Puppy Mills and Pet Stores

by Mira P.

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Tomorrow is 2013. Crazy, right?

So, pet stores. That is, pretty much, the entire reason I started Tiny Cages. I'll admit, at times, I just think, "Hey! This pet store's pretty good!" I just e-mailed PetCo and alerted them to their less-then-good treatment of their small animals (and the attitude of their employees). 

They e-mailed back with a polite "our pet treatment is very good. The animals are happy. We've told your PetCo about your complaints". It was the average reply. It was very nice and polite, and they actually almost fooled me into believing "hey! Why not shop here? They're nice!"

And then I'm reminded of why I started Tiny Cages - because of tiny cages! Regardless of how well they treat their animals, the cage size is unacceptable. In fact, pretty much just selling the animal is unacceptable. They rarely, if ever, come from happy places. Hosting an adoption event every once in a while would be fantastic! That is how, I believe, they should do it. That would be humane and a good idea.
 
There are so many animals in shelters that are good pets, are wonderful, loyal, and fun pets. Someone, I can't remember who, I apologize, said that shelter animals are viewed as "damaged goods" - when it's not like that at all! They are wonderful, but sometimes get the short end of the stick. 

A while ago, there was an ad that played on TV. It showed a man driving up in a truck, throwing a bone out the window. Then the dog ran after it, and the man drove away. The dog said something like "I'm not a bad dog. He's just a jerk!" Then they added some humor to it, having the dog pick up something and say, "I have his wallet!" And I think that's exactly right. They're not bad dogs, they had bad owners.

I am a bit ignorant, I must say, on this subject, as I am too sensitive to look it up, but I am quite sure most pet stores dogs come from puppy mills. And, if you don't know, puppy mills are extremely cruel places where dogs are forced to mate and make babies. The babies are sold in pet stores. They're kept in small and filthy cages and often undernourished and unhealthy. Puppy mills are the ultimate "tiny cages". 

However, in the USA, they are still legal.  Why? I have no idea. If everyone pools together, I'm sure that one day, puppy mills will become illegal. And, of course, that won't stop some of them - but if we all manage to shut down one, just one, it will have made a big impact on dog's lives - and our lives. Humans and other animals should be able to live in harmony together, but we can't if we keep ignoring them, ignoring the fact that they can feel pain, happiness, and lots of other things some people view as "human emotions". And we can stop it. If humans can put it together, humans can stop it, too.

It is my opinion that pet stores shouldn't sell animals. If they truly loved them like they say they do, they would not sell them. My favorite pet store, PetClub, actually says they don't sell animals because they love them. I very strongly recommend trying to find a pet store like that. 

It may seem to you like a waste of time - after all, what's one person not buying anything from a huge chain of stores? But one person CAN make a difference. Think about it. All those times you go there, you're giving them money. Sure, PetCo and Petsmart (is it Pet-Smart or Pets-Mart? Will we ever know?) are huge and one person doesn't affect them, but one person affects another. Then another. And maybe you will prove to a lot of people that they can do better in terms of giving their money to good organizations.  

One last thing, (and I hope this doesn't come across as offensive to anyone; please alert me if it did) it may seem to you that your pet store is very good - the employees are friendly, their pets are healthy, and their prices are good. But please think about where their pets are coming from. Puppy mills, unhappy places? Is your money contributing to that? And how about their cage size? Is it large enough? 

Thank you all, and have a wonderful new year! Oh, and a P.S., check out the Humane Society's attempt to stop puppy mills. Everyone can help and make a difference - it's true! 

Happy Holidays!

 by Mira P.

Hello, everyone! Well, New Years is right around the corner, and then the holidays for 2012 are over. How was your guy's holidays? Which holidays do you celebrate? 

For Christmas for us this year, we got all of our pets some gifts. I don't think the rats knew what was happening (and they slept most of Christmas day), but Daxter, our dog, was very happy with his turn-out. 

