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For so many reasons, including those listed below, it is time to address the “profit over responsibility” mentality of these pet stores.  There are legions of rat, guinea pig, hamster, mice, and other small animal caregivers who know that these animals are not “filthy,” as the shadow of public perception based on recent events casts them as.  PetSmart and PETCO are not engaging in responsible practices to benefit the animals they sell, or the people they sell them to.  They are in the business of making money – and at 6.7 billion and $3.15 billion, respectively, in 2013 alone, they are quite good at it.  They are clearly experts at making money.  It is time for them to leave the business of connecting companion animals with people to those who are experts in that field – rescue organizations.

A simple web search will reveal that PETCO and PetSmart have been aware for years of abuse investigations surrounding the breeders who supply PETCO and PetSmart, and the horrific conditions the animals at these facilities endure.  Particularly in “rescue dense” communities, it is no longer necessary nor justifiable to continue to support breeders and mills for purposes of selling animals.  At OCCH, we refuse to partner with any pet store who sells animals.  We have approached local PETCOs several times and offered to bring guinea pigs to their location for adoption if they are willing to stop selling them, but our invitations remain unanswered.  Unlike the animals being sold at pet stores, our guinea pigs are being socialized in foster homes, and have been quarantined to make every possible effort to ensure they are healthy before they are adopted out.  Yet, we struggle every day to fundraise and try to provide a safe haven and veterinary care for abandoned guinea pigs (most of whom have originally been bought at a pet store), while PetSmart and PETCO report 6.7 billion, and 3.15 billion in revenue earned in 2013, respectively.  Most of this reported revenue comes from sources other than the sale of live animals, highlighting the fact that selling animals at pet stores is not necessary for the corporate pet stores to survive; selling live animals is just not justifiable.

We beg you to please stop selling live animals.  Partner with rescues, where possible.  Consider the lives of the animals, and make a decision that the portion of those billions of dollars that come at the cost of suffering to the animals, and to the people who unknowingly purchase sick (often dying) animals is simply not worth it.

It is impossible for pet stores to provide any of the following in a responsible manner:

-   Healthcare/education – At OCCH, we encounter people consistently who purchased their first guinea pig at a PETCO or PetSmart without being given any proper health education.  Those who do report receiving some type of education were, frankly, given bad information.  Our adoption process includes providing the adopters with the most current health information available, making sure that the adopters are shown how to properly groom their animals (including boar cleanings for male guinea pigs, and nail trimmings).  We provide the adopters with a list of qualified guinea pig veterinarians, and offer ongoing support.

- Housing – The animals kept in pet stores are generally overcrowded into cages that are too small to house even one animal, much less multiple animals.  Furthermore, the cages sold at these pet stores are well under the minimum 8 sq. feet for a pair of guinea pigs necessary to promote happy, healthy guinea pigs.

In addition to improper cage size, we are constantly hearing from people who have gone into a PETCO or PetSmart and seen a sick animal, or cages without hay (which guinea pigs need to have available at all times).  It is not uncommon to hear that these issues are reported to a manager but, upon return to the pet store, have not been resolved.  Another quick internet search will reveal that several PETCO managers have recently been cited for animal abuse.  With more people being concerned about the welfare of small animals, unless PETCO and PetSmart take a serious look at their current practices, these investigations, fines, and lawsuits are only going to increase.

-     Prevention of pregnancies – We encounter an average of 3-4 families per month who have purchased animals that were either pregnant when they purchased them, or became pregnant when they were told they were purchasing same-sex animals, but the guinea pigs were, in fact, opposite sexes.  Most pet store employees are not trained to properly sex animals.  Guinea pigs can become pregnant within 24 hours of giving birth.  Male babies can impregnate females within 2-3 weeks after being born – they must be separated.  Pet store employees are not trained on these issues, and are selling opposite sex and/or pregnant pigs, which often ends up leading to multiple births resulting in the guinea pigs being dumped at shelters or in parks (where they cannot survive).  Last month alone we rescued 16 babies which were a result of a pet store selling an opposite sex pair, and the purchaser not having the proper knowledge about how to sex the animals, and when to separate the babies.  So PetSmart and PETCO count their billions, while unpaid volunteers work tirelessly around already full schedules to raise money to cope with the results of the irresponsible pet store practices surrounding the sale of live animals.

-     The importation of “wild” cuys – the rise in cuys (the word used to describe the large, wild guinea pigs being imported by the large, corporate pet stores) in shelters and rescues is causing a serious problem for domestic guinea pigs, and presenting difficulties for many rescues.  These cuys began showing up in PETCOs and PetSmarts several years ago.  It is believed based on sources inside PETCO who preferred to remain anonymous (although PETCO management has not responded to requests for information) that the large pet stores are importing these cuys from breeders in Peru (perhaps due to the increase in cruelty investigations surrounding some of PETCOs’ and PetSmarts’ current domestic suppliers of guinea pigs.

These cuys are far different from the typical domestic guinea pig most people recognize.  They are larger, stronger, faster, and have “wild” temperaments, all of which make them an extremely bad choice of pet for small children.  These cuys are hitting the shelters at increasing rates because they are not tame, and the families who buy them simply do not want to deal with a “wild” animal.  Cuys are starting to fill rescues, and they are incredibly difficult to adopt out due to their wild natures.  So they become long-term residents of some rescues, preventing the rescues from being able to pull and adopt out animals due to lack of space.  Furthermore, they are now interbreeding with the domestic guinea pig population, causing the domestic guinea pigs to inherit some of the “wild” traits, and unknown potential health problems. 

I know that OCCH is willing to work with any local PETCO or PetSmart who is willing to stop selling small animals, and bring our wonderful, socialized, healthy, and properly sexed guinea pigs into their stores.  It is time for PETCO and PetSmart to acknowledge that bringing rescued animals into their stores for adoptions through qualified and competent rescue organizations is the responsible, ethical, and safest thing to do.