Our pet shop

[Pebbles82]

The stupid thing is - I bought a little RSPCA book before we got our hamster - all they have to do is read that!

I've been googling hamster cage wholesalers - couldn't find many, but they are selling crappy little cages to shops for £6! So that's where the mark up is.

[Pebbles82]

Apparently they don't stock dwarf hamsters because they're vicious lol.

[Bertiebobbins]

Mine said the same about the dwarf hamsters!

[Shannonmcn]

I know someone on another forum who just started working in Petco and she is now convinced dwarf hamsters are just naturally mean and bitey. I did try and explain they're probably just poor mill-bred, terrified little babies

Good idea googling the wholesalers! £6 explains a lot!

[Piebald]

The other problem with a proper sized cage for a small shop is shelf space. Every centimeter of shelf space can be assessed by how much money it makes. What does a pet shop make money on? Not the actual hamster, but all the accessories. The smaller with a big mark up the better. I like the bin cage idea. Seriously, she could buy bins in bulk and store them stacked. A few made up as examples and some sheets of instructions. Then she can sell big wheels, houses, bags of carefresh, bendy bridges, etc etc.

[racinghamster]

It`s a real shame that pet shops in general and not just the small independent shops (some are actually better than the large green store!) at ordering in cages or accessories if you give them details. But many stick to the protocol of history and never progress. Small cages and fluffy bedding can still be easily obtained, so that speaks volumes about where pet shops are and the frustration good owners feel. That`s not to say someone who buys a hamster from a pet shop and listens to bad advice are bad owners! Not so. Some people just always trust the advice given and then discover the internet of all things and learn the hard way.

It`s the shops owners/personnel who really need to brush up moreso than the customer who may be buying their first hamster and end up making wrong decisions as a result. x

[Thin Lizzy]

My local pet shop is small so they have limited space, I know the owner gets her cages from sales reps she sees but, they're too small. Whenever I've needed something, they'll happily order it in for me no questions asked. Mine sell robos and syrians. They breed hamsters themselves.