84 replies to this topic

[Ashkid101]

This topic has been brought up a million times. Yet i'm going to bring it up once more, and if this fails to get people realising the truth behind pet stores then i hope that other people will continue to advocate adopt-don't-shop.

 

If you didn't know, Petsmart, Petco and most pet stores- even family owned ones- are from this disgusting, careless, inhumane place called an animal mill. This is where they force animals into tiny enclosures and force breed them until they drop dead. The babies are then shipped into the pet store. If you've ever bought a hamster from a pet store, you've given money to this terrifying place and have financially supported it so it can abuse and breed more animals.

 

Now before you say, "I didn't know!" well now you know. And I've seen numerous people say "I know buying is bad but i had no other choice!". Yes, yes you've had another choice. That choice is to wait and not have a hamster until one comes up for adoption. To the people who have bought instead of adopted when they knew that buying is bad: You'd seriously pay a company to abuse animals than to wait and give a hamster another chance? The thought of that scares me.

 

And in several ways, adopting is so much more rewarding.... did you adopt a ham labelled "aggressive", but it turned out to be the sweetest little guy? Or maybe you rescued a special needs hamster from the back room that wouldn't have survived without your dedicated vet trips and medicine? Even knowing that you didn't support a mill is a great reason to adopt.

 

For those who don't know, you can actually adopt from a pet store! Ask an employee if there are any hamsters in the "back room". That;s where they keep their accidental litters, "aggressive" hamsters (although 99% aren't actually aggressive; either a kid was rough playing and it bit, or it wasn't housed properly) and special needs hamsters. Waiting to adopt a hamster is so much more rewarding compared to walking in a store, picking out your "product" and then paying like 20 bucks to a disgusting rodent factory/torture chamber, then walking out.

(Edit:) The back room hamsters also happen to be free- due to store policies they cannot sell them so you can walk out without paying a cent. Even though finance shouldn't be a problem when you have a pet a free animal is always nice.

 

thanks for hearing my rambling. It needed to be said. I might not get to your replies very quickly as i am not very active anymore.

#adoptdontshop

 

Fare thee well.

Edited by Ashkid101, 02 January 2018 - 03:06 PM.

[aparente001]

Your idea of asking for an unsaleable hamster is intriguing.  That hadn't occurred to me!

 

I bought a hamster from Petsmart two months ago, because my son and I really needed some animal companionship in an apartment, and the closest shelter hamster I could find was a three-hour drive away, each direction.

 

However, I've adopted a series of cats over the years.  I experienced the pain of having to have two kittens euthanized because our cat had given birth and we couldn't find homes for all the kittens.  So, I always adopt a mature cat from the SPCA, or privately, and I make sure my cats can't reproduce.

 

I have a suggestion for how you might want to channel your activism.  How about creating a matchmaking website, that would help match up would-be hamster adopters, with hamsters in need of placement?

Edited by aparente001, 02 January 2018 - 11:49 AM.

[Carlos7rodz]

Hey, unfortunately there's like no places to adopt near me. The only things near me are Petsmart and Petco. I know you said that you can go to a backroom and see if they have any hamsters for adoption, that's what I planned on doing. I'm getting a baby this week so, hopefully they have a little guy. I wish there were more places or hamsters available for adoption near me. I've been looking for like 3 months and the closest thing to me is in New York or Maryland :(

Edited by Carlos7rodz, 02 January 2018 - 11:54 AM.

[Suga]

Hey, unfortunately there's like no places to adopt near me. The only things near me are Petsmart and Petco. I know you said that you can go to a backroom and see if they have any hamsters for adoption, that's what I planned on doing. I'm getting a baby this week so, hopefully they have a little guy. I wish there were more places or hamsters available for adoption near me. I've been looking for like 3 months and the closest thing to me is in New York or Maryland :(

 

Have you checked classifieds? There are always too many hamsters without homes and too many unwanted hamsters. I'm sure you'll be able to find a hamster, especially after Christmas season - many hamsters who were given to unsuspecting people as gifts are bound to be put up for sale in January through March. In my opinion, there's no excuse to buying a hamster from the pet store and knowingly and willingly contribute to supporting pet mills and backyard breeders.

