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Post by j on Oct 4, 2004 12:53:05 GMT -8
But it's so hard to avoid looking at them. I know everytime I look at a cage in a petshop with gerbils it's going to piss me off. But I can't resist. Petco today had a tiny little white one, alone, on pine bedding..she was probably around 5 weeks old. Her fur was gross, looked like she was losing hair or going bald..probably the pine bedding. Just laying in a corner, by herself looking scared and lonely. What I really need to do is stop going in petshops with my Mom. If I was alone, i could've saved the poor thing. But of course promoting it at the same time..and after her, there would've been another gerbil to take it's place. Ughhhhh.
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Post by RyanF on Oct 4, 2004 12:54:49 GMT -8
Buy the poor little thing and give it a good home! Then go complain to the manager and try to piss him/her off.
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Post by lydia on Oct 4, 2004 15:40:27 GMT -8
That is how I got one of my 3 yr old mongs......she was in PaH,alone and miserable.I was sooo annoyed,I bought her.then had to wait weeks before they got some more in,to buy her a friend. Some petshops are better than others,one close to us,has notices on all the rodents cages (apart from some hamster species etc.) stating that they will only be sold in pairs. The thing is,most ppl will only buy a gerbil (or pair of gerbils) from seeing them in pet shops. My mum is a real soft touch,if we were in a petshop together,and there was a pen/cage with only one gerbil in,I'd only have to mention that it was miserable etc. and my mum would buy it for me look after .Isn't your mum like that too J ? Lyd
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Post by sweetie on Oct 4, 2004 18:09:05 GMT -8
I have to agree. Many pet shops do not know how to care for gerbils. I usually let them know in a nice way what a gerbil needs for good health and happiness. Many people listen and smile and say "hmmm". PetSmart takes really good care of thier gerbils. Then other one I got my gerbils at is horrible. The other Petstore that just opened up near me is really good and has Aspen bedding, a wheel and 2 gerbs in a cage.
Did you mention the issues to any one in the store? Maybe the y are not being mean they are just ignorant. If you are afraid to approach the manager, talk to an employee. They are usually more open to info like that. They then can pass it on to the manager. I would encourage you to talk to some one. It might also make you feel better about the situation.
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Post by Kenshin on Oct 4, 2004 20:03:09 GMT -8
I have heard that some Petco's are cruel to their animals, the one near me uses ASPEN care free bedding for pups and pine for medium age, but by far PETSMART is the best because they keep the gerbils with OTHER gerbils so that they aren't alone I got my first gerbil from Petco, he's cool and I just got another male from Pet'sMART they at first started fighting but now are fine
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Post by Kenshin on Oct 4, 2004 20:03:51 GMT -8
And don't forget.. for most of us we wouldn't have a gerbil if it wasn't for those pet stores.... not everyone know's private breeders..
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Post by j on Oct 4, 2004 21:40:19 GMT -8
The Petsmart here also takes care of their gerbils OK. Sure 1 will be left alone, but at least it has a place to hide and a wheel. And they don't use pine bedding. I don't even understand why petshops DO use Pine..(yeah, cheapest) I think Pine is so dirty, dusty and dull looking.. You'd think it would at least help their business by using a darker bedding where the rodents colors stand out more and look more appealing..lol..seriously though. When you look in a tank of pien bedding, you mostly notice that ugly, piss colored yellow.. Petco.. is just Petco. They're all the same. I go to 2 different Petcos since I have 2 local ones and they're really close. Petcosucks.com.. So yeah, they're all the same everywhere. They don't even train their employees right.. I bought a loner gerbil there after mine died to pair with my other.. I was told by some 15yrold that females can be kept in large groups, males are better off by themself. lol. It was so obvious that she was TOLD that by whatever video they made her watch when they hired her. Complainign to Petcou wouldn't do anything. I've emailed complaint letters before and did get respones from the owners, but I saw no change. as for rescuing the pup.. can't. Too much going on this week to deal with another gerbil. As for my mother.. hahaha. She's still mad that I have 14 of them as it is. I don't even really live with her.. I live downstairs. So if I were to get it, she's better off not knowing. Don't have to tell her every single thing I do and buy.
