bought from them died within a month, despite my tank being in excellent condition. They are far more overpriced than PetsMart. Also, I've heard countless grooming horror stories from customer whose dogs have been "nicked all over" or "shaved down without asking me" at PetCo. When deciding to become a groomer, PetsMart was the clear choice over PetCo b/c I'd never had a bad experience at PetsMart and their salon was always busy, as opposed to PetCo's always closed one every time I stopped by. It is true that mostly teens work at PetsMart--they pay us peanuts and deny many of us benefits quite honestly, but that's no excuse for poor service. It may simply be a lack of education at your store (which PetsMart constantly updates us on) so please report them so they can get some proper training.

I agree with statements about PetSmart. You will rarely be able to find a pet store that knows everything they should know about the animals that they sell. They are only doing what they do to make money. Before you run to PetCo I suggest you do a search for Kind Planet on the Inernet and find out why they say NO to PetCo. The following small rodents may be found at your local shelter: rats, mice, gerbils, hamsters and guinea pigs. You can also check for local rescue groups and no kill shelters in your area for these animals. Petfinder is a good place to do a search in or near your area.

Amaya, you may be one in very few that this is true for. Unfortunately, I too worked for PetsMart. I also worked there when we were told about the reason for not selling small animals, as mentioned by another former employee, who I worked with for sometime. And we were all placed into a room (about 20 to 25 of us) and told, with a packet on why, that PetsMart does not sell small animals and will not sell small animals as the way they are caught from their habitat is inhuman and PetsMart does not endorse such cruelty to animals. However, PetsMart has changed quite a bit since. I can tell you that the store we worked at was poorly managed and has a new management team, which seems as unknowing of facts as the original staffing. I'm going to tell you what has been going on the last two months, my own experience, to show you just how other employees don't care for the animals, nor the vets, whatever PetsMart calls them now, cares, not to mention the ignorance of the employees. In May, I purchased 2 short haired Hamsters. A week later, I purchased another one. I have 3 kids, this way they all had there own. Mind you, I used to breed hamsters and gerbils for pet stores and stopped when I had my first child, obvious health concerns not to, and I no longer had the time to do such. Anyway, the 3rd hamster went back to the store 24 hours later. The night that I had purchased it, I noticed it was not very active as hamsters usually are. An hour later it was dead. When I picked it up to remove it, I noticed it had Wet Tail. The store's employee that sold me this hamster was one of the managers. She should have known that this hamster was sick. If not, she should not be working there nor sell any animals. When I went back in, The manager from this section tried to say that I caused the hamster stress causing it to have wet tail. First she said that I must have been handling the hamster, not true, I know better. Then she tries to say I wasn't feeding it the proper food, rat blocks. Not true, I give them half rat blocks, half hamster food until they are off the rat blocks. I told her she was crazy, as wet tail takes 7 to 10 days for a hamster to start showing signs and symptoms of wet tail and by that time, it's usually too late. She insisted it was somehow my fault and refused to give me my money back and told me I had to get another one. I protested as wet tail is a very contagious illness in short and long haired hamsters, therefore the other hamsters in the store would in fact be sick. Not to mention the original two I had, I had to take to the vet and have them placed on antibiotics, so that they wouldn't get sick. I ended up with another, and less then 48 hours later, that one went back, same thing. I even went to the vets there and told them they needed to have the animals quarantined, the bedding changed and not to be selling these sick animals. Again, I was made to take another one, however, new one's came in, so I took one from there. You know how PetsMart claims that all their small animals are Male? Nope, as the new one gave birth to 6 last Saturday. Apparently, they don't double check them. She was also a special breed, another reason she was picked, and PetsMart was unaware of this or they would have charged me $20 for her. I figured I'd give them another chance as I wanted a Siberian, they don't get wet tail, they stay small, etc. for personal reasons. I went in an purchased one, only it was marked as a gerbil, which is $3 or $4 cheaper then a Siberian. I told the girl and she insisted this was a gerbil. OK, I knew what it was I tried to tell her. I went in to get some supplies a few days later. There was a sign on the cages and they were all emptied. I went and asked what was going on, thinking someone finally stepped in. The girl tells me that they can not sell any hamsters or guinea pigs as they are quarantined at this point until further noticed. I asked why. She said because the guinea's have ring worm and the hamsters all have wet tail. I told her funny, I had been complaining about the wet tail for more than two months. She replied, You and everyone else. She asked why I was asking and I told her, I just purchased a Siberian. She said to bring it back when it started looking like it had wet tail. I then told her, she didn't need to worry about that as Siberians don't get wet tail. She said that wasn't what her manager told her. I laughed. What's even funnier, each person that purchased a small animal for PetsMart has to fill out a form with their address, phone number, etc. Being that there was an obvious problem with these animals, PetsMart never called any of the people that had made purchases. Not to mention, as far as the guinea's are concerned, ring worm is contagious to humans and by law, they must notify the owners. I went back 2 additional days later, forgot something. All the cages were refilled and they were selling all these animals once again. I asked the same manager, she tells me that their quarantined period was over. I asked how? She replied with why? And I simply said, 1) it takes 7 to 10 days to show symptoms of wet tail, they have been quarantined but for 5 days and 2) The antibiotic for wet tail is a 6 day continuous dosaging, and again they had only been out for 5 days. No answer. I went for my usual supplies last weekend, along with looking for vitamins for the new mommy., which they were conveniently out of. Anyway, my youngest wanted to look at the little guys in the cages, so we walked over and I saw a dead gerbil right in the front of the cage. Nice! What's worse, the gerbils were marked as Siberian, again someone just doesn't know the difference in what they're selling. Anyway, there was a girl on the other side with the birds and I walked around to tell her, so did one of my kids, she picked up a water dish and literally spilt it on my son and walked away. I went to look for her, not because she spilt the water on my child and didn't even bother to say sorry, but because of the gerbil and because there was now a substantial amount of water on the floor and someone might have fallen. I couldn't find her, I found one of the store managers and a young guy and told them about the gerbil and they walked off before I could say anything else. Never saw the manager again, however the boy came over and asked where it was. I showed him. I also informed him that these were gerbils and not Siberians. He said he knew but his manager said different. He then started walking away and I said something about the water, he said that wasn't his job. Then I said aren't you going to change the bedding or take the dead gerbil over to the vets to see why it dies. He said that wasn't needed. I left. You probably wondering why I shop at PetsMart, I simply don't have a choice, we don't have a Petco, yet. So, you see, you may be one in very few that care about these animals. Sad isn't it.