We got Daxter a bone, a Kong toy (the type where you stick a treat inside of it and the dog has to dig it out - Daxter goes crazy for them!), some filler for the toy, and some Christmas dog cookies. He was really happy, and he ran around all day afterwards, sniffing to see if anything else was for him. Our grandmother came over later and gave him two squeak toys and a ball, so his Christmas was definitely very good.

For the rats, Buster and Gob, we got a new blanket for their cage (they love blankets), some bad rat treats (only at Christmastime!) that I'm pretty sure Buster likes . . . I don't think Gob knows what to do with them, and finally, some balls. They aren't really a fan of the balls, which I'm almost glad for, because the balls make a lot of noise. My small animals have never enjoyed their toys; our guinea pigs don't like any chew toys or other types, my first hamster, Rosetta, NEVER liked any toy or chewy thing I gave her (and then she chewed on the bars of her cage at night) and now the rats! I need some fun animals.

We didn't get much for the guinea pigs, just some blocks of timothy hay. I'm unfortunately allergic to them, so I didn't go back in to see if they liked it, but they seemed very interested when I first plopped them in there with them. My mother is allergic to the hay, so I did it instead of her.

Are you guys excited for 2013? It still feels weird to me - I feel like it just turned into 2012! Which is unusual, since, being the twelve-year-old, I'm generally not the one who thinks that. I'm glad the world didn't end! Haha.

So, I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, a wonderful end of year and a wonderful new year. 2013 - wow!

Why I'm A Vegan

By Hanna vB

(WARNING: PG if you're very sensitive)

I'm vegan because I love animals.

Vegan means that I don't eat any dairy products. No meat, no cheese, no butter, no milk, and no eggs. To me, eating cheese, butter, or milk is like taking the baby cow's food. First of all, most people force their cows to mate. Then, when the baby is born, they take it away from it's mother. And, most likely, they kill the baby cow and make it into some kind of meat.

Then they milk the mother (most likely with a machine) and they make the cheese, butter and milk. I don't know the full story on chickens and their eggs, so I won't say much.

And now, the pigs. I, personally, think that pigs are adorable. I don't know why anybody would eat them. They're kept in very small cages, with all their feces. They sometimes attack each other. Almost always these animals are fed hormones.

There are other things you can eat. Beans, grains, and fake meat . There are also fake cheeses and butters.

Oh, Rats! Update

By Mira P. (with new font!)

So, a few blog posts ago, I got two new rats, boys named Buster and Gob (pronounced "Jobe"), though they were previously named "Willy & Wonka".

I described their traits and personalities, but I had gotten them recently and didn't go into too much detail, so how about an update on how they're doing? (I can't upload any pictures, though, I apologize)

Gob is a little bit of a pain in the butt, but he's worth it. My mother and I take him and Buster up to my (rat-proofed) room for play-time, for at least an hour, sometimes more, and he always climbs up on my bedside table. It's not safe, since it contains many little toys and a lamp, so I always have to pick him up and take him down twenty times. 

He likes to be tickled, though. Mostly around his neck and his belly. He'll always put his mouth on my finger, but he never bites (he doesn't have that problem when I look like food, though). He also rides on my mother and I's (or is it me's?) shoulders more.  

Buster kind of reminds me of the brother of the spaztic one, the one who's always like *sigh*, Gob, stop it. He's a little less active and easily-entertained than Gob, but when he's up in my room he bounces around happily. He's a dumbo (did I mention that in my last post about them?) which means his ears are rounder on on the side of his head, which I think is adorable. My mom isn't too keen on his ears, though.

He loves cheese, but he isn't too big of a fan of anything else. Cheese is the only thing it seems like he likes. Gob, on the other hand, will eat anything, but he especially loves pasta. He does this bouncy run when he gets some.

They seem to squabble a lot, though - kind of sad. They love each other, though, you can tell. They'll snuggle together in their hammock, and Buster likes to groom Gob. It's kind of sad, though, Buster wants Gob to groom him, but Gob is so clueless, he doesn't know.

The last thing I want to say, I had to delete my last Tiny Cages gmail account, so my new one is tinycages2@gmail.com. Thanks!

