Petmania - Buying a pet? Experience with small furries?

Aragneer

Hi there,

I wrote a few weeks ago about buying dwarf hamsters. I've done all my research, recently moved into a pet-friendly apartment and am counting down the weeks till we decide that our house is cosy enough for some little dwarf hammies.

Now, I've heard a few stories about different pet stores and if they are trained properly in sexing animals and in their knowledge about animals.

Does anybody have any experience buying smaller animals from Petmania? The last time I went to price up everything the hammies need, I was not impressed by the woman who talked to me. She contradicted everything I've ever read and contradicted the labels on the hammies' cages too! She clearly didn't want to be there. However, I have met other employees that are enthusiastic and helpful.
Can anybody help in telling me their own experience in Petmania and if it is a place I should look to buy my hamsters from?

I am based in Limerick! I live in Mayo though and thought that maybe Petworld in Horkans Castlebar may be a better place (although it would be a two hour drive for my poor hammies!)

Raminahobbin

I've had many many hamsters over the years (although not dwarfs) and I've come to the conclusion, quite simply, that pet shops are b*st*rds. Generally speaking.

The hamsters are (generally) inbred, in poor health, sexed improperly, not separated early enough, and essentially wild when you get them. And the staff haven't a clue. Even if they care about the animal's welfare, they have managers breathing down their neck for a sale, and have been somewhat desensitised to the needs of the animal.

Even leaving aside the ethical side of it, if you're buying more than one hamster, you have to be extremely careful that you can be sure of the sex. I've been assured emphatically in the past that I was buying two females, only for one to be male. Pregnancy occured. Another time, I sexed them myself, both were female, but I discovered later that one was already pregnant at the time of purchase.

Essentially, don't trust pet shops. Do your own research. Put ads up on the various Facebook groups and keep your eye out in rescues for some home bred hammies. If you *have to* buy from a pet shop, buy males and make sure you figure out how to sex them yourself! It can be very difficult, especially when they're young, but take your time. And be assertive to the staff in the pet shop if they rush you. It's a pain in the hole ending up with tonnes of babies and trying to separate them/rehome them!!

Knine

My sister worked in a petshop which shall not be named & she regularly brought home hamsters with bad temperaments as otherwise they were put in the freezer.

Sure just look at the tiny fish bowls & starter kits they sell for Goldfish. They are a business & animal welfare is not their concern.

hardCopy

Knine wrote: »

otherwise they were put in the freezer..

:eek:

I never knew that was a thing, then I googled it and now I'm horrified.

Aragneer

Thanks guys...I also never knew about the freezer thing. If I do go with pet shop hammies, I am grilling the employee that tries to sell them to me. I found a great hammie forum that gives you a checklist of everything you should or shouldn't see in a pet store and questions to ask the server.
I work in retail myself so I know about targets and the drive to sell but it doesn't excuse them in pet stores.
I will be taking my little hammies straight to the vets if they are from a pet store so that I can get a full check and someone to sex them properly.

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm popping up to Maxi Zoo this week to check out their employees, shop and hammies and then back to petmania to see also. If I'm not happy, I will be finding hammie breeders

Thanks!

SillyMangoX

Just so you know, the maxi zoo in Limerick doesn't sell any animals at all, just everything for them! But if you need to buy cages/food etc the girls would be happy to help.

baby and crumble

Of all chain pet shops, Maxi Zoo is the one I'd feel most comfortable buying an animal from. In general their cages are a big size and the staff do know quite a lot.

Raminahobbin

baby and crumble wrote: »

Of all chain pet shops, Maxi Zoo is the one I'd feel most comfortable buying an animal from. In general their cages are a big size and the staff do know quite a lot.

I'd agree with that. They seem to go out of their way to hire knowledgeable staff, and the ethos filters down from the top, really. I remember reading before that the founding owners of Maxi Zoo are very, very much animal-people and that's a large part of why they don't sell pets in the majority of their branches. It seems to be marketed as a shop for your pets, not just for people who own pets.

murphf

I would always recommend buying small animals from a breeder, they know their stuff , you will be able to see the parents and how properly to house / care for them and most breeders give you lifetime advice and even take the pet back if you can no longer care for them for any reason

I am not sure if there is a hamster fb page for Ireland but there are several rabbit / guinea pigs ones and selling ones . A good one is the Irish rabbit and guinea pig group, a helpful lot who could probably recommend a good breeder near you. Good luck !

Ankhyu

The Limerick Maxi Zoo doesn't sell animals unfortunately. I used to work for Petmania, and would have been the go-to staff member in that store for sexing small animals, as most of the other staff either couldn't get the hang of it, or weren't interested enough to find out.

But seeing as hamsters can breed quite young, some of the females could end up pregnant before they arrived in store and we had a chance to separate them.

In general I wouldn't trust most pet shop staff, unless they're a genuine animal lover, interested in learning. I didn't get much training other than the basics (food, bedding, what we need to sell to someone buying x animal etc.), and most of what I learned in addition to that was in my own time, because I was interested, and wanted to try and help people be responsible pet owners by passing on that information (I used to hate selling fish bowls, but there was no talking to some customers! :mad:)

Tbh unless you get to know of a staff member that knows their stuff, if I were you I'd learn how to sex them myself, and double check.

Ramina suggested getting two males, which would be the safer option in terms of avoiding a litter, but I find male dwarves do get very territorial when they get older and may end up needing to be separated.

Someone else suggested a breeder, I don't know of any myself, but that would be the best option if you can find a decent one