Amaya, you may be one in very few that this is true for. Unfortunately, I too worked for PetsMart. I also worked there when we were told about the reason for not selling small animals, as mentioned by another former employee, who I worked with for sometime. And we were all placed into a room (about 20 to 25 of us) and told, with a packet on why, that PetsMart does not sell small animals and will not sell small animals as the way they are caught from their habitat is inhuman and PetsMart does not endorse such cruelty to animals. However, PetsMart has changed quite a bit since. I can tell you that the store we worked at was poorly managed and has a new management team, which seems as unknowing of facts as the original staffing. I'm going to tell you what has been going on the last two months, my own experience, to show you just how other employees don't care for the animals, nor the vets, whatever PetsMart calls them now, cares, not to mention the ignorance of the employees. In May, I purchased 2 short haired Hamsters. A week later, I purchased another one. I have 3 kids, this way they all had there own. Mind you, I used to breed hamsters and gerbils for pet stores and stopped when I had my first child, obvious health concerns not to, and I no longer had the time to do such. Anyway, the 3rd hamster went back to the store 24 hours later. The night that I had purchased it, I noticed it was not very active as hamsters usually are. An hour later it was dead. When I picked it up to remove it, I noticed it had Wet Tail. The store's employee that sold me this hamster was one of the managers. She should have known that this hamster was sick. If not, she should not be working there nor sell any animals. When I went back in, The manager from this section tried to say that I caused the hamster stress causing it to have wet tail. First she said that I must have been handling the hamster, not true, I know better. Then she tries to say I wasn't feeding it the proper food, rat blocks. Not true, I give them half rat blocks, half hamster food until they are off the rat blocks. I told her she was crazy, as wet tail takes 7 to 10 days for a hamster to start showing signs and symptoms of wet tail and by that time, it's usually too late. She insisted it was somehow my fault and refused to give me my money back and told me I had to get another one. I protested as wet tail is a very contagious illness in short and long haired hamsters, therefore the other hamsters in the store would in fact be sick. Not to mention the original two I had, I had to take to the vet and have them placed on antibiotics, so that they wouldn't get sick. I ended up with another, and less then 48 hours later, that one went back, same thing. I even went to the vets there and told them they needed to have the animals quarantined, the bedding changed and not to be selling these sick animals. Again, I was made to take another one, however, new one's came in, so I took one from there. You know how PetsMart claims that all their small animals are Male? Nope, as the new one gave birth to 6 last Saturday. Apparently, they don't double check them. She was also a special breed, another reason she was picked, and PetsMart was unaware of this or they would have charged me $20 for her. I figured I'd give them another chance as I wanted a Siberian, they don't get wet tail, they stay small, etc. for personal reasons. I went in an purchased one, only it was marked as a gerbil, which is $3 or $4 cheaper then a Siberian. I told the girl and she insisted this was a gerbil. OK, I knew what it was I tried to tell her. I went in to get some supplies a few days later. There was a sign on the cages and they were all emptied. I went and asked what was going on, thinking someone finally stepped in. The girl tells me that they can not sell any hamsters or guinea pigs as they are quarantined at this point until further noticed. I asked why. She said because the guinea's have ring worm and the hamsters all have wet tail. I told her funny, I had been complaining about the wet tail for more than two months. She replied, You and everyone else. She asked why I was asking and I told her, I just purchased a Siberian. She said to bring it back when it started looking like it had wet tail. I then told her, she didn't need to worry about that as Siberians don't get wet tail. She said that wasn't what her manager told her. I laughed. What's even funnier, each person that purchased a small animal for PetsMart has to fill out a form with their address, phone number, etc. Being that there was an obvious problem with these animals, PetsMart never called any of the people that had made purchases. Not to mention, as far as the guinea's are concerned, ring worm is contagious to humans and by law, they must notify the owners. I went back 2 additional days later, forgot something. All the cages were refilled and they were selling all these animals once again. I asked the same manager, she tells me that their quarantined period was over. I asked how? She replied with why? And I simply said, 1) it takes 7 to 10 days to show symptoms of wet tail, they have been quarantined but for 5 days and 2) The antibiotic for wet tail is a 6 day continuous dosaging, and again they had only been out for 5 days. No answer. I went for my usual supplies last weekend, along with looking for vitamins for the new mommy., which they were conveniently out of. Anyway, my youngest wanted to look at the little guys in the cages, so we walked over and I saw a dead gerbil right in the front of the cage. Nice! What's worse, the gerbils were marked as Siberian, again someone just doesn't know the difference in what they're selling. Anyway, there was a girl on the other side with the birds and I walked around to tell her, so did one of my kids, she picked up a water dish and literally spilt it on my son and walked away. I went to look for her, not because she spilt the water on my child and didn't even bother to say sorry, but because of the gerbil and because there was now a substantial amount of water on the floor and someone might have fallen. I couldn't find her, I found one of the store managers and a young guy and told them about the gerbil and they walked off before I could say anything else. Never saw the manager again, however the boy came over and asked where it was. I showed him. I also informed him that these were gerbils and not Siberians. He said he knew but his manager said different. He then started walking away and I said something about the water, he said that wasn't his job. Then I said aren't you going to change the bedding or take the dead gerbil over to the vets to see why it dies. He said that wasn't needed. I left. You probably wondering why I shop at PetsMart, I simply don't have a choice, we don't have a Petco, yet. So, you see, you may be one in very few that care about these animals. Sad isn't it.

Amaya, you may be one in very few that this is true for. Unfortunately, I too worked for PetsMart. I also worked there when we were told about the reason for not selling small animals, as mentioned by another former employee, who I worked with for sometime. And we were all placed into a room (about 20 to 25 of us) and told, with a packet on why, that PetsMart does not sell small animals and will not sell small animals as the way they are caught from their habitat is inhuman and PetsMart does not endorse such cruelty to animals. However, PetsMart has changed quite a bit since. I can tell you that the store we worked at was poorly managed and has a new management team, which seems as unknowing of facts as the original staffing. I'm going to tell you what has been going on the last two months, my own experience, to show you just how other employees don't care for the animals, nor the vets, whatever PetsMart calls them now, cares, not to mention the ignorance of the employees. In May, I purchased 2 short haired Hamsters. A week later, I purchased another one. I have 3 kids, this way they all had there own. Mind you, I used to breed hamsters and gerbils for pet stores and stopped when I had my first child, obvious health concerns not to, and I no longer had the time to do such. Anyway, the 3rd hamster went back to the store 24 hours later. The night that I had purchased it, I noticed it was not very active as hamsters usually are. An hour later it was dead. When I picked it up to remove it, I noticed it had Wet Tail. The store's employee that sold me this hamster was one of the managers. She should have known that this hamster was sick. If not, she should not be working there nor sell any animals. When I went back in, The manager from this section tried to say that I caused the hamster stress causing it to have wet tail. First she said that I must have been handling the hamster, not true, I know better. Then she tries to say I wasn't feeding it the proper food, rat blocks. Not true, I give them half rat blocks, half hamster food until they are off the rat blocks. I told her she was crazy, as wet tail takes 7 to 10 days for a hamster to start showing signs and symptoms of wet tail and by that time, it's usually too late. She insisted it was somehow my fault and refused to give me my money back and told me I had to get another one. I protested as wet tail is a very contagious illness in short and long haired hamsters, therefore the other hamsters in the store would in fact be sick. Not to mention the original two I had, I had to take to the vet and have them placed on antibiotics, so that they wouldn't get sick. I ended up with another, and less then 48 hours later, that one went back, same thing. I even went to the vets there and told them they needed to have the animals quarantined, the bedding changed and not to be selling these sick animals. Again, I was made to take another one, however, new one's came in, so I took one from there. You know how PetsMart claims that all their small animals are Male? Nope, as the new one gave birth to 6 last Saturday. Apparently, they don't double check them. She was also a special breed, another reason she was picked, and PetsMart was unaware of this or they would have charged me $20 for her. I figured I'd give them another chance as I wanted a Siberian, they don't get wet tail, they stay small, etc. for personal reasons. I went in an purchased one, only it was marked as a gerbil, which is $3 or $4 cheaper then a Siberian. I told the girl and she insisted this was a gerbil. OK, I knew what it was I tried to tell her. I went in to get some supplies a few days later. There was a sign on the cages and they were all emptied. I went and asked what was going on, thinking someone finally stepped in. The girl tells me that they can not sell any hamsters or guinea pigs as they are quarantined at this point until further noticed. I asked why. She said because the guinea's have ring worm and the hamsters all have wet tail. I told her funny, I had been complaining about the wet tail for more than two months. She replied, You and everyone else. She asked why I was asking and I told her, I just purchased a Siberian. She said to bring it back when it started looking like it had wet tail. I then told her, she didn't need to worry about that as Siberians don't get wet tail. She said that wasn't what her manager told her. I laughed. What's even funnier, each person that purchased a small animal for PetsMart has to fill out a form with their address, phone number, etc. Being that there was an obvious problem with these animals, PetsMart never called any of the people that had made purchases. Not to mention, as far as the guinea's are concerned, ring worm is contagious to humans and by law, they must notify the owners. I went back 2 additional days later, forgot something. All the cages were refilled and they were selling all these animals once again. I asked the same manager, she tells me that their quarantined period was over. I asked how? She replied with why? And I simply said, 1) it takes 7 to 10 days to show symptoms of wet tail, they have been quarantined but for 5 days and 2) The antibiotic for wet tail is a 6 day continuous dosaging, and again they had only been out for 5 days. No answer. I went for my usual supplies last weekend, along with looking for vitamins for the new mommy., which they were conveniently out of. Anyway, my youngest wanted to look at the little guys in the cages, so we walked over and I saw a dead gerbil right in the front of the cage. Nice! What's worse, the gerbils were marked as Siberian, again someone just doesn't know the difference in what they're selling. Anyway, there was a girl on the other side with the birds and I walked around to tell her, so did one of my kids, she picked up a water dish and literally spilt it on my son and walked away. I went to look for her, not because she spilt the water on my child and didn't even bother to say sorry, but because of the gerbil and because there was now a substantial amount of water on the floor and someone might have fallen. I couldn't find her, I found one of the store managers and a young guy and told them about the gerbil and they walked off before I could say anything else. Never saw the manager again, however the boy came over and asked where it was. I showed him. I also informed him that these were gerbils and not Siberians. He said he knew but his manager said different. He then started walking away and I said something about the water, he said that wasn't his job. Then I said aren't you going to change the bedding or take the dead gerbil over to the vets to see why it dies. He said that wasn't needed. I left. You probably wondering why I shop at PetsMart, I simply don't have a choice, we don't have a Petco, yet. So, you see, you may be one in very few that care about these animals. Sad isn't it.