[aHawaiianNene]

I agree with a l l of what you've said here. It honestly is not that hard to adopt- and it is very terrifying to think of buying an animal and supporting (actually saying "I agree with what these people are doing and I will give them money to continue being abusive and terrible to these animals") the disgusting awful places then waiting, probably not more than a few weeks? To give a probably abused, terrified, lovable, perfectly wonderful creature a new home where it can finally feel happy? I, sadly, bought Thea from a pet store, because I did not know that adopting from a store was a thing, and I hate myself for it. H A T E. She is so wonderful, yes, but where she came from is not. And before everyone goes "well you're rescuing the hamsters from the store and giving them proper homes instead of them being shoved in Crittertrails!" think about it like this. You go to a petstore, and buy a hamster. The next day, another person comes in, and buys a hamster. That's 20 bucks to a mill. Now, someone comes in and buys a hamster. (10 bucks to the mill). The next day, you go to the store and adopt a hamster from the back room, for free. 10 bucks to the mill, and a perfectly wonderful animal all the same. And if anyone's curious on what exactly you may be able to find some articles on rodent mills, or just on animal mills in general (because the same thing happens all across the board, whether you're talking about hams, dogs, ferrets, etc.) on PETA's website. It's. Sickening.

[Carlos7rodz]

Have you checked classifieds? There are always too many hamsters without homes and too many unwanted hamsters. I'm sure you'll be able to find a hamster, especially after Christmas season - many hamsters who were given to unsuspecting people as gifts are bound to be put up for sale in January through March. In my opinion, there's no excuse to buying a hamster from the pet store and knowingly and willingly contribute to supporting pet mills and backyard breeders.

I have, there's nothing in my general area unfortunately. I just have to wait until petsmart has one for adoption because there's really nothing else I can do. I've been on like every adoption website and there's never anything near me.

[Hera the Hamster]

I fully support adopt don't shop. Their are only a few places where there are truly no hamsters for adoption. There is only one time when I would ever even consider buying a hamster from a petstore. That's when the hamster is pregnant or missing teeth or has something about them that would make them do poorly in a normal home. Even then I probably won't buy the hamster because of mills. Mills are one of the worst thing in the pet world because they can't be fixed. At least not right now. If you put a hamster in a crittertrail you can learn your mistake and put hem in a better cage. If you buy your hamster from a mill... that's something that can't be fixed.

[FirefoxMiho]

You really have no understanding of situations other people face.

Some people are lucky to find a pet shop an hour away let alone a rescue.

I'm sure if rescues were available, that would be the first option. But pet shops are the only option for most people. Whether they choose to purchase from the pet shop makes no difference to the store as other people will just buy pets from them. They're still getting paid regardless of what you do.

If you're that concerned about the well being of the pets in the pet shops, contact your state government representatives. The stores aren't going anywhere without government intervention.

[Suga]

You really have no understanding of situations other people face.

Some people are lucky to find a pet shop an hour away let alone a rescue.

I'm sure if rescues were available, that would be the first option. But pet shops are the only option for most people. Whether they choose to purchase from the pet shop makes no difference to the store as other people will just buy pets from them. They're still getting paid regardless of what you do.

If you're that concerned about the well being of the pets in the pet shops, contact your state government representatives. The stores aren't going anywhere without government intervention.

 

 

 

I would say you really have no understanding of what you're supporting when you buy from pet stores. There is always a better option than a pet store. Have you seen rodent mills? Have you seen the condition these animals are bred in, and suffer in? It's horrifying. I used to work at PetSmart, we get boxes of animals, like they are just cargo and nothing more. Some are dead in the box, usually fish but the occasional reptile or rodent. I could never knowingly support pet stores by buying a live animal, once you are aware of what goes on behind the scenes, you should not be willingly supporting that, I don't know how anyone could.

 

I don't understand people who think it's their right to have hamsters. If you can't get one without supporting abuse, then don't get one. Honestly, if getting a hamster from the pet store was my only option, I wouldn't get one at all. I love my hamsters, but if I couldn't get any more, I would live. It's better than supporting animal abuse. How can you give money to that, knowing fully well exactly what you're doing? I just don't get it. It would weigh on my conscience for sure. It's not just rescues or shelters, many, if not most, people get them from online classifieds. There are towns that are within 1 hour away from me that often have a population of only a few thousand that have hamsters on Kijiji. Unless you live in a tiny town with like, 500 people, I don't see why you couldn't get a hamster. Albeit it could take a long time, but it doesn't mean it's impossible. It took me a year and a half to find one of my Chinese hamsters, but that doesn't mean I went out to the store and bought one.

