Pet Store on SPRINGVALE RD, VICTORIA! Urgent! Need your help!

[Midol]

Cris, I guess so. But dogs require companionship and needs to be socialised. I really don't think a rat is going to give a toss whether you take it for a run everyday and such? Dogs aren't just social animals, they are pack animals. They need to be a part of a pack and part of the no dogs/cats/pigs in petshops is because of compulsive purchasing - people compulsively buy the animals and realise they can't care for them. Though I guess this happens with most animals - dogs and pigs (and cats) are just my main focus.. Even if their needs are similar, the level of care greatly differs along with the cost of keeping them (generally, sometimes rats might need expensive operations? I don't know. I don't keep rats )

Alex C, yeah, I have a big problem with specialised aquariums selling stuff to people with small tanks as well. Like offloading blue tangs to people that have 2ft fish tanks is just cruel. Stocking Moorish Idols is just as bad.

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What are the rules on petshops selling reptiles? Can they stock any reptiles?

 

[herpheaven]

You need to remember that there are pet stores out there that actually care about their stock and will only stock what they know about. However there are more stores out there that only think of the bottom line, some of the more well known stores will sell good quality animals and to a new commer will sell as much product as they can......over pricing much of thier stock....I heard of one store quoting a new customer they need to set aside $1000 to set up for a carpet python.....many pet stores only care about profit...they are in business of making money...otherwise why work!

 

[Bourbs]

This is just a quick response for a few of the comments about pet shops in general...
I don't think it is fair to generalise, and please don't take this as an attack because it really isn't, I just want people to realise that pet stores and their workers aren't all the same. I worked for approximately 7 years in numerous pet stores and spent 6 years of that time managing, and I trained all of my staff to say no where they thought it was necessary. On numerous occasions I said no to people who wanted to spend around $800 - $1000 on various puppies for the simple fact that I didn't like the way the puppy responded to them. I also trained my staff to tell customers to go away and think about whether or not they were 100% ready to buy a puppy or kitten, and I would hold onto animals for a day or so for customers just to make sure they were 100% sure they were making the right decision.
I think the main problem tends to be pet store owners - they tend to start out with good intentions, and along the way they just go off track and start looking too much at the money side of things. It is just a shame that it happens to so many of them... They give the few genuinely good ones a really bad name.

 

[Midol]

Bourbs, how many of the puppies that came into your store was from registered, ethical breeders who had pedigrees and had health & genetic testing carried out? None.

I work with dog rescue, it's a very ODD occasion when we have a purebred dog come through... I've never seen a purebred dog in SCAR and that rescue has over 100 dogs

 

[herpheaven]

Whilst I agree with your comment bourbs, it needs also to be mentioned that this is not the typical case, I have visted pet stores all over Victoria, NSW and QLD and not once has a staff member told me no, nor have they held animals for me for a day or so.....infact many have said if you dont take it now we cannot hold onto it. Pet stores are like any other business, they need to sell things to keep their head above water, money has to come into it or why have a business in the first place. Pet stores are only as good as the people who work there!

 

[wantacroc]

Everyone Has Gone Completely Off The Topic. Has Anyone Gone And Taken Any More Photo's? I Seen The Ones On The Previous Thread, Is There Anymore? There Was So Much Momentum From Everyone To Protest, What Happened???

 

[Bourbs]

Midol : Registered breeders don't actually sell to pet stores, and I'm quite sure that they aren't allowed to.. I never claimed that the stores I worked in obtained animals from registered breeders, and did I mention pure breeds or pedigrees? Pretty sure I didn't.
However, all of the animals from private breeders were checked over by me before being allowed into my stores, and I also had them thoroughly vet checked shortly after purchase, and enforced a policy of post-sale vet checks. I took down the names and contact details of anyone I got animals from, and I would also ask the breeders (no matter what the animal was) one hell of alot of questions which would require them to actually know what they were doing in order to give me the right answers. I also took down the contact details of people I sold animals to, so that I could contact them in the event of any problems (this never occurred because I was careful about the animals I allowed into the store) or just to give them a follow up call to see how they were going. There were also alot of times when I said no to breeders when I didn't think their animals were healthy or well cared for.

All of that said, I no longer work in the pet industry for the simple fact that it is a money dominated industry and I don't agree with the way the industry is run. I spent my years making a difference in my little corner of the world but you can only do so much before it becomes too much to deal with.

 

[Bourbs]

and as I said.. the vast majority of store owners have gone off track and headed in the money direction and it makes a bad name for the good ones. All I was getting at is they aren't ALL bad, there are SOME good ones.

 

[cris]

Cris, I guess so. But dogs require companionship and needs to be socialised. I really don't think a rat is going to give a toss whether you take it for a run everyday and such? Dogs aren't just social animals, they are pack animals.

