# Should I Volunteer at Pet Store?



## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

I went to the pet store (there is only one in my small town) to get my fish some food, and while I was in there I went to see the rats. This pet store does not treat its rodents very well, especially the rats. There were three young rats in one TINY cage (like smaller than one of those hamster kit ones) and all it had in it was some wood shavings, a food dish, and a water bottle. It didn't even have a box or something for the rats to hide and sleep in (but at least they had eachother; some other of the older rats are kept alone). When I went over to their cage the rats were dying to come out and play; they wanted attention so bad. It was just heartbreaking to watch. 

When I was in there I talked to a volunteer that helped out there. She said that she mostly handles and plays with the snakes and reptiles and doesn't like rodents. So I don't think the rats get much attention at all.

So anyways, I kind of want to volunteer there so that I can play with the rats and treat them the way they should be treated. I also want to bring them a hammock or hanging cube or something (I sew tons of them). But my dilemma is this: I don't want to support rat mills and pet stores like this, but I still want to help the rats cuz its not their fault. 

So should I just try to avoid the pet store so I don't have to see those sad rats, or should I volunteer there so that I can help the rats?


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## BasmatiRice (Feb 11, 2012)

I've been thinking about doing the same thing on a petshop near my house... They don't sell rats but its so miserable I even found a dead hamster once and I've lost count to all dead fish I had to warn them about... It makes me depressed just to walk by that store and I've though many times on applying for a job there just to try and make those animals less miserable... I know how you feel, I don't know what to do about it either...


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

It's up to you most importantly. I'll give you my story. I used to work at a mom and pop pet store when I got my first rat 2 years ago. Also I got my second one as a day old when they "accidently" fed the mother. They were going to freeze her 2 remaining babies (baby snake food) because there wasn't another nursing mother available so I took both them in. The sister died, brother survived and still have him he's 8 months and neutered believe it or not.

However let me tell you, reptiles unfortunately have to eat something too -_- so IF you have to "box" one up for "food" that's going to kill you. I know it killed me. However I managed to talk some open minded people about owning rats as pets I got about 5 people to "rescue" a feeder rat so I felt very accomplished. In the rural area i'm in, it's very hard to find rat rescues. It has it's ups and downs especially when you see the most friendly sociable rats that could potentially be pets. If the pet store takes care of them that's one thing, but if they aren't that's completely different and *depressing*. I saw rats that came in practically skinny and malnourished, lots of sick ones that I saved. I was extremely pissed off the next few days after finding out my co worker had sold the rats I rehabilitated, for snake food. 

If people mostly go to this store to buy snake food, chances are it will be very depressing to volunteer there and not rewarding after you put in so much work to find out they still were sold as snake food. Unless you could take the good ones in yourself and perhaps start your own rat rescue. But if you can't do that, See if there are any rat rescues in your area (look on petfinder.com type in your zip code and look for small animal rescues) and help them out. It's much more rewarding volunteering for rescues and shelters who need as much help as they can, because they don't get paid to do it they just rely on volunteers and donations where as pet stores make decent money.

I don't work there anymore because I was getting ripped off for lots of hours I worked, let me tell you I did enjoy playing with the rats there and taking care of them though.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

Thanks for sharing your story. I would definitely rather volunteer at a rescue but there are none in my area. The pet store in my town doesn't breed rats in the store (so there are no live pinkies being sold as snake food. I believe the rats in the store are advertised as pets and they seem like they would be too expensive for someone to buy just for food, but I guess I wouldn't know for sure. I had never even considered having to see the rats go as feeders, so that is definitely something I will have to think about.


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## kindhearted (Aug 4, 2011)

I was thinking they were for food because you mentioned that there's a girl who volunteers in there with the reptiles lol. In that case double make sure that the owner is actually advertising them as pets, then go for it and educate some potential new rat owners


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## lilspaz68 (Feb 24, 2007)

No one has mentioned the possibiltiy of bringing home deadly viruses to your own rats yet. SDA, Sendai, KRV are the main ones, with the first 2 liikely to kill most of your rats. These viruses are a huge chance you would take unless you stayed away from your rats/home for 3 hours post-volunteering, or you went home, showered, changed, and blew your nose every time before going near your rats.


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## Jaguar (Nov 15, 2009)

Please try to stay away from the feeder discussion... we all know about it.

I would say no. Number one - do you really want to donate your time and effort to a company that does not care for the wellbeing of their animals? You will be letting them take advantage of your generousity to turn and make a profit. They've already displayed loud and clear that they don't care - it's doubtful that you would change their minds at this point.

Second - what Shelagh said. It would be very, very difficult to maintain a quarantine barrier between those rats and your home rats.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

The viruses thing is a very good point. I would not want to put my Koko at risk so I won't volunteer there. Thanks for the info!


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