Hi,
 
I caught sight of the Linden, NJ email about the ferrets in the fishtank.
And it put me in mind of an incident on Long Island at Eastertime, when I
was last down there (that was the same visit as the time I went to Parrots
Of The World).
 
Paula and I went into a Petland Discount there and found 2 ferrets in a
cage that was barely big enough (it looked like a large birdcage rather
than a ferret cage, really - but I've seen worse, too).  There were wood
shavings in the bottom (I believe the "good kind" I have heard about -
they were very lightweight and non-irritative, and didn't seem too dusty).
There was plenty of water in a big water bottle.  And the cage was clean.
 
But there was NO FOOD in the cage.  When we suggested they add food to the
bowl, the guy insisted (despite the fact we knew better) that they only
needed a bowl a day (the bowl wasn't all that big) and that otherwise
they'd poop too much!  He was totally not willing to listen to us.  I've
never been impressed with the sales folks I've met in any Petland, and
I've been to several in the NY metro area over the years.
 
Seems that the standard of care in this chain is greatly variable, to say
the least.  I will state for the record however that the ferrets appeared
happy and healthy, energetic, and frankly I would have been tempted to take
the cuties home if we had money, room, and no lease restriction! :)  They
were real sweeties.  Not nippy at all.  So this store passed, but barely.
 
I believe that the care the animals get (any pet store animals) depends
directly on the quality of the employees and management (who hire and train
them). Our Petco here in Manchester NH sells many ferrets and the cages and
ferrets seem to be pretty well taken care of whenever we're there.  One of
the salesgirls there (the one that helped us) has a ferret herself, so that
might be why.  But I hear stories of other Petcos that aren't as good with
ferrets.
 
Maybe contacting the Petland offices about the Linden store would help get
things changed there.  I tried searching BigYellow on the web, but couldn't
find a listing that showed which address of the 85 or so for Petland
Discounts was the headquarters.  We don't have that chain up here.  Maybe
someone in the area could go into one of the stores and ask for the address
(or better yet, a phone number).
 
Anyhow, that's my 2 cents.
Mike, Paula, Buddy, Dickens, Daisy, Sweet Pea, and Winter
 
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[Posted in FML issue 3062]