PETA

By Mira P.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is an extremely well-known animal rights activist group. Before I get to writing anything else, one thing I want you to know is that this is an opinion post, which means I may post something that you disagree with or are offended by. Please let me (Mira) know in the comments section if anything did offend you.

I am not a fan of PETA, at all. I think they are obnoxious, and they go too far. They once handed out (I think; if I got anything wrong, feel free to tell me) disturbing "happy meals" to children to show them the cruelties of McDonald's, or maybe just eating meat in general, I don't know. Then another time they handed out flyers to children going to see a play, I believe, who have mothers and fathers who wear fur. Now, I absolutely hate it when people wear fur, but jeez, don't traumatize the kid - it's not their fault.

And another time, a more popular instance, is when they made a billboard that said "Save the whales. Lose the blubber: go vegetarian", and depicted a large woman in a bikini. If it didn't mean to purposefully, it accidentally calls overweight people "whales".

They have a few other billboards, though the other ones I've seen are less offensive. There's one that says "Boycott the circus", which I mostly agree with. I'm pretty sure that the circus does not treat the animals fairly or humanely - the only weird thing is that there's a naked woman on it (she's covered by her legs and body position, but still).

They've also made "parodies" (if that's the word) of video games, like Cooking Mama and Pokemon. In the PETA Cooking Mama, in the first part, you're basically cruelly and strangely killing and cooking a turkey, in a very unrealistic way (with evil Mama). In the second part, Mama goes vegan and turns into Good Mama, and proceeds to cook a tofu turkey. So the moral of the game? If you're not vegetarian, you're an awful person.

The other one was Pokemon, as I stated before. Now, how you can think of Pokemon as they apparently did is completely beyond me, but they managed to think of it as abuse, I guess. I haven't researched it much, but that's what I remember. I'm definitely not a fan of Pokemon (excuse me for not being able to put the accent-thingy on the "e") but I always assumed that the Pokemon just shrunk when they went into the Pokeballs . . . I didn't think there was a full sized animal (or whatever Pokemon are) in a tiny ball like that.

So for me, PETA isn't good and is actually anti-helpful to the cause of preventing animal cruelty. I've seen way more "eating a steak for PETA" than "I think PETA's doing good". And why put other animals before humans? I don't think you should put humans before animals, but animals aren't worth more. We're all equal, in my eyes.

Pets for Presents

By Mira P.

Hey, everyone! It's December, and everybody's going crazy  for Christmas. The stores are packed, and my neighbors have had lights up since November!

One thing I want to address is a common thing - giving small animals for Christmas presents. It's a fun idea - you wake up on Christmas morning, and go downstairs to find - a puppy! Or maybe a hamster? A fish? What else could a child want - their very own pet! The best Christmas ever!

Now, I'm for both sides on this subject. If you've already discussed the responsibility of a pet, and made sure they want them and will care for them - then that's fun! But I think a lot of time it's just a bad idea. The kid's happy - oh my god, my very own hamster! - then a few days later they're bored, or don't know what to do (or how much of it they'd have to do!).  The excitement is gone and all the work is placed on mom and dad.

You need, I think, to discuss pets with your children before you adopt one. You cannot just adopt a dog and say "surprise! Happy birthday!" In a perfect world, that would be perfect. But one, a dog is a lot of responsibility, even as a family pet. Two, a surprising amount of times, children get something, love it for a few days, a few weeks, hell, a few months, and then they get bored of it. And if the thing they're getting bored of is a dog, a cat, or even a fish? It isn't good.

It's awful when someone adopts a dog (for example), then doesn't keep him or her. A dog is not a pet, but a family member, and you should never give up a family member. A dog is a big decision, it's not really a  "Merry Christmas!" type thing.

What do you guys think? Is a small animal, even something like a fish, appropriate for a Christmas present? And what are you guys planning for your holidays? I personally can't wait to watch Elf on Christmas Eve! :)

How We Treat Our Food Before It's Food

 by Mira P.

Humans are omnivores. Of course, not all humans, as some are vegetarians, but the human species is an omnivorous species (we are able to eat both meat and other sources of food).

