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AmityvilleHams · 03-14-2022, 08:47 AM

If those are guinea pigs it looks like they don't even have hay which is extremely dangerous. Guinea pigs must have hay access 24/7 - without it, their digestive system cannot function and it can lead to serious health issues like GI stasis and even death.

Pet store displays should at least meet basic requirements for animals to live, and while I know it isn't possible for a pet store to have multiple properly sized enclosures(especially guinea pig ones for example - they need quite a bit of space) I do think they could improve quite a bit. In my opinion it seems to be more about cost though in terms of why they don't seem to do that, but there are definitely situations where space is a deciding factor. I know some pet stores have bigger than standard chain pet store displays for guinea pigs etc but even those aren't going to be proper long term enclosures which is completely understandable.

I think a big part of the problem is that people often focus on the ethical issues surrounding puppy mills and such way more than they would ever focus on with small pets for example. As sad and often heartbreaking as it is, people just don't seem to value small animals like they do a dog or cat. I know that with my immediate family inside my own home we view any animal that comes into the house whether tiny and short lived or much larger and longer lived as equally part of the family, but not everyone has that same perspective sadly.

03-14-2022, 08:47 AM
AmityvilleHams PM Fluffy for custom title Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 4,545	Re: There ought to be a law If those are guinea pigs it looks like they don't even have hay which is extremely dangerous. Guinea pigs must have hay access 24/7 - without it, their digestive system cannot function and it can lead to serious health issues like GI stasis and even death. Pet store displays should at least meet basic requirements for animals to live, and while I know it isn't possible for a pet store to have multiple properly sized enclosures(especially guinea pig ones for example - they need quite a bit of space) I do think they could improve quite a bit. In my opinion it seems to be more about cost though in terms of why they don't seem to do that, but there are definitely situations where space is a deciding factor. I know some pet stores have bigger than standard chain pet store displays for guinea pigs etc but even those aren't going to be proper long term enclosures which is completely understandable. I think a big part of the problem is that people often focus on the ethical issues surrounding puppy mills and such way more than they would ever focus on with small pets for example. As sad and often heartbreaking as it is, people just don't seem to value small animals like they do a dog or cat. I know that with my immediate family inside my own home we view any animal that comes into the house whether tiny and short lived or much larger and longer lived as equally part of the family, but not everyone has that same perspective sadly.