Amaya, you may be one in very few that this is true for. Unfortunately, I too worked for PetsMart. I also worked there when we were told about the reason for not selling small animals, as mentioned by another former employee, who I worked with for sometime. And we were all placed into a room (about 20 to 25 of us) and told, with a packet on why, that PetsMart does not sell small animals and will not sell small animals as the way they are caught from their habitat is inhuman and PetsMart does not endorse such cruelty to animals. However, PetsMart has changed quite a bit since. I can tell you that the store we worked at was poorly managed and has a new management team, which seems as unknowing of facts as the original staffing. I'm going to tell you what has been going on the last two months, my own experience, to show you just how other employees don't care for the animals, nor the vets, whatever PetsMart calls them now, cares, not to mention the ignorance of the employees. In May, I purchased 2 short haired Hamsters. A week later, I purchased another one. I have 3 kids, this way they all had there own. Mind you, I used to breed hamsters and gerbils for pet stores and stopped when I had my first child, obvious health concerns not to, and I no longer had the time to do such. Anyway, the 3rd hamster went back to the store 24 hours later. The night that I had purchased it, I noticed it was not very active as hamsters usually are. An hour later it was dead. When I picked it up to remove it, I noticed it had Wet Tail. The store's employee that sold me this hamster was one of the managers. She should have known that this hamster was sick. If not, she should not be working there nor sell any animals. When I went back in, The manager from this section tried to say that I caused the hamster stress causing it to have wet tail. First she said that I must have been handling the hamster, not true, I know better. Then she tries to say I wasn't feeding it the proper food, rat blocks. Not true, I give them half rat blocks, half hamster food until they are off the rat blocks. I told her she was crazy, as wet tail takes 7 to 10 days for a hamster to start showing signs and symptoms of wet tail and by that time, it's usually too late. She insisted it was somehow my fault and refused to give me my money back and told me I had to get another one. I protested as wet tail is a very contagious illness in short and long haired hamsters, therefore the other hamsters in the store would in fact be sick. Not to mention the original two I had, I had to take to the vet and have them placed on antibiotics, so that they wouldn't get sick. I ended up with another, and less then 48 hours later, that one went back, same thing. I even went to the vets there and told them they needed to have the animals quarantined, the bedding changed and not to be selling these sick animals. Again, I was made to take another one, however, new one's came in, so I took one from there. You know how PetsMart claims that all their small animals are Male? Nope, as the new one gave birth to 6 last Saturday. Apparently, they don't double check them. She was also a special breed, another reason she was picked, and PetsMart was unaware of this or they would have charged me $20 for her. I figured I'd give them another chance as I wanted a Siberian, they don't get wet tail, they stay small, etc. for personal reasons. I went in an purchased one, only it was marked as a gerbil, which is $3 or $4 cheaper then a Siberian. I told the girl and she insisted this was a gerbil. OK, I knew what it was I tried to tell her. I went in to get some supplies a few days later. There was a sign on the cages and they were all emptied. I went and asked what was going on, thinking someone finally stepped in. The girl tells me that they can not sell any hamsters or guinea pigs as they are quarantined at this point until further noticed. I asked why. She said because the guinea's have ring worm and the hamsters all have wet tail. I told her funny, I had been complaining about the wet tail for more than two months. She replied, You and everyone else. She asked why I was asking and I told her, I just purchased a Siberian. She said to bring it back when it started looking like it had wet tail. I then told her, she didn't need to worry about that as Siberians don't get wet tail. She said that wasn't what her manager told her. I laughed. What's even funnier, each person that purchased a small animal for PetsMart has to fill out a form with their address, phone number, etc. Being that there was an obvious problem with these animals, PetsMart never called any of the people that had made purchases. Not to mention, as far as the guinea's are concerned, ring worm is contagious to humans and by law, they must notify the owners. I went back 2 additional days later, forgot something. All the cages were refilled and they were selling all these animals once again. I asked the same manager, she tells me that their quarantined period was over. I asked how? She replied with why? And I simply said, 1) it takes 7 to 10 days to show symptoms of wet tail, they have been quarantined but for 5 days and 2) The antibiotic for wet tail is a 6 day continuous dosaging, and again they had only been out for 5 days. No answer. I went for my usual supplies last weekend, along with looking for vitamins for the new mommy., which they were conveniently out of. Anyway, my youngest wanted to look at the little guys in the cages, so we walked over and I saw a dead gerbil right in the front of the cage. Nice! What's worse, the gerbils were marked as Siberian, again someone just doesn't know the difference in what they're selling. Anyway, there was a girl on the other side with the birds and I walked around to tell her, so did one of my kids, she picked up a water dish and literally spilt it on my son and walked away. I went to look for her, not because she spilt the water on my child and didn't even bother to say sorry, but because of the gerbil and because there was now a substantial amount of water on the floor and someone might have fallen. I couldn't find her, I found one of the store managers and a young guy and told them about the gerbil and they walked off before I could say anything else. Never saw the manager again, however the boy came over and asked where it was. I showed him. I also informed him that these were gerbils and not Siberians. He said he knew but his manager said different. He then started walking away and I said something about the water, he said that wasn't his job. Then I said aren't you going to change the bedding or take the dead gerbil over to the vets to see why it dies. He said that wasn't needed. I left. You probably wondering why I shop at PetsMart, I simply don't have a choice, we don't have a Petco, yet. So, you see, you may be one in very few that care about these animals. Sad isn't it.