Back in the early days, humans hunted for their food - in fact, some still do. But a large majority of humans now simply go to the supermarket and buy it there. But how does the meat get there? Do the people hunt it, or do it by other means?

Now, many people reading this will already know what most people do for our meat. But even I don't know the extent of it, and to be honest, I am not curious and too sensitive to research it further. To put it very simply, we don't treat them nicely.

I don't like hunting as a sport, where you do it simply for fun and don't do anything with the animal. But current tribes and old, extinct ones mostly use all of the animal - the meat for food, the hide for clothing, and anything else they can use to help themselves. This doesn't waste the animal - you don't kill it to kill it.

Think about it - were you to be killed, would you prefer to be left there, killed for nothing? Or would you rather your meat and your skin (as creepy as that sounds!) to help them, so that they can keep on living healthily?

Anyway, back to the original subject, the way we treat the cows, and pigs, and chickens isn't okay. It's not how we're supposed to do it, and we're doing it just because it's cheaper. In my opinion, that's not okay.

Another subject is vegetarianism - I have nothing against them (two of my best friends are vegetarians), except for the ones that try to get to convert you to vegetarianism. I eat meat, and always will, though I do not like to eat anything I know hasn't had a good life. The problem I have with it is not necessarily the trying to get me to be a vegetarian, it's why.

Most of the time, they're saying about how it's wrong to treat animals like we do. And yes, I agree. But I disagree that trying to get people to stop eating meat is the right way to do it. Not everybody will stop eating meat, no matter how hard you try (especially because humans are designed to eat meat). There are entire cultures that would laugh at the idea. The right way to try and get it to stop is getting to the core of it. Go to the people who make the meat, not the people who eat it.

What do you guys think of the subject?

A P.S. - Here's a site dedicated to informing and helping. I only looked at the first page, but it's not a gory- picture site - but may contain sad words, so be careful if you're sensitive like me :)

My First Pet

by Mira P.

My first pet was a dwarf hamster named Rosetta. Rosetta was gray with a white stripe down her back, and was feisty. She would always turn down every single chewing toy I gave her, but she chewed on her cage bars at night (hamsters are nocturnal).

She bit me quite a few times, but I wasn't mad at her - most likely, I smelled like food! 

I remember one time, she escaped from her cage. Hamsters are generally pretty small, so I was worried I wouldn't ever find her. We found a pile of her food in the bathroom next to the toilet, so at least at that point we knew she was okay!

We put a bowl of water out for her, so she would have food and water, and waited a while to see if she returned on her own. We did think of a few "traps" we could set, but thankfully those weren't necessary!   Rosetta came home (back to her cage) fairly soon. My dad walked in and saw her next to the table her cage sat on, so he put her back in.

Rosetta was an amazing pet, but I think I'm more a rat-person than a hamster-person. Rosetta will always have a place in my heart (figuratively, of course) as the best hamster and first pet I've ever had. :)

Does anyone have a first pet experience they'd like to share? Or any pet story? I'd love to hear them!


 



  

My Dog, Daxter

By Mira P. 

Time for another more personal blog post, mostly because I just am so braindead today that I couldn't think of anything to write. So, how about I tell you guys about my dog?

"Dogs are man's best friend" - that's a quote that everyone knows. Dogs are wonderful creatures, and popular pets. They're affectionate or independent, fun or lazy, they can be your best friend or your worst enemy (but mostly your best friend!) Who wouldn't want a dog?

We got my dog, Daxter (named after Jak and Daxter, my dad's favorite video game) a few years ago, at a no-kill rescue shelter. Daxter was going to be put down because he was so shy before the no-kill group rescued him. Which is weird, because he was quite nice and not too shy when we adopted him (maybe the people at the shelter he was in before were scary).

We took a walk with him before we decided whether or not we were going to bring him home. He was really nice and pretty cute! We adopted him (only about $100) and brought him home. The first few weeks, he was pretty much silent - didn't make a peep.

We considered calling him Galaxy for the longest of any name we'd thought of before - thank goodness we didn't name him that, though! Everyone always confused "Daxter" with "Dexter", I guess because of the show "Dexter" (which my mom still won't let me watch!)

