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quick message to a local pet shop - got a reply

Does this sound ok?

I know its not very articulate but i dont want to come accross as rude until i read their reply. I was in a local pet shop yesterday and was quite upset to see the most beautiful lemon dutch rabbits ive ever seen stuck in a tank! Yes a tank that was for reptiles. Its just a quickie really, i came away from the shop quite upset and disturbed. They're forever posting stuff on facebook, so i thought id send them this...

Hi, i was just wondering why the gorgeous lemon dutch rabbits are in a serprate enclosure to the rest of the rabbits?

I was in there on saturday afternoon and was quite upset to see the 2 bunnies in a cage that was clearly unsuitable for them. Apart from it being far too small for even one rabbit, I dont believe they had access to any hay or any toys for enrichment.

I was glad to see that the other rabbits were given greens and had some toys, but i couldn't see any hay in the enclosure.

I was also shocked when i saw two members of staff trying to sex a rodent (possibly a robovski dwarf hamster, i couldnt see). One said that they cant see properly while the other put it in a plastic tank and tried to identify its sex by looking at its underneath through the plastic container.

Your thoughts on the matter would be much apreciated.
 
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Don't shorten words in a formal letter..... like I did just there...... so say 'do not' instead of 'dont' and 'could not' instead of 'couldnt'.

Also, make sure all your 'i' s on their own are caps ('i' becomes 'I').

Captitalise the first letter of any names, mainly the day I noticed ('saturday' = 'Saturday').

Would be better to start it 'To Whom it may concern' or 'To the manager of .........'.

Lol, hope you do not think I am being patronising, I am trying to help you make your letter sound professional so they take you seriously :)

Good luck with the letter!!
 
Does this sound ok?

I know its not very articulate but i dont want to come accross as rude until i read their reply. I was in a local pet shop yesterday and was quite upset to see the most beautiful lemon dutch rabbits ive ever seen stuck in a tank! Yes a tank that was for reptiles. Its just a quickie really, i came away from the shop quite upset and disturbed. They're forever posting stuff on facebook, so i thought id send them this...

Hi, i was just wondering why the gorgeous lemon dutch rabbits are in a serprate enclosure to the rest of the rabbits?

I was in there on saturday afternoon and was quite upset to see the 2 bunnies in a cage that was clearly unsuitable for them. Apart from it being far too small for even one rabbit, I dont believe they had access to any hay or any toys for enrichment.

I was glad to see that the other rabbits were given greens and had some toys, but i couldn't see any hay in the enclosure.

I was also shocked when i saw two members of staff trying to sex a rodent (possibly a robovski dwarf hamster, i couldnt see). One said that they cant see properly while the other put it in a plastic tank and tried to identify its sex by looking at its underneath through the plastic container.

Your thoughts on the matter would be much apreciated.

Then I would respectfully suggest that the pet shop operators spend less time posting on Facebook and a lot more time reading the Pet Shop Licence Conditions.

They can't operate a pet shop without a licence and they agreed to fulfil all of the Licence Conditions in order to get it.

These Conditions require them to:
  • Provide "suitable accommodation". A "tank" or "tiny cage" just does not comply.
  • They are also required to provide suitable food, so "no hay" is non-compliant.
  • In respect of sexing the rodent, they are obliged to have, "staff trained in the needs of every animal that they stock or sell".
The Pet Shop Licence will have been obtained from the local Council. To whom compaints can be made if pet shop operators do not comply with their Licence Conditions.

There's a "sticky" on this very topic.

:wave:Hope this helps.
 
Don't shorten words in a formal letter..... like I did just there...... so say 'do not' instead of 'dont' and 'could not' instead of 'couldnt'.

Also, make sure all your 'i' s on their own are caps ('i' becomes 'I').

Captitalise the first letter of any names, mainly the day I noticed ('saturday' = 'Saturday').

Would be better to start it 'To Whom it may concern' or 'To the manager of .........'.

Lol, hope you do not think I am being patronising, I am trying to help you make your letter sound professional so they take you seriously :)

Good luck with the letter!!

No, i dont find you patronising at all :lol:

It was more of a quick note to send on facebook rather than a formal letter. I might send them a formal one though, as its not the first time ive noticed bad care/management. The suggested letter i recieved in a PM just makes it all that easier! Plus the information from snouter, i might go in a few times over the next couple of weeks after college and see whats what. ;)
 
No, i dont find you patronising at all :lol:

It was more of a quick note to send on facebook rather than a formal letter. I might send them a formal one though, as its not the first time ive noticed bad care/management. The suggested letter i recieved in a PM just makes it all that easier! Plus the information from snouter, i might go in a few times over the next couple of weeks after college and see whats what. ;)

Yes, visit as many times as you can, the more 'evidence' you have... .the better :)
 
Reply

Well they responded to my "note". Im not sure what to do really. They claim that the cage the dutch bunnies were in were to rspca guidelines. :? It looked really small, it was nice and high, but not a lot of length/width. 3x3 maybe?

Heres her reply anyway...

Hello,

The Lemon Dutch rabbits have unfortunately had to be moved to a seperate enclosure due to them fighting with the other rabbits. The enclosure, however, does meet RSPCA standards.