I can't speak for every pet store, but to say that we don't care about the pets in our stores is hurtful. The reason I work at PetsMart is b/c I love animals, everyone I talk to in my store does too. When one of the large birds was purchased, an employee actually cried b/c she had been so attached to him. I know I care very much about the dogs I groom, even if they're awful. I report any problems I think the dog may have & offer any helpful suggestions to make that pet's life easier. It makes me sick how little the OWNERS care for their dogs. I make owners who don't want their matted dogs shaved promise me they will brush their dogs out from now on or we will shave next time. They get huffy but they usually do better. I care far more about the dog than the owner's pride. Please don't make such a broad generalization b/c you had a bad experience.

First of all, I am perfectly aware that PetSmart has shelters come in and do adoptions. HOWEVER, they are still selling other animals. End of story. Where do you think they get the birds from? From people who breed these animals to make a buck. As for breeders in the paper being shady as well, you're darn right they are. Most REPUTABLE breeders DO NOT advertise their litters in the papers. And they do not sell to whomever shows up with cash either because they care about where their animals end up. To avoid getting a purebred animal from a backyard breeder or puppy mill, you should contact the breedersclub for that breed. I believe many of these can be found linked to the AKC website. They can get you a list of reputable breeders in your area and these breeders will let you copme out and see the dogs, their parents, their surroundings, etc. They will ask you questions about your home and lifestyle to make sure your chosen breed will be right for you. If the breeder you're contacting doesnt do these things, that should be a red flag for you. I went thru thisprocess with both my Basset Hound and my Great Pyrenees and they have been problem free (health-wise) so far, plus they have very good temperaments. Good dogs arent cheap and cheap dogs arent good, end of story. Pet stores care nothing about the welfare of the animals. They are merely whores to the almighty corporate dollar.

FYI: PetsMart does NOT sell dogs or cats, but rather invites shelters in to adopt out their animals. Basically, you must research your dog b/c breeders in the paper are every bit as shady if not worse than pet stores, who simply get their dogs from registered breeders. I see dogs every day from bad backyard breeders who lie to their customers about the condition of the pups/parents. I bought a shih-tzu from a pet store and he is the best dog I've ever had, cute & smart beyond belief. I had people offer me money for him when he was a pup & people I know fight over who gets to dog-sit when I'm out of town. I will say though that the pet store overcharged quite a bit and forced me to buy overpriced items I didn't need, or they wouldn't sell me the dog. That's my fault b/c he was an impulse buy. And to rat girl, come on now, they're rats. How do you know it's PetsMart's fault they died? Are you a vet? Did you have rat autopsies done? Were they diagnosed by a vet? Or did they eat your make-up? Are we getting the whole story? I repeat--they're rats. They don't have long life expectancies to begin with. If it is PetsMart's fault, where can you find healthier rats? PetCo? The gutter? Europe? My brother bought two rats from PetsMart and they lived at least two years, until they got out and disappeared for good.

Okay. First of all, I am sorry your rats got ill. However, I dont believe you should EVER buy animals of any sort from any pet stores. The pet stores do not care for the welfare of the animals or the conditions from which they came. Many of the dogs that come from these stores (pet stores in general, NOT exclusively PetSmart) are produced by backyard breeders and puppy mills. Their parents may not have been healthy and may have been forced to produce litter after litter til they are unable to produce any more animals, then they are disposed of. Any time you obtain an animal, you should really do it from a breeder (if a purebred is your preference) or rescue an animal from your local shelter. Those animals are literally on death row! And unlike the human miscreants on death row in this country, these animals dont get 10 years worth of appeals before they die. Most get 10 DAYS. Also, when your animal (ANY animal) is sick, it is YOUR responsibility to take it to a vet to receive care. If you dont do this, you cannot expect blame to be laid on anyone except yourself. While the pet store may be guilty of selling sick animals, this was 2months after the fact and you did not seek medical attention for your pets. If you had taken them to a vet and THEN they died, you may have had some claim against the store, but the fact remains that you did nothing. Next time, take responsibility and get them to a vet!

The customers always have lame excuses for why they should get something for free or why we should take back their clearly used & abused items. I work in grooming and people will use ANY excuse not to try to get out of paying, (such as "the ears are 1/4 inch shorter than I wanted"). Half the time we aren't even spoken to like we're human (a man even threatened me after I told him everything would be fine, just give us a minute to run the price past the manager) and then they want to rip us off on top of it. We work on commission so every time some jerk gets a free groom--I just did 4 hours of work for nothing, not to mention how bad it looks in my file.

To begin with, I am very sorry that you lost your babies. However, I do have some extreme problems with your arguments and rage. I myself am Wiccan, and I cannot understand your use of our religion to justify NOT using a vet. An' it HARM NONE, do what you will. In this instance, doing what you willed did harm two individuals, as well as causing great sorrow to yourself. This, in fact, went directly against our religious beliefs (and there is nothing in the Wiccan religious dogma that I have ever seen that condemns or denounces traditional western medicine). I use a holistic veterinarian for my cat and dog. This vet is knowledgeable about both homeopathic remedies AND traditional western medicine. Also, just because a web site suggested herbal remedies for certain ailments, this does not mean that your rats were suffering from those specific ailments. Only veterinarian can adequately diagnose some illnesses. You must also take into account that your rats might have had allergies to the herbs you used. This is even more likely if the rats were in any way related, which is likely, considering the source. This brings me to my final point. ANY animal purchased from a store comes from an irresponsible breeder. Obviously the breeder does not care where the animals end up; otherwise that person would supervise the sale and placement of the animal themselves. Also, it is unwise to purchase an animal from an establishment that does not have access to or allow you to observe the conditions under which the parents of said animal are kept. This is true of ANY animal, be it a rat, cat, dog, or bird. And because the breeder is irresponsible, one must assume that the breeding practices are also irresponsible, which allows for inbreeding, poor health, and genetic defects. So, while PetSmart does have the potential to sell sick animals, I do not believe the company was entirely at fault in your tragedy. This is compounded by the fact that your animal were fine for roughly two months after purchase, and rats generally do not harbor illnesses for extended periods of time. I am sorry that you had to go through this, but it sounds as if you were a little more careful the second time around. Another thing to consider is the impression you just made on a mostly Christian community with your outburst. As Wiccans, we must hold ourselves to a higher behavioral standard to avoid actualizing all the nasty rumors circulating about us and our beliefs. This is unfair, I know, especially in times of grief and hardship, but it is the truth. I beg you to avoid future rants and temper tantrums, even when you're hearing things you'd rather not hear. Please just bite your tongue, smile, and try to be polite. An ounce of honey is worth a gallon of vinegar when trying to catch flies, and all. Also, Wicca is a western religion with some eastern elements. It does originate in Europe, which is considered a 'western civilization' (try taking a Western Civ. class and not studying Europe). Eastern religions originate from Asia and Aboriginal Australia. And finally, to the individual that made the comment about 'Satan-worshiping' and sacrifice. Please keep your mouth shut to avoid shoving your foot farther down your throat. Your comments were out of line, childish, and very offensive. Being that hostile to person that is grieving is insensitive and foolish. I suggest you avoid speaking (or typing) until you have brushed up on your manners. We are all adults here (hopefully), and we should behave as such.

