Pet store
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A pet store or pet shop is a store at which one can purchase supplies for pets. Many pet stores also stock certain varieties of animals.
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[edit] Animals stocked at pet stores
Pet shops commonly carry fish for home aquariums, small birds such as parakeets, small mammals such as fancy rats and hamsters, and small reptiles such as lizards and snakes. Mice, small goldfish, and other animals that serve to be live food (called feeders) for reptiles and fish are also usually sold.
[edit] Puppies and kittens
Less common in pet stores are larger mammals such as dogs and cats. In part, selling these animals have become less popular in stores because many pet stores have received bad press for inappropriate care of puppies and kittens, which need socialization and are vulnerable to illnesses, and for their purchasing the animals from puppy mills. Some shops that carry puppies and kittens charge higher prices for them the same animal from a breeder, but some also provide valuable services or guarantees not available from a private seller.
There are many small, privately owned pet stores that carry puppies and kittens, maintain a superb level of care and get their animals from small, private breeders. In the UK and many other countries dogs and cats are not sold at pet stores.
[edit] Exotic pets
Exotic pets like sugar gliders, large snakes and large parrots are available at some pet shops. Because the care of these types of animals is difficult and expensive, usually only stores that specialize in exotic animals carry them as regular stock.
[edit] Criticisms of pet stores that stock pets
While many people are satisfied with the pets they acquire from pet stores, critics argue that there are numerous problems with the way some stores acquire, care for, and sell animals. Not all pet stores follow the models described below, but large chains like Petco, Petsmart, and Pet Supplies Plus all do to some extent. Before purchasing a pet, potential customers should ask questions and observe the conditions and employees in the store to determine whether the establishment is reputable.
[edit] Buying from large-scale breeding facilities
Some stores acquire most or all of their stock from large-scale commercial breeding operations that may also supply animals to industries that pet store patrons could find morally objectionable (such as cosmetics testing). Overcrowded cages and long, stressful journeys via air or truck can cause the spread of disease, resulting in sick animals arriving in the store.
[edit] Conditions
The cages in most pet stores are not actually large enough for the animal that they house. A group of many animals may be placed in a cage not large enough to provide proper exercise to a single animal of the same species.
Unneutered animals of both sexes are housed together in some stores, particularly in the case of small animals like mice, rats, hamsters or rabbits. Because rodents and rabbits become sexually mature at a young age, females in a mixed-sex cage may become pregnant, sometimes by their own brothers. These females have not yet reached their adult size and consequently may suffer difficulties in delivering the young. If the mother and babies survive, the customer who bought the pregnant pet is also left with unwanted baby animals to sell or give away.
Large pet store chains and some small stores frequently house sick animals in plain view with their other stock, while a responsible store will quickly remove sick or injured animals to a quarantine area away from customers. Cages in irresponsible stores may not be cleaned frequently enough, and particularly for pets in aquarium-style glass-walled cages, this can lead to respiratory difficulties or other illness.
[edit] Neglect and mistreatment
Due to the nature of some store environments, animals sometimes are not properly socialized by the time they are sold to their new owner. This can result in frustration for the owner and even the eventual abandonment of the pet. The potential pet owner should look for a pet store environment that provides for the socialization of the pets, both with other animals and with people.
Store employees are sometimes inappropriately educated in the handling of animals; picking up fancy rats by their tails, for example, is a common pet shop practice even though it is known to be painful to the animal. Rough handling in general is common when employees are tired, frustrated, or in a hurry. Painful mishandling can result in behavioral problems that make the animal difficult to place in a permanent home.
[edit] Screening or lack thereof
Some pet stores have a screening system and attempt to counsel or interview potential pet owners. Reputable stores may strongly discourage a potential buyer or outright refuse to sell a pet to someone who appears irresponsible or otherwise unable to care for the animal. However, most stores do not abide by this policy, and even reputable stores (as well as animal shelters and private breeders) may mistakenly sell pets into homes where they will be abused or abandoned.
Many animals are purchased from a pet store on impulse (especially as pets for children); these animals suffer when the novelty of the new pet wears off. A screening process forcing the customer to have adequate supplies prepared before the pet can be taken home can sometimes prevent this problem, but not always. Animal shelters and rescues still take in many store-bought pets whose owners have lost interest in them.
