Why do some people say its bad to buy rats from a pet shop?

i bought my 2 rats last year from pets at home, and they were fine. i was able to hold kenai on the second day i had them, he actually fell asleep on my arm. they were both alert and active and they were healthy and they are still all that today.Why do some people say its bad to buy rats from a pet shop?
why is there war in the world? what about poverty or anything else???? coz some people are stupid. it's actually BETTER to buy rats from pet shops because they are more trustworthy and you won't be scammed. i bought two perfectly healthy, already toilet trained rats from a pet shop and they are the ideal rats! they don't make noise at night, or wee/poo on me/my floor, they come out when they hear me coming, and they take food from my hands without biting me.


there's nothing wrong with pet shop rats!!!!


xxWhy do some people say its bad to buy rats from a pet shop?
Pets at Home are ok (but not great) as they breed them themselves, i think.


But there are a lot of pet shops who get the rats from rodent farms and these rodent farms just breed animals for profit and dont really care about the rats health or the conditions the animals are kept in. I


would never get rats from a pet shop, because if i did it would mean i would be supporting 'rodent farms'. I get my rats from a registered breeder, who breeds healthy rats that will be very sociable.
I think when people say it's bad to get a rat from a pet shop, they're probably referring to skanky old pet shops, that don't handle their pets when they're babies, and therefore the pets are unsociable, and mean, and some pet shops don't care what breeder they get them from, so you never know what you're going to get, like you could get a really horrible rat, that bites (even though rats don't bite often.)





However I get the idea that pets at home is not one of these irrisponsible pet shops, i've bought many animals from there and they've all been fine.





I think good advice would be just don't buy a rat from a skanky and dirty looking pet shop, the main pet shops ---like pampurred pets (dunno if thats the right spelling) and pets at home, are just fine.





Hope this helped =). Sorry if it didn't =(
Pet stores tend to breed in the back or buy from a mass breeder.. so thats pretty much why. Either way the cages are crowded and dirty, the mamas only live to be bred over and over again, and they never handle the babies making them bitey and skittish.





I've adopted rats from both a pet store and several breeders.. by far, I prefer the breeders. The rats were healthier, more socialized, and even seemed to have more of a personality. The pet store rats made good pets after I had socialized them, but I still prefer breeders.





Going through a breeder has many benefits, tho some people think its silly to find a ';rat breeder';.. but you'd be suprised how many there are.


1. You know the genetic and family history of the rat you adopt. Making them healthier (less chance of tumors/cancer) and longer living pets.


2. You see your pets living conditions before you buy. You can't see the warehouse that supplied petcos rats.


3. Often cheaper! A lot of breeders charge very little ($5-$10) for babies, and most even offer a 2 for 1 deal to ensure your rat has a friend.


4. You get a well socialized, baby! Its hard to find baby rats at pet stores.





Other than that tho.. there really isn't much of a difference. Either way, from pet store or breeder.. if you love your pet, and treat it right.. they will love you no matter where they came from. 1 benefit from buying from a pet store is: Your saving that little guy from becoming snake food!
Some people seem to have their thoughts on pet stores but they have to pass checks.


And you cannot put all pet stores down as some people do have a bad experiance with a particular store but should should not put them all down as the same.


As I know that Pets at Home


1 Get pets in from local breeders


2 Keep them in clean well looked after cages through the back for a week incase they are ill


3 If they are ill they are seen by a local vet


4 when put out on the shop floor for sale they are treated well





So dont tar all pet stores with a bad name
I think Pets at Home is one of the good places. I brought two gerbils from them 2 years ago and one is still happy alive and healthy.





There are bad places to buy animals. Like pet shops that don't really care about the animals. You can usually tell straight away - just check the state of the cages! If a mess I'd avoid buying from there if clean and the staff are help full then it's ok!





That's my opinion anyway!
It differs from shop to shop I think. If a shop shows an animal care and holds it and also treats it, then it's more likely to be a loveable pet. And vice versa.
Some places don't handle much, or treat to prevent diseases. So they end up dying of sickness, or fear bite, because they are not used to being handles.That doesn't mean all are like that.
i dont see the difference unless you know someone who has them and wants to get rid of them and if you dont they will be put down
causee some peoplee are gay :-))


not in a sexual way though :L


x
This is a pretty common question - at first, a pet shop seems like a logical place to get a pet, its only when you loko deeper that you realise there are many reasons why it is not recommended. Here are the main ones:





1) Consider the truly ';responsible'; breeder. This person loves their animals - they breed only the best animals in order to improve the health and temperament of the species or breed. They are doing it for love - not money - and they genuinely care about their animals future welfare. They want to be certain their animals go to good homes, where they will recienve proper care for the rest of their lives. To do this, good breeders only ever sell animals direct to new owners who they have met themselves. They NEVER sell through a third party eg a shop.





If the good breeders will not sell to pet shops, where do the animals come from? Simple - BAD breeders. Pet stores get their animals from one of two places. Mass breeding mills (like puppy farms for small animals, where animals are crammed into tiny cages with minimal care and bred repeatedly). Or ';back yard breeders'; (BYB's) - which is any old person who just fancied putting a male and a female together for the sake of it or for profit. In either case the animals are likely to be poorly bred and cared for. The adults (the breeding animals) are usually kept in poor conditions.





When you buy an animal from a pet shop you support, encourage and fund this type of abuse. As many people realise that buying puppies from pet shops is the reasons puppy farms still exist, it is the same for other species too.





2) Most pet shops give very poor care to their animals - they may be in poor cages, on unsuitable bedding (often pine which is toxic), fed crap food etc. It is unlikely anyone will notice (or care) if the animal gets sick. Pet shop employees usually recienve minimal training. The result of this is that a large number of pet shop animals turn out to be mis-sexed, pregnant, or sick. Many die withing a few days of purchase.





By purchasing animals from a store you therefore fund and support the abuse of animals in the shop itself.





3) Pet shops sell to anyone with the cash. They don't care if you know how to care for the animal, or have the facilities to do so. They don't care if you are going to dump the animal when it becomes too much hassle. They just want your money. Impulse buying is a big problem - it is a major cause of animals being neglected, surrendered, abandoned on the streets or euthanised. Pet shops actively encourage impulse buying by having a constant display of cute baby animals they will sell to anyone. In other words - pet shops encourage people to buy on impulse, get bored, dump their pet and buy a shiny new one.





4) Overpopulation. Most of the common pet species suffer from overpopulation, ie more animals than homes. It isn't only dogs and cats in rescues around the world - there are also thousands of rabbits, guinea pigs and rodents. All lovely animals (many in rescue thanks to the overbreeding and impulse buying thanks to pet shops) desperate for homes. Many end up spending their whole lives in rescue, while others are put to sleep simply because there aren't enough homes.





Many people therefore feel it is wrong to buy an animal from a breeder or shop (which encourages abuse and further breeding) when this leads to other animals being destroyed.





I hope this explains it. Most people have bought animals from pet shops at some point, but many of us were not as lucky as you. All the animals I had from shops (before I knew better) had problems - and none lived to their full lifespan thanks to the health problems they came with.