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. 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
Critics argue that there are numerous problems with the way stores acquire, care for, and sell animals. 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
Pet stores may acquire 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
Some cages in 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, although the animal may only be on the cage for a few days before it is sold.
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. The customer who bought the pregnant pet is also left with unwanted baby animals to sell or give away.
[edit] Neglect and mistreatment
Due to the nature of store environments, some animals may not be properly socialized by the time they are sold to their new owner. This can result in frustration for the owner who may then get rid of the pet. The likelihood of this occurance can be decreased through pet care and other education on the part of the owner. Mishandling can result in behavioral problems that make the animal difficult to place in a permanent home.
[edit] Screening or lack thereof
Pet stores that sell puppies and kittens are commercial businesses. 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. Animal shelters and rescues take in many store-bought pets whose owners have lost interest in them. Some reputable pet stores attempt to screen customers, and offer to take back pets that do not make a successful transition to a new home. However this screening depends on the honesty and cooperation of the customer.
