Pets at home reasons for rejection...

Went to PAH to get a treat ball for Ozzie. I haven't been before so havent seen their "Adoption Centre" :?

They had "reasons" for these animals needing a "second chance'. A male guinea pig had been "fighting with his friends" A pair of rabbits' "previous owner didn't have the time for them" (hmmm, was that owner PAH?) and a beautiful medium sized rabbit was there as he'd "outgrown my pets at home environment" (no matter that they had a giant breed in another pen) What kind of reasons are those!! Too old for a quick sale?

I was getting teary in there, it made these animals sound like they'd done something bad just to manipulate peoples emotions into buying them! :evil:

I'm always getting mad with the 'reasons' for animals being in the P@H adoption section. Fighting with cage mate is a classic. Why on earth don't they just advise the owner to get their animals neutered? If they insisted all new owners had their bunnies neutered then they wouldn't get so many returned.

I've only been in a couple of times, walked straight out after seeing a hamster with just 'I bite' written on his sign, :roll: poor thing'll probably been there a long time I haven't been in again, fustrates me too much.

I saw one the other day...

"I have been fighting with my friend so now I need a home all by myself'

That poor rabbit will now never have a friend. He was about 8 months old I think - so he needs neutering!

And because they've said that - Mr Bloggs will come along to buy a lovely pet rabbit and think he's helping out this little bunny but will never offer him a friend because he's been advised by the people who SHOULD know, that he cannot have a friend.

Whilst the adoption centres may not be great in most cases it's better than the alternative for these animals. At least they are fed and kept clean whilst in the store :/

To be fair, a male guinea pig fighting with its cage mate happens a lot, and is not changed by neutering (although he could then go in with some females), so sounds like a valid reason to me.

Also, I can't help but think, since so many hamsters are bought for children, it does need to be made very clear when a hamster bites, in order that the hamster can find a proper understanding home, rather than be brought back yet again.

Stator said:

Whilst the adoption centres may not be great in most cases it's better than the alternative for these animals. At least they are fed and kept clean whilst in the store :/

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Oh absolutely - and I would be very happy to see Pets at Home move more in that direction rather than breeding new stock. But it's just the lack of knowledge and thought that goes into the 'labelling' of the buns (and other pets) sometimes which is quite sad.

Ozbun said:

Went to PAH to get a treat ball for Ozzie. I haven't been before so havent seen their "Adoption Centre" :?

They had "reasons" for these animals needing a "second chance'. A male guinea pig had been "fighting with his friends" A pair of rabbits' "previous owner didn't have the time for them" (hmmm, was that owner PAH?) and a beautiful medium sized rabbit was there as he'd "outgrown my pets at home environment" (no matter that they had a giant breed in another pen) What kind of reasons are those!! Too old for a quick sale?

I was getting teary in there, it made these animals sound like they'd done something bad just to manipulate peoples emotions into buying them! :evil:

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I only realised that they put older stock in the adoption centre area of recent when someone rang me to give up their bunny that they had initially got from the adoption centre because it was too old to sell!!! I was furious as I have had a meeting with one of the directors earlier this year and I would of brought that up in the meeting. This terrible thing about 'needing a home on my own' I have heard so many times now' What on earth is the matter with this shop??? Why can't they just neuter the animals when they get older and go into the adoption centre like a rescue would do? It is all about money. I am all fired up again with this chain. They also assured me that if a bunny came from them in the first place then they would take it back - WRONG! (only if they have room which they invariably haven't!!) They also said they would give a free hutch to someone if they wrongly sexed an animal and take the babies back. To acheive what exactly??? Wrongly sex the babies and make more money from selling them.

This whole business just makes me so, so angry I can't even tell you.:evil: They do offer a lot of money to rescue centres but what for so that they won't speak out against them??:evil::evil: They can stick their money.

SamanthaJane said:

I saw one the other day...

"I have been fighting with my friend so now I need a home all by myself'

That poor rabbit will now never have a friend. He was about 8 months old I think - so he needs neutering!

And because they've said that - Mr Bloggs will come along to buy a lovely pet rabbit and think he's helping out this little bunny but will never offer him a friend because he's been advised by the people who SHOULD know, that he cannot have a friend.

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This is the most frustarting reason I find, I have got annoyedas they often say needs to be a single rabbit and is still entire!!!! I've explained several times they should be neutered and that sign is just completely ridiculous!!!

what I don't understand is why they don't just go ahead with the neutering at stores where they have vets, instead of saying the animal needs to be on it's own. They've already paid the vet to be there and it would be good practice for them.
At times, they give away vouchers with adoption animals for free neutering in their store. Why on earth not just do it?