Daxter, my crazy-looking dog.

Daxter's a really great dog, and I'm glad to have him as the fifth family member! Our family wouldn't be the same without him. He isn't perfect - like, when he's barking at the door, he won't shut up, and he'll never do anything if he doesn't get a treat, but his good qualities rule out the bad ones!

Does anyone want to share anything about their dog?

Guinea Pigs!

By Mira P

We've (my family and I) had two pairs of guinea pigs, the first, a pair of girls named Kiki and Whiskers and our current pair, two girls named Sugar and Charkie (like charcoal). Guinea pigs are a great pet. I, unfortunately, am allergic to them.

As much as I hate to admit it, my gut reaction when someone tells me they're getting a guinea pig is "no! Don't get a guinea pig!" Mostly because most people I know (not most people in general) don't really know how to take proper care of a guinea pig; they are oftentimes seen as an over-sized hamster.

This myth that a guinea pig is a big hamster can be deadly. Guinea pigs are actually rather complicated to take care of, and aren't the same as hamster at all. The first and most important thing - cage size. People commonly get the wrong sized cage for a guinea pig. Guinea pigs need a lot of space, because they like to run around and popcorn. (visit Cavy Cages for more info on cage size) I have never seen an appropriate sized cage for a guinea pig at a pet store - never.

I once read a book where the author most likely mixed up "hamster" and "guinea pig" or "rat" and "guinea pig". It included a scene where the "guinea pig" ran away and got lost (guinea pigs are not small and would likely be found moderately quickly, but of course, they could also get lost. My guinea pigs have never shown an interest), where they picked the guinea pig's cage up (a cage shouldn't be small enough that you can pick it up) and one of them said "close the top or she will climb out" (a guinea pig could jump out if their cage is low enough, but they can't climb out).

It was a minor mistake, but it just shows that guinea pigs and hamsters are too easily mixed up. What do you guys think?

Multiple Things

by Mira P.

Hey, everyone. There hasn't been very much activity on Tiny Cages recently, except for an occasional Facebook status, so I have a few things to say here.

One - one thing I've been wanting to talk about ever since I made this blog is one of the first things people may think of when they think "tiny cages" and "animal abuse", but it's one that, sadly, a lot of people unknowingly contribute to - puppy mills.

Puppy mills are an inhumane yet legal thing that's been going on for years, decades, I don't know how long. They force dogs to mate with each other and take the babies away before they're ready, all to sell them to pet stores so they can make money. They keep them in tiny cages and sometimes dogs never get to see sunlight their entire lives. The people who manage them more often than not don't take care of them properly; in fact, it's downright animal abuse, there's no questioning that.

Two - onto to something a little more cheerful than the subject of puppy mills is a problem I notice with some individuals. Not puppy mills, or corporations, but just regular people. One thing I notice is that a lot of people view getting a dog, for example, as "buying a dog".

To me, this attitude of "I'm going to buy a dog" can seem fine, but can also hide bad intentions. Sometimes it's an innocent thought, but sometimes it's a "this dog is a toy" or "this dog is for shows only" or even just something like "this dog is not my pet, nor a family member". A dog, or a cat, to me, is like a child. You wouldn't adopt a child without having a loving home ready and waiting, you wouldn't adopt a child without doing plenty of research on parenting first, and you wouldn't adopt a child simply for show - so why do it when it's a dog and not a child?

A dog is a family member, just like a child. A dog may be equally as traumatized as a child if given up by a family he loved and thought loved him, or if brought into a home where no love is given.

Three - The last thing I have to talk about is something much more cheerful than the last two. Have you ever seen a video or a story of a solider returning from the war to greet his child or maybe his dog? They're pretty popular, and it's likely you have.

The SAC (Soldiers' Animal Companions) Fund helps soldiers that have found dogs or cats in Afghanistan to keep the dogs by sending them back to the USA so they are waiting for their owner to return. There are many sweet stories. If the soldier cannot keep the dog, they help get it adopted into a loving home. The dogs are always so happy to see their soldier return, and the feelings are mutual! Lots of times the soldiers say that the dog helped save their life, even if it's just that the dog was there when they were having a tough time or missing their family.

