As one of the largest petstore chains in America, Petco has a responsiblity to treat the animals in its care with respect. It has been failing to do so. Hamsters at Petco are being woefully neglected both by the company and by the lack of mandatory training of employees. Below are a list of horrific treatment of hamsters I have personally witnessed Petco.

1. Hamsters are housed with other hamsters.

I have seen five hamsters housed together in cages that do not even met the size requirements for a singular hamster. Hamsters are solitary animals and are very territorial. They will fight in these conditions and need to be housed alone. Housing hamsters together teaches buyers and staff that it is proper care which hamster experts do not agree with.

2. Hamsters are not given appropriately sized standing wheels in their enclosure. This can lead to medical harm and physical pain for the hamster.

3. Petco employees are not given training for what hamsters need.

I have had multiple employees give me incorrect information about the proper care for pets. If I had been a first time hamster buyer, I would have ended up purchasing unsafe hamster bedding, too small of a cage (the minimum size in the us is 450 square inches of flat uninterrupted space or a 40 gallon tank), or purchasing multiple hamsters for one enclosure. 

4.Petco sells products that are labelled for hamsters that are unsafe for hamsters like Pine and Cedar bedding which can lead to lung problems.

5. Petco does not use the correct species names for the hamsters they sell leading to misinformation which can delay owners from getting the information they need to properly care fit their hamster or providing the correct information to the vet.

We believe that Petco needs to address all of the above concerns. Petco should house hamsters separately with appropriately sized standing wheels and with the correct labels. Petco should educated employees about hamster care and remove unsafe products from shelves.