Well, Wicca meets Corporate America. I'm Wiccan, and I work for PETsMART. So does my entire family, in fact. Things have changed, April, since you worked for PETsMART; we no longer fill out all those tacky little books (a few orientation books is all), and we do go through specialized training for whichever individual department we're hired in. I'm eighteen, yes, a kid perhaps, but I have more experience than many of you that have replied about this post. I can guarantee I have more maturity and intellect than a few specific individuals posting here. To begin with, PETsMART animals *do* go through a vet assured program. They are fed a balanced, appropriate diet; quarantined upon arrival, and viewed by our in-store Banfield veterinarian whenever necessary. We have faith in our distributors, and yes, though they do fall under the category of "pet mills" in a sense, PETsMART only recieves animals from one breeder, we do not jump around, and we do not accept low-quality. We file reports with every shipment recieved, on the health and quality of the animals, and should one happen to be sick, we take it to the veterinarian immediately. I can honestly say my Store Director spent well over $200 on a $6.99 rat last month, only to have the poor critter die on us anyway. I'm very sorry you lost your animals, but there is no way to guarantee TWO MONTHS in advance that your pet will remain perfectly healthy for it's entire life. We guarantee fourteen days, and that is all. Fourteen days is the gestation for most (keyword; most. not all) viral and bacterial diseases, and most genetic influences will appear before that. If you, madam, are such an authority on rats after reading your website - why didn't you see that the animals were unhealthy before you bought them? And April, I agree that our small animals and reptiles are impulse buys, but the business strives to keep the animals health the primary importance -- if they didn't, I wouldn't be working for the company, and I certainly wouldn't have corporate mo-mos crawling up my rearend every time I stepped even an inch to the left on the quality of environment I produce. I'm appalled at your use of Wicca as a defense for your hostility and blatant ignorance. Herbal remedies are fine, but not the appropriate way to go with an animal. If you want to boycott the company, fine. Do so. We have plenty of other incomes, and I personally hate it when customers grow hostile on me because of their experiences with a strand of bad luck. And as for us kids knowing nothing? Do you know every PETsMART employee? I didn't think so.

I am employed by Petsmart.They DO hire a lot of individuals under 21. Most of these kids mean well but lack the experience necessary to make good judgements especially about Specialty animals.

Please do not misunderstand me.A certain percentage of these people are knowledgeable and conscientious.

At the store I am employed at it is primarily the management which is at fault for poor decision making.Thousands of dollars have been lost: animals and fish killed or endangered and NOTHING is being done to replace these people. On the contrary. They seem to be on the fastest corporate track!

One case in point is a beautiful Macaw the store received only a couple months ago.This bird was social and obviously wanted desperately to interact. It is a quite young bird, less than a year old. It had gorgeous glossy feathers,a nice long tail and was active as would be expected.In an incredibly short period of time the manager of the department has this bird extremely agitated and unsocial. It shakes when people are near,its appearance became so disturbing that she had the bird put in virtual isolation in one of the tiny "holding" rooms of the store. The poor bird's tail feathers are gone. He bites and has a lack of appetite. He is in a cage much too small to accomodate such a large and what should be,active, bird.Several of us, (who do not work in Specialty),commented long before this that the bird looked depressed and possibly malnourished/ unwell. His feathers were no longer glossy and he would spend his days just sitting-not playing-or frantically gnawing on his foot and the door of his glass display cage. Nothing was done.

I freely admit I am no avian expert(or reptile or fish for that matter). I work in the equine department and that is my expertise. I have cared for my own animals for nearly four decades now with fair success.

Nobody is perfect but the management of this store shows blatant disregard for its animals and its people as well.We're all pretty much ignored unless we cause a "problem" then you are either shunted out of view or terminated.If a decent manager or associate does appear they are pretty much abused until they quit.

No, Petsmart doesn't have regard for anything except the profits and constant changing of procedure. Basically, they are making it up as they go along.

In the end we lose and worst of all, the animals stand to lose everything.From a human perspective Petsmart ia a horrendous place that sucks away your spirit -That's the HUMAN perspective. Therefore, can you imagine what the ANIMALS perspective must be?

Wicca is NOT a Western culture. It was formed in Europe long before the western culture ever got a hold of it.

Just because someone is rude or has snappy comebacks doesn't mean that they are a pacifist! Christians get defensive, too, although they have more of a right to be as they're defending lies. But that is not the topic here.

Herbal medicines are ok for animals depending on what type and what illness. I'm sorry but the original poster should have taken them to the vet. You may be wiccan; I was blessed at birth and am second generation and I still take my animals to the vet.

I do not understand the big deal about a couple meesely rats. They are essentially just rodents that people and other pets try to kill daily. They are disease carrying creatures which have a very short life span. I could understand a complaint if you bought a $1,500 dog from the place, but you probably spent more than the cost of those fish on phone calls and gas complaining about two dead rats. When something is so minor as that, you cut your losses and be done with it. If the pet store is to blame, then file real reports with Aminal Control Agencies or something.

My second comment for the young lady who lost her rats.. Umm.. if you knew they used pet mills, why the heck did you buy the pets there? I just fail to follow your train of thought on being mad at Petsmart if you knew they sold unhealthy and degenerated animals.

Final comment for this 'complaint'... once a pet is in a new environment for a while, how can you even begin to blame the place you purchased the pet? I mean come on now, TWO Months??? Most places have a 48 hour rule on returning dead pets. The way I see it, you have 2 rats, at 7 dollars a piece, for about 2 months.. Correct? That cost you about 12 cents a day for the joy of having a pet. I spend about 10 times that on my pets, easy. Count yourself lucky.

I do not understand the big deal about a couple meesely rats. They are essentially just rodents that people and other pets try to kill daily. They are disease carrying creatures which have a very short life span. I could understand a complaint if you bought a $1,500 dog from the place, but you probably spent more than the cost of those fish on phone calls and gas complaining about two dead rats. When something is so minor as that, you cut your losses and be done with it. If the pet store is to blame, then file real reports with Aminal Control Agencies or something.

My second comment for the young lady who lost her rats.. Umm.. if you knew they used pet mills, why the heck did you buy the pets there? I just fail to follow your train of thought on being mad at Petsmart if you knew they sold unhealthy and degenerated animals.

Final comment for this 'complaint'... once a pet is in a new environment for a while, how can you even begin to blame the place you purchased the pet? I mean come on now, TWO Months??? Most places have a 48 hour rule on returning dead pets. The way I see it, you have 2 rats, at 7 dollars a piece, for about 2 months.. Correct? That cost you about 12 cents a day for the joy of having a pet. I spend about 10 times that on my pets, easy. Count yourself lucky.

I do not understand the big deal about a couple meesely rats. They are essentially just rodents that people and other pets try to kill daily. They are disease carrying creatures which have a very short life span. I could understand a complaint if you bought a $1,500 dog from the place, but you probably spent more than the cost of those fish on phone calls and gas complaining about two dead rats. When something is so minor as that, you cut your losses and be done with it. If the pet store is to blame, then file real reports with Aminal Control Agencies or something.

My second comment for the young lady who lost her rats.. Umm.. if you knew they used pet mills, why the heck did you buy the pets there? I just fail to follow your train of thought on being mad at Petsmart if you knew they sold unhealthy and degenerated animals.