Here's SAC Fund if you want to check it out. And if you want to, please donate! It's a wonderful thing they are doing and they could use all the help they could get.

Oh, Rats!

by Mira P.

I have been planning on getting rats ever since I found out just what wonderful pets they make. I have been researching, and hoping, and saving money, and today it all paid off as I just adopted two wonderful boys. They are very happy in their new home (at least, as far as I can tell) and have been wandering around and chewing up their bed basically all day.

One of them is a dumbo, a rat which has rounder ears that are more on the side of their head. This one, which is recently-named Buster, is a bit sweeter and relaxed than the other one. The other one, recently named Gob (pronounced "Jobe") is sweet, however a bit more nibble-y and eager to escape. He also seems to enjoy the treats a bit more than Buster does.

Buster and Gob - Arrested Development, anyone?

They are, admittedly, a bit bigger than we expected, and our before huge cage is now looking a little smaller. (to be clear, it is not small) However, they appear to be more than happy, and love exploring, though Buster is now laying down for a nap.

Rats, as many rat lovers will tell you, make fantastic pets. I can tell you that right now, and I've barely had these ratties for a day. They are intelligent, loving, and extremely cute. Boys tend to be slightly calmer than girls, preferring to sit in your lap instead of explore the bathroom. Of course, it all depends on the individual rat's personalities; boys can be excitable and adventurous, and there are girl lap-rats.

Another thing rat lovers will tell you is that rats are like mini dogs, and yes, this is also true! They can be just as smart as dogs, just as playful, they can come running to the door to greet you, and, you can train them! You can train them to come when you call, to fetch a ball (hey, that rhymed!), to walk on hind legs, use a litter box, anything! Teaching them to come when they call is slightly important, as it can come to your aid if your rats go missing - and they can be little Houdinis when it comes to getting out of their cage.

I am very excited and grateful that I was able to get rats, especially ones as sweet and cute as Buster and Gob!

Arizona Piggie Poo Rescue

by Mira P.

A few years ago, my family adopted our two current guinea pigs (Sugar and Charkie) from AZ Piggie Poo Rescue, who rescues guinea pigs. I e-mailed them a while ago to ask them some questions. Here they are below:

TC (Tiny Cages):  Did you start off a small organization and grow bigger? Was it hard to promote yourself?

APPR: (AZ Piggie Poo Rescue): Our organization, Arizona's Piggie Poo Rescue, Inc., began in 2006.  We've grown exponentially since then, and we now have our own permanent shelter facility and a big list of volunteers and foster families who help us to operate smoothly and care for the animals we have at any given time.  From one person and her family with a desire to help some guinea pigs destined to be sold as snake food, we've come a long way.  We promote ourselves as much as possible, while still providing the care level to guinea pigs and other small exotic pets in our care that they have come to expect, and that we demand of ourselves.  Our first priority is always the welfare of the animals.  That being said, we also constantly need to raise money to provide that care, so we are always in promotion mode.  Right now, social media, like facebook, is our primary means of day-to-day communication.  We also use our email list to help when needed, and participate at events where possible. 

TC: What do you think of the tiny cages at pet stores?

APPR: We have yet to find a pet store (large or small) that carries any habitat that is suitable in size or style for guinea pigs, either single or paired, on their shelves.  There are a few mail-order pens that will work, but the C&C (Cube and Coroplast) pens are what we recommend, and demand of our adoptive families.  We carry these in the SqueekShop online or at the store at 1610 E. Bell Rd., Suite 109 - on the Northeast corner of Bell and 16th Street in Phoenix.  They can be custom made with colors you like, too!  Plus...they are the least expensive you will find!  (Not to mention the other guinea pig approved supplies at the least expensive prices anywhere, and the BEST FRESH TIMOTHY HAY EVER!)

TC:  What's the hardest part of what you do?

