Rat Mills

[Adrienne]

oh my goodess... that makes me sick... :sick2:

 

[Ninii17]

It's horibble :sad3:

 

[Gizzimojo]

that makes me sick. thats no life for any animal
this is why i dont want to get my next fur babies from a pet store
i wouldnt buy a puppy or kitten from a pet store, i wont buy my rats from a pet store

 

[pinkies_mama]

wow... thank you for posting. i got my girls from the pets store but I will get them from shelters from now on. At least the place is clean, but they can't be healthy psychologically. :sad3:

 

[Joo Hye Park]

;(
realizing that's reality
I wish I could save more....

 

[the-boys]

I live in the UK, How do I know what pet shops support this, and who don't ? ... It makes me sick.. I couldn't find a list on the internet or anything, perhaps this is kept all too quiet.. :cry3:

 

[ryelle]

I live in the UK, How do I know what pet shops support this, and who don't ? ... It makes me sick.. I couldn't find a list on the internet or anything, perhaps this is kept all too quiet.. :cry3:

Ask in your pet shop about the breeder they use. Be subtle and see what kind of answers you get. Ask or monitor how many litters they have in at a time, and if they all come from the same place.

Luckily for me.. the breeder actually works in the shop where i get my rats from for a few days a week. she also runs a small animal 'clinic' on a weekend in the shop, giving people advice about keeping their pets etc.

 

[the-boys]

I live in the UK, How do I know what pet shops support this, and who don't ? ... It makes me sick.. I couldn't find a list on the internet or anything, perhaps this is kept all too quiet.. :cry3:

Ask in your pet shop about the breeder they use. Be subtle and see what kind of answers you get. Ask or monitor how many litters they have in at a time, and if they all come from the same place.

Luckily for me.. the breeder actually works in the shop where i get my rats from for a few days a week. she also runs a small animal 'clinic' on a weekend in the shop, giving people advice about keeping their pets etc.

So if they have many litters at a time, and if they come from the same place, what do you think that means ? That it's from a farm or not ? I'm worried about my boys a little, because they are quite small. They're so healthy but the problem being is that they're small, it makes me worried about their future health, where they came from and what I've funded..

I'm looking for a rat breeder near where I live, but it's proving difficult. I'd like some more Thanks for the advice x

 

[redgal]

:cry3: :rant: :sick2:

That is absolutely, disgustingly sick.

That is why I have never, nor ever will buy anything from a pet store.

Poor animals, my heart breaks when I see something like this.

 

[SQ]

Good breeders do not sell to pet stores ... not ever.
Good breeders want to know where their babies go, will have you sign a contract and track the health of all rats they have bred.
Buying anything from pet stores supports animal cruelty because it helps keep those stores in business.

 

[donnamaz]

Even though some pet stores support this type of business, I find it sad that people are saying that because I purchased my two rats at a pet store means that I am supporting them..... I actually took my children into the store to show them the different types of animals pet stores sell and saw my two rats in a cage together next to a cage that was full of feeders. When I asked the lady she was honest enough to tell me the truth. She told me how they were recieving a shipment of rats the next morning and how the girls were going to be forced to room with male rats which was obviously going to produce more pregnant rats at some point.. So instead of walking away and leaving the unthinkable happen I rescued my poor girls....
I find it sad that everyone forgets the poor rats at the stores and just buys or adopts strickly from breeders or foster homes............ "ALL" rats deserve loving homes.... I have had many rats my lifetime and I have gotten all of my rats from pet stores, regardless what people say about it, I feel as though all my rats, 45 to be exact, have had good lives.....
Yes it is very wrong for those to continue to market this type of breeding business just for profit, however, I believe that it is just as wrong to abandon "all" rats in stores just because of the reputation that follows........
I love my ratties, store bought or not.........

 

[Moon]

Donna, we all love our rats, no matter where they come from. We're not against pet store rats, but we are against the people who breed for pet stores.

The thing is, with so many rats that need homes in rescue, and so many people who purchase from stores and end up giving their rats up to rat rescues, most of us end up with pet store rats. Rats in stores don't usually languish there the way rats in rescue do. Sometimes, like the situation you explained, it is a legitimate emergency situation. But often that's not the case.

It sucks, but each time you buy from a store, you're not rescuing those rats, you are opening up a space for more rats to fill.

 

[Vanessa]

Even though some pet stores support this type of business, I find it sad that people are saying that because I purchased my two rats at a pet store means that I am supporting them..... I actually took my children into the store to show them the different types of animals pet stores sell and saw my two rats in a cage together next to a cage that was full of feeders. When I asked the lady she was honest enough to tell me the truth. She told me how they were recieving a shipment of rats the next morning and how the girls were going to be forced to room with male rats which was obviously going to produce more pregnant rats at some point.. So instead of walking away and leaving the unthinkable happen I rescued my poor girls....
I find it sad that everyone forgets the poor rats at the stores and just buys or adopts strickly from breeders or foster homes............ "ALL" rats deserve loving homes.... I have had many rats my lifetime and I have gotten all of my rats from pet stores, regardless what people say about it, I feel as though all my rats, 45 to be exact, have had good lives.....
Yes it is very wrong for those to continue to market this type of breeding business just for profit, however, I believe that it is just as wrong to abandon "all" rats in stores just because of the reputation that follows........
I love my ratties, store bought or not.........