Final comment for this 'complaint'... once a pet is in a new environment for a while, how can you even begin to blame the place you purchased the pet? I mean come on now, TWO Months??? Most places have a 48 hour rule on returning dead pets. The way I see it, you have 2 rats, at 7 dollars a piece, for about 2 months.. Correct? That cost you about 12 cents a day for the joy of having a pet. I spend about 10 times that on my pets, easy. Count yourself lucky.

I do not understand the big deal about a couple meesely rats. They are essentially just rodents that people and other pets try to kill daily. They are disease carrying creatures which have a very short life span. I could understand a complaint if you bought a $1,500 dog from the place, but you probably spent more than the cost of those fish on phone calls and gas complaining about two dead rats. When something is so minor as that, you cut your losses and be done with it. If the pet store is to blame, then file real reports with Aminal Control Agencies or something.

My second comment for the young lady who lost her rats.. Umm.. if you knew they used pet mills, why the heck did you buy the pets there? I just fail to follow your train of thought on being mad at Petsmart if you knew they sold unhealthy and degenerated animals.

Final comment for this 'complaint'... once a pet is in a new environment for a while, how can you even begin to blame the place you purchased the pet? I mean come on now, TWO Months??? Most places have a 48 hour rule on returning dead pets. The way I see it, you have 2 rats, at 7 dollars a piece, for about 2 months.. Correct? That cost you about 12 cents a day for the joy of having a pet. I spend about 10 times that on my pets, easy. Count yourself lucky.

I JUST WANTED TO SAY I AM SORRY ABOUT THE LOSS OF YOUR PETS. I THINK THIS TURNED INTO A WITCH HUNT WHEN IT SHOULD OF STAYED ON THE SUBJECT OF SELLING SICK ANIMALS.

EVERYONE HAS A DIFFERENT PREFERENCE ON WHAT KIND OF PET THEY WANT, DOGS, CATS, RATS.

A PET IS A PET AND IT IS USUALLY PART OF THE FAMILY AND IS NOT EASILY REPLACED, THEY HAVE DIFFERENT PERSONILITYS JUST LIKE PEOPLE.

I THINK YOU HAVE DONE THE RIGHT THING BY NOT GOING BACK TO A PLACE THAT SELLS SICK ANIMALS AND BY PUTTING THEM ON THE RIP OFF REPORT. GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR NEW PET.

I have since gotten a male rat who I have named Andrew from a breeder. He is in good health and no inbreeding was used in his conception. I have long since boycotted PetSmart and do not buy any of Andrew's care items there. I'm sorry that those of you who slammed me are so blinded and in repsonse to what i tried to use to save my two baby girls, it was echinacea. I hope that I helped save some lives by telling about what happened to me and my pets because my intent was not money, just saving lives. I have since reported a sick, tailless gerbil that was missing an eye there and gotten a "yeah yeah we'll take care of it" which no one did. Anyway, I'll probably get slammed again, but that's on those of you who truly do not love animals enough to be outraged. Oh well. Have a Happy Yule anyway.

I too have had problems with this petsmart. I purchased fish from them, fancy guppys, and one passed away the night I bought it. When you return fish you have to take a water sample to the store, witch I did. The female employee who tested the ph of the water put her finger over the vile of the water, and ruined the results.

When I confronted her and told her to retake the test I was given an attitude, and told I didn't know any thing about fish or that subject(this comming from a person who tried to sell two male fish as a mating pair the previous day!).

I have returned to petsmart several time to purchase kitty litter. Every time I go there their fish are sick, this goes for the one in wickliffe also, and by the way, don't try to tell an employee that an animal is sick, they don't listen and knowingly sell sick animals.

By the way, your attitude was extremely out of line, and you need a propper teacher(wiccan). If you had one you wouldn't have responded in such a way or with so much energy.

a friend

TO BE HONEST, I DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT A WICCAN IS.
IM NOT TEASING ANYONE ABOUT ANYTHING. I JUST HATE THE WORDS SUE, LAWSUIT ETC. SO MANY PEOPLE SUE EACH OTHER OVER THE DUMBEST THINS THESE DAYS AND IM FED UP WITH IT.

I AM TRULY SORRY YOUR RATS DIED CHANDRA, I WOULD BE UPSET IF OUR CAT DIED BUT IN REALITY AN ANIMAL IS MADE INTO A PET BY US HUMANS, AND CAN BE REPLACED. I ALSO KNOW THAT YOU DIDNT POST THIS REPORT TO BE RIDICULED BY YOUR FELLOW CONSUMERS;

AFTER ALL ITS US AGAINST CON-ARTISTS. P.S. JOEY, I TOO, WONDERED ABOUT THE SPELL CHECK THING. P.P.S. CAN SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT A WICCAN IS? I FEEL LIKE A RENOB :)

in response to chandra's comment that she looked on a website about which herbs to give her rats we all know that anything you read on the internet is completely true. ps don't computers come with spell check anymore?

First let me tell the woman making this report, that I am sorry for your rats death. Secondly, to the people finding this a means to belittle this woman's religious beliefs need to seroiusly take a reality check. Yes, we (sometimes) have the privilage of freedom of speech, but how owuld you actually feel if someone belittled and made fun of your religion, come on now. Being a bigot and discriminating against someone for there beliefs is just plain retarded.

I am very versed in the law and maybe she doesn't or will never have a case against people like you, but you should actually look in a real dictionary to these works (a law dictionary), your very wrong. And I would be quite scarred if I were you, if she is Wiccan, she won't sue, but you may have misfortune the rest of your life, so, get over it. I am not taking either side, but making fun of someone for their beliefs is just as bad as someone that preforms hate crimes.

As someone else asked, I too am interested to know what herbs you used. And as for the person who states that herbal remedies are becoming more and more unreliable apparently has read up on these things. Herbal remedies are actually used more commonly these days and are proven to be most affective as cures, pain killers, mental helps, etc. Were as a perscription your doctor proscribes, you will always find many side effects, some of which can kill or seriously injure one. No herbal maker has been sue for wrongful death or liability, prescription makers have.

Now, that I've got all that at of the way, I am a former employee of Petsmart. When I worked for them a few years ago, they did not sell ANY small animals. We were told that the capture of these animals were very dangerous and hazardous to the animals themselves, so we would never sell them, and if someone asked about these types of animals, we were to tell them just that. Only a couple years ago did Petsmart deside that boosting their animal inventory for their personal gain was now more important than the health and saftey of these animals. I personally have purchased hamsters from them. I have 3 children and purchased one for each at Christmas time.

The following day, one of the hamsters got sick and died, I returned it, to go through hell mind you. The young kid asked what I did to it. Well, I told him I took them home, put thme in a cage, and fed them, what I was supposed to do. I have breed hampsters before for a small pet store that closed because they couldn't compete with Petsmart. I told the woman the day before, that, that perticular hamster didn't look well, neither did any of the hampsters on the side of the cage. (The other 2 came from the other side, where there was a glass divider)The woman told me that she se's my son really liked this one, so if anything happened, to bring it back. I did. I exchanged it for another one because I was told I could not get a refund, I had to exchange it. I did. A few days later the new one died. I took it back. Again was told the same thing, etc. I also informed the boy that the sign said, "Male Hampsters." The 2 that died were female. He said they weren't I showed him he was wrong. He said, "Oh, we aren't exposed to sell females." I demanded my money back and told him I would go somewhere else, to someone that actually knew something about small animals. He refused, I asked for a manager. The manager refused, so I turned my recite over and showed him, it was there in black and white that I could get my money back, what else could he say. So I went elsewhere and purchased a heathy male hampster. I've now had them all for over 2 years and they are still very healthy and very much alive.