APPR: The hardest part of what we do is probably seeing animals that are surrendered, for any reason.  Even if they are in perfect health (and most are not), the emotional trauma for the animal is devastating.  Imagine everyone you loved and relied upon just giving up on you.  Guinea Pigs are herd animals and bond deeply with their human caretakers.  To be separated, even if those caretakers were severely lacking, is tragic.  Yes, we have animals surrendered that are neglected and sick, too.  Because our primary purpose is the welfare of these animals, we do sometimes find it hard to just bite our tongues and resist giving a lecture to neglectful pig-parents.  However, we do it, with difficulty, and re-route our anger and hurt to helping the animals we have in our care.  I think each of us remembers nearly every single animal we've cared for at the shelter, be that for a day, a week, a month, or a year.   

TC: What do you want people to know about having guinea pigs and other small animals as pets?

APPR: Our primary item of education about Guinea Pigs is that they be seen as a part of your family, and not as a 'pocket' pet, or as disposable when you get tired of them.  Proper care includes everything from proper housing, food, medical care, and grooming care.  Guinea Pigs are intelligent and sensitive animals who rely on their humans for nearly everything.  They do better in pairs, and we rarely have difficulty matching up pairs, if someone has a single piggie.  We offer a Cavy Savvy education class frequently that offers humans a chance to better understand their pigs, their body language, their squeaks and wheeks, and even their play and personalities.  Also, when you adopt Guinea Pigs from Arizona's Piggie Poo Rescue, we are invested for life.  We are here to answer questions, give advice, and even help you find joy in your piggies again, should that feeling wane.   

TC: How do you care for all the guinea pigs? How many do you usually have?

APPR: Our all-volunteer staff assures each day that the pigs at the shelter are fed, watered, cleaned up after, and socialized daily, even if the shelter isn't open to the public.  We also care for a number of pigs who might have special needs such as illness or socialization issues.  A network of foster homes, where pigs can get very individualized attention helps with this task.  At any given time, we average anywhere from 20 - 60 guinea pigs in our care in the shelter and foster homes.  We have had as many as 120 in our care when needed, such as last September when we helped with a hoarding case in California, transferring 94 pigs in one day from California and Tucson to Phoenix.  People often look incredulously at us when we tell them these numbers, and that we've helped over 1500 pigs in total.  They can't believe so many piggies would need help and rescue.  It is our sincerest desire that people understand the need and find it within their hearts to adopt from or donate to Arizona's Piggie Poo Rescue, Inc.  People can find us online at http://www.piggiepoo.org where they can find information and donation/adoption opportunities. 

 Arizona Piggie Poo Rescue is a very good and kind-hearted rescue. If you live in Arizona and want a guinea pig, this is a very good place to go. Like their Facebook page and check out their site!

Thanks!

 

My Local PetCo vs. My Local Petsmart

by Mira P.

I've been to both PetCo and Petsmart multiple times, and while neither of them is my preferred petstore, I thought I'd compare the two to see which one is better overall.

Here's my opinion of each store, though you probably already know my opinion of PetCo:

Petsmart - While the prices are a bit more expensive than PetCo, the employees are friendlier and the animals appear to be happier than the ones at PetCo. Their store is bigger, which, in turn, is less claustrophobic. The cages are probably the same size as the ones at PetCo, however, they do seem more cheerful. The employees there seem to care for the animals, and they have a safe area where you can hold the small animals (such as rats).

PetCo - The store is pretty dark and not very welcoming. Like I've said before, the rodents section is awful. It feels like they don't care about the animals whatsoever. The whole store kind of has that feeling. I don't believe there's an area where you can take out the animals. I asked at another PetCo and they said there wasn't, so I assume it's the same in all PetCo's, but I could be wrong on this. It would be better if you could take them out, like you can at Petsmart, so you can get a feel for your potential pet's personality before buying it. Sadly, a lot of animals get returned or abandoned because owners did not get to know them before buying them. This PetCo does have okay prices, and I'm sure the employees are friendly. I, unfortunately, did not get a friendly one.


Though I would definitely prefer that people not shop at petstores that sell animals, because it's uncommon the animals get treated correctly in that situation, out of my two local ones I would vastly prefer Petsmart. I strongly suggest you check out your stores, especially ones that sell live animals, before you buy from them. Check them out, see how they treat their pets, then make your decision - do you want to support them with your money?