 

 

I'm sure if rescues were available, that would be the first option. But pet shops are the only option for most people. Whether they choose to purchase from the pet shop makes no difference to the store as other people will just buy pets from them. They're still getting paid regardless of what you do.

If you're that concerned about the well being of the pets in the pet shops, contact your state government representatives. The stores aren't going anywhere without government intervention.

 

Pet stores are not the only option for most people. It's just the most convenient option.

​It does make a difference to the store. If Debbie bought a hamster for $15, the store would earn $15. Now, if John also bought a hamster for $15, the store would earn a total of $30. However, if John waited to see if a hamster was up on classifieds bought one that way, the store would only have the $15 from Debbie even though Debbie and John would both get hamsters. It makes a huge difference.

 

Do you remember, they used to sell puppies and kittens at pet stores? Why do you think they stopped? Because enough people got behind the fact that they would not be supporting puppy mills and kitten mills. Why can't it be the same for hamsters? Would you buy a dog at a pet store if they had one? Probably not. Then why would you buy a hamsters there? Just saying "it won't change", won't do anything. We saw the change happen with dogs and cats being sold in pet stores, that means it can happen for small animals and reptiles, too. There are pet stores that do not sell live animals, and their business does fine. If anything, they do better because of educated people who specifically go searching for those stores to shop at, just for the fact that they don't sell live animals.

[Lokakuinen]

I don't get why people complain that they can't adopt a hamster because they would have to drive a few hours for it. We have three dogs and had to drive several hours to get every single one of them. Majority of dog owners I know have done the same, in order to get their dog from a good breeder/from a rescue, not from a mill. Why shouldn't you make that sacrifice for a hamster? Is it not worth it because they are so cheap and don't live as long as dogs? Should they just keep suffering because we are too lazy to take a ride in a car or because our parents won't give us a ride but we think we need a hamster? 

 

Another argument is "I've waited for months but there are no hamsters up for adoption in my area!" I've said this before: we waited two years until we got our last dog, even though we had less reputable options available all the time. Didn't kill us. Again, aren't hamsters, being living and feeling animals just like dogs, worth the wait?

 

I just can't fathom how someone who knows about mills still thinks "I know they're cruel and horrible, but I'm still going to give them my full support (=money) because it's inconvenient for me to wait until I can get my own cutie!"

[acciojencat]

I think the majority of people do it due to ignorance. I was given a classroom grant for a hamster, so I went to a pet store to get him. I literally had NO idea that there were other choices until I googled proper hamster care and was brought to this website. Any future hamsters I own (assuming my husband is willing  ) will be adopted, but I was, for lack of a better word, ignorant. 

 

Recently my local Petco (I got Newt at Petsmart) has placed signs in the window of every small animal that say "Adopt, Don't Shop" to make potential owners aware that instead of a pet mill hamster they can go to Pet Finder. This Petco also has a dedicated corner of the store for all adoptable animals that have been returned to the store. They keep them right at the front in plain view instead of "in the back" to help ensure they get adopted. I went a few days after Christmas to get more bedding and every single animal in their adoption corner had been adopted 

[Lillias]

Recently my local Petco (I got Newt at Petsmart) has placed signs in the window of every small animal that say "Adopt, Don't Shop" to make potential owners aware that instead of a pet mill hamster they can go to Pet Finder. This Petco also has a dedicated corner of the store for all adoptable animals that have been returned to the store. They keep them right at the front in plain view instead of "in the back" to help ensure they get adopted. I went a few days after Christmas to get more bedding and every single animal in their adoption corner had been adopted 

I love when pet stores have adoptables out where they can be seen and find homes. Stores make far more money from selling supplies, so it's a way to show them that adoption won't hurt business.

 

While hamsters are as valuable as dogs/cats, let's not overdo the analogy. Dogs and cats are euthanized by the *thousands* because they are over-populated nearly everywhere, due to people not sterilizing them and not taking responsibility for the puppies/kittens that are born. City and county shelters are bursting at the seams. I can think of very few circumstances in which buying a dog or cat from even a reputable breeder makes much sense because there are so many available for adoption. We don't want small animals to follow that model.