It is very true that Petsmart says their employees are "Specialists" in the departments they work in. It's not true though. This is how they work. You get a name tag and a starting pay (usually $6 an hour), then they give you a workbook and tell you for every book you complete you get a pay increase and a small circular sticker to put on your name tag. As you complete each workbook, they now tell you that you can tell people that you are a "specialist" in whatever workbook you complete. In these workbooks, you go around the store or watch people and fill them out. So, NO, these KIDS don't have a clue as to what their really selling and what their really talking about.

Chandra,

If I didn't hit a nerve like you said, then why all the ranting and raving? You had me rolling on the floor with this ridiculous threat of a slander, or should I say "libel", lawsuit. This is a public forum and people (even pathetic rat killers like yourself) can say what they want to. Since you apparently seem to be the only Chandra in the state of Ohio, I guess when the whole world read my post, they figured that Chandra must really be a rat killer and Satanist.

I guess I must have really ruined your life, because from what I hear, your neighbors are spitting in your face and throwing rocks at you. I guess you lost your job too at the hands of the evil "L" from Kentucky. Ha Ha Ha. Why would I tell you my real name? You would probably make a voodoo doll and kill me like you did your rats. Then the rats and I would come back and haunt your a*s. Ha Ha Ha. Have a great day. Freak!!!

Chandra,

If I didn't hit a nerve like you said, then why all the ranting and raving? You had me rolling on the floor with this ridiculous threat of a slander, or should I say "libel", lawsuit. This is a public forum and people (even pathetic rat killers like yourself) can say what they want to. Since you apparently seem to be the only Chandra in the state of Ohio, I guess when the whole world read my post, they figured that Chandra must really be a rat killer and Satanist.

I guess I must have really ruined your life, because from what I hear, your neighbors are spitting in your face and throwing rocks at you. I guess you lost your job too at the hands of the evil "L" from Kentucky. Ha Ha Ha. Why would I tell you my real name? You would probably make a voodoo doll and kill me like you did your rats. Then the rats and I would come back and haunt your a*s. Ha Ha Ha. Have a great day. Freak!!!

Chandra,

If I didn't hit a nerve like you said, then why all the ranting and raving? You had me rolling on the floor with this ridiculous threat of a slander, or should I say "libel", lawsuit. This is a public forum and people (even pathetic rat killers like yourself) can say what they want to. Since you apparently seem to be the only Chandra in the state of Ohio, I guess when the whole world read my post, they figured that Chandra must really be a rat killer and Satanist.

I guess I must have really ruined your life, because from what I hear, your neighbors are spitting in your face and throwing rocks at you. I guess you lost your job too at the hands of the evil "L" from Kentucky. Ha Ha Ha. Why would I tell you my real name? You would probably make a voodoo doll and kill me like you did your rats. Then the rats and I would come back and haunt your a*s. Ha Ha Ha. Have a great day. Freak!!!

Chandra,

If I didn't hit a nerve like you said, then why all the ranting and raving? You had me rolling on the floor with this ridiculous threat of a slander, or should I say "libel", lawsuit. This is a public forum and people (even pathetic rat killers like yourself) can say what they want to. Since you apparently seem to be the only Chandra in the state of Ohio, I guess when the whole world read my post, they figured that Chandra must really be a rat killer and Satanist.

I guess I must have really ruined your life, because from what I hear, your neighbors are spitting in your face and throwing rocks at you. I guess you lost your job too at the hands of the evil "L" from Kentucky. Ha Ha Ha. Why would I tell you my real name? You would probably make a voodoo doll and kill me like you did your rats. Then the rats and I would come back and haunt your a*s. Ha Ha Ha. Have a great day. Freak!!!

TO Robert: AMEN...that is all I got to say.

To the lady with the two dead rats, buy a dictionary, and read the two differences in the definitions between "liable" and "slander". Also read the First Admendment under freedom of speech and all the clauses within...the comment about you being "satanistic" or "demonic" to your rats, whether you did or did not kill them intentionally (this no longer matters, what is done is done, move on with your life), did not effect your immediate well-being, job status, or personal interest...it was a personal comment, nothing more, and WILL BE DISMISSED IN COURT if you plan to throw a suite at Mr. Robert!!! I know, I have already been there...

NOW, WHILE I WOULD HAVE FUN LAUGHING AT YOU, CHANDRA, ABOUT THIS ILL GIVE YOU SOME ADVICE.
SINCE YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE ANOTHER ONE OF THESE SUE HAPPY CRYBABIES,TELL YOUR LAWYER THAT YOU HAVE A LIBEL CASE. NOT SLANDER. IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND, LOOK IN THE DICTIONARY AT THE DEFENITION OF THE TWO WORDS, THEN SPEND LESS TIME PLAYING WITH RATS AND LEARN SOMETHING.

No, you didn't hit a nerve with me because what you are saying is a load of stupid b.s. and of course, I'm going to say something when someone accuses me of killing defenseless animals.

And another thing, we are called "Wiccans" , not "Wiccas" as your little peabrain has failed to register.

As for your accusation of me being a Satanic rat sacrificer, that is slander and you are so lucky that you are too much of a coward to put your real name and e-mail address here because
you would have a slander case slapped on you so fast your head would spin.

What a big shot you are, calling people Satanists from behind your keyboard and using only an initial as your name. Gosh, we're all just so impressed by your online bravado. Please stop it, I'm laughing too hard and might die laughing.


As for your boast about having so much common sense, your slamming of homeopathic treatment (which I doubt you've ever tried) by calling me a Satanist (which is probably your battle cry for everyone who expresses something you don't like) shows your obvious lack of common sense and your insane anger at me for expressing the truth (according to many animal rights activists, who have no reason to lie about it) for someone who supposedly doesn't work at PetSmart is just too coincidental. The only thing you've ever done at PetSmart is rescue a kitten, you say? Funny, you are just a bit too concerned with my opinion of PetSmart to just be a kitten rescuer, but once again that's just my opinion

And about your ludicrous closing remarks, Ok ok, I admit it, it was me who put all those reports on various animal rights websites and me who made all those petitions and me who made this all up, just to badmouth an innocent company that has never used a pet mill or watched an animal die and did nothing *sarcasm dripping here* for the sake of $14.00.

Gosh, you're one paranoid little person, aren't you? As for the knowledge of how PetSmart acquires their animals, I did not find out until a couple of days after my poor little rats died how many animals were dying young because of being from a pet mill. But now I know and have gotten my current rat (who is getting nice, fat and healthy and will be sacrificed tomorrow, if your insane ravings were actually true) from a breeder though a local feed store (who do not sell these rats for food and also pick them out by hand for temperament and health, rather than just throwing half a dozen rats into a cage and saying "They'll do".

And actually I did know what I was doing with the herbal treatment because I visited a well-resected rat and mouse website, rmca.org which is run by the Rat And Mouse Club of America, which is the leading source online for information on and care of rats and mice and it was recommended in their homeoparhy section to take care of a respiratory infection with echinicea if you don't wish to fill your rats' bodies with antibiotics, which will ultimately cause bacteria to become resistant to treatment, but I guess when you know nothing about rats at all, you can spout "helpful" informarion and engage in name-calling of a rat owner (who has researched before she speaks, no less) on your little soapbox as you are doing now.

You, not me are the one who needs to get a life, I am afraid and I will respond to your insane ravings no more. Good day now.