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Post by j on Oct 4, 2004 21:42:11 GMT -8
I have to go to Petsmart tomorrow actually.. Ugh.
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Post by lizzy on Oct 5, 2004 1:26:46 GMT -8
the petstore i work in takes good care of all the animals, we make sure we do hehe. i wouldn't work there if we didn't. i wish they were in bigger cages/tanks though :\ i hate it when they're delivered because they're delivered in tiny cages without food or water. i went to a pet bit in a garden centre the other day and they know how to take care of their animals even less, all the small animals were in open tanks so anyone could just put their hand in and steal one, they had water bowls not bottles, there was nothing else in their tank apart from the water and food bowls and a tiny thing for them to hide in the rats were on wood shavings too which pretty much destines them to a life of respiratory problems
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Post by lydia on Oct 5, 2004 5:10:23 GMT -8
The thing that I find most worrying with pet shops,and locally it is with Pets at Home.I've heard ppl wanting to buy a gerbil,and the staff imo do not state clearly that they should be kept in pairs.I realise with an odd nunmber,there is the risk of one being left alone,but if the person buying the last 2,were offered the last one (maybe at half price) as well,they could go a long way in elimating the problem.I went to P @ H this morning,1 pew in a small cage alone,didn't look ill or anything,but it's coat was definitely starting to stare.It needed a good dust bath,and some toys for mental stimulation. I did debate buying it,but if I do that every time I go in,I'll quickly have more than I can care for. If I'd had a similar aged one myself at home,I would definitly have bought it.
Lyd
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Post by paws on Oct 5, 2004 6:50:22 GMT -8
I got mine from a very nice petstore, but then, here we dont have breeders I think they breed their own animals. Paws and Sterling were very friendly when I first got them. The people, I agree, are a bit stupid, and cant handle them properly. mine were picked up by their tails, but she gave me the average corect info. Gerbils are kinda new in Europe I think.
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Post by lydia on Oct 5, 2004 13:42:45 GMT -8
Don't get me wrong Paws,there are some very good pet shops,who have knowledgable staff etc.,I just go mental at the sight of single gerbils.I also think,if they sold that last one,it would free up another cage, for them to put fresh stock in.
Years ago, I was told that if a rodent like a hamster or gerbil is left in a pet shop,and they can't sell it,it goes for snake food. I do not know, if this is true or not. What it does mean though,when I see a singleton,I feel that I should buy it.
Some of the ppl who are members here, work in pet shops don't they.What does happen to a hamster,gerbil,rat that has grown past the cute baby stage,if no-one buys it ?
Lyd
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Post by j on Oct 5, 2004 13:48:55 GMT -8
.What does happen to a hamster,gerbil,rat that has grown past the cute baby stage,if no-one buys it ? Lyd Depends on the shop. I've heard horror stories about Petco.. like they throw them in the freezer to die. Or They send them back to the breeding farm..which gets them killed anyways. Or some stores just keep them there and add more in. I've seen a lot of full grown gerbils in petshops before. I think some petshops lie about the age and will say like 8 weeks even if it's like 5 months old. If a petshop already sells snakes..they probably do jus tthrow them to the snakes.
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Post by Kenshin on Oct 5, 2004 16:43:59 GMT -8
What is all this about Pine Bedding being bad? I think it's good bedding I have rarely heard of it affecting Gerbil's and in those cases it was because of poor health such as Young age or very old age, I use pine and I love it No problems yet if I ever see any irriations on the gerbil's I'll switch to Aspen, but right now it's fine no problems what-so-ever *Oh and the two gerbil's are fine together now *
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Post by RyanF on Oct 5, 2004 17:17:58 GMT -8
Pine bedding commonly triggers allergies, especially in young gerbils. One of my gerbils (Burkie) had that exact problem.
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