It is always the same accusations being made against people who don't want animals sold in petstores - that we are somehow saying that they don't deserve homes.
EVERY single rat in the world deserves a good home, including those feeders that you mention in your post are being sold at this stinking petstore. Also, that whole entire 'new shipment' of rats that they are getting in deserve good homes as well - but they are not going to go to good homes. Those rats are going to meet a miserable end, and the more people buy them then the more 'new shipments' are going to arrive at that store to meet more miserable ends. And those shipments are coming from places like those in this thread.
That you would support, and give your hard earned money to, a store owner that is selling feeders for a miserable and painful end, one that would be so irresponsible that they just put males and females in together to breed indescriminately, is beyond me. And of course you are supporting them - the minute you give them your money you are supporting them.
And to take your children into a store like that, where they display those poor souls as stock and meals, is teaching them the wrong lesson as to what value the lives of those animals have. Your children need to be taken to shelters and taught a lesson that the lives of animals have more value to some people in society and that they are not treated like 'stock' by everyone.

 

[SQ]

The 3 ratties I got in 2004 came from a pet store.
They were wonderful ratties. All ratties deserve good homes.
It is heart breaking. :sad3:

I no longer buy rats from pet stores ... or anything else ... I can't even stand to go into pet stores ... much too painful. :sad3:
If I went into pet stores, I don't think I would be able to walk out without some or all of the ratties .... so I absolutely understand when people buy rats from a pet store.

The rats I rescue came from pet stores or in some cases their parents or grandparents did.
There are so many rescue rats needing good homes that they will not get ... these rats will end up dumped outdoors to fend for themselves, returned to the pet store to be sold as live food, or given to a snake owner. They deserve good homes too.

The only difference is that when I help one of them, I know it is not going to be replaced by another rattie ... I am not helping to create a demand for rat mills to breed more rats, and I am not supporting pet stores by giving them my money.

So ... people involved in rescue are helping pet store rats .... we just help the ones someone else bought and then got tired of ...

The whole issue is just so heartbreaking :sad3:

 

[redgal]

Buying anything from pet stores supports animal cruelty because it helps keep those stores in business.

YES! I totally agree.

I can pass on the cool little gadget or order supplies online if I have to. But....

Whenever I see a poor animal in horrible conditions in a pet store I just have to remind myself that if I purchased them I would be rescuing that one or two but condeming millions more to a cruel and miserable existence. It's so tough though when I see an animal being mistreated in a store and have to walk away.....

The joy that comes from adopting from a rescue though is amazing.

 

[Arkeld]

Being the Devils advocate here, I would like to point out that we all support this kind of breeding of animals by buying any animal-based food for ourselves or our pets. Meat, obviously, have you seen how chicken are kept? It´s actually worse than the rat mill shown here. Eggs, milk, you name it, anything you buy at the big stores really.

So, imho, there are three options:

1) Be vegan. Easier said than done.

2) Buy only products that you KNOW are from animals kept in good conditions.

3) Don´t care.

Of these three options, only number 2 will actually change things for the better. Being vegan will ease your conscience, but that´s about it. Buying only products that are certified to come from animals kept in good conditions on the other hand means that more and more breeders will abandon these cruel practices.

Applying this to rats, it might be wiser to support pet stores that keep their animals in good conditions, rather then boycotting them all. You gotta encourage them to change. If enough customers think this way, the "bad" petshop will see their sales drop, while the "good" one prospers. This leaves the "bad" shop with no choice but to offer the same service.

(and yeah, I kow that it´s an idealized version of the free market I´m talking about, but broadly speaking, this is how it works)

Just my 2 cents.

 

[dreamwarrior]

i had no idea, well i did but still to see it its a shock. even thought thats a cleaner one, still makes me cringe.

 

[MumsyRat]

Being the Devils advocate here, I would like to point out that we all support this kind of breeding of animals by buying any animal-based food for ourselves or our pets. Meat, obviously, have you seen how chicken are kept? It´s actually worse than the rat mill shown here. Eggs, milk, you name it, anything you buy at the big stores really.

So, imho, there are three options:

1) Be vegan. Easier said than done.

2) Buy only products that you KNOW are from animals kept in good conditions.

3) Don´t care.

Of these three options, only number 2 will actually change things for the better. Being vegan will ease your conscience, but that´s about it. Buying only products that are certified to come from animals kept in good conditions on the other hand means that more and more breeders will abandon these cruel practices.

Applying this to rats, it might be wiser to support pet stores that keep their animals in good conditions, rather then boycotting them all. You gotta encourage them to change. If enough customers think this way, the "bad" petshop will see their sales drop, while the "good" one prospers. This leaves the "bad" shop with no choice but to offer the same service.

(and yeah, I kow that it´s an idealized version of the free market I´m talking about, but broadly speaking, this is how it works)

Just my 2 cents.

That was very well said Arkeld! Whether you eat it, or love it as a pet - no animal should be kept in horrific conditions. I've been working toward your #1 and #2 suggestions. Although I do avoid meat and animal products I can't legitimately call myself 100% vegetarian or vegan. I always buy my eggs from a wonderful lady who raises her chickens practically as pets, and try to buy ethically or traditionally raised meat products.

 

[SQ]

I prefer to support pet supply stores that do not sell animals.
Pet stores that sell animals, mills and back yard breeders are relatively new and if were not supported, they might go out of business ... well, one can hope.
Regardless of how well a pet store may treat animals in its care, that does not solve most of the problems ... much better imo to support stores that sell supplies but do not sell animals. Keeping those types of stores in business makes sence to me.

and Arkeld, I'm working on #1, and #2

 

[Petitepuppet]

Omg I cant belive the conditions those poor animals are kept in:O.

I would hate to see what one of the bad mills looks like.