Before I really knew about rabbits I saw this absolutely lovely doe in the P@H adoption centre. She came up to the glass to see me and when they opened the cage up she practically hopped in to my arms. Such a lovely temperament. But the card next to her said she was returned for fighting with her cage mate so she must be kept alone.
At the time I knew I would probably be getting rabbits but that I wanted more than one, so with a very heavy heart I left her there. If I'd known spaying would have allowed her to bond with another rabbit I would have had her in a heartbeat. Instead she's probably spending the rest of her life alone.

BattleKat said:

what I don't understand is why they don't just go ahead with the neutering at stores where they have vets, instead of saying the animal needs to be on it's own. They've already paid the vet to be there and it would be good practice for them.At times, they give away vouchers with adoption animals for free neutering in their store. Why on earth not just do it?

Before I really knew about rabbits I saw this absolutely lovely doe in the P@H adoption centre. She came up to the glass to see me and when they opened the cage up she practically hopped in to my arms. Such a lovely temperament. But the card next to her said she was returned for fighting with her cage mate so she must be kept alone.
At the time I knew I would probably be getting rabbits but that I wanted more than one, so with a very heavy heart I left her there. If I'd known spaying would have allowed her to bond with another rabbit I would have had her in a heartbeat. Instead she's probably spending the rest of her life alone.

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The vets are run by Companion Care and not by PAH, so they have to pay for treatment just like everyone else.

I used to get most of our adoption buns neutered ..... damn the cost

Lspacehopper said:

The vets are run by Companion Care and not by PAH, so they have to pay for treatment just like everyone else.

I used to get most of our adoption buns neutered ..... damn the cost

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ah I see! I thought companion care were pets at home run. Explains why the free neutering vouchers aren't available all the time.

BattleKat said:

ah I see! I thought companion care were pets at home run. Explains why the free neutering vouchers aren't available all the time.

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Nope, I work at a Companion Care, Pets at home get a 20% discount off the full price on vet treatment (we get 20% discount in store) but technically 2 separate companies.

Although they put the buns at are no longer small and "cute" enough to sell on adoption it is better than they used to do... send them back to the breeder to be pts, at elast they are given a 2nd chance, it may not be perfect but they are given a chance at a life.

Gemma came from PAH Adoption. The reason given was that she couldn't be confined or house trained.

Having had her for some time now, I think the real reason was that she is very destructive - or that she was bought for children who became bored with her (she came with a child's soft toy) - or both.

She is confined to my kitchen when I am out and has a bigger area when I am home - she is reasonably well litter trained - no worse than anybun else and she seems perfectly happy but she has her husbun so maybe this has helped. She is a gorgeous bun and I can't imagine how anyone could get rid of her.

Well, I don't think they are so bad. I don't agree with them but the one near me always writes up if they are "old stock". They usually put something like "I was for sale but nobody would buy me." I did some fundraising in the one in Hartlepool and they were pretty good with the adoption "stock". They really cared about getting them rehomed.

MichG said:

Although they put the buns at are no longer small and "cute" enough to sell on adoption it is better than they used to do... send them back to the breeder to be pts, at elast they are given a 2nd chance, it may not be perfect but they are given a chance at a life.

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Or, here's a suggestion...why not just buy fewer rabbits (ideally none, but let's be realistic...), so they have the same number or less than are demanded by customers, that way there won't be any bunnies which have outgrown the cute baby sales...no need for them to go into the adoption centre or back to the breeder, and the breeder will breed fewer bunnies because there is lower demand. Simples!

I think it's hugely, hugely hypocritical and disingenuous to be using their "adoption centre" for old stock.

Or, here's a suggestion...why not just buy fewer rabbits (ideally none, but let's be realistic...), so they have the same number or less than are demanded by customers, that way there won't be any bunnies which have outgrown the cute baby sales...no need for them to go into the adoption centre or back to the breeder, and the breeder will breed fewer bunnies because there is lower demand. Simples!

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Thats what I've been thinking, I'm glad someone has mentioned that. Pet stores here don't have adoption centers and the animals stay there until they're sold. I've never seen rabbits stay for very long, usually a few days at the very most.

Although some, like Petsmart, have a real adoption center in the store for cats thats run by the Humane Society. That way cats from the Humane Society will be adopted more easily because people shopping in Petsmart will see them, and then Petsmart profits because the new owner will then most likely buy cat supplies in Petsmart. Plus every Saturday the Humane Society brings in lots more cats, and dogs too in some stores. Too bad PAH doesn't do this.