Oh no! Animal Abuse!
A public service announcement
Maybe you're at the pet store, a friend's house, or perusing YouTube, then WHAM! You see it. The barred wheel. The cohabiting Syrians. The casual breeding. The dyed fur. The rough play or the straight up dangerous behavior.
What do you do?
We will all run into one of these situations at some point. We might be shocked
sad 
or even furious 
But how we react to these situations very much determines the outcome.We all have two options:
1. THINK before you speak.
Is it True?
Is it Helpful?
Is it Inspiring?
Is it Necessary?
Is it Kind?
Just because someone does something they shouldn't, it's not true to assume they are a bad person.
Sometimes people do things simply because they don't know any better 
Maybe they let their hamsters have play dates or they use a mesh wheel. That's ignorance (a lack of knowing), not abuse.When we see this, we want to be helpful.
To do that we can provide the person the tools they need to fix the situation. Remember, it doesn't help to tell someone everything they're doing is wrong if you don't tell them how to do it right.In fact, why not offer your service - go shopping with them, or help them build that bin cage?
Your offer might inspire them to learn even more and make bigger changes for the better. 
Just remember that newbies can - and do - get overwhelmed very quickly.
If they need a lot of help, stick with what is necessary - separate cages for the boy and girl before insisting on upgrading the size, or change the Cedar bedding before pushing for a food switch. Small steps, over time, will do more good than one giant step that the person is too afraid to take.Lastly, remember that no matter what the situation, no matter the advice, no one will listen if you are not kind
You are trying to do good, so do it in a good way. There's no point in saying anything if, in the same breath, you are pushing them away. Teach them, don't ridicule, and they will appreciate it. 
2. Sometimes we just have to walk away.
Sometimes the situation is truly bad.
Real abusers do it just to get attention, so for goodness sake don't reward them with the exact thing they want! 
If there is an authority you can report to - whether it is the person's parent, the teacher that owns the classroom pet, or the website's moderating team - then bring the situation to their attention. 
Craigslist, YouTube, Facebook, and most other social sites all have methods to report abusive or dangerous behavior, cutting off that attention the person is so desperately seeking. Report it, send some good vibes to the animals, and let the authorities take care of it. 
"Oh look at this person and the poor hamster! People like this just make me so mad!"
What are you really trying to accomplish? Does talking about how bad they are really do anything? In truth, talking about other people being wrong - without trying to help them make it right - only makes the talker look snobby.
It also destroys any chance of helping that person, that hamster, and anyone who might be making the same mistake - anyone who would have listened to you, had they not read your awful opinion of them. 
Remember, you were a newbie once too. You didn't deserve ridicule then, and neither do they, now. 
Edited by tbiM20, 05 December 2014 - 08:55 PM.
." Usually people are really nice about it and a good 70% of the time I get "oh my goodness I feel so bad! I didn't know that! How can I fix it?" and we talk another 15% of the time they are like "yeah I know I have another wheel in the mail" or "I know but I can't seem to find a way to fix it" the rest just never reply. 
