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.