The rabbits are all given hay on a daily basis, (both morning and afternoon before we leave for the day). The greens are given to the rabbits on a morning and are sometimes gone quite quickly, however, the rabbits are not to be given too many greens as part of the diet as this can lead to problems such a diarrhoea. The greens in the run are topped up more often due to the requirements of the Guineapigs. As they dont make their own vitamin C, they do require alot of greens in their diet.

The Dwarf Hamsters you will have seen on Saturday are Winter Whites. These ones are only 8 weeks old and are very difficult to sex at this age. The only way to sex a hamster is by checking their bottoms, which means turning the hamster upside down. Sometimes a hamster can become distressed when being sexed and will continue to wriggle, therefore making it extremely difficult to see. In this instance it is much easier on the animal to simply place the hamster in a see through tank and check from underneath.

As part of our licencing we are subject to regular council and vetinary visits to ensure all our livestock is kept to the highest of standards. Our upto date licence is available for viewing in store and is displayed just behind the counter area.

I hope this puts some of your concerns to rest but please feel free to pop into the store at any point and request to see any of our animals. We are more than happy to allow you to give them a health check yourself if you are worried about anything.

Many Thanks
Laura
 
Well they responded to my "note". Im not sure what to do really. They claim that the cage the dutch bunnies were in were to rspca guidelines. :? It looked really small, it was nice and high, but not a lot of length/width. 3x3 maybe?

Heres her reply anyway...

Hello,

The Lemon Dutch rabbits have unfortunately had to be moved to a seperate enclosure due to them fighting with the other rabbits. The enclosure, however, does meet RSPCA standards.

The rabbits are all given hay on a daily basis, (both morning and afternoon before we leave for the day). The greens are given to the rabbits on a morning and are sometimes gone quite quickly, however, the rabbits are not to be given too many greens as part of the diet as this can lead to problems such a diarrhoea. The greens in the run are topped up more often due to the requirements of the Guineapigs. As they dont make their own vitamin C, they do require alot of greens in their diet.

The Dwarf Hamsters you will have seen on Saturday are Winter Whites. These ones are only 8 weeks old and are very difficult to sex at this age. The only way to sex a hamster is by checking their bottoms, which means turning the hamster upside down. Sometimes a hamster can become distressed when being sexed and will continue to wriggle, therefore making it extremely difficult to see. In this instance it is much easier on the animal to simply place the hamster in a see through tank and check from underneath.

As part of our licencing we are subject to regular council and vetinary visits to ensure all our livestock is kept to the highest of standards. Our upto date licence is available for viewing in store and is displayed just behind the counter area.

I hope this puts some of your concerns to rest but please feel free to pop into the store at any point and request to see any of our animals. We are more than happy to allow you to give them a health check yourself if you are worried about anything.

Many Thanks
Laura

I have a few comments on their reply:

With which specific RSPCA standards does the enclosure comply?

If the rabbits are given hay so frequently, why did you observe them with none?

If they are subject to regular "veterinary" visits, perhaps they could learn to spell it correctly in their messages.

Although the Council may carry out periodic inspections to check compliance with the Conditions of the Pet Shop Licence, it is not the only check. The pet shop is responsible for ensuring that they comply with the Licence Conditions all the time.
 
I just want to say, very well done for this, even if the reply didnt really hit all the right spots, the fact that you have actually taken the trouble to write and show that members of the public are watching them will keep them on their toes.

I also went into a pet shop last week just to check on the buns to find that some of them had no hay. I made sure that they were given some immediately and said that I would be popping in to keep an eye on them.

Apart from buying all the buns ourselves its good to see that there is something else we can do.

Angela
 
I just want to say, very well done for this, even if the reply didnt really hit all the right spots, the fact that you have actually taken the trouble to write and show that members of the public are watching them will keep them on their toes.

I also went into a pet shop last week just to check on the buns to find that some of them had no hay. I made sure that they were given some immediately and said that I would be popping in to keep an eye on them.

Apart from buying all the buns ourselves its good to see that there is something else we can do.

Angela

Thankyou Angela :)

Although, after recieving their reply, i really wish i had spent the time thinking more carefully about my "note" and perhaps written a more formal letter. Never mind, eh? I think im going to check up on them a few times, but i am soooo tempted to buy them! :roll: :love:

Anyway, watch this space, i could be writing a more formal letter this time next week. I hope i dont have to though, and that the buns are taken care of properly from now on and that they go to a loving home with knowlegeable (sp?) owners, who know that the hutches they sell in the shop are WAY too small! :evil:
 
Their Pet Shop Licence is very likely to contain the following:

15. Pet care advice

15.1 Correct professional advice for example Pet Care Trust pet care leaflets or other similar written instructions should be made available to customers where appropriate at the time of purchase.

15.2 Purchasers of accessories should, where necessary, be given proper advice as to their maintenance and use.

15.3 The Pet Care Trust Pet Care Manual or other appropriate reference books must always be available for use by staff. Staff must be trained and instructed to such a standard that they may be considered competent to advise the public in such a manner that animals are sold with correct care and handling advice and accessories are sold with proper regard to their use and suitability for the purpose for which they are intended.

So they should know all about hutches and advise their customers accordingly.
 
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