My my. I have been away from the computer for a few days, and I come back to pandemonium. I certainly must have hit a nerve with you Chandra. What an outburst. I thought Wiccas were peace loving naturists, not Satanic rat sacrificers. Maybe you are so pissed off because your poor rats died before you had a chance to offer them up to Satan on the altar.

And by the way, just because I have an opinion and a little common sense, doesn't mean I am a $6.00 an hour employee of PetSmart. The only thing I have ever done at PetSmart was rescue a poor kitten that was put on display there from the local no-kill pound.

Just one more thing. If you think that PetSmart gets their pets from pet mills, why in the world did you go and put more money into the evil corporate pocket? Just because herbal treatments are good for us humans doesn't mean they are good for our little rodent friends. You really do protest too much to be some seemingly "innocent". Get a life.

Im just curious what herebel remedies and what kind of substrate did you use for your pets? I would truly appreciate the answer and then can maybe understand the facts slightly more.

As far as Westren and Eastren methods of medication like all things in life they are both the good and the bad with each some herbal remedies are truly "mother Natures Miracle" alas "penicillian" is also a godsend everything has a ying and yang indstead of accepting one and rejecting another mayhap we should see the middle and relize the benefits and the dangers of both. Please respond to this im very CURIOUS Thank You!

Wow such a childish outrage over advice. Perhaps contacting a vet before trying to be one yourself is quite the idea. Western medicine is not made to overdrug it is made to cure and herbal medicatons are proving to be more and more unrealiable. I am a regular petsmart visitor and see the animals sold there quite frequently.

I feel that not only is my money well spent and that petsmart is only " out to get my $" I feel that the service and products I recieve are superiour to other stores. I would reccomend not to make such outlandish and unproven remarks about were petsmart gets their animals without any sort of documentation or proof. Simply insulting someone for advice is quite the immature way to go. How do you know what people at petsmart make? What do you care? Perhaps one might mention that this supposed 6.00 an hour employee acts with much more maturity than those insulting them, and perhaps you should not accuse a company of selling sick animals with no proof.

I am sure that Petsmart would have survived without your $14.00 and would rather those who make such ludicris accusations and slander their name without proof to not shop there and take there immature, raging, and disrespectful attitudes elsewhere. It is quite unfortunate that your rats died however taking it out on those giving constructive critism just makes you look silly

You're Wiccan yet knowingly bought rats that were bred in unhealthy conditions? Whatever happened to the 'Rede?

And your snide response, really, remember your 'Rede.

I'm not Wiccan nor do I have any desire to be, but I feel anyone, be they Christian or not (and Wicca *is* a Western religion as well - do your research) should follow whatever religious beliefs they purport to follow and not be hypocritical.

I've bred rats for many years and there is no way of knowing if they were sick two months before they died unless, as a previous poster pointed out, PetSmart was willing to perform expensive genetic testing on their rats.

Stop blaming PetSmart because you feel guilty. It's no one's fault except the mill or yourself if you didn't know what you were doing with the herbal remedies.

And to quell your curiousity I'll tell you that no, I do not now, nor have I ever worked for nor held a financial interest in PetSmart.

There have been other complaints of sick animals coming from that exact chain of stores and since you are obviously too much of an ignorant sheep to figure it out, PetSmart does get their animals from pet mills. And in case you don't know what a pet mill is, I will explain it for you in your own illiterate manner: It's one of those places where they breed animals as fats and as often as they can, so they can make a quick buck.

Often these animals are bred to their own brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers so there will be more litters and the petmillers won't have to pay to get unrelated rats to do their breeding with. And as we all know, inbreeding creates medical, mental and behavioral problems which cannot be erased.

And as for your calling me a witch doctor, thanks for the compliment because I am Wiccan and proud of it! But I guess overmedicating the poor animals is better in your Western religion than using herbs which have been proven to work for years. Oh, and by the way, many vets are starting to use homeopathic remedies for animals rather than pumping them full of medicines that can make the bacteria stronger and cause superbugs.

But I guess, since you are most likely a PetSmart employee who doesn't like the awful truth, you have to stick up for them so you won't lose your $6.00 an hour job, eh?

Next time, please think before you speak, please. I know you'll have a wiseacre comment about my religion in your next ever-so-informative message, so I'll say it now: I think I hear your boss at PetSmart calling you to fill another cage with soon-to-be-overpriced half-dead pet mill guinea pigs. Better go it, because you wouldn't want to lose your little job, now would you?

There have been other complaints of sick animals coming from that exact chain of stores and since you are obviously too much of an ignorant sheep to figure it out, PetSmart does get their animals from pet mills. And in case you don't know what a pet mill is, I will explain it for you in your own illiterate manner: It's one of those places where they breed animals as fats and as often as they can, so they can make a quick buck.

Often these animals are bred to their own brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers so there will be more litters and the petmillers won't have to pay to get unrelated rats to do their breeding with. And as we all know, inbreeding creates medical, mental and behavioral problems which cannot be erased.

And as for your calling me a witch doctor, thanks for the compliment because I am Wiccan and proud of it! But I guess overmedicating the poor animals is better in your Western religion than using herbs which have been proven to work for years. Oh, and by the way, many vets are starting to use homeopathic remedies for animals rather than pumping them full of medicines that can make the bacteria stronger and cause superbugs.

But I guess, since you are most likely a PetSmart employee who doesn't like the awful truth, you have to stick up for them so you won't lose your $6.00 an hour job, eh?

Next time, please think before you speak, please. I know you'll have a wiseacre comment about my religion in your next ever-so-informative message, so I'll say it now: I think I hear your boss at PetSmart calling you to fill another cage with soon-to-be-overpriced half-dead pet mill guinea pigs. Better go it, because you wouldn't want to lose your little job, now would you?

I am not trying to say that you are responsible for the death of your rats, but it was not PetsMart. There is no way that PetsMart would know that the animals were sick that far in advance. There are not many test that even a vet can do to find potential problems with small animals such as rats, and the few that can be done are very expensive.

It would not be worth any pet store to spend hundreds on them for $7 rats. Even if this is done, you can't ask animal how it feels. With animals we normely don't know their sick until they have secondary symptoms. You treated with herbal remedies? Were they intended to be used with small animals? Did you talk to a vet?

You are upset at PetsMart not caring for animals, but you mention nothing of taking them to a vet yourself once you noticed they were sick. I also don't feel that it was any type of disease or sickness that killed them. You say they were about four months old when they died. That means that if they were born with some type of problem(genetic, etc) then they lived for four months with it.

If they were carying some type of disease or sickness when you bought them, like you seem to think, then they lived for at least two months with it.

The odd thing about either of these possibilities is that the odds of them having or carying something this long and then dying within hours of each other are VERY slim.

If I had to guess(I am not trying to blame you), it seems like they must have come into contact with something. There are any number of things, cleaners(maybe used to clean the cage), any thing sprayed around the cage(air freshener, cleaner, etc).

I am not saying this is what did it, but it something to consider. I am very sorry that you lost your pets. I understand your anger, but it should not be directed at PetsMart, as I feel that they are NOT to blame.

I'm sorry to hear that your rats died, and maybe Petsmart sold you some rats with a cold, but whoever said that giving rats herbal remedies was the way to go? Those herbs were probably the same as giving a human arsenic. Those herbs were probably as dangerous as Liquid Plumr coursing through their tiny veins. If they were sick you should have seen a vet. I say you killed them with your Witch Doctor mentality.