[Lokakuinen]

While hamsters are as valuable as dogs/cats, let's not overdo the analogy. Dogs and cats are euthanized by the *thousands* because they are over-populated nearly everywhere, due to people not sterilizing them and not taking responsibility for the puppies/kittens that are born. City and county shelters are bursting at the seams. I can think of very few circumstances in which buying a dog or cat from even a reputable breeder makes much sense because there are so many available for adoption. We don't want small animals to follow that model.

 

Yes, my analogy was purely made to show that hamsters should have the same value in our eyes as dogs and other pets, and that means not supporting mills.

But for the record, we were looking for a specific kind of dog so it can be trained to do certain type of work with my boyfriend. For "just a pet", I personally would adopt just about any dog I could provide a good life for, as there are so many needing homes, like you said. 

Edited by Lokakuinen, 10 January 2018 - 12:28 AM.

[Tier]

How entitled some of you are. "You have no idea the situation- there's no rescue near me and I MUST have one now". You want to be a jerk and knowingly buy a hamster? Whatever, be a jerk and knowingly buy a hamster. I've done it.

Don't pretend like you're not a jerk, though. Or you're some kind of victim or martyr because people have told you buying a hamster contributes to the torture of thousands. A hamster is not a right- you don't need one. And with the "but there's no reeeeeescues near me" attitude- you certainly don't deserve one.

[FirefoxMiho]

I would say you really have no understanding of what you're supporting when you buy from pet stores. There is always a better option than a pet store. Have you seen rodent mills? Have you seen the condition these animals are bred in, and suffer in? It's horrifying. I used to work at PetSmart, we get boxes of animals, like they are just cargo and nothing more. Some are dead in the box, usually fish but the occasional reptile or rodent. I could never knowingly support pet stores by buying a live animal, once you are aware of what goes on behind the scenes, you should not be willingly supporting that, I don't know how anyone could.


I don't understand people who think it's their right to have hamsters. If you can't get one without supporting abuse, then don't get one. Honestly, if getting a hamster from the pet store was my only option, I wouldn't get one at all. I love my hamsters, but if I couldn't get any more, I would live. It's better than supporting animal abuse. How can you give money to that, knowing fully well exactly what you're doing? I just don't get it. It would weigh on my conscience for sure. It's not just rescues or shelters, many, if not most, people get them from online classifieds. There are towns that are within 1 hour away from me that often have a population of only a few thousand that have hamsters on Kijiji. Unless you live in a tiny town with like, 500 people, I don't see why you couldn't get a hamster. Albeit it could take a long time, but it doesn't mean it's impossible. It took me a year and a half to find one of my Chinese hamsters, but that doesn't mean I went out to the store and bought one.



Pet stores are not the only option for most people. It's just the most convenient option.

​It does make a difference to the store. If Debbie bought a hamster for $15, the store would earn $15. Now, if John also bought a hamster for $15, the store would earn a total of $30. However, if John waited to see if a hamster was up on classifieds bought one that way, the store would only have the $15 from Debbie even though Debbie and John would both get hamsters. It makes a huge difference.

Do you remember, they used to sell puppies and kittens at pet stores? Why do you think they stopped? Because enough people got behind the fact that they would not be supporting puppy mills and kitten mills. Why can't it be the same for hamsters? Would you buy a dog at a pet store if they had one? Probably not. Then why would you buy a hamsters there? Just saying "it won't change", won't do anything. We saw the change happen with dogs and cats being sold in pet stores, that means it can happen for small animals and reptiles, too. There are pet stores that do not sell live animals, and their business does fine. If anything, they do better because of educated people who specifically go searching for those stores to shop at, just for the fact that they don't sell live animals.

Um no? They stopped selling puppies and kittens because city governments intervened. Some of them moved to towns where it is.

I'm aware. And I don't find PETA to be a reliable source as they also believe dogs and kittens shouldn't be pets and should be left to die. I'm saying these pet suppliers aren't going anywhere no matter what you do. If it bothers you that much, talk to your state representatives and push for a ban on pet mills. Until that happens, there's nothing anyone can do about it.

Pet stores are the only options for some people because they'll live in areas where rescues only consists of dogs and cats. They'll search craigslist for months and nothing.

Edited by FirefoxMiho, 10 January 2018 - 10:31 AM.