OMG I am soo upset!!!

[Hedgie17]

Ok well the reason for my anger is that I went to a pet store called Critters Pet Shop to buy some fish food for my pet fish Moe. I usually look at what condition they keep their hedgies in, hold them, pet them ect. Anyways I have made an older post on this before but this time it has gone to far. I looked inside the tank and there was TWO hedgies in there. I asked a worker what gender they were, and she said I dont know... I was like WHAT!!!! And to top that all off, I saw some little pink blobs in the "cage" that looked like dead babies!!!! To be sure I touched the little blob and it felt wet and squishy!!! There was no blood so I dont know if that really was a mutilated baby. The two hedgies were in a corner balled up and shaking/hissing. I grabbed my dad and stormed out of there right after.

On another term, they sell sickly looking kittens for 750 dollars! They keep their dogs in small crates all day with no food/water! Another thing is that my teachers friend bought a dog there and it died a week after of pnoumonia. And the people that work there have no idea what these animals need!!!!

Please help me for I feel that I should do something about this horrible place. I dont for sure if those pink blobs were carcasses or not, but I know for sure that place is B-A-D!!! Sorry for the long post but I feel that this is necessary for the animals health!

[LizardGirl]

I am sorry to hear this! Most pet shops are awful, but that sounds even more horrible than most! It's very likely those pink things were babies. Poor things will probably be eaten.

[sebian]

Check out your local SPCA website. They usually give a phone number for complaints.
You can also dial your local non-emergency police number and they will give you more information on who to call and what their numbers are. You can also try your vet for a phone number or local animal shelter.

Just make sure you're consistent in checking up on everyone involved. The SPCA has a lot of investigating to do and sometimes things get lost in the shuffle.

[Hedgie17]

Originally Posted by LizardGirl

I am sorry to hear this! Most pet shops are awful, but that sounds even more horrible than most! It's very likely those pink things were babies. Poor things will probably be eaten.

I know and by the way those pink things were already eaten!!!

[Hedgie17]

Originally Posted by sebian

Check out your local SPCA website. They usually give a phone number for complaints.
You can also dial your local non-emergency police number and they will give you more information on who to call and what their numbers are. You can also try your vet for a phone number or local animal shelter.

Just make sure you're consistent in checking up on everyone involved. The SPCA has a lot of investigating to do and sometimes things get lost in the shuffle.

I really want to do this, but the thing is I am only 13 and I dont own a hedgie (yet). I dont know if my parents would really care, but I could ask my dogs vet....

[sebian]

You can still do it. I don't think there is an age requirement to call the SPCA and fill them in on what's going on. I would just tell your parents how you feel and that you want to tell the proper authorities about what's going on.

[smhufflepuff]

Another route might be the USDA. I recall reading that a pet store needs to be licensed by the USDA to sell hedgehogs. Someone once posted a link to a site where you could learn if a particular pet store had authorization to sell hedgie. If a store doesn't have that license, they can incur penalties or otherwise be forced to stop selling hedgies until properly licensed. Perhaps the store you are having troubles with isn't licensed?

I'm not finding the post now, but here's a place to start: http://hedgehogwelfare.org/usda_info.htm

[Grouchyhog]

The pet store down the road from my place has 3 hedgehogs, and theyre suffering terrible quill loss, and have dry flaky skin, and ive been told that each of them are between 4 and 6 months old
I'm just glad I got mine from the one across town about a week and a half after its arrival to the store.

I really do hate these stupid pet stores that have no idea how to house animals, and yet, they have them shipped in without the proper equipment or know how on what environment is right for their animals
But the store you were at is just way beyond anything I've seen so far
where abouts is that store?
I'm in BC canada

[Zalea]

This is a copy of the Hedgehog Welfare Society Rescue and Report/Advocacy procedure. http://sinister-intentions.net/hedgieinfo/advocacy.html

This is originally from the CnQ board, and is a procedure for contacting the USDA.
http://sinister-intentions.net/hedgi...ntactusda.html

If you don't want to do the first (and I'm assuming your parents probably won't want you to do so) the second should still be helpful.

[Hedgie17]

Thanks soo much for the help you guys, I'll try emailing them first.