Petco's policy on animals is to encourage customers to look into
adoption before buying an animal. I have routinely suggested to
customers to look on Petfinder for local shelters to see if there is
an animal they would be interested in adopting. As an employee, I have
witnessed snakes, ferrets, guinea pigs, mice, rats, birds including
conures an caiques being adopted out either because they have been in
the store too long (if an animal has been for sale for several months,
the manager will discount then try to adopt out the animal). I have
watched thousands upon thousands of dollars walk out the store because
animals were adopted out rather than grow old in the store. I have
also seen them spend thousands on surgeries and then adopt the animal
out because the animal is no longer "perfect" and sellable. Petco is
probably the most responsible chain pet store when it comes to taking
care of the animals, but no one is perfect and it does depend sometimes
on the manager.

As a side note, company policy is for carefresh paper bedding, not
wood chips, but the carefresh is not good either. Yes, if Petco stops
selling ferrets, customers will go elsewhere to buy, but also when a
customer asks if the store has ferrets, they can direct the customer
to a local shelter to look at adopting, just like the do when someone
comes in looking for a dog or cat and yes, ferret shelters can have
adoption days, or just a day to come into the store to inform customers
about their shelter...Petco does it for dog and cat shelters and other
shelters are welcome also....just contact the manager.

[EZ]

[Posted in FML 6617]