Preventing Abuse

We must try and prevent animal abuse, but first we must recognize the signs of an abused animal that needs your help. You can't just report a lost dog with a broken foot and say it is "abused" because there is not enough evidence in that case.


From the ASPCA:

Physical Signs

• Collar so tight that it has caused a neck wound or has become embedded in the pet’s neck 
• Open wounds, signs of multiple healed wounds or an ongoing injury or illness that isn’t being treated 
• Untreated skin conditions that have caused loss of hair, scaly skin, bumps or rashes 
• Extreme thinness or emaciation—bones may be visible 
• Fur infested with fleas, ticks or other parasites 
• Patches of bumpy, scaly skin rashes 
• Signs of inadequate grooming, such as extreme matting of fur, overgrown nails and dirty coat 
• Weakness, limping or the inability to stand or walk normally 
• Heavy discharge from eyes or nose 
• An owner striking or otherwise physically abusing an animal 
• Visible signs of confusion or extreme drowsiness

Environmental Signs

• Pets are tied up alone outside for long periods of time without adequate food or water, or with food or water that is unsanitary 
• Pets are kept outside in inclement weather without access to adequate shelter 
• Pets are kept in an area littered with feces, garbage, broken glass or other objects that could harm them 
• Animals are housed in kennels or cages (very often crowded in with other animals) that are too small to allow them to stand, turn around and make normal movements possibly with too many other animals

-Miranda J.

If you put one in a cage, then why not the other?

Why would you put a rodent in a small cage if you wouldn't put a human in a small cage? Is there really a difference? Is this really fair? Treat any animal the way you treat yourself, or a different human. Be compassionate to rodents and other animals, please. They need space to move around and do other things, just like us. We are animals too.
Thank you.



By Hanna, age 11
 

Welcome to Tiny Cages

Welcome to Tiny Cages, a blog dedicated to animals and stopping the abuse of them. In this blog, I'll be sharing animal facts, pictures, and videos, and charities, as well. 

Animal abuse can be well camouflaged and hard to spot. Like PetCo shows frequently, animal abuse can also be brushed aside easily, supposed to be forgotten. This blog is here to try and show that animal abuse can't be ignored or forgotten, and that it is never okay, no matter how eloquent the person denying it may be.

I've gone to the same PetCo many, many times, and only recently have I looked at their rodents section, which is pretty disgusting. There were so many rats packed into one very small cage, and while they didn't look very unhealthy, they didn't look very healthy, either. The guinea pig cage was pretty appalling, as well. Any guinea pig lover can tell you that even if you have just one, guinea pigs need a lot of space, so they can run around and popcorn (a way of expressing happiness for guinea pigs). They had two guinea pigs in a cage so small they could barely walk, much less run. And all the cages looked pretty gross. There was poop on the food bowls, and the cage just felt grimy. And if you go two or three days in a row, or possibly even more, you may notice the cages look exactly the same as they did yesterday.

When I told an employee there that the guinea pig cages were way too small, she told me rather rudely that it was very temporary and made a face at me, quite plainly trying to rush me out. True, at other PetCo's I've gone to, the employees were friendlier than that one, but they all pretty much said the same thing - that it was very temporary, that they were only in there for a week. Here's my argument for why I don't like that answer:

For a guinea pig, time is not the same as it is for humans. That's why people say, after a beloved animal has passed after a few years, that they lived a long life - because it's true. Not for us, but for them. To a rat, two years is sixty years old (give or take). So while to us, they lived for a very short time, to them, they lived a long and happy life. So putting a guinea pig in a small cage for only a week is not a good argument, because a human week is seven days, but a guinea pig week could be months or so. And even if time was the same for humans and other animals, imagine if someone put you in a box you couldn't really move around in for only a week. You'd know you were getting out, but wouldn't it be terrible to not be able to run around, exercise, express happiness in your own way, even if it's for just a week?

If you want to tell or ask me anything, e-mail me at tinycages@gmail.com.