If you kept a single rat social interaction is important as it is for dogs, although admittedly they maybe slghtly less social as they dont hunt in packs(i hope).
The main differance is many ppl see rats as pests or snake food so dont really care about their wellbeing.
As a pet same general basic requirements, as breeders same general style of requirements dogs just have a high status in our society, so what is seen as cruel to a dog would be accepted by many towards a rat.

 

[Midol]

I care about the well being of Rats If they need social interaction with humans (I assume they need something to keep them entertained?) then people should be making people aware of this when they breed them.

If Rat breeders kept their rats in appalling conditions I'd disapprove most vocally, the main problem is Rat abuse isn't as easy to spot as dog abuse, dogs are incredibly vocal, some are large and very easy to spot

I intend on breeding my own mice and rats when I have a few snakes, they will all be treated as pets and I won't stick 100 in a small container so they kill and maim each other.

Now that you've mentioned this the same kind of abuse applies to wild snakes, people view them as vermin so abusing and killing them seems to be socially acceptable to a degree. Sure, if it's an immediate threat the humane killing of a snake could be justified but usually it isn't justifiable.

Bourbs, I GUESS that is better than nothing, but you're not going to convince me dogs in pet shops is a good idea.

Wantacrock, if we want to get some mass action going (as in mass emails and letters sent to newspapers, shire councilors, store owners then I think another thread needs to be created. I'd be happy to get involved and if the pet shop in question sells dogs I am happy to take it over to the dog website I am on. If we want to start some mass action lets create a new thread and get it under way?

We are getting way off topic

 

[darbys girl]

hey its me back again in melb! Haven a look around the pet shops again! did go to the same one as last time on springvale! this time even more so over stocked and yet again animals in desperate need of som luving care!:cry: There was 4 dead tortises and i mean at least 3 weeks of decay! My boyfriend pulled 2 up on to a rock removing one from the pump! As i mentioned i was there a few weeks ago and there was a very well marked and allright looking ridgy monitor! which is now emaciated has eaten his toes off and very starved looking! this animal was amazing! Sixteen adult bearded dragons in a very small cage! black headeds look like pencils in skin bags! 60 cookatoos,major mitchelsand galahs in a 2 meter square cage! dead fighter fish! The list is extensive! I rang the RSPCA, then personaly went there explaining what i saw and also showing them some footage i took of the deceased animals! If anyone out there has any footage to help this cause or can obtain som please forward it to burwood RSPCA! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP!PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP!

CHEERS!

 

[darbys girl]

hey its me back again in melb! Haven a look around the pet shops again! did go to the same one as last time on springvale! this time even more so over stocked and yet again animals in desperate need of som luving care!:cry: There was 4 dead tortises and i mean at least 3 weeks of decay! My boyfriend pulled 2 up on to a rock removing one from the pump! As i mentioned i was there a few weeks ago and there was a very well marked and allright looking ridgy monitor! which is now emaciated has eaten his toes off and very starved looking! this animal was amazing! Sixteen adult bearded dragons in a very small cage! black headeds look like pencils in skin bags! 60 cookatoos,major mitchelsand galahs in a 2 meter square cage! dead fighter fish! The list is extensive! I rang the RSPCA, then personaly went there explaining what i saw and also showing them some footage i took of the deceased animals! If anyone out there has any footage to help this cause or can obtain som please forward it to burwood RSPCA! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP!PLEASE HELP! PLEASE HELP!

CHEERS!

 

[Colin]

maybe the NSW NPWS and government officials should go for a visit to this shop seeing there's talk of having reptiles legalised for sale in NSW shops soon

 

[Miss B]

Ugh, that sounds gross. I wish I lived nearby so I could go take a look myself.

Amazing that people actually purchase from stores like this... surely they can see the condition of the animals there, why would anyone want to support a business like that? :|

 

[darbys girl]

I dont go there to purchess a single thing! for some dumb reason i continue to go there to see the emaciated animals! and i suppose hope that i will go there and he has been shut down! I also go to obtain footage to support this case! cheers!

 

[Miss B]

Yeah darbys girl I would be like you I think... would have to keep going back... not to purchase, just to see the animals. Sorry, I wasn't implying that you supported the pet store!

Obviously some people are blind to the terrible condition these animals are in, and continue to purchase from them, otherwise this pet store would have gone out of business a long time ago.

Do you have any photos you can share with us, darbys girl?

 

[darbys girl]

yeh it all cool mate i diddnt take it as a personal attack at all! yes i do have a few pics to share but it will take me a bit to foger out how to put it on to the computer! i a bit of a learner! u see soon and hopfully a lot more people!

 

[Miss B]

Ok cool

If you want to email the photos to me, I could upload them and post them for you.

 

[junglepython2]

maybe the NSW NPWS and government officials should go for a visit to this shop seeing there's talk of having reptiles legalised for sale in NSW shops soon

Arh what a pity MRW closed down they could have visted them while they are here

 

[darbys girl]

cheers mate! im giving it a bash now but if i need yah help i will let u know soon! gotta learn somhow!